From - Thu Dec 5 15:03:09 1996 From: carl@op.net (Carl Christensen) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Acoustic Amp? Date: Wed, 04 Dec 1996 21:26:20 GMT Organization: OpNet, Phila, PA werDDrew wrote: >I'm looking for a good acoustic amp for a Takamine... anybody have any >suggestions. I've been looking at some of the Trace-Elliots but they >seem a little pricey?????? Look into Carvin's acoustic guitar amp. It's only about $300 and can act as both a mini-PA system as well as gee-gaws for acoustic guitar (switch for pieozo-electric pickups, EQ, reverb, etc). It's 100W, has a tweeter and a 10" or 12" (I bought the 12") woofer. Pretty nice and probably more in your price range. They're on the web I think at ======================= From - Thu Dec 5 15:03:16 1996 From: rmca@tenet.edu (rmca) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Acoustic Amp? Date: 5 Dec 1996 01:11:47 GMT Organization: The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas In article <583nei$k3d@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>, rmca@tenet.edu (rmca) says: >Peacey makes a nice acoustic amp that I say priced at $4350 Once more, with feeling: PEAVEY MAKES A NICE ACOUSTIC AMP THAT I SAW PRICED AT $450. Robert (again) ====================== From - Thu Dec 5 15:03:23 1996 Message-ID: <32A67D6E.725C@fullnet.net> Date: Thu, 05 Dec 1996 01:44:46 -0600 From: Tom McDonald Organization: Phillips University Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Acoustic Amp? > In article <583nei$k3d@geraldo.cc.utexas.edu>, rmca@tenet.edu (rmca) says: > > >Peacey makes a nice acoustic amp that I say priced at $4350 > > Once more, with feeling: > > PEAVEY MAKES A NICE ACOUSTIC AMP THAT I SAW PRICED AT $450. > Robert (again) I've been playing my Martin 00-18 and Guild FS 212XL for the last 30 years, but I'm a novice when it comes to amplified sound. I tried several setups over the past few months and ended up buying the Peavey Ecoustic 112 with footswitch for $435. I got a Peavey DeltaFex effects processor for another $120 and I bought an Ovation Elite Standard for $750. I was a bit nervous about spending $1300 on something I didn't know that much about, but after playing it for a while now I'm really delighted with the whole setup. The Ecoustic 112 has two inputs (instrument and mic) each with its own volume level, equalization, and reverb controls. I pump the DeltaFex through the Ecoustic's switchable effects loop, with the capability of putting either the instrument or the mic through the loop. I think it's a perfect setup for my one-man-gig play-and-sing needs. Unamplified, the Ovation sounds "midrangey" just like everyone says it does, but coming through the Ecoustic 112 with some equalization it sounds really crisp and clean, almost like a "real" acoustic guitar. The Deltafex has 16 preprogrammed effects including lots of reverbs and delays, ping pong, chorus, phaser, flange, rotary speaker, etc., and they're fun to fool around with. Pieces like Kottke's Echoeing Gilewitz and Little Martha sound pretty cool with some gimmicks. I still like the sound of those pieces on my plain unamplified Martin, but it's fun to be able to go back and forth between amplified and unamplified. I'm sure there must be someone out there who's going to think I made a big mistake on some part of this setup, so I welcome any comments on what I should have bought instead. But for anyone else in the market, I thought I would provide some feedback on my very pleasant experience with this arrangement. ======================================= From - Mon Apr 14 19:08:52 1997 From: andior@aol.com (Andior) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Carvin acoustic amps Date: 12 Apr 1997 13:10:16 GMT Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com I have been meaning to post a quick review of the Carvin AG 100-12 for quite a while now. So... Carvin AG100-12: 100 watt, 3 channel, spring reverb, 5 band graphic equalizer, 12 inch speaker with switchable horn tweeter. Reviewed favorably by Acoustic Guitar magazine in a "Budget Amp" column. Costs $388 including shipping. I play and sing in all kinds of places and have a full-blown, rackmount, dual source preamp, PA rig I use for large venues and I have a Trace Acoustic TA-50 R for the small quiet places. After reading the review in AG I thought this would be an ideal replacement for those places where the PA is overkill and the Trace is under powered. So, I ordered the AG 100-12. It took roughly two weeks to arrive as Carvin was out of stock at the factory. When it finally arrived I had practically memorized the AG review and couldn't wait to try the thing out. It was a major disappointment. The AG100 is nothing more than a modified bass amp. I spent two hours trying to get a decent acoustic tone out of this thing. I tried every possible combination of channels, preamps, pickups, and mics that I had. Nothing helped. One of the big selling points of this amp was that it offered three channels as opposed to two channels that most other acoustic rigs offer - I figured I could use the XLR channel for vocals and use the other two 1/4 - line channels for blending the piezo/mic set-up on my guitar. This thing failed on all accounts. The piezo tone was horrible. The internal condenser mic barked and boomed even at low volumes. The "vocal channel" was the biggest disappointment of all. This thing is just not voiced for an acoustic guitar or the human voice. As would be expected, it sounded worse the louder it got. SOLUTION: I shipped the Carvin back to the factory the next day- total cost for the experience was $38.00 and some precious rehearsal time. I solved the problem of the underpowered TA-50R by picking up a Trace Acoustic TA 100-X extension cabinet with built in 100 watt power amp ($450). I use a Fishman Pocket Blender on the guitar channel and an EV RE500 condenser mic for vocals. Sounds fantastic. RECOMMENDATION: TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!! If one of the higher end acoustic amps is out of reach, poke around some music stores for a small, used PA or keyboard amp. Amplifying an acoustic guitar can be the most frustrating experience you will ever encounter. Honest. Inferior gear can ruin your playing by forcing you to compensate for the equipment's inability to deliver an acceptable sound. Good Luck, Andy ================================= From - Mon Apr 28 13:16:24 1997 From: miami62@aol.com (Miami62) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Trace Elliot vs. Crate vs. Laney vs. Roland Date: 25 Apr 1997 23:24:26 GMT Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com I have a Trace TA100R and think it is one of, if not, the best acoustic amps on the market. I also think that the Fishman Pro is a great amp. It just depends on what you want. If you just using a piezo or active pickup I think you should go for the Trace. If you are using a pickup and mic (dual source) and want good blending I would go with the Fishman. Although the Trace can handle dual source, the Fishman does a much better job. If you buy either of these amps you can't go wrong. The Trace amps are a little less expensive than the Fishman's so I think that you get more bang for the buck with Trace. By the way, you might be able to find a Trace amp at a very good deal right now because they just closed down their shop in the U.K. I didn't believe it either but I called Kaman U.S.A. myself and asked. If you want to call the number and ask for yourself it is (203)242-1566. I'm in Florida and know of a few dealers in my area who are selling their Trace Acoustic amps at 50% off. If you want any more information send some email. Chris Miami62@aol.com ================================= Subject: Re: acoustic amp?? keyboard amp?? Date: Fri, 23 May 1997 12:06:38 -0400 From: Tom Loredo Organization: Cornell University Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic References: 1 , 2 M. Potter wrote: > > Paul, > > Since keyboard amps cover the same acoustic frequencies as the acoustic > guitar, they work well... only drawback may be that most do not have any > effects electronics built in them except for maybe an equalizer - hence, no > reverb, etc. > Well, that's not the *only* drawback, or even the main one, in my opinion. Acoustic guitar amps have preamp stages designed to work with piezo pickups (ie, they have much higher input impedance than a typical instrument amp, and the EQ functionality is usually different, too). If your guitar has a piezo pickup that is unbuffered, it is likely to sound horrible plugged into pretty much any kind of amp other than an acoustic guitar amp. However, many of today's popular pickups *are* buffered (ie, they have a preamp stage and battery inside the guitar), such as the Baggs Ribbon system (but not a plain Ribbon pickup), the Fishman acoustic matrix, or the Highlander. Provided your setup does not need specialized EQ, these pickups will probably sound good thru a keyboard amp---certainly better than thru an electric guitar amp. Also, if you already have an outboard preamp (like a Baggs Para Acoustic DI, Fishman Pro EQ, or rack units like a Rane AP13 or Pendulum preamp), if you buy an acoustic amp you are paying in part for something you already have (the specialized preamp stage), and in this case a keyboard amp or something like a Daedalus cabinet with a power amp might be a more sensible and more flexible investment. Good luck! -Tom Loredo ========================= From - Mon Jun 9 14:51:37 1997 Path: newsstand.cit.cornell.edu!portc01.blue.aol.com!newstf02.news.aol.