No More Unplugged – Acoustic Guitar Amps

Written by Happy NGD on February 18th, 2010

Got an acoustic guitar that is equipped with some onboard electronics giving it the ability to be able to be plugged in and amplified? Well, a lot of guitarist might just plug it into a PA system but I have a better way…an acoustic guitar amp. It’s a lot lighter to carry around than an entire PA system too!

These types of amps are made a lot different than a regular electric guitar amp. They are more tweaked to amplifying the qualities of an acoustic guitar and bring out all the nuances better than using a regular guitar amplifier for an acoustic. Their mainly compact design makes them excellent for small “unplugged” shows like at coffee shops, small bars and that type of thing. These can make those cheap acoustic guitars sound amazing.

There are many different brands to choose from so it can become quite a decision when you are looking into getting one….although, not as crazy of a selection you would see in electric guitar amps. You still have to choose between solid state, tube and hybrid models though. Below we have selected a number of them to check out:

Crate

Crate has a number of different acoustic amps available in all different wattages and prices. You can expect to spend anywhere from 99 bucks up to 600.

Crate CA6110DG Gunnison Acoustic Guitar Amplifier – cool little amp that packs a 60 watt punch in a small 10 inch speaker. Even has sixteen built in effects.
Crate CA30DG Taos Acoustic Guitar Amplifier – introduced in 2004, this 30 watt amp has a punchy little 8 inch speaker that you will be surprised how well it sounds for its size.
Crate Acoustic CA125DG Guitar Amp Combo – if you want two speakers, this one has 2 8 inch ones for you. It also has some cool built in effects like chorus, delay, reverb and others to check out.
Crate – CA-10 10W Acoustic Amplifier – the smallest in the Crate line of acoustic amps but it still packs quite a punch for its size. 6.5 inch speaker ans 10 watts. has built in chorus too!
Crate CA15 Cimarron acoustic guitar amplifier – this is an excellent 15 watt compact amp. It’s hard to believe the sound you can get out of a small 8″ speaker.
Crate Acoustic CA120DG Guitar Amp Combo – what mroe could you ask for in this 120 watt solid state amp? It’s got two channels, digital onboard effects, automatic feedback elimination and level control for the tweeter speaker.

Fender

If you are a guitarist who hasn’t heard of Fender, you must be living under a rock. They make guitars, amps, basses and more…and that also includes acoustic amps.

Fender – Acoustasonic 30 DSP Acoustic Amplifier – I like this one because of its wedge design which makes it great for a monitor as well. 30 watt solid state amp with a three band eq, XLR outputs and 8 inch speaker.
Fender Acoustasonic SFX II Acoustic Guitar Combo Amp – 80 watts and a two speaker design. Like other Fender acoustic amps, there are XLR outputs and digital signal processing.
Fender Acoustasonic Junior DSP Acoustic Guitar Amplifier – comes with 16 onboard digital effects including delays, reverbs, choruses, and more. Includes Fender’s String Dynamics Control as well. 40 watts.
Squier SA-10 Acoustic Guitar Amplifier – out of Fender’s Squier line comes a cool little 10 watt amp with a 6″ speaker.

Roland

Roland has a great line of different amplifiers for acoustic guitars that are sure to suit anyone’s needs either on the stage or just at home playing to yourself.

Roland AC-90 Acoustic Chorus Guitar Amplifier – this one comes equipped with a couple 8 inch speakers as well as an XLR output and 90 watts of power. Even comes with its own carrying case.
Roland AC-60 Acoustic Chorus guitar amplifier – a smaller 60 watt 2×6.5 speaker configuration set up. Comes with a footswitch for the reverb controls, onboard chorus effects and anti feedback controls.
Roland – CUBE 20X 20W Guitar Amplifier – cool little 20 watt amp ready to rock acoustically in a smaller venue. Has built in effects like delay and chorus as well as Roland’s power squeezer system to get maximum gain sustain.
Roland AC33 Battery Powered Acoustic Guitar Amp – if you want to be ultra portable, this one is for you….battery powered! 30 watts, built in reverb and chorus and many more features.