Whenever you want to play live with your electro-acoustic guitar or rehearse with a band, you’d probably want an acoustic guitar amp.
You may have never seen an acoustic-electric guitar amp before because there’s not a whole lot of information about it out there. Lucky for you, Beginner Guitar HQ is here to guide you towards buying your first one as we’re reviewing the best 2020 acoustic guitar amps.
So, if you want to perform for more than a handful of people, you’ll need to boost your sound. And before we begin, let’s check on the things you have to look for in acoustic guitar amps.
DISCLOSURE: another way of amplifying an acoustic guitar is through a PA system, which consists of mics, speakers, and mixing capabilities. You may read all about PA systems here. The thing is these are probably more expensive than an amplifier.
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What makes acoustic guitar amps so special?
People associate amplifiers with electric guitars and basses, but they are also very important for acoustic instruments. Either way, their role is different, so they have particular qualities amps for electric guitars don’t have.
Instead of adding high amounts of gain to distort the sound, or compression to keep the frequency levels controlled, an acoustic guitar amp has to replicate the guitar’s natural sound as faithful as possible.
I have to say acoustic guitar amps represent a great challenge for designers and engineers. It needs to be loud, light, and easy to operate; it needs to keep distortions at bay as it has to keep the guitar’s natural sound; it needs to have clean low, mid, and high sounds; and it has to be more affordable than an electric guitar amp.
Furthermore, acoustic amps need to have various effects like chorus and reverb, as well as a feedback control and a reasonable number of inputs and auxiliary options.
Meeting all of those requirements is not easy.
It means acoustic guitar amps are rare beasts. If you have an acoustic-electric guitar, or if you plan to install some pickups on your acoustic guitar, you’ll need these specially designed amplifiers.
Remember, while a regular electric guitar amp might work, they will usually not bring out the natural tone of your delicate instrument.
Why should you buy an acoustic guitar amp?
See, for many guitar players, an acoustic guitar amp is more of a luxury item and less of a necessity. However, these do become very interesting for musicians wanting to play with their guitars at bars, plazas, avenues, restaurants, cafe’s, small clubs, coffee houses, libraries, and other kinds of small venues. Even if it’s the subway.
I can say I, like many other guitar players, have found a holy grail in acoustic guitar amps for practicing and rehearsing. It makes playing acoustic-electric guitar so much more enjoyable, interesting and fun that it will help your motivation, ideas, and energy flow towards songwriting and practice.
Before I had my acoustic guitar amp, I used to plug the acoustic guitar directly into the mixer with the band’s PA system (although on my main band I’m a bassist player). Fortunately, I had the pleasure to try out a couple and decided to get one for myself.
So I took my acoustic amp to a small venue of 30 people. Well…it was more like a friend’s birthday, and he wanted to play a couple of songs with me. And because it wasn’t that serious, I decided to plug my guitar in and found out I couldn’t stop playing anymore. It was so beautiful and real it felt like my guitar’s melody had to texture, like if it could speak it would write a whole book.
Then, I began having so much fun playing and signing at home that playing in the real gigs with my acoustic amp became a real pleasure. Before that, when I was using PA systems, I always felt my guitar went unnoticed on the mix. I lacked real passion, and it turned me off.
In summary, my friend, an acoustic guitar amp can take your live performance to the next level, and that’s exactly the main purpose of the items I’ve listed below. Other than that, almost any acoustic guitar amp will make you love your practicing sessions so much.
An acoustic guitar amp might be the stepping stone you’re looking for as a professional acoustic guitar player. Or it could be the right decision for you if you want some more inspiration while practicing or composing songs at home. Either way, you’ll have a blast with acoustic guitar amps.
Because of this, we have a list of the top 10 best acoustic guitar amps. Before that, we need to learn how to pick the right one for you.
If you instead need some help choosing an electro-acoustic guitar, check this guide instead.
How to choose the right acoustic guitar amp?
There are a few factors to consider in choosing acoustic guitar amps, and we’ll quickly review each of them in the following sections.
Mostly, we need to look ad the primary use of the acoustic amp. Or, in other words, its respective category.
Then, we need to check its features and see if that’s something we’d like or something we need. Or both.
