Jinder

The main drive behind the amp idea is to have a more convenient and compact solution for smaller venue gigs that I can subsequently use as a monitor/personal mix that feeds to FOH for the larger shows. I find that with a big powered cab on a stand, some audiences "see" the gig as being too loud before I even turn the speaker on, and squirrel themselves away at the back of the room which diminishes the intimate, storytelling element to my shows that requires an up-close-n-personal audience. In my experience in the past, an amp is a far stealthier form of amplification! I've used a Compact 60 previously at a friend's gig, and was impressed with it although I agree that it was a touch boxier than ideal for vocals. I gather the Domino is the better amp for vocals as it has more spread and provides a slightly deeper soundstage with the extra 8" driver and tweeter...I may be wrong though!

Thanks all! I should clarify that I need the amp to cover both acoustic and vocals, so it needs to be at least dual channel. I use a Boss AD10 as the front end for my guitars and a TC Helicon Voicelive 3 with a Sennheiser condenser for my vocals. Normally I just run into the two input channels on the back of my Alto 800w powered speakers (usually just one) but both of my Altos are 9yrs old now and are ailing. I'm after a more compact and versatile setup, but ultimately I can do all my tonal processing outboard if required, so huge mixing/tone shaping power isn't necessary. My main concerns are pro level tone and reliability...I had such a nightmare with the Fishman amps and I don't want any repeats of their onstage hari-kari business, very embarrassing!! I love the look and sound of the new Mesa Rosette 300 1:10, and I've had many years of primo service from Mesa electric amps in the past, but the 10" Rosette is very hard to find in the UK and would have to be ordered in with a ten day lead time. The AER Domino 3 is the flagship of their range and is a very powerful and versatile bit of kit, can be ordered for next day delivery and off the peg flightcases are available for them which is a huge plus for me. A great deal of friends and collaborators use AER kit and love it, which is always a plus, too. Many of the amps that have been recommended to me here and elsewhere (SWR, Rivera, Genz Benz, Acoustic Solutions) aren't distributed in the UK and are almost impossible to find here sadly...I'm rather limited to AER, Mesa (in limited quantities), Marshall, Fishman, certain Fenders, Acus, Schertler (again in limited quantities) and a very small number of Henriksen and Genzler amps. Of course the option remains to replace my Alto speakers with a pair of new powered cabs and just continue down that road...I'd rather have my Altos serviced and semi-retired though and pursue the amp based solution. The Bose line array units are brilliant, but I think to get the spec I'd want I'd end up spending more than I can afford...they're mighty expensive over here! For the L1 Model 2 with the B2 sub and T4 mixer I'd be north of £2500, which is a little out of my grasp budget wise. Terrific sound, though!

Trying to bump this again through all the spam...thanks for bumping earlier Dave!

Thanks guys! I like the Bose stuff, definitely something to consider. Ultrasound amps sound great but are almost impossible to find in the UK, I'm not sure if they have a distributor over here.

Hi all, I'm after an acoustic amp. High end, top quality, tour grade kit that will stand up to any and all road use and will sound good with vocals too. I've been looking at the Mesa/Boogie Rosette 300 1:10 and the AER Domino 3 primarily but am open to other suggestions. Budget isn't too much of a concern as much as quality, tonality and durability...this is something I want to use for years to come with no problems so I don't mind paying a little more. I should add that I'm not interested in any Fishman stuff. I had a NIGHTMARE with their Loudbox Performer amps, went through three in 9mths which all suffered from blown op-amps and dodgy speakers. Lovely tone but not up to the job durability wise sadly. Any and all advice gratefully received!

Either a '30s AJ, '30s SJ200 or '50s J185 for the grails. '40s J45 for the benchmark. In my opinion, in terms of impact on popular music, three families of acoustics in particular have left the biggest footprint. Gibson J45/50, Martin D18/28 and Gibson 17" Jumbos.

