Do tube amps work with acoustic guitars?

[pushover]

Do they work.. yes of course they work.. you plug one end of the wire into the guitar, and the other end into the amp, turn the power on and twiddle some knobs.

 

It may just not be a sound you're looking for.

 

I play my Taylor through a mixer and into a RCF ART 310A and it sounds pretty sweet. If only there was someone decent actually playing the thing! I can also play it through my Music Man 130HD and it still sounds really good. Different than through the active PA speaker, but because the MM is basically a clean amp, it sounds pretty darn good. I've also tried playing it through my Peavy Bravo, but only at lower room level volumes. It sounds different again, this time a lot less natural, but I conjecture a lot of that is because of the differences in the speakers, since playing the Taylor into the Bravo and plugging the Bravo into my 2x12 cab sounds noticeably better to me.

[FredZepp]

Yuppers. And very very... very well (if designed/voiced for acoustics)

 

http://www.humphreyamps.com/Home.php

Nice. The demo for these gives a good example of a good goal for acoustic ( and jazz ) tone.

 

[kidsmoke]

That was a great Demo. Funny, we think of getting different Amps for our guitars....this is an amp you'd buy different guitars just to match up and explore.

 

Loved that guitarist, as well.

[MrB]

Slammer,

 

The exact settings depend on the sound of the room, what other instruments (if any) I'm playing with, how loud I'm playing, and even my mood. `,:-)

Through the vibrato channel, I set the treble around 4.0, but tweek it up to around 4.5 if I'm fingerpicking, bass about 5.5. I also put on just a hint of reverb, just enough to barely know it's there, set at 2.0. Too much makes it sound like an effect. Your Taylor may be a bit brighter than my guitars, just take the time to play and listen and fiddle with the settings until you feel it's right.

One trick is to turn the volume off, play, then slowly roll on the volume and compare the amplified/unamplified sounds.

The tubes are stock (since the amp is fairly new), but when they wear out I'll install some higher quality ones, and that will probably mean a slight adjustment.

 

Mr B

 

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MrB, on 04 May 2012 - 01:30 PM, said:

 

Slammer,

 

I have acouple of really sweet Martins, 000-28 and 000-28EC. Beautifully balanced sound, warm and woody. The best way I have found to make them sound like cheep dimestore guitars; lifeless, cold and clinical, is to run them through a solid state amp.

SS amps have the distinct advantage of lighter weight, and typically have lots of digital effects.

(digital being a dirty word to my ears)

Played through my vintage Twin Reverb they sounded wonderful, particularly after spending some time fine tuning the tone controls. I say 'sounded' because I had to cash in the old amp in order to finance my incoming Millennium DC. I now use a newer Deluxe Reverb Reissue, and it works quite well, though it has only bass and treble controls. I suspect it will improve when I eventually upgrade the tubes.

 

Mr B

 

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MrB, thanks for your insight. I too have a DR reissue. Perhaps I should plug my Taylor in there and see what shakes? Any recommendations on the Treble/Bass EQ?

 

[Bulldog]

Dang........ I tried what MrB said about running his Martin through a Fender Twin. Hey dude, it sounds great thanks...... I don't know why I haven't tried that before - works well.

[HumphreyAmps]

I'm very pleased we got a mention on the Heritage Owners Club forum. Thanks so much for the interest in our amps, and for the kind words from the members that already knew about them. I love what I'm doing and I value any commentary & opinions (good and not-so-good) that get passed along.

 

If anyone's interested in more eye-candy, there's actually a lot more pics on our Facebook page than there is at the website (need to get that updated).

https://www.facebook.com/media/albums/?id=100001459726015

Also, there's another video at the Acoustic Guitar Magazine website where Doug Young authored a review last year http://www.acousticguitar.com/article/Default.aspx?ArticleID=26824

[Gitfiddler]

I'm very pleased we got a mention on the Heritage Owners Club forum. Thanks so much for the interest in our amps, and for the kind words from the members that already knew about them. I love what I'm doing and I value any commentary & opinions (good and not-so-good) that get passed along.

 

If anyone's interested in more eye-candy, there's actually a lot more pics on our Facebook page than there is at the website (need to get that updated).

https://www.facebook...100001459726015

Also, there's another video at the Acoustic Guitar Magazine website where Doug Young authored a review last year http://www.acousticg...ArticleID=26824

 

The review and video by Doug Young (amazing fingerstylist) was beautifully done and very complimentary of your fine amp. Well done!

 

Thanks for posting here on the HOC!

 

[JeffB]

Dang........ I tried what MrB said about running his Martin through a Fender Twin. Hey dude, it sounds great thanks...... I don't know why I haven't tried that before - works well.

