Best way to amp a Gibson Acoustic?

[park0925]

First time poster...And first time Gibson owner! I just purchased a Songwriter Deluxe "Special" EC. I have a call into Gibson to figure out what the "Special" is all about. It looks exactly like the new Songwriter Deluxe "Standard" that came out this last February, so I'm a little curious. But that's not why I'm posting...I want opinions on the best options for amping it. I'm not a touring musician, but I play the occasional coffee house or open mic. Mostly they're set up with a PA system or some other system when I do play. But I would like to have something portable and affordable. I've heard everything from going with a tube amp to various acoustic amps, to getting a small PA system. I would like something with an option for a a vocal mic as well. What are people using out there? And why? Thank you all, this is an amazing instrument and I'm really enjoying it!

[Honky Dog]

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on the new guitar. I have played some of them, and I have liked every single one.

 

There are a lot of options for acoustic amplifiers, and you will get some good suggestions here. Personally, I prefer a really clean and quiet solid state amp over a tube amp for acoustic guitar. Your taste may be different. I will start by suggesting you look at the Fishman Soloamp and the Roland AC-90. Both are very portable, have two channels for guitar and mic. Both supply 48V phantom power for when you need that. Both sound really good. The Fishman (~$900) costs a bit more, but has more total power and a line array of speakers. One limitation of the Roland is that the reverb control affects both channels, so you can't control the reverb separately for each channel. I've seen some new in the box on ebay for less than $600, though.

 

Hope this helps.

[ballcorner]

I have a Fishman SoloAmp that I am super happy with and it would be my #1 recommendation. At 35 lbs., including the carrying bag and stand, plus the ability to produce excellent quality sound at high or low volumes - this is one fine piece of gear. It was specifically designed for dual purpose use - an amp at home and a PA for a gig.

 

I also have a 30watt Fender Acoustasonic that sounds great with all my A/E guitars and it is around half the price of a Fishman.

 

Sometimes I play my acoustic electrics through my VOX AC30CC1 - which is really an electric guitar amp, but where it is all tube and very powerful it provides excellent tone if you put an EQ pedal on the effects loop.

 

Welcome to the forum.

[modoc_333]

i personally like the SWR California blond. it's one of the few that retains the fullness of the guitar. many acoustic amps are working so hard for clarity that it's just crisp and nothing else.

[asmith9509]

It would help to know your budget. That being said- I second the recommendation for the Fishman SoloAmp. It is in a different league from everything else I've played.

[Taylor Player]

Hi Park and welcome.... Congrats on your new Gibby.

 

For an acoustic guitar, an acoustic amp or PA is the best choice as they are voiced for acoustic guitars more than an electric. My Genz Benz Shenendoah has separate tweeters that can be turned on, off or adjusted to taste. Most electric amps do not have the tweeter.

 

Couple of options not mentioned yet but more than worth an audition.....

UltraSound acoustic amps.... They are small, light weight, have both inputs for guitar and vocal mic. The natural tone reproduction is very good... one of the best I have heard.

 

Genz Benz Shenendoa Pro... Has a tube pre-amp but is voiced for acoustic guitar and vocals again. Excellent tone reproduction that is very natural and doesn't "Color" your guitars tone at all.

[larryp58]

I have the Marshall AS-50D. It has really doen a great job for me. One channel for instruments, one for vocals(mic). Has 48v phantom power also. A really great amp. Just a preference thing. Most of the acoustic amps mentioned here will sound great, you just have to "tinker" with them till you get the sound you're looking for.

[Jinder]

I own a basic Phonic powered mixer (200W each side), two Peavey Pro15 cabs with moving coil horns, and a Peavey Pro series powered monitor (250w).

 

For most of my smaller shows, though, I use the Phonic's passive output into the monitor, and put the monitor behind me so it acts as FOH as well as monitoring. I am constantly getting comments about how good the rig sounds, so I must be doing something right!

 

I used to have a Marshall AS50 but I found that, at 50w, it was a little underpowered for anything other than intimate shows. Good, solid tone, though.