I have nothing against Maton guitars at all, several friends of mine play them and they all sound superlative. Very hard to get hold of in the UK, but they do occasionally surface. I think it's down to what works for which player, as is always the case...if it was less subjective, there would be one guitar, one pickup and we'd all be blissfully happy in our musical ignorance! And yes, I agree that all soundhole pickups generally sound like the pickup with only variations in the sustain and attack which are attributable to the guitar and the way the feel of the guitar brings out different aspects of the player's personality. As a live sound, the Sunrise works brilliantly for me...I like the fact that it has an electric edge and is a big, bold and fundamental sound. It suits my style perfectly and I love the response of it. I can absolutely see why it wouldn't suit others whatsoever though, and for many years soundhole pickups didn't suit my playing. I guess I kind of evolved/changed/grew by happenstance into a stylistic compatibility zone where the Sunrise and I are in sync. All this stuff is SO much fun and so interesting to me. Absolutely love it!

I do! I use a K&K pure, the non-XLR model, which then goes into my AD10 for further tone shaping and a spot of compression. I often run the Hummingbird 12 string straight into the AD10 which sounds fine, but the '67 J45 benefits from the K&K pre being in the chain as it needs a bit more midrange cut, which the Pure pre really zeroes in on nicely.

That's my thoughts exactly, and why I rated the M1 passive so highly...no batteries, simple, reliable and fantastic sounding. A really pro bit of kit. I'm not surprised that David Gilmour uses them!

None were particularly difficult in comparison to a UST with all the finicky saddle adjustments etc or an SBT with the placement fine tuning. The MagMic requires a neck block battery bag to be mounted and the wires for that to be stowed, but the rest were very straightforward. The slightly floppy gooseneck on the REB was probably the most awkward bit of all of them, and that was relatively minor. I could write a similar post about the different USTs and SBTs I've used, but I find it harder to get fired up by them...I really love the mag pickups and, with the exception of the K&Ks in my Hummingbird 12 and '67 J45, I can't imagine using anything else.

It's an odd duck with the P90 addition, but I absolutely love it. So unique and vibey. Mojo out the wazoo!

Thanks all, glad you think it might be of use. I'll add to the post in time as/when I try different pickups out. I should have added that the pickups have all been used in different guitars: 2014 Custom Shop J180 (Deltoluxe, RESC) 1967 J45 (Lace California and REH) 2016 Fender Sonoran Mini (Lace California) 2002 AJ (REH and DiMarzio Angel System) 2004 Avalon Bronze Series OM (Mi-Si Duo) 1990 Hummingbird (REB) 2015 SJ200 Standard (Blackstack) 2003 SJ200 Historic Collection (Tri-Ax) 1968 F25 (RESC) 1986 Takamine F360S (M1) 2014 '41 Reissue SJ100 (MagMic) 1997 Martin D18GE prototype (Sunrise) 2016 Advance Jumbo Flame Deluxe (Sunrise) Quite a big spread there...my only regret being that there is nothing in the way of Rosewood, bar the '02 AJ I no longer own and the lam rosewood back and sides of the F360S, which is owned by my producer, the great Peter James Millson. I'm not much of a Rosewood guy, although I'd like to change that sometime soon. Got my eye on things like Mossman dreads or perhaps a vintage D35.