Ive run my cheap acoustics through both my Fender Concert and Mesa Lone Star over the years. Theyve always sounded good.

I did it without any thought or knowledge about whether it should or shouldnt be done, I just needed amplification other than the crappy fold backs we were using. Then some one told me that I couldnt do it. He seemed to know stuff and spoke fluent guitarese and with authority so I believed him.

His insight sent me on a mad rush of acoustic amp trials and purchases. I was always trying to get that warm punchy feeling that I had become used to by running my acoustic through my fender concert but could never find in any ss acoustic amp.

Eventually as time went by our monitors got better and better and I just went straight to desk and had my own sends to strike a mix.

Last acoustic gig I did I was going to take my Mesa LS and 112 but found an old peavey bass amp and 115 pa cab I had lying around that with a little help from a cheap external fx unit probably has both the clarity and warmth I was looking for all this time.

Ive used some nice acoustic amps. They never sounded this good. Mind you, they didnt have a 15inch speaker attached to them either.

Bit too big to lug around but probably worth it.

[HumphreyAmps]

It's been a while since I posted here, so I thought a quick update & some more eye-candy might be in order.
Doug Young wrote the review for AG magazine a few years back, and I guess he genuinely loved the amp - he's now a proud owner. Here's a link to his recent posting on the AGF:

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=292838

 

Not forgetting a little eye-candy - these amp's are current work-in-progress, but they're pretty unusual so I thought I's share a couple pics here.
Best!

[t0aj15]

This is my choice for AG, far better than an electric guitar amp;

 

[rockabilly69]

I think I can answer this question since this is what I do almost daily! Tube amps sound fantastic with acoustic guitars, they just have to be

fed with the appropriate signal. I plug my Fishman equipped Gibson Gospel into my pedal board first, then into an Allen and Heath Zed10FX. The

Zed feeds a Mackie HD system HD1221 speakers, and a HD1501 Sub. The ZED has inputs specifically geared towards reproducing acoustic guitar

pickups that sound FANTASTIC, and some pretty good onboard FX (the cathedral reverb is nice when dialed)! Then I take the "aux out" of my guitar

channel and feed that to my guitar amp which is typically one of three amps, my '64 Deluxe Reverb, Ampeg J20, or Boogie DC-2 with ext cab. All

of these rigs sound stellar. I think the trick is to know the balance, and make sure you got some good buffering on you pedal board. On my

pedal board I have a Durham Sex Drive pedal that bufferes evevrything that's on 90's of the time. Sometimes I use this rig with just one

HD1221 speaker for small gigs. What I like about the tube amp is the richness that it adds to the basic solid state tone. Also when I distort

the signal and get the tube amp working, the party is on!

 

Not a great picture but you can see my rig here...

 

[Yooper]

Wow. I want a Humphrey amp.

 

This is my choice for AG, far better than an electric guitar amp;

But since it is out of my price range for now, I'm really happy with my SS Carvin AG100D. It works great for both acoustic and my Eagle Classic arch top.

 

It sounds good, and is quite versatile. We even used it as a PA for a small martini bar venue.

 

I won't add the link since they also make guitars, which are very nice, but my last guitar was, and the next will still be, a Heritage.

 

Info:

 

The 3 input channels are individually designed: one for guitar, one for bass, second guitar or other electric instrument, and one for mic, keyboards or other devices. Each channel has a separate volume and EQ (3-band active on Channel 1; 2-band active on Channel 2 & 3), while Channel 1 also features a MID sweep control. A 5 band master graphic EQ allows you to further tailor your sound. Channels 1's voicing is designed for standard electric or acoustic guitars while Channel 2 is suitable for bass guitar, a second guitar or similar instruments such as an electric mandolin, electric violin, etc. You can play bass and guitar simultaneously without degrading the guitar signal, and the bass tuned enclosure and high frequency tweeter, combined with 100 watts RMS of power, is ideal for acoustic or electric basses. Channel 3 will also accommodate line level signals from keyboards, tape decks, drum machines or a balanced microphone, and provides phantom power for condenser mics. Channel 1 & 2 have standard 1/4" phone jacks for electric instruments, and Channel 3 has a 1/4" phone jack for tape/CD players, drum machines, etc., as well as a balanced XLR mic input with phantom power, which makes the AG100D well suited for a "One-Man-Band" stage set-up.

The AG100D also features 24-bit digital effects, allowing you to add echo, reverb, chorus and flange to each channel.

[tbonesullivan]

I really do have to get myself one of those carvin mini-PAs soon. They are good for acoustic guitar, bass, and even Vox. The built in effects that can be assigned per channel are also awesome.