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Location: 6 String Ranch | I saw a great little acoustic amp today. I walked into the shop and got gobsmacked by it. It's the little Ashdown, about a 12" cube. The store was crowded and my friend, the store owner, was well underwater trying to deal with all the tyre kickers so I didn't get to give it a listen. This amp was all chrome and had National Style O palm trees etched into it, front back and sides. I understand it also comes in wood and 1 other option.
Anyone heard one of these?
A history lesson, Ashdown is Mark Gooday's company. He ran Trace Elliot when it was part of Kaman Music. So he knows how to make an acoustic amp. Just wondering how the latest effort turned out. |
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Location: Scotland | Bill, Ashdown are quite common over here as they're based in the UK. They have an excellent reputation, especially for their bass gear. I know lots of Trace owners who have switched to Ashdown bass gear. They make a bunch of very cool looking & sounding acoustic amps. Most of them are styled after vintage wireless sets. They've recently introduced some high-end tube guitar amps which are getting rave reviews in the Brit guitar mags. If my trusty Gallien Krueger acoustic amp ever gives up, god forbid, it'll be an Ashdown that replaces it.
Apparently Trace Elliot is now deceased, thanks to Gibson.
Paul
[ April 14, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Location: RI. That small State out East | What was the retail on the Ashdown? The "wooden" model sounds like it would fit in... If anyone can find a web site...
I'll go looking.
Woz |
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Location: Scotland | The Ashdown website can be found at
http://www.ashdownmusic.co.uk/
Paul |
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Location: UK | Lol, the metal Reso amp is cool as f*
Looks tho they are making some quality stuff, i think the Radiator model may put me off getting a Marshall AR50. |
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Location: Scotland | Gary, Marshall should stick to what they're good at. Their acoustic amps suck like a hoover. There's better amps than the AR50 for the money. The EQ is dreadful, the feedback control is suspect. The chorus effect is unnessesary, there's plenty of better-sounding pedals if you need that sound. The reverb sounds cheap & clangy. I believe all but their top of the range acoustic amps are Chinese-made. Just my opinion of course.
Paul
[ April 14, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | The Reso 1,
That's the one. The more I think about it the more I want it. Not that any of you have ever had that syndrome, have you?
I think they were asking around $700
A stonking amp. |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | bill, i only had gottahavititis mildly before i discovered this site. the doctor now says it's terminal. according to him i only have a few hundred more guitars to live and at this rate that's not nearly long enough. he's got me off of hendrix and page, and clapton and stevie ray are strictly prohibited. the really hard part is that he prescribed listening to englebert humperdink and the 101 strings' inspirational hymns album daily and singing barry manalou favorites accapella at the club twice a week.
keeeerist!!! isn't there a betty ford clinic for guitar junkies? |
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Location: UK | CW, if you ever get one of these Reso`s, let us all know what the sounds like ;)
Im putting off buying an acoustic amp before i hear what i like. |
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Location: Scotland | Gary, The Ashdowns are great, also check out the AER Compact 60. There's pretty much one thing to remember when considering acoustic amps. They are basicaly mini PA systems, so, unlike electric guitar amps, should be very transparent. I.E you want to hear the sound of your guitar, not any coloration from the amp & speakers. Sweepable or semi-parametric rather than fixed EQ is good & some kind of feedback notch or phase reversal switch is a must. With acoustic amps the words "inexpensive" & "good" are mutually exclusive, you get what you pay for.
Paul |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | 100 posts paul t-----kudos
what do you think of the fender portable pa systems that fold up into a compact unit? i think there is a 150 and a 250: grey plastic. i can come up with model numbers if you dont know what i am talking about. we use one in the band but i am not too savy about the technical aspects of what we are using. i just plug in and play. at home i only have a small practice amp. i have ALLOT to learn about what happens after the input jack. |
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Location: Scotland | 100 posts?? Jesus, I need to get out more. The PA route is a good alternative to an acoustic amp. The Fender stuff is a bit basic & underpowered IMO. Take a look at a single active PA speaker such as a JBL Eon 10 or a Samson Expedition, then get a little Samson or Behringer notepad mixer, and/or one of the many acoustic guitar processors (Yamaha, Boss, LR Baggs, Zoom) Killer acoustic/ vocal rig for less than the price of a dedicated acoustic amp. It'll be loud enough for small gigs & an ideal personal monitor for the bigger places.