Hi all, Some time ago, I decided that the world of USTs was something I wanted to leave behind. I'd used Matrix Infinity pickups and the occasional Element or Wavelength for many years, and had grown tired of the tone and response of USTs and the aural fatigue that I experience with them after long periods on the road. I should add the caveat that I have had sensitivity problems with my ears for many years-I have periodic hyperacusis and other problems. These issues don't affect my perception of sound and tone, but they have uncomfortable and debilitating symptoms, and are usually triggered by aggressive frequencies and harsh attack transients at high SPLs...hence my desire to move away from USTs, which often exhibit exactly those characteristics. My journey began right here on the forum last year, when our very own Buc McMaster kindly passed on his Sunrise pickup to me. This superb pickup has been the benchmark for all my soundhole pickup adventures, and is the gold standard against which all other soundhole pickups just be judged. So...here are my thoughts, ratings and findings: 12: Gretsch Deltoluxe This pickup is a visual treat-it looked gorgeous in my cherry J180. Supposedly based on the DeArmond Rhythm Chief, it is of course passive and VERY gritty, honky and old-school. I didn't like it at all, it didn't suit my style of playing and I found it very hard to get anything approaching a musical tone out of it. I play a vast range of stuff in many styles, but none worked very well with the Deltoluxe. 11: Lace California I picked this up as an eBay steal as I couldn't resist trying one out. It's light and small, easy to fit and convenient when used with the breakout cable. Tone wise, it had a pretty high end but was otherwise unsophisticated sounding and rather one dimensional, but acceptable. Unfortunately it's propensity for 60hz hum made it largely unusable for live work. It now lives as a permanent install in my stepson's Fender Sonoran Mini, which he plugs into my Vox amp in his bedroom for crunchy fun. He loves it and it sounds good for his blues work. 10: Fishman Rare Earth Humbucker There is nothing wrong with the REH, it's a functional pickup which gets the job done. Sounds okay, no hum (obviously!), Easy to install and use. It's the least inspiring of the Rare Earth range tonally to my ears however, it has a blocky sounding low end and the string balance is a little off, with the plain strings popping through the mix a little too boldly for my taste. This will suit some styles and players, of course. Overall, does the job on a professional level, but is just sort of okay rather than glorious and inspiring. 9: Mi-Si Duo This is small, convenient, lightweight and beautifully made, with jewel-like machining and detail. This pickup needs charging for a minute or so before performance using the endpin jack PSU, and is then good for up to 8hrs of playing. This is a clever concept, but one that I found stressful and finicky in reality. I don't like having to rely on finding somewhere to charge my guitar just before stagetime, I want to focus on performance and mindset at this point rather than searching for a convenient socket in a place where my guitar isn't going to get knocked over or trodden on. Tonally the pickup is very good, clear and punchy but suffers from the same balance issues as the REH. 8: DiMarzio Angel System (mag and piezo) This only just qualifies as it's essentially a dual source pickup with an onboard blending facility. I really like the tone of the Angel/Black Angel mag pickup, but the piezo adds nothing except phasing issues which are impossible to remedy onboard as there is no phase switching. It charts here due to the excellent magnetic pickup, but don't bother with the piezo blend system, just go for the mag IMHO. 7: Fishman Rare Earth Blend I enjoyed the REB more than the REH, it's eminently useable but the condenser mic is VERY sensitive to positioning and feedback, and the gooseneck mount is prone to flopping around arbitrarily in transit, so requires repositioning every time. The mic mitigates some of the inherent balance issues with the REH which is the basis of the REB, but not entirely. A good pickup and concept, but not without issues. 6: Fishman Blackstack This pickup is purported to be "very close" to the Sunrise, by people including Doug Young and others. That certainly wasn't the case to my ears, but it's a capable passive mag that is a little one dimensional but very solid. Fires off effects very well and is extremely feedback resistant, but lacks the lush, expansive low end of the Sunrise and the general impression of boutique quality. It's unsophisticated but works well. The case candy (flightcase, poker chips, deck of cards) is all weirdly unnecessary and feels oddly apologetic in some way, as if Fishman are trying to compensate for something. No need, guys! 5: Takamine Tri-Ax I really like this pickup. Very high quality tone and build. It's essentially a Baggs M1A in black with a passive/active switch. As is well documented, it has an irritating propensity to click when hit with a pick, but is otherwise very good indeed for all purposes. I'd happily tour with this pickup with no second thoughts, genuinely very good. 4: Fishman Rare Earth Single Coil This pickup is tonally exceptional, a really superb sounding pickup with wonderful note separation, warmth and headroom. The only thing that lets it down is an occasional susceptibility to 60hz hum due to earthing issues or interference from lighting, which makes it difficult to use as a touring pickup if you're playing stages with dimmer racks etc like old theatres. I play a lot of venues like this, so it hasn't stayed in my live arsenal but in every other way this pickup is genuinely superb. 3: Baggs M1 If you're happy to use a preamp, this pickup is an excellent choice. Using a good quality outboard pre, this will outperform it's active sister pickup (the M1A) and you have a lot of options. Through something like a Demeter Tube Direct, Sarno SGBB or Ridge Farm Gas Cooker, this pickup will really sing and breathe beautifully. Straight into a PA, it still sounds acceptable if a little flat, but you have a world of options preamp wise and this pickup is a stellar platform to build your outboard processing around. 2: Seymour Duncan MagMic I genuinely love this pickup and wouldn't want to be without one. It sounds superb in all applications and has twelve adjustable polepieces so you can fine tune string balance to the absolute Nth degree of OCD quelling. I use it in my '41 reissue SJ100 and wherever I go I get compliments on the tone. It handles percussive playing, distortion, weird effects and so on with aplomb, but really excels for straight playing. The mic is much better than the REB unit and generally rejects feedback very well. I can use distortion with the mic in the mix within reason, which is remarkable. I'd recommend the MagMic unreservedly to any player of any style. Superb. 1: Sunrise This pickup is SO good, so musical, so rich and so high quality that it's almost in another league entirely to the others I've written up. They're expensive, but an investment for life if mag pickups are your thing. I own two now, one is in my Maple AJ and the other in my '97 D18GE prototype. They must be used with a preamp (many recommend the Sunrise buffer box or their outrageously expensive Tube DI), I use mine with my Boss AD-10 and have superb results. There is a real sense with a Sunrise that you know it will provide superb, high-end, professional performance and tone wherever you are and whatever situation you're in. They are built to last forever, they have a transferable lifetime guarantee and don't degrade in sound at all. Buc kindly gifted me a recently made one, and the other one I own is from the early '90s, an eBay purchase and, to my surprise, they sound absolutely identical. The musicality, response and dynamic range of the Sunrise is startling, yet subtle. It encourages you to up your game as a player and supports you in the pursuit of just that. I love mine and am constantly banging on about them to all and sundry. My favourite bit of gear that isn't a guitar, and something I can never imagine being without, now. Many people use them as the basis of a dual source rig, but for me, the Sunrise alone as nature intended is absolutely what I'm after. Yes, they're a heavy unit (although very easily removable, even when permanently installed, thanks to the mini in-line jack) and look arguably a bit clunky, but instantly recognisable. So many players have said to me "oh, you use a Sunrise! Wow. I've never seen one in the flesh before" or similar, and are always floored when I plug in. Absolutely and unreservedly recommended. I hope that helps anyone who is keen to explore the world of soundhole pickups. Bear in mind, what works for me might not work for you, and vice versa...different strokes and all that!

