ToneWoodAmp’s Helene Webman on Her Company’s Unique Gear and Mission
Webman tells the story behind one of the most intriguing pieces of guitar technology to emerge in the past decade.
Review: The Phil Jones Bass X4 Nanobass Combo Amplifier May Be Light, but It’s No Lightweight
It doesn’t weigh much, but the Phil Jones Bass X4 Nanobass combo amp is no lightweight. Its ability to produce warm, clean lows is impressive for an amp its size.
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Review: The Schertler Giulia X Amp Proves Great Sounding Things Can Come in Small Packages
Tested using a handful of different guitars and pickups, this amp impressed with an abundance of great tones.
Review: The Nux Stageman II AC-80 Is a Versatile and Natural-Sounding Combo Amp for the Gigging Guitarist
The Nux Stageman II AC-80 is an 80-watt combo amplifier that includes a Bluetooth app, among many other cool features geared towards gigging guitarists.
Guitar Amps and PA Systems for the Acoustic Guitarist
This roundup of acoustic guitar amplifiers includes seven amps and PA systems that are specifically tailored to the needs of acoustic guitar players.
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Amp Review: VHT True Acoustic 60 Is a Versatile Combo with Clean Sounds
The VHT True Acoustic 60 guitar amp displays relatively little harmonic distortion, even at high-volume settings. Read more in this review!
Gear Review: Bose’s L1 Pro16 Is a Refined and Affordable Amplification Solution for Acoustic Guitarists
The Bose L1 Pro16 is an amplification solution that combines clear sound, plenty of power, and uniform dispersion, while being portable and simple to set up.
Amp Review: Boss Acoustic Singer Live LT Is a Compact and Versatile Creative Tool
The Boss Acoustic Singer Live LT lets you tap into a certain live electricity at apartment volumes, in kitchen-sized spaces, and at motel room locales. That's creative gold right there. It's true that the amp won’t supply the audience for you, but on second thought, the version of you that passes through its circuit board may well help you find one.
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Gear Review: Sunnaudio MS-2 Stereo Preamp Offers Versatility and Beautiful Sounds for Acoustic Guitarists
Even though there are many options and tons of controls, I found the MS-2 to be well laid out, easy to understand and use, and just fun to fool around with.
Gear Review: JBL’s IRX112BT Powered PA Offers Brawn and Flexibility in a Portable Package
When amplifying an acoustic guitar, there’s often a tradeoff between the portability of a small acoustic amp and the power and full-range sound of a heavier and more expensive PA system. JBL’s new IRX line of Bluetooth-enabled powered PA speakers offers flexibility and power in a surprisingly lightweight and affordable…
Gear Review: Orange Crush Acoustic 30
The Crush Acoustic 30 is a tiny little amp that weighs almost nothing. The specs claim it’s 13.5 pounds, but I don’t believe that. It comes right out of the box with a tilt-back design, so all the sound is projecting upward, where you want it.
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Gear Review: Henriksen The Bud Head Amplifier
In the not-too-distant past, acoustic guitarists and singer-songwriters were relegated to hauling around large PA systems replete with a mixer, power amp, speakers, stands, plus duffle bags stuffed with a wide assortment of tangled cables—all in an effort to simply be heard in a rehearsal, club, or coffeehouse.
Gear Review: Schertler Roy Amplifier
Thanks to their full-range sound capabilities and multiple input options, many acoustic guitar amplifiers have been called miniature PA systems. That has never been so true as with Roy, a top-of-the-line package from Schertler, the Swiss maker.
Gear Review: AER MM200 and Compact 60
AER's MM200 acoustic guitar amplifier is the model through which sonic adventurer Monte Montgomery channels his powerful music.
Gear Review: Palmer Acoustic Pocket Amp
Most gigging acoustic guitarists know the importance of a great-sounding, reliable preamp/DI box. Not only will a DI allow you to directly interface with a house PA system via the XLR output, but the preamp can help you sculpt the best possible sonic reproduction of your guitar via EQ,…
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Gear Review: Genzler Acoustic Array Mini
After setting up shop in a garage in Phoenix, Arizona, in the early 1980s, Jeff Genzler, a professional musician and electronics enthusiast, did much to advance the art of bass amplification with his state-of-the-art class-D solid-state amps. With the introduction of the Genz-Benz Shenandoah line in 2001, Genzler began treating…
Gear Review: Henriksen’s ‘The Blu’ Acoustic Amp
Henriksen’s Blu amp is a smart, one-channel version of its earlier, much admired, Bud.
Gear Review: Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge
If you’re a busker, singer-songwriter, or other performing musician, you’ll probably run into a situation where you wish you had a battery-powered amp. That’s where a smart new amp from Fishman—the 60-watt, two-channel Loudbox Mini Charge—can help.
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Gear Review: Genzler Acoustic Array Pro
With its solid-state electronics and light weight (just 27 pounds), the Genzler Acoustic Array Pro shares some pedigree with early Genz Benz amps.
Gear Review: Hughes & Kettner Era 1
Housed in a beautiful wooden cabinet, the Hughes & Kettner Era 1 acoustic guitar amp is sleek—with its inputs and dials hidden from view, it looks like half of an audiophile’s home speaker system.
Gear Review: Mesa Rosette 300/Two:Eight Combo Amp and Rosette Acoustic DI-Preamp
For its first-ever acoustic products, Mesa has aimed high, crafting what it hopes to be comprehensive, professional amplification solutions for acoustic musicians.
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Gear Review: Boss AD-10 Acoustic Preamp
With an all-in-one processor pedal like the new Boss AD-10 Acoustic Preamp, getting a good live sound has been made much simpler. Assuming a given venue has a decent PA system, you can show up with just a guitar and AD-10 in hand, dial up your sound, and off you go.
Gear Review: Fender’s Fortis F-10BT is a Sturdy and Excellent Performer
When I gig as a solo acoustic blues guitarist and vocalist, I usually take a small amp. But there are some instances, like when I play for crowds of more than 100 people, when the amp doesn’t quite cut it. Because of this I became intrigued with the idea of using powered speakers, instead of an amp, in situations where I need enough volume to fill up the space.
Gear Review: Trace Elliot’s Transit-A Preamp and Effects Unit is Tailored Specifically for the Acoustic Guitarist
Trace's Transit-A packs practically everything an acoustic guitarist needs before going into a PA system into a compact unit that weighs around 2.5 pounds.
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Review: Fishman’s New SA Performance Audio System (SA330x, SA Sub, SA Expand) Adds Power and Flexibility
Fishman raises the bar and lowers the weight with this flexible component system