Acoustic Amps

[Hoov]

Yo Dogs, I have a question. I'm looking into the Behringer Ultracoustic guitar amp. However, I'm also fond of electric and distortion upon occasion. Can an acoustic amp be used with distortion effects for electric, or is it strictly for clean acoustic? Merci beaucoup.

[joeinthebox1980]

Originally posted by Hoov
Yo Dogs, I have a question. I'm looking into the Behringer Ultracoustic guitar amp. However, I'm also fond of electric and distortion upon occasion. Can an acoustic amp be used with distortion effects for electric, or is it strictly for clean acoustic? Merci beaucoup.

are you going to be playing ONLY your acoustic guitar?

if you have an electric, and you like effects and what not... i almost suggest just getting a regular guitar amp with really clean tones (Roland JC series, Fender Twins, etc.) and then run your acoustic through that with some effects if you want.

personally, i think that acoustic amps are kind of a gimmick, and i don't think they're completely necessary unless, i guess, you're exclusively an acoustic player.

[Hoov]

I let my friend post under my name right then, so I'll try my best to clarify: He has both an acoustic/electric and an electric guitar, and wants to play both. He's just not sure if the acoustic amp would handle the distortion that he uses with his electric.

I guess the easiest question to ask is: "What does an acoustic amp do that a normal amp wouldn't?" And, if there is something that it does differently, would it affect the performance of a normal electric through it?

[joeinthebox1980]

Originally posted by Hoov
I let my friend post under my name right then, so I'll try my best to clarify: He has both an acoustic/electric and an electric guitar, and wants to play both. He's just not sure if the acoustic amp would handle the distortion that he uses with his electric.

I guess the easiest question to ask is: "What does an acoustic amp do that a normal amp wouldn't?" And, if there is something that it does differently, would it affect the performance of a normal electric through it?

y'know... to be completely honest, i'm not sure what an acoustic amp really does... but i think if you - rather, your friend - wants to play both the acoustic/electric and the electric... again, i'd suggest just getting a regular guitar amp.

i think the regular amp would probably be better at handling the electric guitar and it's volume, tone, power, etc. etc. and the acoustic guitar would sound just fine through a regular guitar amp.

[Patrick Liddell]

I have a bit of experience in trying this combination (electric solidbody guitar thru acoustic amp.) I bought a SWR Strawberry Blonde to use for small club gigs with my band (8-piece w/horn section). The SWR is nice for several reasons that (I thought) might make it a good fit for my needs:

1) My Taylor sounds dynamite through it (not enough space to articulate all the details, but trust me, an acoustic thru an electric cab. w/12" Celestions ain't gonna cut it. You're better off running direct thru the PA, but then you have the howl to contend with (try a Sabine feedback eliminator.) A separate acoustic amp is best, but you need some special features. Read on.)

2) It has XLR line out so you can use the amp as a monitor only and get volume through the main mix. Careful bleeding a little thru the monitors - the howl's back.

3) It has a tweeter that enhances the acoustic signal, and the tweeter can be shut off when you run an electric thru the cab.

However, because of the dramatic difference in tonality between an acoustic and a solidbody electric (in my case a Tele), even though this setup is hypothetically viable, you can't just plug and play. You have to e.q. the electric quite differently than the acoustic. I used a splitter box to run the two axes into one cab, and I suppose you could use an e.q. box on the electric to tweak it. You have to make sure to shut off the tweeter when you switch back and forth, make sure you tweak the e.q. on the amp, etc. Too much to screw with - at the end of the day you're better off running your fave electric through the right amp with the balls and tone for the job, and run your acoustic thru an acoustic amp (I've tried several good ones including the SWRs, Crate and Fender - prefer the SWR) or direct with feedback eliminator and e.q.

BTW, I posted an inquiry on the SWR website on this very topic (running an electric thru the SWR amp). No replies yet - was hoping for some divine insight, but am pretty much resigned to lug two amps.

BTW again, I play keys as my main axe, so all this guitar stuff is extra. I'm a tone slut, though, so a sore back and crowded stage is worth the extra hassle!

Good luck in your search. [URL=http://www.mrbigstuffband.com]

[Hoov]

Wooooooowwww, thanks for the crap-load of knowledge! I'll be sure to get my friend to read that! Thanks again!

[fergdc40oz]

In my experience, I haven't been able to get my acoustics to sound decent through a regular amp. I play a Chet Atkins and an Ovation, both of which need to be plugged in to sound decent, even just when practicing. I finally broke down and got an acoustic amp and it was the best decision I ever made...it made both guitars sound like new instruments. I picked up the Marshall AS50R, and it just sounds fabulous to me. I agree that for most people an acoustic amp is kind of a waste, if you can run it through the PA instead, but in my case, my I needed to plug in to practice so it was a necessity.
As far as running an electric through the acoustic amp...the Marshall has two channels, one of which is voiced for acoustic, and the other is more neutral. I have an archtop that sounds great in either channel, and my les paul actually sounds pretty good in the second channel, but it's kind of a clean bluesy sound...not sure how it would deal with distortion.
Anyway, that's my two cents.