Electric amp for acoustic guitar

[userid]

Hi. I intend to buy a taylor gs mini, which is an acoustic guitar with an optional pickup install. The thing is, i heard that you need a acoustic amp for a semi acoustic. But when i went to a shop, the shopkeeper told me I can just turn down everything esp the drive and effects, and the amp will be just fine to use for acoustic. is this true? in fact whats the diff between an acoustic amp and electric. I wanted to buy the roland microcube, but not sure if can use for acoustic. i know the line6 microspider has an acoustic function, so not sure if the microcube can do the same.

Appreciate your inputs thanks

 

[Vax]

Think of acoustic amps as small PA systems. They are designed to amplify a clean signal, and not change the tone of the instrument, so they tend to be hi-fi over the whole frequency spectrum. An electric guitar amp is designed to amplify frequencies in a narrower range and is lower-fi; manufacturers voice them to different tones that guitarists want (Fender vs Marshall vs Vox vs ...)

Tech talk aside, I agree with the shopkeeper. If you just plug the acoustic straight into an electric amp, at worst, you'll sound like a really clean electric with none of the Taylor character coming through. Choose the cleanest channel (or amp model on modelling amps), and the flattest EQ possible. There's no real "need" for an acoustic amp. Of course, you should trust your own ears and try out different amps (btw I like the Roland microcube haha)

I personally have a Yamaha acoustic with a Seymour Duncan woody pickup which I run into my Line 6 Spider III (clean channel). It still sounds like an acoustic.

 

[EugeneSmasher]

Yep it's possible, just that it won't sound very authentic. I plug my J&D electro-acoustic into my Sound Drive electric guit amp and the sound is actually quite convincing, just a bit too twangy like an electric. Kind of a 'hybrid' tone haha. It's unique, though.

 

[userid]

so is a roland microcube for both a acoustic and electric, like the microspider? or is it simply an electric amp that i can set to clean for acoustic? cos i wanna buy the microcube. thanks

 

[relinquish69]

Get an acoustic amp. the sound is just so much better.

even a small kustom acoustic amp which costs less than $200 can make an acoustic guitar sound so much better than any other solid state electric guitar amp. the dynamics is totally different.

 

[shioks76]

Don't believe everything you're told by people who're trying to sell you stuff. That include everything under the sun, not just guitar stuff. Anyway what the rest said is true, go on down to luther music for a wide range of acoustic amps to try.

 

[peter01]

Get an acoustic amp. the sound is just so much better.

even a small kustom acoustic amp which costs less than $200 can make an acoustic guitar sound so much better than any other solid state electric guitar amp. the dynamics is totally different.

Agreed. The electric guitar amp is just not made for acoustics. I actually prefer to play my acoustic through my KRK RP5.

 

[roarcrusade]

If you want shiny sound try the VOX AGA 70 can get it at city music and if you sing there's a microphone jack on it with phantom power. There's a normal channel and a pre amp channel on it so you sort of like get a tube tone on acoustic.