The TG Test: Acoustic combo amps

If you’re thinking of investing in your acoustic rig for live gigs, there’s some serious competition for your cash

When it comes to the excitement of buying new gear, we’ll take a guess that shelling out for an acoustic amp is probably not going to be up there on the thrillometer along with your overdrives, delay pedals and guitars. Acoustic amps can, however, make an enormous difference to how you sound on stage as well as how much control you have over it. It’s a wise investment that can change a battle into a victory when it comes to being heard and hearing yourself live – especially when you’re in a band situation.

The last few years has seen the market for acoustic amps tip in players’ favour – from the higher end, limited choices to a range of more affordable options that would suit a variety of needs. The four we have here on test in this issue are two channel, dual input – and that means vocals or another acoustic instrument, so effectively you have the option of your own PA with you as the soundman for low-key performances. We’re going to be honing in on how each amp can shape your tone and deal with some of the less desirable characteristics of electro-acoustic sound, helping your acoustic sound more, well... acoustic!

To investigate players’ needs, we’ll be testing with a guitar fitted with a Fishman Sonitone piezo pickup system – one that’s popped up on a few sub £500 electros we’ve tested in these pages – and another fitted with the popular LR Baggs M1A magnetic soundhole pickup.