Help Make Me Loud - Amp Recommendations?

[ken]

Wow, I can't believe I missed that you want an amp for your acoustic guitar. Everything I suggested is really for electric. For acoustic guitar, you should plug it into the PA using a DI box. I used an ARt Tube Mp with a nice Tungsol tube in it for that. I think it sounds great. Electric guitar amps usually sounds pretty shitty with acoustics plugged into them. However, there are amps made especially for acoustics.

Of course, Marshall amps are not meant to be clean at high volumes. Your tube choice and biasing can greatly effect this, as can the guitar you plug into it.

Ken

[Lunkhead]

Ah, I forgot about the Fender vs. Marshall thing, which you'd talked to me about a while ago Ken. It's a good thing to mention, though, that some brands lean more towards that warm "broken up" overdriven tube sound when cranked whereas some lean more towards staying clean. And it can also depend on the tubes it seems like? I guess the biggest thing to take away from those factors is that, again, you should probably try some stuff out at the store to get a feel for what works for you. Play it loud, and don't be embarrassed. You don't have to shred. Just play some power/bar chords and keep it simple if you're worried about people judging your guitar skillz.

[Billy's Little Trip]

I missed the acoustic guitar thing, too.

Also Lunk, on the last post on the previous page, I mentioned your tubes and a link to new ones.

[Kill Me Sarah]

In the interest of not having to buy two amps right away, I was wondering if my electric would still sound decent if plugged into an acoustic amp?

[Billy's Little Trip]

Personally, I'd get a nice electric guitar combo and just use an accoustic pre foot pedal. I've used the Boss AD8 acoustic guitar processor forever. It's actually a sound modeling effect for an acoustic/electric, BUT, it has 4 band EQing and anti feedback. Plus, it has an XLR out for direct to the PA hook up. It's really a sweet little unit.

[Kill Me Sarah]

Personally, I'd get a nice electric guitar combo and just use an accoustic pre foot pedal. I've used the Boss AD8 acoustic guitar processor forever. It's actually a sound modeling effect for an acoustic/electric, BUT, it has 4 band EQing and anti feedback. Plus, it has an XLR out for direct to the PA hook up. It's really a sweet little unit.

Cool idea, but yikes! That thing's another $300 and I don't even have an amp yet...

[Kill Me Sarah]

This just came available on craigslist in my area. Seems to review well on Harmony Central. Priced about half of retail. Any thoughts?

[Billy's Little Trip]

Ouch, I didn't know that the Boss AD8 was so expensive. Mine was loaned to me and I just forgot to return it, about eleventy hundred years ago. He still has my old crappy PA head, so we're even.

I don't know about that Crate combo because I've never played on one. Crate's line is hit and miss. I have a Crate single 12" combo here that I bought for my son and it's OK.

[Lord of Oats]

In the interest of not having to buy two amps right away, I was wondering if my electric would still sound decent if plugged into an acoustic amp?

Yes, I think so. If I were in your situation, I'd buy an acoustic amp. If I wanted to use an electric with it, I'd just run the guitar through a tube screamer first and cut back on the reverb.

[signboy]

pff... this is the new age! get the foot controllers for your toneport, and plug your laptop directly into the house sound or some other speakers.

This is seriously bad advice.

Dan-O has a point

ha ha, I appreciate that when you see bullshit, you call it bullshit.

[adam b]

I have a Made in Korea Fender Acoustic-Electric (DG10CE). Whenever I've plugged it into a bigger amp or PA, it's been a nightmare for getting feedback when using the onboard electronics, so something like that 5 Watt might be excellent. I also have an SX solid-body.

Get a soundhole cover. Apparently they get rid of feedback problems, but I've never used one, probably because I only play my electric on stage.

[Billy's Little Trip]

because I only play my electric on stage.

So, you never have band practice first?

[adam b]

The short, truthful answer to that is: Yes I do have band practise.

The grammatically correct way of saying what I meant is: I play only my electric on stage.

However, you could have interpreted my statement in another way, so as to say I used my acoustic during practises! Game, set and match.

[Billy's Little Trip]

I was just asking because when we practice, we're in a close environment and we feedback really bad. But on stage we don't.

[Rabid Garfunkel]

Putting your amp up higher (it's already on a chair, right?) might help, Li'l Billy.

Or moving your drummer to another room and shutting the door (then you could turn down your amps a bit)

[adam b]

I was just asking because when we practice, we're in a close environment and we feedback really bad. But on stage we don't.

Ha, sorry! I saw another post where (I think it was) you were picking apart someone's grammar. anyway...

Another good way to reduce feedback is turning down distortion while upping pre-amp volume, gives you a richer sound. Also try not to face your amp directly or have your amp right behind you, standing at other angles to it reduces how much sound from the amp hits your guitar.

I found that changing from a crappy Strat copy to a Gibson SG really helped as well... I need to put on stacks of distortion to get any feedback.