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!audrey02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail From: dadgadtune@aol.com (DADGADTune) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Trace acoustic Date: 8 Jun 1997 00:58:10 GMT Lines: 4 Message-ID: <19970608005800.UAA06975@ladder02.news.aol.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: ladder02.news.aol.com X-Admin: news@aol.com Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com References: <01bc7392$0633aa80$15cfd9cd@default> I have used to 50R and don't like the sound. I think the Peavey Ecoustic 112 and Crates are far superior sound wise to the Trace. Larry ================================= From - Mon Jun 9 15:06:01 1997 Path: newsstand.cit.cornell.edu!portc01.blue.aol.com!audrey02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail From: alchemymn@aol.com (AlchemyMN) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Carvin AG100 ACOUSTIC/PA AMP Date: 9 Jun 1997 01:56:40 GMT Lines: 9 Message-ID: <19970609015600.VAA29132@ladder02.news.aol.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: ladder02.news.aol.com X-Admin: news@aol.com Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com References: <3397b684.2505508@news.pacbell.net> I've got two friends who play a Martin J40 and Gibson Dove through a pair of them when they do small acoustic gigs. They just rave about the amps and I am constantly amazed by the sound they get on both vocals and guitar... Acoustic Guitar magazine also recently reviewed the amp and gave it high marks - it also was more powerful than most other systems rated. Michael. ================================= =============================== Subject: Re: Acoustic Amp recommendations? Date: 8 Sep 1997 02:07:52 GMT From: "Steven Saylor" Organization: gte.net Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic References: 1 After a great deal of product comparison and evaluation I choose the Crate Acoustic Amp. This amp is fabulous. To my ear it sounded much warmer than the Marshall. As for chorus, you definitely sound spend the extra money for a model inclouding this feature. The sound of the chorus on the Crate is great. In addition, there are a number of prebuilt sound selections to choose from depending on the room conditions you are faced with and the sound you are after. Go for it! =========================== From - Thu Sep 25 16:02:38 1997 Message-ID: <342A7E35.1961@map.com> Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 08:07:33 -0700 From: Jeff Snow X-Mailer: Mozilla 2.01 (Win16; U) MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic To: Rich Moss Subject: Re: Acoustic Amp recommendations needed References: <34291a78.1690111@nntp.enteract.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit NNTP-Posting-Host: 206.98.41.40 Lines: 8 Path: newsstand.cit.cornell.edu!portc01.blue.aol.com!portc02.blue.aol.com!pitt.edu!gatech!4.1.16.34.MISMATCH!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!204.71.19.13!204.71.19.13!206.98.41.40 I use the Roland Acoustic Chourus. It has 2 channels so I can plug in the guitar and microphone into the same unit. It has both chorus and reverb with individual settings. For my money it was a good fit for playing smaller rooms. It also has outputs to tie into a bigger system. Hope this helps. Jeff ======================= From: Paul Hintz Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: My Carvin Acoustic Amp IS SUPER! Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 09:03:37 -0600 Robert McArthur wrote: > > Freegordo wrote: > > > I'm sold on Carvin acoustic amplifiers. They bring out the best in any > > acoustic/electric instrument.. Lotsa bang for the buck. List price of a new > > AG100D is $995 but you can order it for $429. > > Not to dispute in anyway the Carvin's charm, but since it is only available through > Carvin direct how could its price be any others that Carvin's retail price, $429. > If it only is available through Carvin then to say the list price ($995) that is > charged elsewhere than Carvin direct makes no sense. Besides it is competitive in > the 400 -600 market with Peavey, Centaur, and SWR, not the $1000.market. In other > words the list is $429, period. > RobertRobert and all: Very true re the pricing. The "list price" is kind of a crude marketing ploy. The amp, though, is the best $379 (I bought the original model over a year ago) that I ever spent on amplification equipment. If you play, as I do, in a variety of small coffeehouses and similar venues, I very much recommend it. -Paul in St Paul ========================= From: "Brian Meader" Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: SWR "Cal.blonde" acoustic amp? Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 07:13:09 -0500 Best sounding acoustic guitar amp so far, IMHO, and we carry them all. (SWR, Trace Elliot, Crate, Marshall, Roland, etc.) Extremely clean, incredible sound set flat, very feedback resistant, very usable controls. Extremely reasonable price. -- Brian Meader Washington Music Center (301)946-8808 FAX (301)933-4438 Email Sales@wmcworld.com http://www.wmcworld.com =============================== From - Wed Nov 26 15:43:32 1997 Path: newsstand.cit.cornell.edu!portc01.blue.aol.com!audrey01.news.aol.com!not-for-mail From: alchemymn@aol.com (AlchemyMN) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: "Ca.Blonde" acoustic amp? Date: 26 Nov 1997 18:05:31 GMT I compared the SWR with the Trace 100W using no outboard effects or pre-amp at a music store in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. The SWR seemed very warm and acoustic sounding once the EQ was dialed in. The Trace seemed very bright (harsh) and I could not get a nice warm acoustic sound out of it. It was better at higher volumes, but then it was near feedback. I am anxious to try the Centaur after reading Robert's post - where can I get more info. on this amp? I'm going to try out a friend's Carvin this weekend - AG rated it very highly and it has three channels. Michael. Robert McArthur wrote: >Date: Sat, Nov 22, 1997 08:51 EST > I've never owned a SWR but was recently in the market for an acoustic >amp in this price range and for about two weeks sought out every brand >made(literally) and played them all with my guitars for about an hour >each. It was time consuming but I came away with some clear opinions >which I will now share. (My apologies to the group for sharing so many >opinions but EGWW went 3 posts without being answered on this topic) > >First check the old Acoustic Guitar Mags--their reviews are pretty >helpful. >However they don't review the SWR. > >First there are fully dedicated acoustic amps that do it all (full >effects) and there are modified PA's- >If one is going to use effects the cost and hassle of adding effects is >an issue to consider. >I have a highlander/Joe Mills mic combo and so the SWR was particularly >attractive because it has a stereo plug with which you can plug the >highlander/mills combo directly into the amp and use the two >channels directly as your blender. That saves the cost of a fishman >pocket blender or a Rane AP-13. >However, any 2 channel amp can do this because all you need is a stereo >Y cable (available from highlander). The reason this works with the >highlander is that the mic doesn't require external phantom power. >What I ended up deciding though is that you do need a blender and an >external effects unit (I opted for the Alesis Nanoverb--simple to use >and great sound) near your guitar and far away from your speaker to >eliminate feedback. That's why most acoustic amps are a bad idea, you >have to be near them to operate the controls. Also, if you want to plug >directly into a hoiuse PA or a recording console you already have the >gear (DI) isolated