Why use a seperate amp for acoustic?

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soundchaser59

Reluctant Commander
I have plugged my acoustic (built in pickup) in to my amp before, and it was fun.

But after being an electric player for so long, I dont know anything about acoustic amps.

Why do they make seperate amps for acoustics? What is it about acoustic amps that makes them great especially for acoustics? Why shouldn't I just use my regular guitar amp?? Why do they have "tweeters" in them rather than just relying on regular guitar speakers?

And if you have time to kill, Genz Benz? Or Traynor? Or T.Elliot?

But my main question is why should my acoustic use its own amp?

Thanks! - SC


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soundchaser59 said:
I have plugged my acoustic (built in pickup) in to my amp before, and it was fun.

But after being an electric player for so long, I dont know anything about acoustic amps.

Why do they make seperate amps for acoustics? What is it about acoustic amps that makes them great especially for acoustics? Why shouldn't I just use my regular guitar amp?? Why do they have "tweeters" in them rather than just relying on regular guitar speakers?

And if you have time to kill, Genz Benz? Or Traynor? Or T.Elliot?

But my main question is why should my acoustic use its own amp?

Thanks! - SC


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its an issue with the level of treble
 
Also the preamps in acoustic amps tend to be voiced specifically for an acoustic guitar. Yes, it works to plug an acoustic into an electric amp and it even sounds okay. I occasionally plug my acoustic in my Fender HRDx amp, and it can be okay, but it really does sound better when I plug it into my Peavey Ecoustic 112. Just sounds much richer and full, also it stays clean even at full volume, whereas the Fender Hot Rod starts to break up and sounds like ass (for an acoustic).
 
Well, I just came from test driving a 60 watt and a 100 watt Genz Benz. Not bad, nice effects, clean sound, I liked the 60 watt better than the 100 watt, not sure why. Easier to experiment with the full range of sounds I think. I was not able to really crank the 100 watter.

I also tried the Fishman Aura. The online clips make it sound really cool......but I wasn't impressed. It's a great little toy, dont get me wrong, but do I need one? No! Sounded to me like only 2 or 3 of the presets would be of interest to me, and it really didn't seem like it had a whole lot to offer that a good soundmand would not be able to get out of the gear I have. Yeah, they used gear in the production of the Aura that is way better than anything I will ever own, but is it something I need?? No.

So now I'm glad I have good mics at home! But I will probably test drive a few more acoustic amps in the next couple months!
 
It's my understanding that the acoustic amp is voiced more neutrally like a vocal system. You can use them to play guitar in one side and sing in the other at solo gigs. An electric amp is supposed to add or color the sound-an acoustic amp reproduces it as accurately as possible.

I have also had good luck with the Genz-Benz Shenendoah 100. I think it offers a good price to performance ratio and adequate power for the situations I've used it in.
 
Think about what sound you are going for.

Is it for a live situation, or is it to strum in your basement?
Are playing it on 20 songs a night, or 5 ?
Ask some of your sound techs, their experience in micing an acoustic amp VS DIing it. which sounds better or is there much of a difference ?

What do you want to hear on stage? the amp sound or coming out of the stage monitors (DI)?

My advice would be, if you only play a few songs a night. get a nice DI/premp that has a really good eq on it and some built in compression so you can shape the sound without an amp.

If you use it on alot of songs, then maybe an amp is the way to go. Even then, keep in mind the sound tech will probably just take the DI out of the amp, so then you have a really expensive monitor(the acoustic amp) sitting on stage. Also, if the sound tech does mic the amp, the big question is..does the miced amp sound much better than the DI/Preamp?

I saw professiional band (Stratovarius) that tours the world. they were in a small club. They have a few songs where the acoustic does anything from full out strum to classical picking and leads. That guy did not have a amp, just a DI. so something to consider.

Any sound techs out there that can help out? Give a sonic tone opinion, vs. what is easier to hook up?

good luck to you
 
metalj said:
Even then, keep in mind the sound tech will probably just take the DI out of the amp, so then you have a really expensive monitor(the acoustic amp) sitting on stage. Also, if the sound tech does mic the amp, the big question is..does the miced amp sound much better than the DI/Preamp?
Click to expand...

Excellent point, metal. Thanks for the tip, this kind of tip really weighs heavily in what I'm looking for. Funny you should mention this, because I have really been researching DI quite a bit in the last 24 hours for this very reason.
 
Always sounds best through the PA. Sans Amp Rox! I have a crate 125 and an ultrasound 100 watt with a 100 watt slave. I use my presonus acoustiq through the board whenever I can. Some gigs scream for stage volume though so it's nice to have more than one option
 
I've done both DI and amps with my acoustic. The main reason I have used the amp is for more of a stage monitor, and one of my favorites is the Strawberry Blonde. Very nice warm, rich sound. Just thought I would throw in an opinion on what amp to use!
 