Everything is fixable, other than tone. If you like the J55, go for it. A '70s Gibson is never going to be worth Megabucks, but they're a good cheap introduction to the world of vintage guitars. There are plenty of wooly sounding examples out there, but some very good ones too. The action looks good on this one which is a plus, and a crack is just a crack. It's over 40yrs old and under $1000 so you can't be too picky at that price point. I'd buy it-you can always move it on if you don't get on with it.

Absolutely love that song in all guises...Whiskeytown were such a great band, too. Stranger's Almanac is probably my favourite album of that '90s Alt. Country movement, barely a weak five minutes on the whole thing.

I'd buy that I'm a flash at that price. The gap beneath the bridge wing is nothing to worry about (I've had this on several Gibsons, including my '41 Reissue SJ100 and my 2003 SJ200), the lacquer crazing around the fretboard extension is totally normal if the guitar has gone through some humidity changes, and the lacquer crack by the endpin just needs filling with a spot of CA and flatting. It's a player grade instrument and this stuff is just salad. Personally, I'd just buy it and play it, the price is great and it would make a terrific working instrument.

I think they sell with bare wires so folks can wire them into dual source rigs, the installation kit is pricey but it comes with Mogami cabling, a very high quality Switchcraft endpin jack and a Switchcraft in-line mini jack connection so the pickup can be easily removed and disconnected for stashing when/if you have to fly with the guitar it's installed in. They could have made the installation kit cheaper admittedly, but I think their approach is that if you're already £250 deep on a pickup system, you'll probably not lose too much sleep about dropping an extra £50 to make sure the downstream components are as good as the source.

Not just yet, but it won't be long! The first single is out on 23rd August and I'll share as soon as it's online. The rest of the record is recorded in the most part, but we're knee deep in post production and mixing...it's a big production job this time, orchestras and brass sections and allsorts, so mixing is a bit of a mission!!