from the big bulky amp cabinet. So I opted for a >Rane AP-13 plus a nanoverb in a 2-space rack case. This allows me to >have my controls near me while the speaker and amp are far away. The >solution for a single pickup would be a Boss acoustic processor, a trace >eliot footswitchable preamp, >or a Baggs paraacoustic DI. The simplest solution for a dual source is >a Fishman Pocket Blender. > >So, that being said, what I next needed was the best sounding PA style >amp --one that provided lots of clean headroom (power to spare) not one >with all the bells and whistles since my aforementioned gear provided >all of that. The two leading contenders were the SWR and the Centaur >125. The SWR sounds warm and open BUT in 18 point caps---it feedsback >in the bass end like a MF unless you really work with eq drastically; it >is so bright that you have to back off all of the midrange and treble. > >The Centaur, recommended to me by a prominent player, RMMGA member was >absolutely >perfect in every realm. Needless to say. I got it. And at under $600 >with a sound as good or better that the Daedalus or Fishman IMHO, it >blows the SWR out of the tub. I ordered direct from Centaur >and they were very nice folks. >Robert > >EGWW wrote: > >> would like any comments on exprience with thhis amp ============================ From: alchemymn@aol.com (AlchemyMN) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: "Ca.Blonde" acoustic amp? Date: 30 Nov 1997 03:45:33 GMT go31rcr@aol.com (Ken) wrote: >Date: Sat, Nov 29, 1997 12:55 EST > <> > >Does anyone have an opinion as to whether it is worth the extra $220 when >compared to the Carvin AG100D? > >Also, any thoughts on how these two (Carvin & CA Blonde) compare to the >newest Crate acoustic amp, which our local guitar shop lists for $950 but will >"let it go" for $750? > >Thanks, Ken Ken, I am borrowing a friend's Carvin AG100-12 ($369+$19ship = $388) at this moment. He plays a Martin J-40 and Gibson Dove through it with great results. I am trying to dial in the "best settings" for an Ovation shallow body. I also plan on trying to mic some of my other acoustics (?). So far I've found the Carvin very balanced and warm - not too bright. I am not sure it beats the SWR at this time. The reverb is just right. I'll be posting a more detailed review, including "optimum settings," in a week or so. After I've listened to the Carvin at various settings I also need to plan another excursion to compare with the SWR and Centaur (I just found a local Centaur dealer and I'm anxious to talk to him about his opinions - Willie's American Guitars, Minneapolis,MN). Note: The Carvin has 3 channels (Guitar, Bass(or keys or tape), Mic.) compared to the SWR's 2 channels. I have played the Crate and found it OK. To me it still sounded a bit like an electric guitar...? I need to go back and listen more carefully. Michael . =============================== From: maleki@erols.com (Ali Maleki) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar,rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic,alt.guitar,alt.guitar.amps,rec.music.classical.guitar Subject: Re: Fender Acoustasonic - YOUR next amp! Date: Mon, 15 Dec 1997 19:05:13 -0400 Organization: Erol's Internet Services In article <349491b9.233455@newshost.cyberramp.net>, guitarzan@geocities.com (Cypher) wrote: > I just took delivery of my Fender Acoustasonic Jr., and I must say > that I'm very impressed with this amp. It definitely lives up to the > hype surrounding it in all the full-page guitar ads, etc... I wont do > a full review of it here because I want to work with it a little more, > first. Briefly, though, here are my first impressions. > > When I first started seeing the ads for this amp, I was impressed by > the specs. I was even more impressed to find out that the list price > was only $549. The amp is loaded with features including two 40w > channels, reverb and assignable stereo chorus, TWO FX loops, notch > filter, phase switch, EQ, XLR inputs on channel two, master phase, > string dynamics which roll off the high-end and lessen piezo-pickup > distortion/noise, etc.. etc... the amp uses two 8" speakers and a > piezo horn tweeter for a VERY nice full-bodied sound. > > The first FX loop is mono and is for the first channel only. The > second FX loop is stereo and is for both channels. This is a really > nice touch, and adds to the versatility of this amp. > > The amp is about the size of a Princeton Chorus, but uses a nice brown > tolex covering, tan grillecloth, and woodgrain face-plate. The amp has > some neat-o, retro kick-back legs, too. The amp is a closed back amp > and has a nice tight and big overall sound. The speakers are not > punchy, nor tinny. They are very even sounding. Fender obviously went > to great lengths to select good speakers for this amp. Further, they > really did their research before entering the acoustic amp market. The > Acoustasonic has all the features you'd expect to find in a $1000 > Trace acoustic amp, at a fraction of the cost (I paid $369 for mine). > > This amp simply sounds great - it'll even make your worst acoustic > sound great! For example, I have a nice Epiphone PR7e acoustic > electric that has a great acoustic sound, but uses a really cheezy > preamp/eq (Epiphonic V). Simply put, the Epiphone sounded GREAT thru > the Acoustasonic. The reverb is sweet and isn't overkill, and the > stereo chorus is beautiful and makes your acoustic sound ten feet > wide. A guitar with a good preamp/EQ like an L.R. Baggs or high-end > Fishman, sounds even better! > > I'll do a more in-depth review as soon as I've had a chance to play it > more. Overall, though I only have two small gripes about this amp - 1) > all the controls except the volume controls use cheezy, loose-feeling > pots. Also, the amp puts out a small air/hiss noise that solid-state > amps are famous for. A noise reduction circuit would have been nice, > but it's a pretty low hiss and isn't THAT noticable. > > Overall, it's a GREAT acoustic amp for the money and literally blows > everything else in it's price range away. Hell, this amp is better > than many acoustic amps that I sampled at 2-3 times the price! > > -Cypher Did you look at the Peavey acoustic amp ? Thanks, Ali ============================= From: dpbaker@iquest.net (Dave Baker) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Peavey Ecoustic Amp Question. Date: Tue, 30 Dec 1997 14:13:22 GMT Organization: Eli Lilly and Company >Upon receiving no response from alt.guitar.amps, I'm curious to find >out any and all info. from anyone with experience on the Peavey Ecoustic >112 Acoustic Amp Combo. I'm seriously considering this piece of gear. >Thanks a bunch. > >Jay... I purchased one of the Ecoustic 112's this last Saturday. I needed something I could use as stage monitor on stage but also as a good portable amplifier for "club" type work. It has two channels both with a separate EQ. There is a balanced XLR out on the back. The sound of the system is impressive. It has a single 12" speaker in the cabinet but the speaker is a coaxial speaker that gives you the wide frequency response. The unit has onboard reverb but no other effects. I picked mine up locally for $425. I looked at similar Fender amplifier but liked the Peavey better. There is also an offering from Roland called the AC-100. It has digital chorus and reverb. However, the cost was almost 3 times the Peavey. For that, I figured I could purchase my own digital chorus. To get all the details on the unit, check out Peavey's web site http://www.peavey.com There you will be able to get a complete copy of the owner's manual. Furthermore, there are some opinions of the amplifier at http://www.harmony-central.com Check out the product reviews. I'm very happy with my Ecoustic 112. Dave Baker ======================== From: "Dr. Michael Gardner" Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Help needed-Acoustic Amp advice Date: Tue, 30 Dec 1997 09:31:39 -0600 Check out Carvin's AG-100D. Great acoustic amp + second line/guitar channel + third xlr/mic channel. I bought mine for $429 and would gladly have paid more since I'm using it now -- it is great! They only sell direct, information from their website is available at: http://www.carvin.com/cgi-bin/details.cgi?product=ag100d Mike Gardner (the Guitar Doctor) SA Sazdanoff wrote: > I want to buy a good amp. Price IS an option and ISN'T. Need an XLR and 2 > independent channels, plus on board EQ. I have looked at Crate, TRace > Elliot and California Blonde. If anyone is using this gear please tell me > the pros and cons. Recommendations on other gear appreciated. Thanks > Sazdanoff.2@osu.edu > > -- > Sazdanoff.2.osu.edu ========================== From: jgriffin@spectranet.ca (John Griffin) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Help needed-Acoustic Amp advice Date: Tue, 30 Dec 1997 14:13:45 -0500 Organization: Still Point Lines: 25 Message-ID: References: NNTP-Posting-Host: 204.187.59.23 X-Newsreader: MT-NewsWatcher 2.3.5 In article , SA Sazdanoff@pop.service.ohio-state.edu (SA Sazdanoff) wrote: >I want to buy a good amp. Price IS an option and ISN'T. Need an XLR and 2 >independent channels, plus on board EQ. I have looked at Crate, TRace >Elliot and California Blonde. If anyone is using this gear please tell me >the pros and cons. Recommendations on other gear appreciated. Thanks >Sazdanoff.2@osu.edu You might want to add the Peavey 112 Ecoustic to your list. It has all these features plus a phantom power source for a condenser mic if you need it. It also has one of the best anti-feedback controls of any amp I have seen. It sells for around $450. John G. -- ________________________________________________________ | John and | jgriffin@spectranet.ca | | Valerie | jgriffin@astral.magic.ca | | Griffin | johnweg@aol.com | |--------------------------------------------------------| | "Still Point" | It's Not Too Late... | | Moffat Ontario Canada | To have a Happy Childhood | -------------------------------------------------------- ========================= From: ab6ya@aol.com (AB6YA) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Help needed-Acoustic Amp advice Date: 30 Dec 1997 21:04:29 GMT I would have to add my input for the Carvin AG100D. I just bought one a week ago, and it is awesome with great built in digital effects and a wonderful sound. Also, the bass input sounds better than my old Carvin PB300C. Warren ab6ya@aol.com ======================== From: mosestey@aol.com (MosesTey) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Help needed-Acoustic Amp advice Date: 30 Dec 1997 21:49:09 GMT I'm not sure what your budget is but in my opinion, a Daedalus Cabinet sets the standard for acoustic tone reproduction. Costlier though. Probably close to $1300 for a whole setup. Blessings, Moses ============================ From: alackcmaj7@aol.com (ALackCmaj7) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Carvin AG100D- anyone use one? Date: 3 Jan 1998 14:40:46 GMT I use one in my job as a middle school music teacher. The patching options are great. Seperate e.q. and effects levels for all three channels. The effects are a little noisy. I like the sound of chanel two (without the para-mid) better with my Takamine than channel one. The price is unbeatable. It looks great (almost Trace-ish) Get the optional stand. A solo performers ideal rig. ========================= Subject: Re: Fender Accoustasonic ? Date: Mon, 05 Jan 1998 11:27:34 -0600 Organization: Interserv News Service Gary B. Shweid wrote: > Has anyone had any experience with the Fender Accoustasonic Amp for > accoustic/electric ? Yes. I finally got one over the holidays and it is wonderful...You can read the specs at http://www.fender.com . The real gems of this amp are: -->Fender's chorus (a la the Princeton Chorus and Ultimate Chorus amps)-- the stereo phase effect between the two speakers is very pronounced and gives some incredible depth. (I think the reverb is a little weak, however). -->The amp is sealed in the back -- theoretically I suppose so no sound is wasted from the rear of the speakers. The amp has great projection. It also has those old "Twin Reverb" tilt-back legs for positioning and directing your sound. -->The "String Dynamics" and "Feedback Notch" controls on Instrument Input #1 give you the ability to really control the sound of your guitar (you get a real "acoustic" sound, not that rubbery/metallic brashness many acoustic amps have). There is also a "Phase" switch on the Mic/Instrument Input #2, and a "Master Phase" controlling both inputs so you can again balance your various mics/instruments' tonal characteristics. -->There is a "TSR/Y" in/out on the rear panel, a stereo FX Send and corresponding Return, as well as a mono line out, so it's quite versatile for sending and receiving signals to/from headphones, FX processors, PA board, recorders, other amps/speakerboxes, etc. My 3 Takamines (LTD96, EF325SRC, EF381C) all sound great as do my various mics. I wholeheartedly recommend one to any serious acoustic/electric player. List price is $549.99. You should be able to get your dealer to discount it to between $350 and $399. --DB ========================== From: negseqnc@aol.com (NEGSEQNC) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Help needed-Acoustic Amp advice Date: 10 Jan 1998 17:37:57 GMT I've had a Trace Elliot TR-35 for one year, it has two channals with independent gain, srping type reverb, chorus, tone contols (Lo-trim and Hi-trim), feed back control & active/passive input selection. 20 to 30 Watts. I am extremly happy with this unit. ============================== From: jgriffin@spectranet.ca (John Griffin) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Acoustic Amps Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 23:56:18 -0500 Organization: Still Point Lines: 22 Distribution: world Message-ID: References: <34CD652A.4B20@www.rt66.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 204.187.59.37 X-Newsreader: MT-NewsWatcher 2.3.5 In article <34CD652A.4B20@www.rt66.com>, ccomics@www.rt66.com wrote: >What is the best acoustic amp for the dollar? Looking at the 60w Crate. >50w Yorkvile... any assistance? For the same money you can get a really nice sounding Peavey Ecoustic 112 100 watt 2 channel (one channel with phantom power and both with 5-segment equalizer) and a spring reverb. It has a coaxial speaker 12 inch woofer with a soft-dome tweeter (the soft dome tweeter is much nicer sounding for acoustic use then a horn). John G. -- ________________________________________________________ | John and | jgriffin@spectranet.ca | | Valerie | jgriffin@astral.magic.ca | | Griffin | johnweg@aol.com | |--------------------------------------------------------| | "Still Point" | It's Not Too Late... | | Moffat Ontario Canada | To have a Happy Childhood | -------------------------------------------------------- ========================= From: mike@cellbio.wustl.edu Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Roland AC100 vs. Crate CA125D Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 10:43:50 -0600 Organization: Washington University in St. Louis In article <34D0072D.6AEA@pacbell.net>, gshweid@pacbell.net wrote: > Anyone have any experience with either the Roland AC100 Acoustic Chorus > or the Crate CA125D Acoustic Amp. I have had the Crate for about a month now and like it very much. The amp is clean sounding and the notch filter is good at suppressing feedback. The onboard digital effects are suprisingly useful for acoustic guitar and voice. Having the built-in effects allows you to use two different effects for voice and guitar if you have a separate stand alone effects unit, which I find very useful. I wish it had phantom power, though. You should be able to get the Crate for under $600. I never auditioned the Roland, so I can't compare the two. ======================== Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic References: <34D0072D.6AEA@pacbell.net> Subject: Re: Roland AC100 vs. Crate CA125D Date: Thu, 29 Jan 1998 22:16:47 -0500 A friend of mine manages a rather large music store here in Montreal and told me that they are receiving a large amount of Rolands for warranty repairs. It seems like they are very poorly built. Have you tried the Peavey Ecoustic 112? Mark Gary B. Shweid wrote in message <34D0072D.6AEA@pacbell.net>... >Anyone have any experience with either the Roland AC100 Acoustic Chorus >or the Crate CA125D Acoustic Amp. > >I had a Fender Acoustisonic Jr, but had to return it because of a >terrible feedback problem. I am now looking at the above two. I think >I like the Roland, but would like to hear about others' experience >before forking over more than twice what I had spent on the Fender. > >I intend to use the amp for Guitar (Ovation Acoustic/Electric), voice, >and blues harp. >-- >Gary Shweid Email -> gshweid@bigfoot.com >GBS Associates Email -> gshweid@hints.com >PO Box 1416 Ph. (650) 533-3734 >Millbrae, CA 94030 Fax (650) 697-6272 ======================= From: alchemymn@aol.com (AlchemyMN) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Acoustic gtr.amps/opinions? Date: 30 Jan 1998 03:11:41 GMT Martin, Check out the first site listed below for ideas on pickups and mics, then visit the amp web sites, then go play with as many you can find until you find one that appeals to you or your friends personal taste... or just lurk here for awhile for more opinions. http://www.museweb.com/ag/ http://www.fender.com/ (Fender Acoustasonic) http://www.crateamps.com/ (Crate 125D) http://www.swreng.com/ (SWR California Blonde) http://www.carvin.com (Carvin AG100) Others = Roland, Centaur, Peavy, etc. Best of Luck, Michael. > m a r t i n wrote: >Date: Thu, Jan 29, 1998 12:58 EST >Message-id: <34D0C343.1CCEDE8B@bellatlantic.net> > >I'd like to hear some valid opinions on the best sounding amps for acoustic >playing.Mostly fingerpicking style, but that probably isn't relative.Posting >this question for a friend. ====================== From: slcss@aol.com (SLCss) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Acoustic gtr.amps/opinions? Date: 30 Jan 1998 13:45:04 GMT I did play a Roland acoustic amp right after playing a trace acoustic. Apparently the trace is supposed to be one of the best, but I couldn't get this trace to sound nearly as good as the Roland. I played with the eq and all that. I'm sure trace is great - maybe this one was a little wierd, but I sure was impressed with the roland at less than half the price. On the other hand, it still doesn't sound as good as my barcus pickup with baggs paraeq/direct box/preamp and pa...