And finally, we must check how it sounds and, of course, the budget.
As all of our guides are aimed mostly for beginners, I’ll feature a majority of budget acoustic guitar amps. However, I’m giving you a couple of entry-level acoustic guitar amps, as well as some professional acoustic guitar amps.
Let’s go on.
Consider your audience and where you’ll be playing mostly before buying acoustic guitar amps.
The different kinds of acoustic guitar categories
Let’s now review how each acoustic amp distinguishes from the other. It means you have to answer a simple question: what kinds of situations will you be using your acoustic guitar amps in?
I’ll let you know the best use of each of the acoustic guitar amps I’m featuring on the list, so take a look at the categories down below.
Home practice acoustic amp
There are small, quieter acoustic guitar amps suited for your home practice sessions. They can also serve you well if you like to play quietly alongside other acoustic instruments.
Home practice amps have stage monitor designs where the speaker’s angle is upwards. The result is you can direct it towards yourself.
I recommend going for a 20W power rating if this is the use you’re going to give the amp. 20W is adequate enough for small venues.
I must add these kinds of amps are more affordable than the rest and produce around 10 to 40W of power, which is the power you need for a living room. Lastly, these have 6-to-8-inches speakers.
While you can hear the guitar without an guitar amplifiers when you project your performance with a speaker will critically improve how you listen to yourself.
Acoustic Guitar Amps for the studio
These are acoustic guitar amps you use to record your guitar. Otherwise, you can record your guitar with a studio microphone or by plugging it directly to an audio interface. Here’s a guide on how to record an acoustic guitar.
In case you choose an acoustic amp for your home studio, you’d want a model that ships with features that help keep the clarity of your recordings.
Such features come typically in low-wattage modeling amps (20W to 60W) that simulate different kinds of amps. They open up plenty of sonic possibilities.
What’s best, modeling amps even bring you microphone simulations to create extra sonic textures.
Here’s an additional guide on the best mics to record your acoustic guitar.
Small venue performance acoustic amp
For the smallest venues -like a coffee house or a bookstore-, you want to look for guitar amplifiers that give you a clean tone and enough volume.
It means you should go for the range of 40 to 100 watts, and there are plenty of models to choose that can enhance your performances.
For instance, if you’re going to sing along with a microphone, you’ll find plenty of acoustic guitar amps in this power range with separate channels for guitars and vocals, plus XLR inputs for your stage microphone.
Remember that inputs named as “combo” accept either ¼’’ jak or XLR, so they have a lot of flexibility.
Furthermore, many models have separate controls for each channel. It means you can adjust the sound and volume of your guitar and your voice individually.
Other acoustic guitar amps ship wit ha 3.5mm or stereo jack so you can plug portable audio devices like a smartphone for your backing tracks.
Mid-sized acoustic guitar amps include speakers that handle low and high frequencies separately. Others even add a mid-range dedicated speaker.
Another significant feature of these medium-sized acoustic guitar amps is feedback control. You may control feedback via a single push button. Higher-end models also feature controls that isolate single frequencies.
Acoustic amps will drastically improve the quality of your acoustic guitar in small venues.
Acoustic amps for rehearsing with the band and medium-sized venues
Most studios (and home studios) include some sort of PA system (mics, mixers, and speakers) you can use to plug the electroacoustic guitar an play. However, you will never get a powerful enough sound, much less sound fidelity with a studio PA. They are simply not designed for that job.
My alternative is…well, it’s more expensive. If rehearsing with the band -and medium-sized venues- is what you’re looking for, go into the 100 to 300 watts territory.
Such amounts of wattage might be an overkill for a solo performer. However, electro-acoustic guitar players playing with a full band -and especially a drummer- would need this power to make their instrument stand with a clean, undistorted sound.
And it’s not only about high wattage. You need other features like low-signal-to-noise ratios and fair dynamic headroom to prevent clipping. Headroom means how high you can take the amp’s volume without distorting the sound. High-quality speakers are also a great help.
Acoustic amps for the streets
Playing on the streets (like avenues, plazas, corners, subways, buses) is a popular option for solo performers I didn’t want to leave out of the article.
