Acoustic Amp.

[fretplay]

Can members help me with which acoustic amp to buy. I only need it for my studio at home so not to fill an auditorium. I just need to raise the volume of my Gibson Cascade to match an electric and perhaps add some effects.

[KL]

Hello. Yes I can highly recommend AER acoustic amplifiers. I have no association with AER whatsoever, but I have an AER Domino and it is an astounding amplifier. However, from what you describe the Domino would be too big and I would suggest you look at the AER alpha or Compact 60. In fact if I was buying an AER again I would almost certainly consider a smaller one than the one I have. The Domino does have a bewildering array of features and is a real pro piece of kit. But at most gigs I do I DI my acoustics straight into the PA.

 

Hope this helps. Let us know what you get.

[bscha]

I agree with the above post about AER amps. The are simply awesome. However, for less money you should consider the Fishman loudbox 100. It is a good sounding amp that is extremely easy to carry around. I use it as a monitor on stage and then use the built-in D.I. on the back out to the PA. It may not be the best sounding amp, but it has a lot of features for the price.

[Murph]

I've been using a Carvin AG100D for well over 5 years with ZERO problems. I've done acoustic solo live gigs with it in small (100) seat clubs. It's got 100 watts, a single 12 with a tweeter, and three channels, one of which is voiced for bass and it too, works well. Also some digital effects.

 

Highly recommend all Carvin P.A. / Bass amp gear.

[Flinx]

I love, love my little Fender Acoustasonic Junior DSP. It's exactly what I needed for a modestly-sized home music room, and in addition, it does a great job as a mini-PA. Do a little searching, and you can almost always find one at a great price. :(

 

Flinx

[larryp58]

Marshall! I have the AS-50D. That should suffice what you're looking for. The AS-100D has more power if that's what you need. Try the Marshall before you buy, you'll definetly be impressed.

[Sitric]

Have you had a look at the Fishman Soloamp?

 

http://www.brendandevereux.com

[milod]

My little 30-watt Kustom acoustic amp works quite well at quite a low price tag.

 

I looked at some Fenders... they didn't make it for what I wanted. For less than half the cash I got this little box that, with a bit of electronic reinforcement works for an EA steel or nylon and a mike - or just as well with a jazz box.

 

It works quite well for a small venue solo gig or instrumental only in a 500-seat theater.

 

If I were to be playing "out" more solo, I think I'd consider the Fishman.

 

I've also done rather well with a big old tube amp that was designed to allow up to four instruments, two "clean" and two with reverb-trem simultaneously. It worked well with a mike in one side, guitar in the other. But then again, that's a one-box solution on a very heavy and perhaps too-powerful rig. I'd done the same thing with an old Deluxe Reverb.

 

Nowadays I think we all get hung up on more specific solutions with a lot more options than 40 years ago - but I'm not sure that's the way to go. A $300 PA might be a better all-around for in the house and garage.

 

m

[Murph]

A $300 PA might be a better all-around for in the house and garage.

 

Man' date=' I don't know, milod. The Carvin AG100D only retails for $399.00 and has a nice acoustic voice. The 12" speaker w/tweeter covers the low and highs very well with some digital effects.

 

What's a $300.00 p.a. look like?

 

[milod]

Murph... Hey, for an extra c-note, your Carvin sounds pretty good.

 

Thing I'm thinking about - looking at MF web site - is a cupla 12-inch speaker/tweeter units with a bit of an EQ board so you've two speakers to point at an audience. I've even seen a lotta local "park concerts" from a nice acoustic-tuned band shell that used one or two big powered speakers "period."

 

As I've said... It's a different world today with lots of choices I certainly never had in the olden days. Likely overall better quality than some of the stuff I used back then, too. As in a tube PA with a cupla what looked like 1930s 12-inch radio speakers. It actually worked fairly well in a small saloon. I've a hunch it'd give a heart attack to a lot of folks today playing the same sorts of gigs I was doing 35-40 years ago.

 

The reason at this point I'd consider a small cheapie PA - reviews don't sound horrid on all of 'em - is more along the lines of fitting a room with a cupla speakers and handling vocal and guitar eq more or less in one box. I've played some "L" shaped rooms that almost required something like that as opposed to a helluva good single combo amp.

 

Bottom line for me is figuring where and what a picker is likely to be playing. Then add what he/she has for guitars and equipment already and figure a practical budget to meet perceived needs.

 

Some 40 years ago we didn't have the degree of choice, so we got what we could that worked as well as possible. Now there are so many specialized options that I don't think there's an easy answer.

 

What you've got obviously works well for your current needs. An acquaintance is just happier than do-do with his Bose unit for mostly solo gigs in rectangular rooms. The Fishman sounds like a great option to the Bose column. I've made the little 10" Kustom acoustic work pretty well for my needs in public and practice.

 

So... <grin> I dunno.

[Murph]

I hear ya.

 

I put mine on a stand about head high, so it really is a mini p.a., in fact that's how it sits in my music room. In a club I plug a floor monitor into it facing me. They actually make a matching ext cab, or you can just use another monitor designed to multipurpose or a main, on a stand.

 

Regardless, it's always on a stand.

[milod]

Murph...

 

Excellent point about the amp on a stand. I do the same - heck, a bar stool can do the job - and don't even think about it.

 

m

[QuestionMark]

Any acoustic guitar amps to definitely avoid? I currently use a 10W Ibanez Acoustic Guitar amp, sometimes with my guitar directly plugged in, sometimes, with my guitar plugged into my 600W Behringer PA amp/mixer with the Ibanez Acoustic Guitar amp linked out through it through the monitor plug if I want to expand upon it when gigging in a small room (when I'm not using my whole PA system.) Both work well....but, I'm thinking maybe to consolidate the second set-up, I should just get a self-contained set up with a larger and more versatile acoustic guitar amp. So far I've looked at a 50W Ultrasonic Acoustic Guitar amp and a Hartke Acoustic Guitar Amp (maybe 65W). Plus a couple others (Fender, Behringer). To be honest, they all seem kinda similar. Any to definitely avoid?

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

[Murph]

Any to definitely avoid?

 

 

I dislike amps and other things Made In China.

 

Some of them have little speakers, like 6.5", 8", ect which would put me off. My Carvin has a 12 and a tweeter with 100 watts, graphic, 3 channels (acoustic guitar, bass, vocals) digital effects, stand hole. Base's covered, ya know.

 

Best of luck.