($200 not including the pa!) steve ======================== Subject: Re: Carvin AG100D Amp Opinions Requested Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 14:20:29 GMT On Tue, 10 Mar 1998 05:29:57 -0500, drphil@fast.net (Philip Henderson) wrote: >I'm in the market for an acoustic amp and would like opinions on the >Carvin AG100D. It's the one amp I can't try before I buy. I'm considering >it because 1) I like Carvin equipment in general and 2) I have seen some >posters in this group give it a good review. It's over $150 less >expensive than the equivalent Crate amp (CA125) I really liked. It also has bass, treble, etc., on the vocal and aux channels, which the Crate, unnaccountably, lacks. Besides >wanting to hear opinions on sound and ease of use, I really want to hear >about the digital effects section. From the picture in the Carvin catalog >it looks like you can have only one effect on at once. Is this true? Yes. There is, however, reverb mixed into the chorus and echo settings. The chorus and echo effects, which I thought I'd never use, are lovely. The flanges, two of them, are, IMHO, worthless. >Does anyone know the approximate delay times on the >echo? 230 ms, 5% regeneration, 250/43%, 460/5%, 500/43%. Buy it. Jeffrey remove xyz to reply =================== From: "John Rosengren" Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Carvin AG100D Amp Opinions Requested Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 09:46:42 -0500 Organization: PatriotNet, (703) 277-7737 Philip Henderson wrote in message ... >I'm in the market for an acoustic amp and would like opinions on the >Carvin AG100D. >Phil Henderson drphil@fast.net >opinions my own ... but can be yours for one fabulously low price Phil, I have a Carvin AG 100D. Ive had it for two years now and never use it. Actually, the first AG 100D I received literally went up in smoke the first time I turned it on. Seems that some of the circuitry wasn't done right at the factory and burned up when I hit the "on" switch. Of course, Carvin corrected the problem, but I had to package the amp up, ship it off, and wait three weeks for the replacement amp to arrive. Once received, the new amp worked fine, as long as I don't set the volume up past "1". Otherwise, the amp picks up the dandiest CW station this side of Nashville. If anyone out there has some advice on how to filter out the radio reception from my amp (short of using a large hammer), I would be more than grateful. Meanwhile Philip, I recommend that you opt for the amp from the music store that you can plug in and test before you take it home. ====================== From: stuff@ll.spammers (~TEKWORM~) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Crate Acoustic Amp Date: Tue, 24 Mar 98 03:41:58 GMT Organization: Dreamscape Online In article <6f671p$kcd@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net>, hdkell@worldnet.att.net wrote: >Has any one tried a Crate 125 D Acoustic Amp ? If so what do you think? > I own one..... Damned handy li'l thing. Lotsa bells & whistles t' play with, but I find that I use very little of the effects when playin' out. Use 'em mostly to amuse m'self in my parlor. My guitar sounds very warm when mic'd through it, but nothin' that leaves me breathless when I plug it in (under saddle Fishman Piezo). The Chorus works well, as do most of the Reverb effects... however... IMO, they're pretty glitzy... they get to be a little much in a hurry. To sum it up, it only gets me Luke Warm. Overall, a good amount of bang for the bucks & generally .... a good all 'round amp. But.. I'd recommend you try one for yourself before you commit your $. I don't think anything in the price range comes as close, but it ain't the meanin' of life. ___ _ / \_/ \ | |====TEKWORM | :::} < tekworm*at*dreamscape*dot*com > \___/\_( =========================== From: gsbubs@aol.com (GSBubs) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Crate Acoustic Amp Date: 25 Mar 1998 01:59:28 GMT I agree with the previous post on the Crate 125D... very good FOR THE $$... the miked sound is much better than the pickup so much so that I now exclusively mike the guitar when doing coffehouse type stuff... it's too bad that there's not more independent mixing of channels as it otherwise makes a nice convenient compact PA system for a small solo gig... the reverb system is pretty good, too... Greg... ========================= From: "Eric J. Jensen" X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.04 [en] (X11; I; Linux 2.0.32 i586) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Seeking Advice on Amps Luis C Robles wrote: > > Being as honest as I can, I do not know a thing about amps. I am > playing a Martin DCM with a Fishman Prefix Plus and have plugged it in > very few times. The thing is that I am practicing with a few friends and > will have a few little "gigs" in the near future. I will need a small > amp and come to you guys(and gals) asking for advice. > Where can I get info on amplifiers for acoustic guitars? (Books, Web > Sites, etc...) > What is the difference between amps for electrics and amps for > acoustics? (Forgive my Ignorance) > What else will I need? (I do like simplicity and love the natural sound > of my baby, wanna keep it) > I play mostly fingerpicking but do some rhythm, as for the budget, I can > work $450. > Any advice and opinions will be very appreciated. > Thank You, > Luis Carlos > > p.s. I buy locally, please no offers. Sorry! I just recently bought my first budget guitar amp. It's a Peavy Ecoustic, you can read the specs on it on Peavys web site. It seems to work well, has 2 channels with really good EQ on each one. I use it as a combination sound reinforcement and stage monitor in my church where a mostly acoustic band with drum set plays. Last year Acoustic Guitar did a nice review(I think it's the march issue) of budget amps for acoustic guitars. That would get you started on whats out there and the basic features in acoustic amps (PA's). On the Peavy again. I can EQ the thing to produce nice tone, and it's a 100W which is way more power than I need. In fact it's a little hard to turn the thing down enough if I just want to use it as a monitor, it's also big and heavy, which I hate. But I tried several of these things out and the EQ and tone on the Peavy sold me on it. My 2-cents. Eric =================== From: Steve Yetter Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Tube amps for acoustic? Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 23:03:49 -0700 Organization: Pacific Bell Internet Services Jay Pack wrote: > > After being primarily an electric guitar player for many years my fancy > has turned more towards acoustic. I have a nice Guild that I sold one of my > electrics to purchase that I plan on puting a pick-up in. So my question is, > how do tube amps sound with acoustic guitars? I have always sworn by tubes > for electric but know next to nothing about acoustic amplification. I have a > Peavey Classic 50 410 that I just love, and would appreciate any feed-back > on this amps compatability w/ my Guild. Thanks, Jay Hi Jay, I use an Ampeg tube amp with my acoustic. It works OK. I think those new acoustic amps basically just punch up the highs. If your tubes aren't too shot it should be fine. I've got a Les Paul Jr. that really needs my kinda amp to sound good, so I use it for everything. I guess if I was able to write stuff off as tools on my taxes I wouldn't be so tight about springing for the ultimate acoustic sound gear, but I live with compromises. My acoustic sound is passable, but my electric sound would be pretty horrid if I couldn't count on a little tube clipping to squash the sound down to compressed, crunched, and contained. If you know what I mean? I love straight acoustic around the house, but once a drummer is involved, the name of the game is gain without feedback. I can get it done without spending big bucks on hi tech, then having to trim it all off to get some penetration anyway, the tube amp does it kinda automatically! Good luck, -Steve ======================= From: dickschnei@aol.com (DickSchnei) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Tube amps for acoustic? Date: 12 Apr 1998 12:18:47 GMT In article <3530380c.0@news.worldaccessnet.com>, "Jay Pack" writes: > After being primarily an electric guitar player for many years my fancy >has turned more towards acoustic. I have a nice Guild that I sold one of my >electrics to purchase that I plan on puting a pick-up in. So my question is, >how do tube amps sound with acoustic guitars? I have always sworn by tubes >for electric but know next to nothing about acoustic amplification. I have a >Peavey Classic 50 410 that I just love, and would appreciate any feed-back >on this amps compatability w/ my Guild. Thanks, Jay > > Jay, I use a Hughes & Kettner Tube 20 for most of my guitars and it produces a wonderful clean sound (it also has a nice overdrive channel, but since most of what I do is chordal based, that isn't useful for me). Last December I purchased a Washburn J10 archtop guitar at a guitar shop after playing it acoustically. However, the shop owner (a friend) wouldn't let me get out of the shop before trying it plugged in. He set me up with the H&K Tube 20 and after only a few minutes I was hooked on the tube sound. I have a Fender Princeton Chorus that I also like a lot, but have hardly used it since Dec. Most of what I play is still using one of my acoustic flat-tops, and I was surprised to discover that the H&K sounds great with them. It also comes with their Red Box DI built-in so that I can send the amps sound to a board or PA. As a novice on amps and electronics anything I say is based on pretty limited experience, but I am quite particular about the sound of my instruments and am surprised that I like playing through my amp. I have heard a lot of good reports on the Peavey Classic 50, but never tried one. One thing to keep in mind is that there is a huge difference in how different methods of amplifying acoustics will sound. Again, I am not knowledgeable enough to lead you on this, but from my limited experience I have heard a lot of options that simply sounded horrible. Determine the sound that you want and then try a lot of mic/pickup options until you achieve that sound. Your tube amp should be an asset to whatever pickup solution you decide upon. Dick Schneiders ====================== From: NOSPAM@SAM.I.AM (Dennis Mitchell) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Tube amps for acoustic? Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1998 16:15:45 GMT Organization: INTERNET AMERICA dickschnei@aol.com (DickSchnei) wrote: >In article <3530380c.0@news.worldaccessnet.com>, "Jay Pack" > writes: >> After being primarily an electric guitar player for many years my fancy >>has turned more towards acoustic. I have a nice Guild that I sold one of my >>electrics to purchase that I plan on puting a pick-up in. So my question is, >>how do tube amps sound with acoustic guitars? I have always sworn by tubes >>for electric but know next to nothing about acoustic amplification. I have a >>Peavey Classic 50 410 that I just love, and would appreciate any feed-back >>on this amps compatability w/ my Guild. Thanks, Jay Jay, I'm no expert either, but I am a tube amp nut when it comes to my electrics. I plugged my Elite into my '63 Fender Super a few months ago just for grins, and man what a sweet warm tone it had. I was very impressed with the sound, and wondered why I never tried it in the past. I had always run my acoustics straight to the board and mic'ed the Fender. As long as I don't need tons of volume, the Super does great. After all, 30 watt tube amps have real sweet distortion as the volume knob gets turned up a bit! I would be willing to bet a Twin Reverd would sound really nice for acoustics. No, I'm not associated with Fender. I just like their amps that are almost as old as I am! Dennis Mitchell No...,I'm not blonde headed, I don't wear cover-alls, and Mr.Wilson does not live next door! Spam control in progress, I'm Realy at: mitchel"one"@airmail.net ================== From: "Brian Miller" Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic References: <3530380c.0@news.worldaccessnet.com> Subject: Re: Tube amps for acoustic? Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1998 14:32:18 -0700 Jay Pack wrote in message <3530380c.0@news.worldaccessnet.com>... > After being primarily an electric guitar player for many years my fancy >has turned more towards acoustic. I have a nice Guild [snip] >how do tube amps sound with acoustic guitars? Tube amps sound great! I tried out a Rivera Sedona that is an all-tube combo with a JBL 12 and a JBL 5" tweeter. 2 mono inputs (not stereo). GREAT sounding amp, but expensive. Is also a fine electric guitar amp with Fender blackface and tweed voicings. Some tasty distortion harmonics. I'd love to pick one up but I just cannot justify the $1800 when the Fender keybd amp I use does the job as a monitor (I also go direct to the board). It would save me from hauling two amps around. I've heard some folks here say they use a blackface twin. Many here say they are not hi-fi enough. Still makes a nice monitor, but too heavy for me; my Boogie already weighs a ton. In His Grace, Brian (to respond, please remove the x in my address it cuts down on SPAM) ======================= From: cii@world.std.com (chris i inglesi) Subject: Tube amps for acoustic? Message-ID: Organization: The World, Public Access Internet, Brookline, MA X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1998 21:42:59 GMT The Rivera Sedona really is great...I recently purchased one ($1595). It fits my needs almost perfectly for both acoustic and electric guitar. Great tone on both. My only complaint is that the XLR direct out is pre-pre-amp, thus none of the tone shaping goes out (the 1/4" mono out is post-pre-amp). Also, the amp weighs about 75 lbs! But, still better than hauling around two amps to gigs! Chris ====================== Subject: Re: Fender Acoustisonic Amp Date: Sun, 14 Jun 1998 09:17:39 -0500 Organization: posted via: CyberRamp.net, Dallas, TX (214) 343-3333/(817) 461-8484 for info Stephen Wilson wrote in message <3583CD70.D40E7D76@sr66.com>... >I've been looking at a Fender Acousticsonic amp. Has anybody had any >experience with them? They priced at $440, but said that they could >probably match any mail order out fit. >If any body has any experience with these amps I'd be glad to hear from >them. Thanks Here's my review from www.harmony-central.com Price Paid: US $369 Features: 10 The Acoustasonic Jr. is a 40w x 40w stereo amp, with two individual pre and power amps. The second channel has an XLR (LO-Z) input as well as the standard 1/4" input. Both channels have EQ, the second channel has a phase switch, while the phase on the first channel is controlled by the master phase. The first channel adds a feedback notch filter control. The amp includes a very rich and acoustically tuned stereo chorus with a cool blinking red/green light to indicate intensity and speed. The amp has a master reverb which is also acoustically rich, and both of these FX are assignable. The second channel has a control for the reverb/FX send level. This amp includes TWO FX loops! The first is a mono FX send for the first channel only, and the second FX loop is stereo and is a mater FX loop. The level for this loop can be controlled via the second channel. The amp includes two specially "voiced" 8" speakers, and a high-frequency piezo horn tweeter. The amp comes in a cool retro brown tolex covering with a tan grillecloth. It also has neat-o kick-back legs which is a feature that most all acoustic amps lack. As you can tell, this amp is just PACKED with features! Another feature that Fender includes and is marketing heavily is the "String Dynamics" control. This is simply a knob that rolls off the extremely high-frequencies to help eliminate piezo distortion and string noise. Overall effect on the sound with this control appears to be very minimal. Sound Quality: 10 Overall sound is