Amp advise

TimmyHawken

Hi Everybody, I need some advise. I am in dire need of an amp upgrade; I have a really cheap and old crate amp that sounds horrilbe. I only really need an amp for smaller gigs, I use a pre-amp thru a PA for bigger, and that has been pretty satisfactory. The real issue is budget. I really don't want to spend more than $400, so really I need a servicable amp to get through for a year or two, till I can afford something better.

I have a line on a used Roland AC-60, and a Trace Acoustic TA-50, or an SWR Strawberry Blonde all under $400, does anyone have any thoughts on these amps or another that fit the bill?

thanks in advance for any advise,

Tim

MichaelHorowitz

I'd say the obvious choice would be the CUB AG-100. Inexpensive, ultra light weight, and sounds great!

AAD
Phil Jones CUB AG-100 with Gig Bag

Argyle Dave

I have been using a Roland CM30 powered monitor as a acoustic guitar amp. I'm not going to tell you that it's the finest sound out there but its really not bad. Especially for $175.00. I use a preamp with it for pickups and plug right into it for mics. Being a monitor the sound is pretty neutral and can be tweaked any way you want. I actually have 2 of them and it makes a good small PA. Also at 30 watts it gets pretty loud.

Dave

BluesBop Harry

I've heard good things about the Roland AC 30 and 60. They say the 60 is like a chinese version of the AER compact 60 down to the padded gig bag and everything.
A couple of quick questions Michael,
How loud is the cub 100 compared to the Compact60?
How does it sound with a Schertler Basik? How about with a Bigtone?

MichaelHorowitz

BluesBop Harry wrote:

How loud is the cub 100 compared to the Compact60?

It's pretty loud...but not as loud as the compact 60. But it's also not as midrangey as the compact 60. The CUB actually sounds better in many respects. But ultimately the compact 60 would be louder. But for less the half the price of an AER, the CUB is great!

How does it sound with a Schertler Basik? How about with a Bigtone?

Does well with both....

Bones

How does the Cub sound with a Dyn-g compared to a David?

Can you run a mic into the Cub at the same time as the Dyn-g?

BluesBop Harry

My rhythm player's been looking for a good affordable amp and I think the CUB could be it. We only need the volume to be about half that of the Compact 60, which is actually very loud... I haven't been able to turn mine past 12 o clock!
Has anyone compared the Roland and the CUB?

MichaelHorowitz

Bones wrote:

How does the Cub sound with a Dyn-g compared to a David?

Can you run a mic into the Cub at the same time as the Dyn-g?

Only 1 1/4" channel, so you'd need to have an XLR-1/4" adapter. Generally, the Schertler pickups are best used with Schertler amps. The pre-amp section on the Schertler is designed for their pickups so you'll get better results. The Basik is a little more flexible, but still works best with the Schertler.

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