Acoustic amps

[Corwin1968]

Okay, I made the mistake of plugging my acoustic into my electric guitar amp. I've seen enough on Youtube to understand that acoustics thru an electric guitar amp get processed in a way that vastly deducts from the "acoustic" sound. Nonetheless, I loved it!!!

I never thought I would want to plug in and in fact, my guitar only has a pickup because they don't make this model without.

Some quick research yielded Fishman being recommend a lot. How much will I need to spend (on any brand) to get into the entry level of "pretty good" acoustic amps? My personal financial examples were $800 for a guitar and $700 for an electric amp, so that ballpark is what I'm thinking, unless I can get something good for much less.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Corwin1968

Okay, I made the mistake of plugging my acoustic into my electric guitar amp. I've seen enough on Youtube to understand that acoustics thru an electric guitar amp get processed in a way that vastly deducts from the "acoustic" sound. Nonetheless, I loved it!!!

I never thought I would want to plug in and in fact, my guitar only has a pickup because they don't make this model without.

Some quick research yielded Fishman being recommend a lot. How much will I need to spend (on any brand) to get into the entry level of "pretty good" acoustic amps? My personal financial examples were $800 for a guitar and $700 for an electric amp, so that ballpark is what I'm thinking, unless I can get something good for much less.

A lot of players like the Fishman acoustic combo amps. I use a Roland Cube EX (approximately $500) and love it.



You're going to need to try out a variety of amps if possible and determine what matches YOUR needs.

[L20A]

What will you be using the amp for?

Home use, a small amp will be fine.
If you want to use it for performing, you will want to decide if an amp or a P A will be what you want.

How many channels do you need and what will you be plugging into the amp?

I have an Acoustic Brand amp from Guitar Center that is all I need for home use.
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Acousti...%20amp&index=3

I use a small PA for solo shows and a larger PA for full band use.

[Corwin1968]

Originally Posted by L20A

What will you be using the amp for?

Home use, a small amp will be fine.
If you want to use it for performing, you will want to decide if an amp or a P A will be what you want.

How many channels do you need and what will you be plugging into the amp?

I have an Acoustic Brand amp from Guitar Center that is all I need for home use.
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Acousti...%20amp&index=3

I use a small PA for solo shows and a larger PA for full band use.

I should have specified that it will only be used in a small bedroom. I'm a beginner but getting sounds I really like is a great motivator to keep practicing.

My guitar is a Taylor 110e.

[L20A]

Originally Posted by Corwin1968

I should have specified that it will only be used in a small bedroom. I'm a beginner but getting sounds I really like is a great motivator to keep practicing.

My guitar is a Taylor 110e.

If you are close to a Guitar Center, take your guitar with you and try out a few amps.
Lots of choices in your price range.

[Jaxon]

the natural sound of an acoustic is such a beautiful sound

[Mandobart]

I have a (no longer available) Carvin AG300. At an advertised 300 watts its way more than what you need.

Useful features it has include 3 input channels, each with an XLR or 1/4" input and each with its own effects and EQ. Two of the channels have a HI Z (high impedance) input, which lets me use passive pickups without a preamp or DI. It also has a three-way speaker cabinet.

[wguitar]

The Fishman Loudbox Artist is a great amp($650 at Sweetwater) and all the amp most of us will ever need.

Cheers!

[david57strat]

Originally Posted by Corwin1968

Okay, I made the mistake of plugging my acoustic into my electric guitar amp. I've seen enough on Youtube to understand that acoustics thru an electric guitar amp get processed in a way that vastly deducts from the "acoustic" sound. Nonetheless, I loved it!!!

I never thought I would want to plug in and in fact, my guitar only has a pickup because they don't make this model without.

Some quick research yielded Fishman being recommend a lot. How much will I need to spend (on any brand) to get into the entry level of "pretty good" acoustic amps? My personal financial examples were $800 for a guitar and $700 for an electric amp, so that ballpark is what I'm thinking, unless I can get something good for much less.

The last acoustic guitar amp I purchased was in February of 2006, and it was a Roland AC-60. A very dear friend of mine helped me buy it. I didn't have the cash to buy it outright and my credit sucked, at the time. She put it on her credit card and I made the payments to her, with interest, very gladly. I was very thankful she was kind enough to do that. The amp got a lot of use over the years, since.

Semi-recently, I've seen and heard Blackstar Sonnet 60 acoustic amps and pretty much fell in love with how they sounded and what they could do, for such a small package, and at such a reasonable price.

I first heard of this amp through a video I watched, of Jon Gomm, a guitarist whose work I greatly admire. In that video, he was using a pair of Sonnet 60s. No doubt, he's using effects, as well (Delay, Reverb, etc.). Still, I had to check these little amps out.

(Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I can't get the videos to properly embed in this post. Sorry about that!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK9gyprlvv8

Here, Jon explains how the design of these amps came about, since he had a hand in their design, working together with Blackstar.

https://youtu.be/o3bxcK-jTLk

I bought two of them (to run a full stereo setup, with my effects), on sale, for a hundred bucks less (each) than they usually are. That sale price ended as of the end of September. Even at that price, I'd have loved to get them. I was lucky enough to get these at the lower price, right under the wire lol.