Paul |
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Location: UK | Thanks Paul, as Mex says you seem to be mine of knowledge and experience.
The Ashdowns on closer inspection are some serious kit, the Radiator series 2 is begging to bought :D
TBH what got me was the VU (what other combos have a VU fitted? if any?)i just love dials and stuff to look at.
The bass reflex cone technology is the same as my Hifi Kef reference speakers , and they have an excellant sound and response, the knobs and stuff mirror my Quad Hifi amps in classic styles and class.
And with the wood and leather, they are some classy products, i got to go and try them out. |
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Location: Scotland | Forgot to mention, some Keyboard amps, especially the ones with HF horns or tweeters, can be worth investigating for acoustic guitar. Again they are mini PA systems, and can have several channels, so useful if you play a few guitars. They'll need a bit extra in the EQ department but are generally less expensive than dedicated acoustic amps. Back in the 80's, before acoustic guitar amps were available I used a Carlsbro Cobra keyboard amp for acoustic guitar. Later they issued the same amp in brown tolex, with slightly different EQ, as the Sherwood acoustic amp.
Paul
[ April 16, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Location: Shelton, Washington, USA | My partner and I have two PA's that we use for our acoustic folk act. For larger venues we run through a Peavey 600 series head and SP5 speakers. For smaller venues, we run through a small Yamaha head and Peavey 10's. The small set up is about the same size as the Eon set up. Another folk act out here uses the Eon set up and loves it. good sound... easy to manage... easy to move. |
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Location: UK | I used to have a Peavey KBA300 , but sold it for a stupid low price bout a 18 months ago, as i had no use for it, now ive got Electro acoustics aplenty, im sick as a pig :(
That was great with my fender 12, but i knew nothing about pickups then, and had serious feedback probs with poor cheap pickups. |
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Location: Scotland | Gary, you don't need to hear this, but with a Boss graphic pedal or something like a Baggs Para-acoustic DI, that would have made a KILLER acoustic amp. Bit of a heavy brute though.
Paul |
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Location: UK | Lol, yep was a sod to heave up and down staircases.
You are right tho Paul , it was a good sounding amp, and i can imagine it hooked up with a graphics pedal, it would be a usable piece of kit, but more many watts than i need atm. |
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Location: Scotland | Hey Gary, Ashdown Radiator 1 on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=861541054
Paul |
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Location: UK | Thanks for the thought Paul, but im really considering either a Peavey eco 112 or an Ashdown Rad2, depends if i can sell my SG next week.
Tbh, ive seen the Ashdown rad1 for 350 new, so no point buying something for not a lot less thats not new and fully garanteed. |
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Location: Vancouver, Canada | Any thoughts on the Roland JC (55 or 77) as an acoustic amp? I am buying one for jazz practice, looking for feelings about use with non-preamp acoustics.
John Kidder |
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Location: Scotland | John, the JC120 is clean enough, with enough headroom, to get an OK acoustic sound, the others are a little underpowered. You'll struggle to get
a decent sound out of anything without a preamp. The preamp is there not to boost volume, as many people think, but to match the output impedance of the pickup to the input impedance of your amp or mixer. Transducer-type pickups have a much higher inpedance than magnetics, so you'll have problems going into an electric guitar amp without a pre. The result is a very thin scratchy sound.
Paul |
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Location: UK | Anyone tried a Hughes & Kettner Montana 60w? They are a German made amp, also what about a Trace Elliot TA60CR? |
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Acoustic Amp