You mentioned tweeters, they give the amplified sound a little extra crispness and "jingle" to better simulate the sound of an acoustic guitar. The natural "ring" of an acoustic is hard to reproduce with just regular guitar amp speakers.
 
Any time that I've plugged an acoustic instrument into an amp at a gig, either an acoustic guitar or my mandolin, all thats going through my head is "God this sound totally Sucks!" Needless to say it doesn't make for an enjoyable musical experience and gives no motivation either.
Best sound for me is from onboard piezo pickup into a direct box into the PA, monitor through stage monitors. Just my view, what might sound okay at home is totally different when gigging!
 
Anfontan said:
Best sound for me is from onboard piezo pickup into a direct box into the PA, monitor through stage monitors.
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Yeah, I think I'm starting to lean that way also.

What DI box are you using? Passive or active? I ask because I'm pretty sure my acoustic has the puilt in piezo also, and I read something here

http://www.leonaudio.com.au/active.htm

about why certain types of DI boxes are ideal for piezo pickup, whle others are prone to noise or reduced signal response. I have never used a DI box......YET.......but I'm thinking my active bass and my acoustic guitar should not necessarily use the same one or the same type.

Any tips on this would be helpful! I tried to search but I get a hundred threads that have the word "direct" and none were related to what I need to know..... - SC

PS: The tips are still welcome, but I did just get a decent search result, but nothing yet sepcific to what type of DI box to use for piezo acoustic.....
 
soundchaser59 said:
Yeah, I think I'm starting to lean that way also.

What DI box are you using? Passive or active? I ask because I'm pretty sure my acoustic has the puilt in piezo also, and I read something here

http://www.leonaudio.com.au/active.htm

about why certain types of DI boxes are ideal for piezo pickup, whle others are prone to noise or reduced signal response. I have never used a DI box......YET.......but I'm thinking my active bass and my acoustic guitar should not necessarily use the same one or the same type.

Any tips on this would be helpful! I tried to search but I get a hundred threads that have the word "direct" and none were related to what I need to know..... - SC

PS: The tips are still welcome, but I did just get a decent search result, but nothing yet sepcific to what type of DI box to use for piezo acoustic.....
Click to expand...


With a piezo pickup and no onboard preamp, you'll definitely want an active rather than a passive DI. Baggs makes a nice one with 5 bands (2 tunable) of EQ.
 
I found some decent search results. I think I've seen that I need active DI for the piezo acoustic, but some things said that my bass may not need a DI at all since it has active controls and requires 9v power. I will experiment with that bass thing today.

After reading thru the search results, it looks like this:

- the bass pod xt is overkill, I dont need another preamp or more fx in my mixing rig, more $$$$ than I want to spend, and it isn't for piezo acoustic anyway.

- the art tube mp and mp studio v3 is a great price, but many many reviews cited the excessive noise angle, not good for home recording. Wish I could test one and take it back if it's too noisy, cuz a clean tube pre box would be kinda fun to play with.

- I am liking the recommends for the Countryman Type 85 Active DI. Phantom power is not a problem, and I am more than capable of modding it to use a regulated 9v adapter instead of a battery if I need to. $100 used mint on ebay.

Most of the stuff that I think is overkill for my needs is overpriced, $200 bucks and on up. Cnat imagine spending $300 or $400 bucks just to get a DI box that has preamp bells and fx whistles on it. I already have a 24 chan mixer and a 7' rack that has more fx and eq than I can use on one tune.

SC
 
well, now I'm thinking that LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI is looking pretty good.

Is it clean sounding? Little or no noise??
 
I've got an SWR Strawberry Blonde. I've had it for a couple years. I bought it after test-driving every acoustic amp I could find (the only one I tried that has been mentioned in this thread so far is the Trace Elliott). Anyway, the Strawberry Blonde was the only one that sounded "natural" to my ears. The other acoustic amps sounded very processed and I did not like them.

Having said that, it's only 50watts (if I remember correctly) and it's not very loud at all. It definitely could not compete with a rock-n-roll drummer. I use it as my stage monitor and run direct out of the back. I'll put it on top of a speaker cabinet or PA speaker and point it right at my head. I like it because I have more control over the tone and I have a personal acoustic guitar monitor.

Looking back, if I had to do it over again, I'd probably buy a good DI instead of the Strawberry Blonde. But I do like it, it sounds good, and it's handy to have around.

Hope that helps!
 
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