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10 Acoustic Amps You Should Unplug Into

10 Acoustic Amps You Should Unplug Into
10 Acoustic Amps You Should Unplug Into
Rich Osweiler
By Rich OsweilerMar 16, 2021
Rich Osweiler
Associate Editor Rich Osweiler started playing guitar at the tender age of 8, but over the years bass has become his main instrument. Prior to joining Premier Guitar, Rich worked at Acoustic Guitar for 10 years as associate publisher and director of marketing. He loves all types of music—from gypsy jazz to lo-fi and grindcore—provided the genre name isn’t preceded by the “contemporary” tag. Outside of music, Rich enjoys travel, skiing, woodworking, coaching baseball, and being a dad. He lives in Marin County with his 10-year-old daughter and their dog, Kiko.
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There's something beautifully organic about a great-sounding unplugged acoustic and its player, but amplification is often a must—certainly for gigging. We rounded up 10 acoustic combos that combine portability and a variety of onboard features to get you heard clearly and loudly, at around 500 bucks or less.

BLACKSTAR

Sonnet 60

Powerful and light at about 16 pounds, this Bluetooth-enabled 60-watt combo boasts such features as dual inputs, a pair of reverbs, USB and XLR DI outputs, and a tilt-back stand.

$399 street

blackstaramps.com

FENDER

Acoustic 100

Dressed in a sharp wooden shell and perfectly apt for coffee-house gigs, this 2-channel 100-watt amp houses an 8" full-range whizzer cone speaker and an impressive menu of onboard effects.

$399 street

fender.com

ORANGE

Acoustic Crush 30

Lightweight, portable, and battery powered when needed, this simple yet versatile amp with a feedback-fighting notch filter and angled cabinet was designed to handle busking, gigs, and practice with ease.

$399 street

orangeamps.com

FISHMAN

Loudbox Mini

Packing in 60 watts of clean, acoustic power and featuring the company's preamp and tone-control designs, this 2-channel combo is outfitted with digital reverb and chorus, and a balanced XLR DI out.

$349 street

fishman.com

YAMAHA

THR5A Mini

Complete with onboard effects as well as dynamic and classic tube-condenser mic models, this 2x3 combo can run for up to six hours on battery power.

$199 street

yamaha.com

BOSS

Acoustic Singer Live

With 3-band EQs and independent reverb for both channels, this amp also boasts features such as a built-in looper, a harmony function for vocals, and dual XLR DI jacks.

$515 street

boss.info

ROLAND

AC-33

Battery powered to provide the opportunity to play just about anywhere, this amp features both guitar and mic channels, custom effects including chorus and ambience, and a phrase looper.

$463 street

roland.com

TC HELICON

Harmony V60

Outfitted with a single 8" Tannoy speaker and top-firing tweeter, this 2-channel combo brings a built-in looper, 60 watts of crystal-clear sound, and a host of tone-shaping tools.

$449 street

tc-helicon.com

LANEY

A-Solo

Dedicated to delivering a clean, clear tone wherever you need it, this compact combo has independent chorus and reverb for each channel, as well as phantom power for condenser mics.

$369 street

laney.co.uk

RECORDING KING

Songwriter 60

Two 6 1/2" woofers and a soft-dome tweeter push this amp's sound—reported to offer studio-monitor clarity and detail, but in an easy-to-use, compact, and portable package.

$399 street

recordingking.com

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