For songwriters, performers and guitar players giving shows on public spaces, I recommend going for light, portable, and battery-powered acoustic amps. These typically come with 10 to 40W, and often times ship with their on carry-on style wheels.
These amps are typically low-powered because they feed on batteries. Still, their design allows delivering just enough juice so people in the immediate area can hear the performance.
As such, lightweight, battery-powered amplifiers are popular with on-the-go acoustic guitar players. Typically, these amps are lower-powered to prevent draining the batteries too quickly. Still, they usually are designed to deliver enough juice so you can be heard clearly within the immediate area.
More so, these amps also have other features like effects, channels for guitars and microphones, and feedback control.
Larger venues and outdoors
For larger spaces and outdoors, you’d want a complete PA system rather than an acoustic amp. You could also microphone smaller guitar amplifiers (like a 60 watts small-venue amp) and run it through the PA (remember most larger clubs and musical venues have built-in PA systems).
A PA system consists of sizeable speakers, a mixer (sometimes the speaker has mixing capabilities), microphones, and gear that helps you transport and manage the setup.
If you want to invest in this yourself, consider getting something like the Bose L1, which is a portable and very powerful “stick” PA system.
Here’s a street performance with the Bose L1:
In summary…
In simple terms, here’s how you should handle the power range of acoustic amps:
- Home practice: 20W to 40W
- Home studio: around 40W
- Small venues, living rooms, and gigs with around 40 to 60 people: 40 to 100W
- Band rehearsal and medium-sized gigs (like a bar, a club, a restaurant): 100 to 300W
- Outdoors: PA system
- Street performances: small, portable, light, and battery-powered 10 to 40W amps.
Remember extra power comes at an extra cost, plus they become heavier to haul around.
There’s an additional factor to consider. If you prefer playing with your fingers rather than picks, you will produce softer sounds. Or if you tend to strum on the guitar, you will produce a heavier sound, heavier than other band members. So take that into account when choosing the right wattage.
Ultimately, you should try the acoustic amp for its overall sound and power. Your amp is much louder than the guitar because is coming directly towards you, whereas the sound of your guitar is projecting from you, which might then reflect on other surfaces.
It means the amplified sound and acoustic sound of your guitar is not exactly the same. What you should be looking for is a pleasing sound, one that’s clean and nice without too much EQ, compression, or other effects.
What’s the size of your venues? That will determine your amplifier needs.
What to look for in acoustic amplifiers
Here’re the features you should factor in your decision. Remember acoustic amps should make your guitar louder, not different. More so, they must direct the natural tone of your guitar towards the audience and yourself without overpowering the instrument.
Tube amps vs solid-state amps
We have written before the subject of tubular amps vs solid-state amps on the site. In case you’re unsure about it, here’s the deal:
- Tube amps use vacuum tubes to create the final output. They are modeled after the early acoustic guitar amps and feature warmth, vintage and rich sound. More so, they give you natural dynamics as you can easily raise and lower the volume and overall power of your sound simply by the strength of your strumming.
Tube amps are praised for their tone and loved by most professional guitar players. You might feel disappointed about their price ranges, though.
- Solid-state amps are the modern, all-digital alternative. Whilst many people prefer the vintage sound of tube amps, I must say that technology has advanced so much the quality gap between the two categories is no longer there. What’s best, solid-state amps are cheaper and don’t require the extensive care tube amps require, as you would need to change the tube every six months or so.
Digital amps also tend to feature more effects. For example, modeling amps model the sound of particular tube amps digitally.
- Hybrid amps: these feature the best of both worlds as they have tubes to handle the tone plus a modern all-digital electric circuit to give you plenty of versatility.
As we don’t exactly need distortion on from the amps, we can probably disregard most tube amplifiers.
We’re only looking for solid-state amps.
Jumbo guitars vs. amplifying parlor
Let’s start considering the quality of your guitar. How your guitar projects sound determines how much power you need.
See, there’re jumbo electro-acoustic guitars, which are bigger and produce a lot of acoustics. Guitars of this size don’t need much power for home practice or small venues.
