Help me decide on an Acoustic rig

ikessky · #1 03-31-2011, 08:07 AM

I've been doing a lot of looking on this site and elsewhere on the net, and I think I've finally decided that I'm going to go with an Acoustic rig. Here's my dilema. I'm currently not doing anything more than playing in our church. Because of this, I am thinking about going with the Acoustic B200 (monitoring off my amp and going into the soundboard with the XLR). However, the bassist for my brother's band just left and I'm thinking about volunteering to fill his spot. My brother usually plays his guitar through a 60W Marshall tube amp and will a lot of times run that with an extension cab and basically have a 3/4 stack. He says they usually mic everything anyway though. So I guess the real question is, will the B200 suit my needs or should I be looking at the B200H/115 cab combo?

Maybe I'm not thinking clearly, but from what I can see, the B200 with an extension cab would be doing 100W into each cab. The B200H/115 cab combo in its current form would be doing ~120-140W into the single 15, but when you add an extension cab, it would be doing 200W into each.

68doghouse · #2 03-31-2011, 08:11 AM

Are you playing with a drummer? That will make a big difference in the amount of power you will need. Also, that Marshall probably screams, so you'll need to keep up!

Hopkins · #3 03-31-2011, 08:19 AM

You could probably get a better rig used for the same price as new Acoustic. I think in the long run you will probably be better off staying away from Acoustic.

**StrangerDanger** · #4 03-31-2011, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hopkins

You could probably get a better rig used for the same price as new Acoustic. I think in the long run you will probably be better off staying away from Acoustic.

I have heard that the new Acoustic stuff has a pretty high failure rate. +1 for staying away.

At any rate, I would look for something with 300-500 watts. Maybe overkill but thats what they make volume knobs for. Think of it like a party, its always better to have too much food than not enough.

Good luck.

tdub0199 · #5 03-31-2011, 08:27 AM

I would go with maybe a Gallien Krueger MB200 head or maybe a GK Combo.... Acoustic to me is Guitar Centers "House Brand" and usually gets a bad rep, I personally have never used an Acoustic....

jeff7bass · #6 03-31-2011, 08:43 AM

Go with a Carvin MB15 if you're considering adding an extension cab at any point.
200w by itself, 250w with an extension cab. All the pro features for direct out and EQ. Compact + light.

400 bucks delivered.

Carvin.com - Guitars, Amplifiers & Pro Audio

ikessky · #7 03-31-2011, 08:43 AM

Yeah, I had read about the Acoustic being GC's house brand. I keep finding some decent stuff about the B200 and B200H on this site though. I played a G-K MB115 this weekend and thought it was really nice.

To answer the previous question, the drums at church are never very loud and there is one acoustic guitar. A combo amp would be fine there. If I were to play with my brother's band, they have two guitarists, vocals, and a drummer. I believe that they were previously using a SWR Workingman's Combo run into an 18" extension cab.

waleross · #8 03-31-2011, 09:09 AM

Sounds like you need (2) 15" or at least one 410 to compete with the Guitar. I say Look around for used Ampeg stuff and see what you can find......

Beersurgeon · #9 03-31-2011, 09:17 AM

I have a B200 along with a Hartke 210 cab. For my use, this is a good, loud rig. I play in a power trio that practices in a garage. My guitard plays a Marshall 65w amp. I only have to turn up the volume to about 11 o'clock to be as loud as the rest of the guys. In fact, I have never turned the amp above 1 o'clock. The 60hz hum is much louder on the Marshall compared my Acoustic, about 4 times louder.

I have just started to get in the realm of recording/home studio work. I have not worked with an other amp so I don't know if it's a B200 issue or if they all have the problem of having the 60hz hum coming through the DI. It is barely there but audible. This is probably happening because I'm a complete noob to recording but it's something I'm working on at the moment. This is the only issue I have with my amp. In the live sound area, it wouldn't be a problem because the PA will already have some 60hz hum.

I'm very nice to my equipment but my B200 is the piece that gets beat up. I have to go about 60 miles one way for band practice along with jamming with whoever in my city. My B200 has been in the back of many vehicles and has the cosmetic wear to show but it has never had a bad sound come from it. It is heavy and I have casters for it but constantly going in and out of cars.

So for me, the B200 is a perfect amp. But if I was going to upgrade, I would probably stay with Acoustic. I would get a more powerful amp, like the B600H and match with a neo 210/115. The rule I've heard is that you want you bass amp to be 4 times more powerful than your guitard amp, so you should be ok with your brothers band.

Hope this helps!!!

MattyH · #10 03-31-2011, 09:29 AM

They ARE GC's house brand.

+1 for high failure rate, BUT I've tried all the Acoustic cabs, and they do sound pretty nice. I don't know if I'd trust it to last, or trust it enough to crank the volume like I can do with my Ampeg beasts. Church band might be ok, especially if you're going through the board. Just get a warranty. As for a rock band where you're battling a drummer, guitarists, and whatever else in louder club settings, I'm not so sure. I'd say the best bet would be to go with the 600 head and a 410. This way for the church band you can keep it at a very low volume to use for monitor purposes, and if you play with your brother, you can get a little more head room out of it, and shouldn't have to worry about it exploding. But I agree with waleross. Look around for some Ampeg stuff

Hopkins · #11 03-31-2011, 09:35 AM

Just for the record, I have never used an acoustic head, but have had only bad experiences with their speakers. I do have a Kustom DE200HD that I heard is the same head as a b200h in a different case. I have no complaints about it.

But I would recommend GK for your situation.

Serial Junkie · #12 03-31-2011, 09:42 AM

Maybe I'm just lucky but I've gigged exclusively with the new Acoustic gear for about 3 years now. I've run the B600h through the 810 cab and then bought the 410 so I could have a smaller rig pending on the size of the gig. I've had absolutely nothing go wrong with the amp or either cab and have consistently been given compliments on my tone and have gained several small time session jobs from successful live gigs. Honestly, I love my Acoustic gear regardless of it being GC's house brand, it works for me.

deshi00 · #13 03-31-2011, 09:51 AM

I havent had any problems with my acoustic rig, b200h and 410. Its used almost daily for practice and gigs for the last year. And the heads probably taken more physical abuse than it should of.

ikessky · #14 03-31-2011, 11:40 AM

Hmmm...... Now I don't know what to do! Maybe I'll get together with my brother's band and see what they all think. Not so sure that I'm going to risk it with an Acoustic though. I would hate to be playing somewhere and blow out speakers.

johny martin · #15 05-06-2011, 03:22 PM

I love my Acoustic B600h and two B410 cabs, play a 5 string Ibanez through it no pedals nothin just plugged into the head.

Works real well for me and never had any issues with it exept its heavy, and loud lol