AER Pocket Tools Colourizer 2

Pros: Works as described, with several very useful tone shaping controls

Cons: Not quite as wonderful as other AER products

I had great hopes for this preamp based on glowing reviews from...well, everybody, and on strong endorsements from Tommy Emmanuel and many other luminaries. It is a good device with useful features. However, I am a little disappointed. First, it uses a 24V power supply (I had mistakenly thought it also worked from phantom power, but no) and the power connection is not very snug, so it often disconnects on stage. I need to be very careful where to place the device so there's no chance of any tension on the power connection. Second, I've had some strange behavior, where the device didn't seem to be working, until it suddenly started after fiddling around with the connections. Third, it's quite expensive (over $400) considering that these features ought to be present on my AER Compact 60 in the first place. A notch filter is a fundamental requirement for amplifying acoustic guitars. I was expecting to be crazy about the Colourizer, but I think its build quality isn't quite up to other AER products, and its cost-to-value ratio is somewhat dubious. I'm glad I have it, but it has made me a little less happy about AER as a source. Until now, my feeling about AER was "expensive but worth it" -- now my feeling is "your mileage may vary." One other nit: It comes with two small zipper cases, one for the Colourizer and one for the power supply. This means it takes twice as much time to unpack and repack. Why couldn't they come up with a single case that holds both components?

Submitted by: spinality on 11/18/2013 01:04:09 AM