Remember electro-acoustic guitars come with a built-in 9-volt battery box, EQ knobs, and volume control- It means they ship with a pre-amp, pickups and an electrical system between the pickup and the amp. It raises the overall output of the pickups.
Otherwise, if you put the pickups yourself and especially if you have no pre-amp, you’d need the power you get from an acoustic amp.
Stack vs. combo
You might see a lot the word “combo” while searching for amplifiers. A combo amp means it has the amplifier (which are the knobs) and the speakers in a single cabinet. These are cheaper and easier to carry than the alternative: stacks.
A stack is a combination of a cabinet (just the speakers) plus the head (the upper part of the amp, where you can find all of the knobs, channels, and inputs). Stacks can offer you more versatility as you can combine anything you can imagine. However, they are pricier and harder to carry around. Plus, it requires some knowledge to mix and match different models of cabinets and heads.
I always recommend going for a combo amp in case of acoustic guitars.
Channels
Acoustic guitar amps commonly have more than one channel, which gives you the ability to plug multiple guitars and other instruments. For instance, you could plug your vocal mic and your electro-acoustic guitar.
If you want the most versatility, look for amps that feature control knobs for each channel, like EQ, effects, and volume.
Also, read the specs of the amp carefully because sometimes the wattage is listed per channel, while others the wattage is listed as a total. For example, a two-channel amp with 100 watts per channel might be sold as a 200-watts amp.
You must also take notice of the amp’s controls on the master section, like master volume and gain.
Most amps have some sort of EQ, which means tweaking the high, mid or low frequencies.
Inputs
Electric guitar amps have one or more ¼-inch inputs. However, acoustic amps ship with different input types. They might have:
- XLR connectors for dynamic mics;
- XLR connector mics with phantom power for condenser and dynamic mics;
- ¼-inch inputs for instruments;
- 3.5 mm stereo inputs for connecting mobile devices, headphones, or laptops.
Make sure the amp has the inputs you need.
Built-in effects
Acoustic amps come with some built-in effects, most commonly chorus or reverb.
The range, versatility, and quality of effects vary with your budget, of course. Keep in mind, though, that you can expand your effects with guitar pedals (don’t use distortion or overdrive pedals with your acoustic-electric guitar).
Advanced acoustic amps include other effects like flanger, phaser, vibrato tremolo, or even loopers.
I still suggest you put effects lower on your shopping criteria. Reverb and chorus is everything you need on an acoustic guitar. Really.
Feedback control
Acoustic amps over 20 watts normally include some sort of feedback control. Feedback control allows you t turn the volume higher than halfway, so it’s a very important feature.
Some amps offer a feedback button that causes a slight loss of richness and warmth but keeps the tone clean and noise-free. Other alternatives include elaborate controls like notch filters that allow you to isolate problems in frequencies. However, these knobs require some experience or at least some experimentation. If you’re not looking forward such hassle, go for something simpler.
Sensitivity control
Sensitivity control knobs belong on mid and high-end acoustic amps. These allow you to control your signal so it doesn’t distort soft passages. This is especially convenient when you play with your fingers.
The outputs
Lastly, we must look at the back panel. At the back panel, we’ll find some additional connectivity features like aux channels or effects loops, which are the outputs… These individual outputs are useful for larger amps, as you can set other effects and even recording gear as you play live.
One of the most valuable outputs you can find is a D.I. output. It connects your amp to an external recording device like an audio interface.
Try to test the amps you want on your local music store. If that’s not possible for you, I’m also sharing a demo video of every item.
Our list is based on our analysis, user reviews, and punctuations on the major online music stores, which of course includes Amazon.
All of these amps offer great value for its money and are great for gigs and practicing.
Overall, these are combo amplifiers with a very transparent, clean and wide frequency range thanks to their HF drivers.
These amps can also work well with vocals, violins, ukuleles, mandolins, and other instruments using close mics or pickups. Digital pianos also work well with these amplifiers.
As a final tip before you choose: think how and when you’re using the amp, and then go for the right one. Bigger is not better, it’s just bigger. The same for effects, the more is not better, it’s just more.
The following section features the top 10 best acoustic amps 2020 reviews. I added the particular use or category of each amp for further information.