Thanks, Murph and Lars!! I really appreciate the kind words. Lotte is brilliant, isn't she? Such a great and under-recognised talent. I anticipate great things from my Godson, not only does he have Lotte for a Mum, but his Dad, Lotte's husband Alex Reeves, is a tremendous drummer...he played beautifully on my 'Crumbs Of Comfort' album back in 2012 and is now a full time member of Elbow, who are huge here in the UK. Absolutely lovely people too, all of them!

I had the Rare Earth Blend. Lasted one gig before I parted with it. I love magnetic pickups but that one didn't do it for me. The whole Rare Earth line is compromised, the single coil sounds very good (I have one in my '94 Centenary Blues King) but suffers from 60hz him/RF interference, the Humbucker is a little hot on the unwound strings and doesn't sound as sweet as the single coil, and the REB is just the Humbucker with a very boxy and feedback prone miniature condenser on a gooseneck. All pickups are compromised in some way or another, but to my fingers and ears the Sunrise is the best modular/removable/non invasive pickup, and one of the absolute best overall. Yes, it's not feather light, but it's very easily removable if the weight is an issue. The tone, with a decent preamp, is superlative. They've been around forever, and are still used to this day by Richard Thompson, The Rolling Stones, Lyle Lovett and many others. They are virtually feedback proof and just get the job done in a high quality and totally professional way.

BBG's Caroline Spence thread made me think of my friend Lotte Mullan. She's a GREAT artist, we've toured together many times, and I'm godfather to her son. One of my best pals. Here she is with my former bandmate Simon Johnson (who also co-produced my 2012 album 'Crumbs Of Comfort' with me) performing 'I'm Still Here'. A great song and a great performance, I think.

Sorry to jump in on this-necks are never intentionally underset, that is something most would class as a build error. Neck sets vary as with handbuilt instruments it's an imprecise science, but to my mind a properly made acoustic guitar should have a 30yr run before it needs a neck reset. Most guitars have two phases of geometric settling, the first being in the first three years as the guitar adjusts to no longer being a tree. The parabolic arch of the top forms to some degree (Gibsons are built with a parabolic arch, others not), finding its limits of flex under tension against the constraints of bracing, kerfing etc. The neck angle will change slightly in correspondence with the body shape settling, and the most common symptom of this is the action coming up a little as the neck settles in and the top arches a little, bringing the bridge higher. At this point, most properly built guitars will have plenty of saddle left showing above the bridge and can have the saddle height reduced accordingly to lower the action. An underset neck will often make this impossible, leading to "bodge job" solutions such as shaving the bridge itself, planing the neck diagonally (which actually affects intonation by way of making the scale very (very!) slightly longer) and so on. In this situation, the guitar really needs a neck reset. The second phase of settling usually takes around 30yrs or so of playing and living under tension and in changing temperatures and humidity levels...normal existence, as it were. It's a very gradual process, and usually involves a Spruce top fully curing and the sap in the wood itself crystallising, which leads to the top shrinking slightly and the guitar changing shape accordingly. The bridge area usually develops a belly over time (I've heard several bluegrassers claim a Martin dread sounds at its best "when it's old and looks pregnant"!) And this can all lead to a further increase in action, necessitating a neck reset for the sake of playability. Some guitars will need a reset sooner, some won't at all. I have a 1967 J45 which has an immaculate neck angle and excellent action, even at 52yrs old. I have a 22yr old D18GE prototype which is similarly perfect. A 25yr old centenary year Blues King which is also geometrically perfect. However, I owned a Dove not long ago which changed shape so drastically it needed a reset after I'd owned it for a year. Wood is wood, and as such is highly unpredictable stuff. A correct neck set goes a LONG way towards offsetting that unpredictability, though.

Everything about the guitar looks legit, other than the odd serial number/stamp mismatch. It's classic Gibson to have a weird anomaly like that, though. Looks to be a nice guitar.

My experience exactly. My old '03 SJ200 had a slightly underset neck and the four ribbon bridge made it nightmarishly difficult to set up properly. I remember your probs with the WC and having to have the neck planed etc...the four ribbon bridge is cosmetically pleasant but I'd take the two ribbon job on my 2015 any day of the week.

I love Guilds. I've owned a few and really enjoyed them. A Rosewood F30 I owned had the most overtones of any guitar I've ever heard, absolutely ghostly and gorgeous. I'll definitely own another Guild one day.