incredible. I dare say that this amp rivals $1000-$1500 Trace Elliot amps that I tried. The only amp that I thought sounded better was the Fishman acoustic amp system. One great thing about this amp is the fact that you can use a lot of different guitars thru it and it always sounds superb. So far, the guitars I've tested thru this amp are two Godin acoustics, one Godin Acousticaster, a Godin LGX (Solid-body guitar with L.R. Baggs saddle transducer and acoustic pre-amp), Taylor 410CE, Takamine, Epiphone acoustic, and a classical guitar equiped with a soundhole pickup. All of these guitars sounded beautiful thru the Acoustasonic Jr. If any of them didn't initially suit my tastes, I could easily adjust the EQ on either the amp or the acoustic to make it sound good. Overall, I was very surprised at the bass response of this amp. I thought that it would be limited with only 8" speakers, but the bass is clean and tight even at high volume. This makes the Acoustasonic Jr. a performance-worthy amp. My only small gripe about the sound is the ever-present solid state "hiss" when you're not playing. I've found this to be a characteristic of most solid state amps. Overall sound of this amp is very tight, and the amp does not rattle even at higher volumes. This is a gripe that I've had about other Fender amps, but not this one! This amp is a closed-back amp which may have helped elimitate rattles and other unwanted noises or resonances. One surprising thing that I discovered about this amp is that it works GREAT as a clean-amp for electric guitar, especially a hollow-body. A Gibson ES-335 or ES-135 would sound incredible thru this amp! I played several strats thru this amp and the sparkling sound is incredible! Try it for yourself, and see what you think. Reliability: N/A I've only had this amp a week so I can't be sure. Fender gives you a five-year warranty, though, so they must have confidence in it's reliability. Overall Rating: 10 This is Fender's very first entry into the acoustic guitar amplification market, and they're definitely bound to make a splash. Fender has obviously done a lot of research of the other acoustic amp offerings before developing this beautiful amp. It is feature-rich and easily rivals amps costing 2-3 times it's price. Other amps I compared it to were: Trace Acoustic, Crate, Peavey, Marshall, Roland, AR, and Fishman. The Fender had tons of features and great sound. Plus, the list price is only $549 which makes it affordable for just about everyone. If you play acoustic guitar, I highly suggest this amp. -Cypher http://www.cyberramp.net/~cypher/ ======================== From: "phil" Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Fender Acoustisonic Amp Date: Sun, 14 Jun 1998 14:04:11 -0500 Organization: SouthWind Internet Access, Inc. That summed it up!!! I have one and my brother bought one in kansas City for 350 bucks. New from dealer. Mine was 400 at the local small town dealer here. Kewl amp. I have trouble with feedback while useing a mike. Maybe cause the room was to small? Good luck Phil ========================= From: nospam_michaeljohn@mindspring.com Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Fender Acoustisonic Amp Date: Sun, 14 Jun 1998 15:29:35 GMT Organization: MindSpring Enterprises On Sun, 14 Jun 1998 06:17:37 -0700, Stephen Wilson wrote: >This is a multi-part message in MIME format. >--------------449081EE403851419C735BEC >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >I've been looking at a Fender Acousticsonic amp. Has anybody had any >experience with them? They priced at $440, but said that they could >probably match any mail order out fit. >If any body has any experience with these amps I'd be glad to hear from >them. Thanks Ive compared it to the Crate TD60D (I think that was the model #) and I thought it sounded much better. I was playing it through a Taylor 810 Rosewood with a Fishman Acoustic Matrix pickup. The Crate sounded overall, more natural and not as tinny. I used the notch filters on the crate to get a good cutoff with no feed back, and thought that it sounded much better. You might want to check it out. I think it was a little more in price, but I think it would be worth it. Remove nospam in address to reply by emial. ====================== From: gnelson@mbox5.singnet.com.sg Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Fender Acoustisonic Amp Date: Mon, 15 Jun 1998 01:01:58 GMT Organization: Deja News - The Leader in Internet Discussion In article <3583CD70.D40E7D76@sr66.com>, Stephen Wilson wrote: > > > I've been looking at a Fender Acousticsonic amp. Has anybody had any > experience with them? They priced at $440, but said that they could > probably match any mail order out fit. > If any body has any experience with these amps I'd be glad to hear from > them. Thanks > Steve I tried one out at a local music shop after hearing about it on this newsgroup and LOVED it! I compared it to the equivalent Trace Eliot (the TA-40CR, I think) and to my ears, this sounded better. I like the fact that its got two inputs and built in effects. It looks pretty solid and sturdy too and I like the way the beige tolex(?) looks. As for the sound, I tried it with a low-end Yamaha in the shop and it really sounded great. According to the (very positive) reviews at Harmony Central, it sounds good with a lot of guitars. Can't wait to try it with my Taylor and Takamine. The best judge would be your ears, of course, but in my opinion, I think the amp is worth it and I'm saving up for it right now. Only one place in Singapore sells it (at the equivalent of US$440) so I can't really shop around, unfortunately. Even so, I do think it's worth the price. Should have that puppy in my house in a weeks time! YMMV. Peace, Gerry -----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==----- http://www.dejanews.com/ Now offering spam-free web-based newsreading ======================= Message-ID: <359968B5.2D6B4E79@mediaone.net> From: Chris Stern Reply-To: cwstern@mediaone.net X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.04 [en] (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic To: GuitarJonz Subject: Re: Trace TA50R vs. TA100R GuitarJonz wrote: > I'm getting tired of my cheesy Epiphone Regent 30, and want a quality acoustic > amp with good reverb. Any comments re the differences between these 2? I want > a nice acoustic amp that can be used with guitar and vocal mic for home playing > and occasional playing out in duo or with a band. I've seen the TA50R used for > $450, the T100R used for $550. It seems like for $100 more, the 100 is the way > to go. The 100 has 50 more watts and 4 speakers instead of 2. I have a TA50R and like it but would change to the TA100R if I could. The 50 is not much good for vocals. Good for guitar practice at home with effects though. Pay the higher price. New the difference is/was much greater. Chris ======================= From: telejr2@aol.com (TeleJr2) Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Trace TA50R vs. TA100R My vote also goes for the TA100R. For the small increase in price, the additional wattage gives you significantly more clean headroom, which is a big factor if you play at anything more than very low volumes or run vocals through the unit. Ray ===================== From: xyzjefsu@primary.net Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Acoustic Amp Date: Wed, 01 Jul 1998 14:49:21 GMT On Tue, 30 Jun 1998 22:15:32 -0700, Itzart wrote: >I just read a review in Guitar World Accoustic of the Carvin AG100D that >describes it as an all-purpose amplifier, handling bass, keys, voice as >well as both accoustic and electric guitar. I am an owner/operator of an AG100D, and would recommend it to anyone. I'm a former bassplayer--can't do smoke anymore--and I can tell you that Carvin really knows how to voice their amps for bass. The external speaker jack, oddly, is in series with the internal jack, and the recommended minimum load is 8ohms. That having been said, I used one of the Carvin PA speakers at a Borders recently, used my amp as a monitor, and had a great gig. Acoustic amps really shine as powered monitors; *you* can control the sound you hear onstage. If it's a gig where you are going into a PA, you can give a send to the soundperson, to fuck up the way he/she/it nearly inevitably will. Hearing yourself is paramount; monitors are far more important than mains. IF you can hear, sans monitors, that's fine--and a great room to play in!