Best overall acoustic amp: Marshall AS50D
The Marshal As50D solid-state is a versatile and very popular 50 watts amp with two channels.
The channels it has are an XLR input with phantom power for a condenser mic, which is a great addition.
It means this alternative can serve you as a guitar amp and a small PA system.
I personally recommend this for small venues if you want to sing and play at the same time. However, its sound quality is so good you could easily carry it to a bigger venue and use it as a stage monitor. If you don’t know about stage monitors, these are speakers pointed towards the performers so they can hear themselves as they play.
On the back panel, it has a line out and balanced DI signal outputs. You can send either of these signals directly into the mixer for the PA system or towards an audio recording device like an interface.
As for effects, it has an effects loop, plus built-in reverb and chorus. Further controls include input volume, master volume, treble & bass for both channels, depth, balance, speed, reverb level, and anti-feedback frequency.
Additionally, it has a feedback notch filter. While notch filters are somehow complex to operate, they will represent no problem for intermediate and advanced guitar players. It will give you the feedback control you need to play the guitar with higher volumes.
Because of its list of features coupled with a reasonably light and portable amp, I chose this as the best overall acoustic amp. I personally love how well this performs when you put vocals and a guitar at the same time.
More so, it offers a lot of value for its money, so it’s constantly praised.
You can use this at home just as much as small and medium-sized venues and churches.
Best solo-performer acoustic amp: Boss Acoustic Singer Pro
Most people looking for amps are probably solo performers. A solo performer needs something they can carry around; an amp that has plenty of effects to forget about guitar pedals and other effects; and something that’s loud enough for their gigs.
The Boss Acoustic Singer Pro is a solid-state build for the shows. It will help you take your music on the road with its portable 120watts of power, from the subway to a concert hall. And it’s not that big either: it has the size of two shoeboxes, so it’s definitely something you can carry around.
It has power, depth, and plenty of features to transform your show into something engaging. I personally believe this because it boasts two separate channels (for the electro-acoustic guitar and for your vocals), and each one comes with an impressive amount of features. It makes it very easy to customize your sound, although I do recommend you check a tutorial to get its full potential.
Its features include switchable automatic vocal harmonies, loopers, reverb, chorus, and more.
Its cabinet has two speakers that can reproduce the fullness of your voice and your instrument. You could even try this with a full band a feel very happy about the results.
Lastly, I must talk about its best feature. It has the ability to send both channels to a built-in USB audio interface to record your performance. Isn’t that awesome?
Best Acoustic Guitar Amps for the studio: Yamaha THR5A
The Yamaha THR series takes off-stage sound seriously. It will make it very for you to find the right tones and volumes that you’ll finally get the exact sound you want for both the stage and your recordings.
Yamaha designed this series for the studio, and especially for musicians who don’t have access to elaborate studio setups.
It means you can warm-up on backstage, tweak your pedals, tweak your guitars, and practice with this amp as well. If brainstorming, experimenting, jamming, and songwriting is your cue, then this is for you.
The THR5A is a modeling amp you can use with electro-acoustic guitars as well as Silent Guitars. Its best feature for the stage is Yamaha’s Virtual Circuit Modeling (VCM) wich models classic tube condenser and dynamic mics. Plus, it has studio-grade effects to create a recording-studio tone (rich, clean and warm) no matter where you are.
Its effects feature some versatility as well. It allows you to go clean or distort the sound a bit for an edgier tone. As for the effects available, you’ll get a compressor, delay, chorus, tone, tap tempo (to set the delay), reverb, and more.
I personally love how portable this combo amp is because it’s perfectly meant for modern desktop and laptop use. In fact, it’s so portable you can run it on batteries, which have up to 6 hours of portable use (it comes with an AC adapter as well).
For example, a secondary recording feature it has is a USB output you can plug directly to the computer.
The model I’m sharing ships with CUBASE DAW software. CUBASE is one of the best music recording software and you can get it for free with this bundle.
Best acoustic amp for small venues: Fishman Loudbox MINI PRO-LBX-500
Fishman is a reputed brand creating guitar pickups and amplifiers, mostly. This particular Fishman Loudbox MINI is a solid-state amp with 60 watts of power.
