Tech: Acoustic Guitar Amps for small jobs

Subject: RE: Tech: Acoustic Guitar Amps for small jobs
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 01 Aug 10 - 01:55 PM

Hi Ray

Yeah it is sort of a Whats the best......? kinda question. But people are giving great opinons and answering the questions that the Deck Apes in stores don't know or won't answer. Thanks for the reply.

Don

Subject: RE: Tech: Acoustic Guitar Amps for small jobs
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 01 Aug 10 - 01:09 PM

I have an AER which is OK but the EQ is lacking and the phantom, which he may need, is lacking in voltage (i.e. it won't power my Baggs DI). I've recently acquired a Mackie SRM 150 which isn't intended as a guitar amp but as a mini PA - which is exactly what you need for an acoustic amp. It has twice the power of the AER at around half the price (or probably less in the US) Its solidly built and can be mounted on a mic stand but I'm not sure how it would cope with high volumes. It does however, have an XLR out so you could send the signal straight to the desk for larger venues. You'll probably find one for $300 in the US.

Trouble with your question is that if you ask it to 100 people you're likely to get 100 different answers!
Ray

Subject: RE: Tech: Acoustic Guitar Amps for small jobs
From: Willie-O
Date: 01 Aug 10 - 11:59 AM

Somewhat tangential rant here, sorry: Behringer gear is hit or miss in my experience, I'd be interested to hear how that Ultracoustic feels to you a year or two later, Bruce.   Their prices are unbeatable and the quality is variable...I've come to think that their lower-ticket items, like mini-boards and $40 effects pedals, are better value than the ones that are really for professional use. A friend of mine bought a 16-channel(or more) Behringer board for a theatre production (bought a Behringer instead of renting a better one), and was so dissatisfied she sent it back two nights into the show run--borrowed a Yamaha from a local tech and repatched the whole sound setup on a show day. Talk about stress! My feeling about Behringer is they engineer a lot of features into their products which don't necessarily make sense on the ground--in other words, the engineers run the show and the design process is not need-driven.

I have a Behringer 10-channel powered board which drives me nuts cause the channels have different levels--you're supposed to use the first four channels for vocals, the next for keyboards, then guitars etc. As if all bands have the same lineup of instruments as the Beatles! Worse yet, they don't all do what they're supposed to. Give me equal output right across the board, I don't want to think that hard about where to plug in the guitar with the hot pickup--its too loud in one channel, barely audible in the next. Just dumb designing. Whereas my little 6-channel add-on Behringer board is handy as hell.

But to get back to the matter at hand, I have a 2-channel Peavey Ecoustic 112 and highly recommend it. It's somewhat larger than most of the acoustic amps you see around. I paid $650 Cdn in 2002, a used one would probably be a good buy now. The current model, the Ecoustic 112 EFX, has 3 channels and looks to have improved in some ways ($700 at Guitar Center).

Now, it's out of his current price range--but have a look at this. They really work well, I have seen and heard the results:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fishman-SA220-Solo-Performance-System---Acoustic-Guitar-Combo-Amp-104986245-i1401135.gc

Now that's intelligent design! And easy on the back.

W-O

Subject: RE: Tech: Acoustic Guitar Amps for small jobs
From: Bruce MacNeill
Date: 01 Aug 10 - 08:33 AM

I got a Behringer ACX450 Ultracoustic 45-Watt Amplifier to use with my DC16GTE that seems to work well and it was under $200. It seems to produce a clean sound, is small and has plenty of power for a small room like a dining room that seats maybe 100. It has separate controls for the 2 channels including a few effects and a pedal to control the effects on each channel separately. Admittedly, I bought it on price vs features rather than name but I'm happy with it.

Subject: RE: Tech: Acoustic Guitar Amps for small jobs
From: Zen
Date: 01 Aug 10 - 07:24 AM

I use an Ashdown Engineering Acoustic Radiator 1 which is a great little amp with both jack and balanced mic inputs. That would probably be at the top end of your son's budget or a tad over in the US I would think.

Subject: RE: Tech: Acoustic Guitar Amps for small jobs
From: Bobert
Date: 01 Aug 10 - 07:18 AM

I use a Pevey... I think it's about 10W... Sounds great... Two inputs, each with their own volume controls...

Subject: RE: Tech: Acoustic Guitar Amps for small jobs
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 01 Aug 10 - 01:04 AM

Roland AC-60?
I have one - it's excellent.

Roland AC-60

Subject: Tech: Acoustic Guitar Amps for small jobs
From: DonMeixner
Date: 01 Aug 10 - 12:40 AM

My son is looking to buy a two channel amplifier for acoustic shows. He has a limited budget of around $350 to the absolute most of $400 and can't get a straight answer from local dealers on what fits his bill. Despite giving his budget, experience and requirements every salesmen (save one or two) push him towards $1000+ AER, Fishman or Bose systems and no information as to why these systems best suit his needs.

He is currently eyeing an Ibanez T35 Troubadour, but reliable reviews are few and far between online. Might someone here have any two cents to throw in on this amp? Minimum power requirements for small venues, coffee houses, small out door gigs, et al.

The performance guitar he'd be using is a Martin JC16GTE, maybe my old Guild F 30 with a pre-amp, and he wouldn't be using any effects on the guitar. He sings, but doesn't play with any other performers, which is pushing him towards a two channel amp instead of a full PA system. He isn't 100% sold on the Ibanez, so any other input on systems for solo performance would be great.


Thanks.

Don