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Joined:
September 2011
Posts: 260
Location: Spain | Hi
If I may continue a thread from the welcome centre, I saw a few recommending any other amp but Behringer....are they rubbish then? I was looking at one....
I guess you lucky lot in the U.S can get amps cheap, but for anyone in Spain like me, forget Roland AC etc...way too expensive..hence looking at a bit more of a "budget" line....
What's up with Behringer? |
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3619
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | I don't have any problem with the Behringer... They're just not a top-of-the-line amp...well...they ARE a cheap amp.
If you are looking to play an acoustic guitar through one, you really should buy an acoustic guitar amp. If you have a light budget, I would recommend the Peavey Ecoustic. I've read good reviews on the Fishman Loudbox also, and they can be found used on Ebay for a pretty reasonable price. |
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Joined:
September 2011
Posts: 260
Location: Spain | Thanks, it leads me to another point...what would be the smallest for playing a little coffee shop? I guess minimum 30 watt?
Which Behringer do you have mate? |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Some of Behringers products are excellent (not many, but some) most are mediocre, such as their mixing consoles and so-called Pro-audio kit, and some are just junk and I would include their acoustic amps in the latter category. I'm sure there are people who may disagree with the above and that is their prerogative. What is not arguable is that their business practices are truly despicable, and for that reason alone I will no longer consider using Or recommending anything they make. |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 616
Location: cincinnati, ohio | I have a Peavey Ecoustic that I no longer use. Great amp - but it's a boat anchor (60 lb. range). Takes two men and a boy to lift it, and the older I got the heavier IT got. :D
I use a Roland AC 60 now (yeah I know what you said). I tried out some Behringers and they didn't do much for me. The Roland's a dynamite amp and it only weighs @ 20 lbs. It's got enough power for small and medium size clubs and bars when I play solo, and I can piggyback it into our PA when my band plays bigger venues. Rather costly but worth every penny... |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4072
Location: Utah | Originally posted by martinez:
Thanks, it leads me to another point...what would be the smallest for playing a little coffee shop? I guess minimum 30 watt?
The difference in loudness has a lot more to do with the speaker and cabinet than the wattage. Doubling the wattage does not double the loudness. A 15 watt amp is nearly as loud as a 30 watt amp, all else being the same.
You could replace a low efficiency speaker with a high efficiency speaker and make the amplifier a lot louder without increasing the power of the amp at all. A sealed cabinet will be quieter than an open cabinet. The tone will be different too.
We tested a number of different acoustic amps when buying for my daughter. She ended up with a 60 watt Crate because the quality of the sound was best. Her bandmate bought a Roland AC60. The two are very similar in quality of sound, but the Roland is not as loud. It is a lot lighter to carry around.
We found that many lower power amps had poor speakers. They would distort well before the amplifier electronics would distort, making it impossible to get full power out of the amp with a clean sound.
So be sure to test any amp you are interested in to hear the quality of the sound and to see how much usable loudness you can get from it.
The 60 watt amps are much more power than necessary to play a restaurant. I use a 15 watt amp for my electric guitars and it is plenty loud for a garage band. |
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Joined:
September 2011
Posts: 260
Location: Spain | Thanks mate, so it's the speakers....hmm I know nothing at all about speakers :-(
I'll have to try some music shops and see how they sound then I guess.
Has anybody used "Laney" ? |
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January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | I bought one of these and really like it. Only wish it had a headphone jack.
Fishman Loudbox Mini |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | The Genz Benz acoustic amp line is also a favorite of many members here. I've had two, and still use their Acoustic Pro as my primary acoustic gigging amp. Their Shenendoah Junior model is an excellent coffee house amp and very reasonably priced. |
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Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 1249
Location: Texas | +1 on Genz Benz. I had the shen 200 stereo...tremendous depth. Downsized due to weight...a violinist purchased it. |
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Joined:
September 2008
Posts: 1281
Location: Ohio | I've got a Behringer 15Watt amp for a practice amp. NOt bacd, but DEFINATELY not an acoustic amp. Think it was 65.00 or so a few years ago. |
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December 2006
Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | +1 on the Roland AC60 for doing small coffee shop style gigs. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I have a big GB stereo deluxe 200 but it is large and heavy.
I also have a GB compak 300 which is very small and weighs next to nothing but has a GREAT acoustic sound with some pretty good EFX.
Adding the small extension speaker really turns it into a beast! |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I'm playing a holiday concert series gig in a 2,600 seat symphonic hall. This week, its with a 10-piece combo. Next week will be with the entire orchestra. There are hundreds of singers as well. I'm using a 60 watt Fender Vibro King with a Hamer Monoco III. The amp volume is set on 4 and the guitar volume is set on maybe 3. The amp is also mic'd for the hall (more for offsetting the audience distance than additional volume). Anything higher on the guitar or amp is obnoxious and just overpowers the other instruments. All sound is being managed and controlled by professional sound engineers. I think everybody uses more amp than they need. I probably could have pulled this gig off with a 15 watt Vox AC15. |
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Joined:
September 2011
Posts: 260
Location: Spain | Thanks for all the input. If I play a bar here they normally have a p.a for musicians to use, so I only want a little amp for playing cafes etc.
It appears then that small ones will do the job, as long as the speakers are decent quality.
Has anyone used a Laney acoustic amp? I saw one with 35 watts and two speakers for a decent price.... |
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Joined:
April 2010
Posts: 1227
Location: Connersville, Indiana | My brother in law uses a 35 watt laney for playing in church. I tried it and it really was a pretty good sounding amp. He also bought it for a pretty cheap price. |
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Amps (Cont..)