Overall, this makes for a great amplifier for your gigs, and it’s not particularly big or heavy. Instead, the Loudbox is lightweight, portable, and boasts plenty of power. Hence the nickname “Mini.”
The Mini is a 2-channel combo that weighs a bit more than average practice amps because this is better suited for small venues and modest gigs.
It has the common two channels: a ¼’’ instrument connector plus an XLR connector. Each channel has its own individual knobs, which are gain, low, high and reverb for both, plus a chorus and a mid knob for the instrument channel.
It means the guitar’s channel has a full 3-band EQ plus reverb and chorus, whereas the voice channel has a 2-band EQ plus reverb. Fishman made it like this to minimize the weight of the amp, which is one of the reasons this alternative is so good: the sound quality is superb, the power wattage is fair, the effects are just enough, and the portability is awesome.
It has various input choices for you: a ¼’’ instrument input, XLR mic input, an additional ¼’’ input, and an aux input.
On the back panel, it has a D.I. connector, an XLR input for active mics, the power cable receptacle and the on/off button. Plus, it has a 3.5mm jack input.
Lastly, I must talk about Fishman’s speakers. Just like the brand’s pickups, their speakers are acclaimed for their warm and accurate tone.
Most Versatile Acoustic Amp: Acoustic A100 Combo
The Acoustic A100 Combo solid-state acoustic amp is my favorite one because it’s very versatile and can quickly fill whatever need you may have of amplifying your electro-acoustic guitar.
This is a simple, straightforward 100W two-channel amp with a dual digital FX processor and an advanced feedback elimination circuit.
It’s a versatile, mid-level budget level solution for today’s acoustic musician. You may crave power, portability, clean tones, and authentic acoustic sound, and the Acoustic A100 offers all of this.
It has two independent channels, one for instrument and one for vocal mics. It has 100 watts, although it’s really 2×50 (50 watts for each channel), and it has A-grade studio-monitor style speakers.
Regarding the effects, its digital effects processor lets you customize presets so you can recall them as you play. Furthermore, the automatic feedback elimination circuit scans and eliminates feedback without you having to do anything, and that’s probably the feature I like the most about this amp.
The outputs include a direct connector for external PA systems.
Lastly, its BlueTooth connectivity allows you to playback backing tracks from a mobile device or computer.
Best Acoustic Guitar Amp for Street Performances: AER Compact Mobile CPM-AKKU
The AER Compact is a high-end acoustic guitar solid-state amp from German design. AER is a company that builds amps for professional guitar players, so if you’re taking your street performances seriously, this is the acoustic amp you should pick.
This s a small 60 Watts amp that boasts amazing volume and tone for its size. The sound is so transparent and clean you will get out of the amp exactly what you play.
At the same time, it sounds crispy, dynamic, punchy, modern, loud, and crystal clear. That’s why I say this is a solid piece of gear that is definitely worth the price.
It has two channels, which makes it possible for you to operate the mic and the guitar at the same time.
Channel 1 is particularly impressive. It has a 6.3mm jack with a high/low switch. Such switch adjusts sensitivity: the high option and works with high impedance instruments with piezoelectric pickups. Low works with instruments carrying active preamps and magnetic pickups.
The channel also has an overload indicator plus a gain input level control. Additionally, it has mid-range contour filters, bass tone controls, mid-tone controls, and treble ton controls (3-band EQ).
The options are similar in the mic channel. It has gain, bass, and treble control (2-band EQ). Plus, channel 2 has a switch to change between mic and line, in case you’re sending the signal to a mixer.
As for effects, it has a digital effects processor that packs four presets, which include reverb, delay, and chorus.
On the back panel, it has a stereo jack, an XLR DI output, a 6.3 mm jack line output, another 6.3 mm jack FX send & return output (to plug in some additional effect racks), and a 6.3 mm output for ⅜’’ mic stands.
You can play with the AER Compact Mobile for four hours with the batteries or plug it with the included AC. Your choice won’t change the sound quality. In fact, when it runs low on battery power, the Compact Mobile’s intelligent power control will give you a warning to ave you from powering off during your performance.
