Acoustic Amps (and more)??

MakoMako · Unread post by **MakoMako** » Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:40 pm

Alright, here's my overall situation. The only guitar I currently own, is an Ovation Celebrity. I don't get a whole lot of oppurtunities to plug it in and play, but the few times I do always seems to be when I'm going a gig, despite how small they are. Anyway, the amp that I'm currently useing is a GX15R Crate.

My question biggest question would be what some rather cheap, yet quality acoustic amps would be. I'm not expecting to get a great deal out of it, since I don't have much intention of going north of $300, maybe $500 at the most.

Also, I'm curious about, how much I'm losing from useing this old amp that I am. And a bit of advise on if I should keep it around or not.

Thanks to everyone in advanced. I really don't know my way around guitar amps too much, since I spend most of my time looking around acoustic guitars more than anything.

mangold · Unread post by **mangold** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 6:28 pm

the problem with the amp is not its age but its wattage. to get a good sound out of a 15watter you have to crank it which messes up your quality real bad. I was shopping around for a long time for an amp just like you, but i got real lucky and found a crate ca-60 on craigslist in perfect condition for real cheap.

all i can say is play some and see what you like. the fishman loudbox line is real nice but a little pricey.

mattinbeloit · Unread post by **mattinbeloit** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:07 pm

Check out some fender and marshall ones. they will be in ur pricerange and will give you enough power. I have a fender acoustasonic and love it. I paid somewere in the $300 range I think.

T714 · Unread post by **T714** » Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:24 pm

If you are in the $300-500 range, your best bets are going to be the SWR Strawberry Blonde (about $350) and the Fishman Loudbox (for $450). Both are wonderful amps, and really get the job done.

When shopping for an acoustic amp, I look for 2 things: Power and Clarity...and then try to find the amp that offers the best of both worlds.

In addition to this, you may wish to consider things such as XLR inputs and specific effects. Other amps may include the Fender Acoustasonic Jr and the Crate CA120/125D.

You may also wish to consider the APPLICATION of the amp. If you are a soloist, a simple DI box such as the LR Baggs PARA DI and running through the club's house PA system is a sure fire way to get great sound. However, if you are like me and don't have clubs with decent PA's, then an amp is your best option.

I've sampled the Marshal AG-50 and 100 and wasn't impressed...I think they should stick to making electric amps...and speaking of which, they should stick to making amps like they did in 70's and 80's.

Anyways, if you can, go out and sample as many amps as possible. If you are buying online, try to find a store that offers free shipping...since acoustic amps (or any amp for that matter) is a guaranteed 25+ pounds.

Most stores will offer a 48 hr return policy...so try and time the purchase with a gig and test it out.

GuitarGuy305 · Unread post by **GuitarGuy305** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:30 pm

I used to have a Crate CA60D and was always very satisfied with it. The best acoustic amp I have ever used. My Les Paul even sounded good through that thing.

taylordb · Unread post by **taylordb** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 9:07 am

I have a 50 watt Ultrasound acoustic amp that i got for around $400-$450 (can't remember) that I love. You might want to consider that one. The new models come with 1/4" and xlr inputs for guitar as well as a vocal xlr input.

T714....what do you think of the Ultrasounds?

Appfro · Unread post by **Appfro** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 9:21 am

if you want an ok amp for pretty cheap, doesn't do anything special, but has a decent sound, behringer bluedevil is what i have. i know it's not "popular" but i own it and i really have no problems w/ it whatsoever. and it was really cheap.

T714 · Unread post by **T714** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 9:07 pm

taylordb wrote:I have a 50 watt Ultrasound acoustic amp that i got for around $400-$450 (can't remember) that I love. You might want to consider that one. The new models come with 1/4" and xlr inputs for guitar as well as a vocal xlr input.

T714....what do you think of the Ultrasounds?

I don't have enough "playing time" with Ultrasounds to really merit an educated response. I've dabbled with a few of them at guitar stores, but my main focus then was the guitar it was running through.

I have heard nothing but good things about them, though, but I just haven't road tested them.

Sorry about that.

MakoMako · Unread post by **MakoMako** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 9:57 pm

Appfro wrote:if you want an ok amp for pretty cheap, doesn't do anything special, but has a decent sound, behringer bluedevil is what i have. i know it's not "popular" but i own it and i really have no problems w/ it whatsoever. and it was really cheap.

I really wanna thank all of the replies for this. I've already gone into the store a couple of times and taken a look at a few of their amps. They even have a Gibson Ranger that they let me try them out with. Sometimes its great to know the employees.

Anyway, I've never been worried about having what was popular. I've actually always wanted to find a small-time store and buy a guitar from their. In my experience, the locally owned businesses can produce the best guitars for the cheapest price.

filmdude100cms · Unread post by **filmdude100cms** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:33 pm

get a yorkvill AM100, bout $350 or so, 100 watts, 16 effects channels and 2 banks of them, 2 input channels, and a notch filter, and its not too big either, but itll blast need be.

dmb66 · Unread post by **dmb66** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 9:12 am

If I were you, I would look into a half decent PA system. It will prove more versatile in the long run, and most certainly will give you more bang for your buck. The only downfall I see with the PA is portability, if that is a major issue.

-Nick

MakoMako · Unread post by **MakoMako** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 1:35 pm

dmb66 wrote:If I were you, I would look into a half decent PA system. It will prove more versatile in the long run, and most certainly will give you more bang for your buck. The only downfall I see with the PA is portability, if that is a major issue.

-Nick

I know what you mean for the most part. I've been told by a couple of guitarists that acoustic guitars sound much better through a PA than through an amp. As of right now, portability would be a slight bit of a problem, although that is slowly going away since I'm finally getting a band, and even an electronics guy, together. I may look into a PA system at some point in time, but I think it'd be better to wait and see what sort of stuff I'll be playing mostly.

dmb66 · Unread post by **dmb66** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 4:00 pm

MakoMako wrote:
dmb66 wrote:If I were you, I would look into a half decent PA system. It will prove more versatile in the long run, and most certainly will give you more bang for your buck. The only downfall I see with the PA is portability, if that is a major issue.

-Nick
I know what you mean for the most part. I've been told by a couple of guitarists that acoustic guitars sound much better through a PA than through an amp. As of right now, portability would be a slight bit of a problem, although that is slowly going away since I'm finally getting a band, and even an electronics guy, together. I may look into a PA system at some point in time, but I think it'd be better to wait and see what sort of stuff I'll be playing mostly.

Well, the main issue you have with an amp is headroom. If you don't have plenty of headroom, you have to adjust the volume to be up so high that it distorts the natural sound of the guitar, and for the most part, a PA is loud enough that that doesn't come into play. If you are set on an amp, then I will reccomend you make sure it has some sort of DI output in an XLR jack. That way, when you do start playing through a larger system, you can use your amp like a DI box and not worry about micing the amp. It's what I do now and it works nicely even though I have a cheap amp.

-Nick

6_strings_for_life · Unread post by **6_strings_for_life** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:48 pm

I have a Peavey Eacoustic 112. Its around your price range and I think its amazing.. Give it a look.

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Acoustic Amps (and more)??

Acoustic Amps (and more)??

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