FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Acoustic Guitar Amplifiers

Question:
Can anyone suggest amplifiers for acoustic guitar? I tried two from Lakewood (very fine) and Trace Elliot, however, maybe someone knows a cheaper solution. I have a Lowden (handmade in Ireland) with Piezo-Pickups ...

Answer:
I use the Trace Elliot TA100R and have been very pleased with it. This amp can definitely do the job (for me anyway). It is a tad pricey though. Seymour Duncan makes a similar amp for acoustics called the Tara. I haven't played with one. The prices I have seen on the Tara are about the same as what I payed for my Trace. In terms of capabilities they look almost the same. Another option would be to get a good acoustic guitar preamp, Fishman blender, Passac, Pendulum, etc. and run it into a keyboard amp or PA. If you shopped around you might be able to come with a setup like this for less than the TE or Tara but it probably wouldn't be easy. (TE and Tara run in the 950$ to 1200$US range.) The preamp section should have good eq, and a notch filter to take out the fundamental top resonance. You might also want a Lo-Z input depending on how your electronics are set up.