Overall, this is a very easy to play and tweak portable and professional acoustic amp that will serve you not only on your street performances, but also on small stages.
Best budget acoustic amp: Fender Acoustasonic 15
The Acoustasonic 15 is a convenient, small and budget solid-state acoustic amp with two inputs on the front panel: a ¼’’ jack plus an XLR input. Each channel has individual volume controls.
It has only 15 watts of power, so it’s only suited for home practice. Still, it represents a great option if this is what you’re looking for and you want to keep the prices low.
Even so, this amp has a custom-designed 6’’ Fender speaker that enhances high-frequencies. It will make your guitar sound very rich. It’s the only Fender amp with this “whizzer cone” speaker, which is a small speaker cone that offers extra shimmer and depth.
Naturally, this is a very portable and light amp. You can easily transport it whenever you need. More so, it has a stereo output for silent practice.
As for effects, you’ll find chorus on the instrument channel.
Overall, this is an ultra-compact and convenient amp you can carry and play at any time. It only weighs 10.5 pounds (4.7 kg). It’s a great companion for modest performances (like a living room) and rehearsing in your bedroom.
Best Acoustic Amp for Performing with a Band: Fishman Loudbox Performer
The Fishman Loudbox is Fishman’s most powerful acoustic amplifier, and we can’t say that lightly. It allows you to have power in any situation, even if you’re playing with an ensemble.
The Fishman Loudbox boasts 180 watts of crystal clear amplified signal. It has two input channels that accept XLR sources and ¼’’ sources. Each channel has a dedicated mid-range control knob that enhances detail and definition.
More so, the Fishman Loudbox has an independent effect loop for each channel.
I love that the signal is bi-amplified. It means the whole information goes through both speakers at the same time (a tweeter that amplifies high frequencies, and a midrange speaker that amplifies mid frequencies).
The control for each channel has gains, low, mid, high, and anti-feedback. Plus, the Fishman Loudbox has a phase switch and an effects selector. It also has an AUX level and Master Volume.
As for output, as has an audio jack for headphones, two balanced DI outs (one for each channel), and 1 mix XLR DI out.
Lastly, the Fishman Loudbox has an integrated kickstand that allows you to tilt the Loudbox Performer back 50 degrees. It gives an overall better sound projection at short range.
This can become the most powerful acoustic amp you’ve ever had. More so, it also works perfectly with vocals, violins, digital pianos, and synths.
Best Acoustic Amp for Large Venues: Fender Acoustic 200
The Fender Acoustic 200 combo solid-state acoustic amp delivers full and natural tones for acoustic-electric guitars and microphones with a whooping power range of 200 watts.
It has a custom-designed wood chassis that complements well with a guitar’s original acoustics, so the sound it comes from it is very natural and clean.
It has 2 full-range speakers (full range meaning they cover the full frequency spectrum). These also have “whizzer” cones that enhance the clarity of the sound.
Overall, this is a powerful and portable system for both solo performances or onstage performances with a band. It’s best live-stage feature is its studio-quality effects, which include echo, reverb, chorus, delay and more.
It has two channels (one for mic and one for the instrument). Each channel has its own 3-band EQ plus FX level and FX selector knobs. Easy and straightforward.
Additionally, it has two 6.5mm inputs.
I love everything about this amp, especially the build quality and design.
Lastly and regarding outputs, it a right and left balanced DI outputs for a live stereo mix or a stereo recording.
Best Budget Acoustic Amp: Peavey Ecoustic E208
Finally, I choose this amp because it offers plenty of power, enough sound quality, fair effects, and enough channel configuration for its affordable price.
It’s definitely not the cheapest acoustic amp out there, you can go even lower if you look for 15W guitar amplifiers. For example, the prior Fender Acoustasonic is cheaper than this one.
This Peavy Ecoustic E208 is a 30W solid-state acoustic amp will sure turn heads when you share how much it costs.
It has the common two channels (XLR plus ¼’’ input) with independent EQ controls. Plus, it has a headphone output for quiet practice
As for portability, the E208 boasts a lightweight design ideal for rehearsals and home practice, which is the primary use of this gear.
For effects, it features a built-in analog chorus plus an analog reverb.