Side profile of Sonnet 60 and AC-60

I read somewhere that this gives the Fishman Loudbox a run for its money. Don't know if there's any truth to that, but we'll see.

I could actually use these as keyboard amps/monitors (at a gig)- surprisingly.

One of the secret ingredients of this amp is the design of the port that's on the side. It delivers a lot deeper (yet usable) bass than one would expect out of such a tiny cabinet. There's a variable high-pass filter to fine adjust that output.


They're so light and tiny!


These smoke my old AC-60, are somewhat smaller, and at 16.9 pounds a piece, they weigh in about 5 pounds less than an AC-60, but have very similar dimensions. There's a little tilt back leg that extends from the bottom, that you can use to put them at a decent angle They're stand-mountable, with an adapter.

The limiting is far more musical. The frequency response is worlds better. They're mono amps (hence why I bought two of them), but the drivers are of higher quality so the dispersion is wider and more uniform.

Will probably fire them up tomorrow evening, after work. I'm guessing I could even run decent amp/cab emulation on my Strat and through those, for cool sounds (Within reason. They're not going to sound like 4/12 cabinets lol), with a wider stereo spread, and at reasonably low volumes.

Two digital reverb algorithms (Hall and Plate) built into these. They're Bluetooth-compatible (but I suspect will not be able to be slaved to each other, for actual stereo sound, using two; but I can do that with traditional cables).



Bottom line - these amps are far from entry-level; but for their price, size, and feature set, I think they're remarkable.

Worth a look!

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/search?s=sonnet+60

Looks like they've extended the lower prices on this and the 120-watt version (which is 100 bucks more, and worth every penny), until January 1 of 2023.

You have to plug in and hear one of these to believe it.

[leew3]

If you love the sound you get through your electric guitar amp, why look for another option? If you're really willing to buy an acoustic guitar amp, count me solidly in the LB Artist camp. It will do all you need and then some and if you play out in the future can handle most venues-either on its own or with a DI out to larger speakers for big spaces. I've played large outdoor shows in this manner running the Artist to an Alto Trouper on a speaker pole and covered quite a bit of space. We've gotten many compliments on our sound this way.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Corwin1968

…Some quick research yielded Fishman being recommend a lot. How much will I need to spend (on any brand) to get into the entry level of "pretty good" acoustic amps? My personal financial examples were $800 for a guitar and $700 for an electric amp, so that ballpark is what I'm thinking, unless I can get something good for much less.

Hi Corwin…
The AER Alpha - CliCk is a superb small acoustic amp.

The amount and quality of sound it puts out is amazing. Like all it's 'bigger' siblings, it has an 8" with a tweeter cone speaker designed for acoustic instruments. It used to come with a carrying bag (perhaps still does). It's about a 10 inch cube size/shape. First time I saw one I laughed. Then I asked if I could plug my guitar into it, and I was blown away. The 40W is more than enough to produce enough sound.

It's about $900, and if you can find a used one, less. It is pro quality, and weighs just over 14lbs. It has XLR out for sending it to the house. It also has ¼" outputs for headphones, effects loop, reverb switch and line out.

It has a fairly decent reverb and a mid-scoop/high boost switch (colour).

Electric amps are built to overdrive easily, and acoustic amps are built to resist overdriving. The cabinet of an electric amp (which greatly affects tone) is often open back, but even when it's sealed, it's not tuned nor ported.

German precision, and solid sound for monitor use of small gigs.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Corwin1968

I should have specified that it will only be used in a small bedroom. I'm a beginner but getting sounds I really like is a great motivator to keep practicing.

My guitar is a Taylor 110e.

Since you're anticipating playing in a smaller area by yourself I can HIGHLY recommend that you try out the Roland Street Cube. It has twin 6-1/2" drivers and produces a very nice true stereo sound, featuring true stereo reverbs, chorus, and delay effects. If you're going for something that has personally satisfying sound then the Street Cube deserves your consideration. It is very affordable and the single amp takes up very little space in a bedroom. (It's wife friendly!)

It will also run for hours on a set of AA batteries, so you can position it anywhere you like with no need to plug it in. Check out the specifications and audition one.

Roland Cube Street II

The demo video shows it's form factor well, so you can see how it fits into a bedroom scenario:



Don't be dissuaded by the power rating, these can be quite loud if you wish. Before I upgraded to the Cube EX I gigged with the Cube Street using it's second input for a vocal mic. It worked well for backyard weddings and coffee shop / nursing home gigs.

[Methos1979]

Can't go wrong with the Fishman Loudbox line of amps. The Mini is all you'll ever need for the bedroom and is loud enough to transition to small gigs should you ever want to go that route. You can find them for sale used for under $300 so also very affordable.

[6L6]

Fishman Loudbox Mini will work great for you.

[dnf777]

The Fishmans are well-liked here by many, and will serve you well. Nowadays, I really cant think of any BAD acoustic amps, and it comes down to how much you want to spend. There is a “level” just above your range that includes AER, Udo, Henriksen, Hughes&Kettner, but there are many at and under of excellent quality, already mentioned. I wouldnt forget Peavy. Not on top of most folk’s list, but decent amps at a good price.