 

The Marshall AS100 is a different beast altogether, loads of EQing options, notch filters for feedback elimination etc, twice the wattage and enough volume for anything other than the noisiest pub/bar.

[glynsong]

All very good suggestion's. Rolands AC60 is abit smaller ,more portable with the features that you'll probably enjoy . I own both the ac60 and swr ca. blonde. The swr is around fifty pounds, uummhh.modac point of fullness in all frequency's is strong sway point , big full sound, love mine . good hunting. oh yeah prices swr=900, ac60 500:-k

[H]

I used to have a Marshall AS50 but I found that' date=' at 50w, it was a little underpowered for anything other than intimate shows. Good, solid tone, though.

 

The Marshall AS100 is a different beast altogether, loads of EQing options, notch filters for feedback elimination etc, twice the wattage and enough volume for anything other than the noisiest pub/bar.[/quote']

 

+1 on the AS100D, Jinder. I haven't tried many of the other recommendations but can confirm that the Marshall has it nailed for power, FX options, mic/guitar channels and, above all, the pure, sweet and true amplification of your guitar's real sound. I liked it so much I bought one :- Heavy beast though, got to say it!

[powerpopper]

I have the SoloAmp and love it. I've played with a few people who love it too.

 

Another one that I would consider (though somewhat pricey) would be the LR Baggs Acoustic Reference Amp. Very cool looking and sounding. Just an awesome amp.

[park0925]

WOW!!! Thank you all for the advice and opinions. By the look of things, I have quite a bit to consider still. The good thing, it seems, is that there are a lot of quaity options out there to consider. Obviously, I need to consider ultimately how it's going to be used for me personally. Likely, I will be playing solo (most often) or along with another guitar or piano (keyboard player). Most of the time, it will be smaller intimate settings, but the occasional outside venue has been done, too. I definitely don't want to spend too much (I blew my wad on the guitar itself ;)/ ), but around the $400-700 range would be do-able (give or take). Also, I REALLY want it to sound like an acoustic guitar...natural, clean. I'm not opposed to some chorus or reverb, but I've heard some "acoustic amps" that do not have that beautful acoustic sound...why choose acoustic if it's going to sound processed.

 

I wanted to ask about the Roland AC-60. It seems reasonably priced (<$500), but I saw an online demo video which made it sound very processed and not at all what I thought it would, considering the positive remarks many have given it (not just in this forum). Of course, I can't seem to find it now to show you what I mean, but I found one for the AC-90 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snk3y3Adq0g. The sound is not as processed in these examples as the video that I saw on the AC-60, but it was "tinny" more like the second example shown in this video.

 

Like I said before, I really need to get out and plug my Gibby into some of these and try for mysef, but again, I thank you all for your time and advice. Owning a Gibson makes me feel as if I'm among a special group. Thanks to this forum!

[acousticworship]

There are a lot of options out there. If the place I'm playing has a PA, then I plug into it though an LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI. If there is no PA available and it's a really small venue, I use a Marshall AS50R. It has a channel for the guitar and one with XLR input for a mic. It also has RCA inputs on the first channel for a CD player. It works pretty well. Lastly, I have a JBL Eon PA system that I use for bigger places, and I plug into it through the PADI.

[locogringo]

I think there are two SWR Cali Blondes for sale on the Acoustic Guitar Forum currently for around $400-$500. Nice amp. I have one along with a Fender Acoustasonic Ultra Light. Both are fine amps. I like my Taylor with the Fender. I like the Gibson with the SWR. Gibson has a Sunrise mag pick up and a Fishman Matrix Acoustic Natural II.

[davidbg63]

Congrats on the new Gibson and welcome! As for amping an acoustic, if you are planning on playing solo gigs I would

recommend a Kustom PA system. But that goes back to what your budget is. I play mine through the kustom KPM sustem that

I have owned for several years. It works great for solo gigs especially if you are using several guitars (not at the same time of course) but you still have channels available for mic, drum machine, etc. As far as just the amp go with the Fishman SoloAmp or maybe the Fender acoustisonic.