Recommendation needed: Acoustic Amp?

[Montelovesco]

I had an acoustic gig yesterday which went pretty sh***y. I played my Ovation (fresh battery) via my Zoom directly into the BOSE pa. Beside the fact that my guitars preamp had some problems with the xlr cable I was using I had no monitor and no idea how the band or at least I sounded.

Now I am thinking about a small acoustic amp, like the Fender Acoustic 100 e.g., which looks pretty nice. Any recommendations? I don't want to spend a fortune, but must not be totally budget, either. 

Important: Good eq, don't need any effects on board since I got my zoom. And I want sometingt with a line out, so I can use it as a monitor if playing over pa...

Thanks!

Daniel

[Jeff R]

I'll be watching this. I desperately need something to amplify acoustics for my shop for post-bench test drives. Something with either two speakers or a speaker plus a tweeter or whatever to add depth. Right now I'm using the shop's bass amp.

And I don't know if it's possible to get good results, but would a good acoustic preamp/DI box that would process and feed a nice signal into the shop's Ampeg 2x10 and ported bass combo do the trick? Something like that new Mesa-Boogie Rosette box, or L.R. Baggs' Venue box? 

[geowolves]

Fishman Loudbox Mini. It's a great little amp. If you need bigger then they have them also. 

https://www.fishman.com/products/series/loudbox/loudbox-mini-amplifier/

https://www.fishman.com/products/series/loudbox/

[Teh]

The AER company gets lots of high marks from acoustic players, with their Compact 60 being one of the best known here in the states.  I believe they are based in Germany, so the price for you may be more reasonable than on this side of the pond.

http://www.aer-amps.com/en/products/acoustc-line-e/standard-line/compcat-60-e

[Montelovesco]

5 hours ago, geowolves said:

Fishman Loudbox Mini. It's a great little amp. If you need bigger then they have them also. 

Thanks - I have them on my list, but they are... uhm... ugly? 😊

[Montelovesco]

2 hours ago, Teh said:

The AER company gets lots of high marks from acoustic players, with their Compact 60 being one of the best known here in the states.  I believe they are based in Germany, so the price for you may be more reasonable than on this side of the pond.

http://www.aer-amps.com/en/products/acoustc-line-e/standard-line/compcat-60-e

Indeed, lots of praise for them - but for occasional use a bit too pricey... 😔

[Teh]

9 hours ago, Montelovesco said:

Indeed, lots of praise for them - but for occasional use a bit too pricey... 😔

I totally understand on the AER being pricey.

As for the Loudbox Mini, I have one on the shelf in my office.  It works fine for checking pickups out and at home playing around (Would be perfect for Jeff's shop) but, IMO, is way underpowered for any real gigs and isn't the best sounding.  The larger versions would be better suited.

I've heard some good things about the new Fender Acoustic 100, but haven't played one myself.

[killerteddybear]

How about the Roland acoustic amps? They would have some decent modeling options.

[veatch]

I used an SWR California Blonde for years with really good results. I always got a tinny buzz out of the Fenders. I dual miced the SWR - kick mic on the 15 and a good condenser on the horn.  There's also a direct out of you want to go that route. You can get these used for under 400 pretty easily. 

I have one here, but I am keeping it in case my son wants to use it for upright bass. 

[ghamerinfrance]

Old Roland have very nice clear sounds.....Began some 30 years ago with Roland Cube 20 which are pretty cheap and decent...

Finally finished now with a Jazzkat amp (from the US but with an internal power convertor...110/220) which are good for .....jazz and acoustic.

Cheap to find if you can find one...Good luck daniel in your search

[fractal]

Mesa has a new one.  It isn't cheap, but is cheaper than the AER (at least here in the States...)

I use a Quilter Mach II with an 8" speaker that sounds just great with my acoustic pickup.

 

[cmatthes]

SWR California Blonde.

[Steve Haynie]

Those SWR California Blonde and Strawberry Blonde amps came out in th 1990's and impressed us at the music store.  They could sell themselves at the time. 

[Hfan]

I briefly looked into acoustic amps and tried a few at Guitar Center with a guy who is into acoustics in general when I was buying an Eastman acoustic electric from him (we met in the GC acoustic room during a CL deal..incognito like, acted like we didn't know each other).  FWIW, he said not to bother with the Fenders and that the Loudbox Mini was ok but the next larger size Loudbox (the Artist) was better. That day I tried the mini and the Artist and  I agreed. The Loudboxes seem to get some love out there. The larger one was around $500 and is on my wish list. There is also a real nice one that's  tall and thin and mounts on a tripod that is around $1k ..the Fishman SA 330X that is supposed to be really good:

SA 330

I'd be curious what you learn..I'll be in the market one day as well. I did some searching on The Acoustic Guitar Forum and the Martin forum when I was looking.

 

[tomteriffic]

On the budget end, look around for a used Carvin AG100D.  Examples in great condition can be found for under $200 pretty easily.  I'd love an SWR but they always seemed to be out of reach price-wise.  I had a Carvin land in my lap recently and have been very happy with it.  3 channels, two simultaneous effects (say, chorus on the guitar, reverb on the vocal), full frequency response, etc.  And very luggable.  There's a lot to like for the money.  I'm using it tonight for what was supposed to be a small  "solo" gig.  It turned into an "and friends" gig, so I'm expanding it with a small mixer and an extension speaker.  The thing has been a champ around the house, we'll see how it does under fire.

[Jeff R]

One of my clients brought his Loudbox Mini over last night for me to try out. It sounded really nice, very impressive, but I think I'd want to spend the extra $$$ to get a bigger version that moves more air and simply sounds bigger and more.

[Jeff R]

Update: My acoustic amp for post-bench shop demos is over. Got one of these minty clean in a trade for a modern Fender combo I very rarely use. I think my shop and I got the better end of the deal.

 

[tomteriffic]

Forgot about the Genz Benz.  They were top shelf stuff back in the day and likely still are.