--but you can't be an artist/performer/entertainer, if you can't hear what you're doing. Jeffrey remove xyz to reply ======================== From: "Cypher" Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: Acoustic Amp Date: Wed, 1 Jul 1998 18:13:29 -0500 Organization: posted via: CyberRamp.net, Dallas, TX (214) 343-3333/(817) 461-8484 for info Itzart wrote in message <3599C5F4.C5102830@earthlink.net>... >Friends, > >I am fairly ignorant of amps, having just a crate 15W practice box as I >learn electric guitar. But I also play accoustic (steel and nylon folk) >and would like to amplify this for recording and coffeehouse gigs (still >gotta work up my nerve). > >I've read a the posting about the difference between electric and >accoustic amps and this seems clear to me. But is there an amp that can >handle both? > >I just read a review in Guitar World Accoustic of the Carvin AG100D that >describes it as an all-purpose amplifier, handling bass, keys, voice as >well as both accoustic and electric guitar. I know someone who bought the Carvin AG100D and was really disappointed. He ended up shipping it back and it cost him total about $45 in shipping. I'd suggest checking out the Acoustasonic Jr. It has dual 40w channels and would be decent for combining vocals and guitar. At $369, it's probably the best value around. It has plenty of power for coffeehouse gigs. You can read my review at: http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data/Fender/Acoustasonic-Junior-01.htm l I don't know if you'll find an amp that would be good for both acoustic and electric. I've heard of people using a Fender Princeton Chorus before, but I don't know if the acoustic sound would be that good. -Cypher http://www.cyberramp.net/~cypher/ ======================= From: "Cypher" Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: **Fender Acoustasonic Jr. Info and Sound Clip** Date: Wed, 1 Jul 1998 22:15:33 -0500 Organization: posted via: CyberRamp.net, Dallas, TX (214) 343-3333/(817) 461-8484 for info I've put up an audio sample of the Fender Acoustasonic Jr. on my website. Check it out if you're interested. The sample is played with a Godin LGX's acoustic pickup directly through the Acoustasonic w/ moderate amount of Reverb and Chorus. The recording was done directly into the computer from the stereo pre-amp out on the back of the amp. You'll need a RealAudio player to listen to the sound clip. http://www.cyberramp.net/~cypher/audio1.htm Here's my review of this amp from Harmony-Central in case anyone is interested: Features: 10 The Acoustasonic Jr. is a 40w x 40w stereo amp, with two individual pre and power amps. The second channel has an XLR (LO-Z) input as well as the standard 1/4" input. Both channels have EQ, the second channel has a phase switch, while the phase on the first channel is controlled by the master phase. The first channel adds a feedback notch filter control. The amp includes a very rich and acoustically tuned stereo chorus with a cool blinking red/green light to indicate intensity and speed. The amp has a master reverb which is also acoustically rich, and both of these FX are assignable. The second channel has a control for the reverb/FX send level. This amp includes TWO FX loops! The first is a mono FX send for the first channel only, and the second FX loop is stereo and is a mater FX loop. The level for this loop can be controlled via the second channel. The amp includes two specially "voiced" 8" speakers, and a high-frequency piezo horn tweeter. The amp comes in a cool retro brown tolex covering with a tan grillecloth. It also has neat-o kick-back legs which is a feature that most all acoustic amps lack. As you can tell, this amp is just PACKED with features! Another feature that Fender includes and is marketing heavily is the "String Dynamics" control. This is simply a knob that rolls off the extremely high-frequencies to help eliminate piezo distortion and string noise. Overall effect on the sound with this control appears to be very minimal. Sound Quality: 10 Overall sound is incredible. I dare say that this amp rivals $1000-$1500 Trace Elliot amps that I tried. The only amp that I thought sounded better was the Fishman acoustic amp system. One great thing about this amp is the fact that you can use a lot of different guitars thru it and it always sounds superb. So far, the guitars I've tested thru this amp are two Godin acoustics, one Godin Acousticaster, a Godin LGX (Solid-body guitar with L.R. Baggs saddle transducer and acoustic pre-amp), Taylor 410CE, Takamine, Epiphone acoustic, and a classical guitar equipped with a soundhole pickup. All of these guitars sounded beautiful thru the Acoustasonic Jr. If any of them didn't initially suit my tastes, I could easily adjust the EQ on either the amp or the acoustic to make it sound good. Overall, I was very surprised at the bass response of this amp. I thought that it would be limited with only 8" speakers, but the bass is clean and tight even at high volume. This makes the Acoustasonic Jr. a performance-worthy amp. My only small gripe about the sound is the ever-present solid state "hiss" when you're not playing. I've found this to be a characteristic of most solid state amps. Overall sound of this amp is very tight, and the amp does not rattle even at higher volumes. This is a gripe that I've had about other Fender amps, but not this one! This amp is a closed-back amp which may have helped eliminate rattles and other unwanted noises or resonances. One surprising thing that I discovered about this amp is that it works GREAT as a clean-amp for electric guitar, especially a hollow-body. A Gibson ES-335 or ES-135 would sound incredible thru this amp! I played several strats thru this amp and the sparkling sound is incredible! Try it for yourself, and see what you think. Reliability: N/A I've only had this amp a week so I can't be sure. Fender gives you a five-year warranty, though, so they must have confidence in it's reliability. * See note below Customer Support: N/A Overall Rating: 10 This is Fender's very first entry into the acoustic guitar amplification market, and they're definitely bound to make a splash. Fender has obviously done a lot of research of the other acoustic amp offerings before developing this beautiful amp. It is feature-rich and easily rivals amps costing 2-3 times it's price. Other amps I compared it to were: Trace Acoustic, Crate, Peavey, Marshall, Roland, AR, and Fishman. The Fender had tons of features and great sound. Plus, the list price is only $549 which makes it affordable for just about everyone. If you play acoustic guitar, I highly suggest this amp. * Note: I've had this amp for over six months since I wrote the above review. I'm still very happy with the amp. I suggest getting one of these before Fender raises the price (Like they always do on their hot gear after introduction). -Cypher http://www.cyberramp.net/~cypher/ ============================ From: chrisc@blueridge.net Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic Subject: Re: my first amp ever....help! Date: Thu, 02 Jul 1998 03:52:09 GMT Organization: Deja News - The Leader in Internet Discussion In article <1998070111401301.HAA23925@ladder01.news.aol.com>, dickschnei@aol.com (DickSchnei) wrote: > > In article <1998070109503701.FAA18919@ladder03.news.aol.com>, hojo2x@aol.com > (Hojo2X) writes: > > >A handy little unit that sounds > >surprisingly good and costs > >far less than any comparable unit > >on the market is the Peavey Solo, > >which has three inputs (one of > >them a three-prong XLR for > >a vocal mike) and has the > >additional advantage of being > >able to be run on batteries. > One "system" that works surprisingly well for small venues is the Hot Spot PAIII Monitor, which you can get from Thoroughbred Music http://www.tbred-music.com for $239.99. You can also get a Hot Spot VC monitor extension for $119.99. The PAIII Monitor has an XLR mike input AND guitar input, three band equalization, weighs only 9 pounds, contains a 35 watt amplifier and will sit on top of a mike stand, and the cheaper VC will add an additional speaker as an extension and also sit on a mike stand. Now you've got a mini powered PA "system" on two mike stands that will take both mike and acoustic guitar and is very tiny. Don't run the keyboards or bass through this system, but it works very well for one mike and solo guitar. I actually prefer it over my Trace Acoustic amp when I use it for both mike and guitar. Only 14 lbs total plus two mike stands and one connecting cable. Put an equalization pedal on the guitar (or BOSS AD5 acoustic instrument processor) and you're talking compact, inexpensive and efficient. Chris Callahan Chrisc@blueridge.net -----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==----- http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum =====================================