This week we are going to talk about the different features that can be found on different amps and what they mean to you as an axemaster.
For those of you who are interested in an acoustic guitar amp, your choices will be much more limited. There are three things that you need to think about when choosing an acoustic guitar amp.
The first thing is the amount of power that you will need. What's your gig? Will you be playing alone, or will you be part of a group? If your guitar needs to cut through the sound of three other guitars, keyboards, and a drum set, then you will need a little more in the way of wattage. If you will be playing instrumental classics alone, then you can focus more on some of the other options that you will have.
The second thing you need to consider is how many inputs you will need for the amp. A lot of guitar players find themselves in lone acoustic/vocal situations where a house PA may not be available. In this case the easiest thing to do is to find an amp that has inputs for both a guitar and a microphone. Make sure that the amp has power to handle both at the same time! Some amps even come with XLR inputs, which are the most common connection for professional vocal microphones, so you won't have to mess with silly converters and adaptors and other nonsense.
The last thing on your priority list when shopping for an acoustic guitar amp should be the effects that it has on board. Built-in effects aren't necessary--you can always buy processors or stomp boxes for the desired effect--but they are fairly common on most mid-priced acoustic amps. The advantage of having effects built into the amp is that you don't have to lug around any unnecessary equipment--a rule of thumb for any practicing musician. Nearly every acoustic amplifier comes with some kind of reverb built in, and I have yet to see an acoustic amp that doesn't have at least a three-band EQ, something that is essential when plugging an acoustic guitar into an amp. Each guitar is different, and EQ is very important for dialing in just the right sound each time that you play.
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