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About Acoustic amps

L

Led Hendrix

Feb 17, 2008
14
0
#1
So I have been looking at this Acoustic set-up from musiciansfriend.com. It consists of a B200H 200W bass head and a B115 250W 1x15 cab. The price of it is $400 which seems to be quite a steal in my eyes. What do you guys think about Acoustic amps? Would this be a relevant amp for a guy who plays in a classic rock and punk band but also looks for a classic Roger Waters sound?

My current bass is a MIM fender standard p-bass. I think it sounds pretty damn good with a set of rotosound flats and currently the only thing I'm looking for is more volume. What do you guys think overall? I need other opinions. :D
 
#2
I agree that it is a steal. I liked it so much that I bought a second B115 cabinet. Sounds great, looks great.

Things to keep in mind:

  • Cabinets are not made of plywood, but what looks like MDF. If that bothers you, this shouldn't be your choice for cabinets.
  • Amp is 200W at 4ohms. The single 115 cabinet is 8ohm, so it's only about 140W. Still, it's loud on its own. I haven't had a problem with it not being loud enough.

Just keep in mind that you are paying $399 for a head/cabinet, or $598 for a head/cabinet x2. I personally think it is a great deal, and worth more than what they are selling them for. At the same time, this isn't a Thunderfunk with a Bergantino cabinet or anything....but it sure does sound good with the basses that I am using and the music that I am playing.

It's a good, solid deal with a 3-year warranty.
 

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#3
I think it could work out well for what you're doing.

I go way back with Acoustic. I owned an 70's era Acoustic 150 head that I modded a bit to work more effectively as a bass rig. Me, that amp, and my trusty Gibson Ripper made a pretty good living in Boston way back when. (Don't ask how long ago that was.)

I absolutely loved that amp. I made the mistake of loaning it out (as a "special emergency favor") to somebody who "unexpectedly" moved about a week later. That was the last I ever heard of it. I do still have my gigantic Acoustic 301 18" folded-horn cabinet however.

When I saw the "new" Acoustic line I was skeptical. I'm an Ampeg player and a bit of a tone freak, so I was not about to cut them a huge amount of slack if they turned out to be nothing more than a cheap amp decked out in retro logo and styling.

Then I plugged in. I ran a Spector 5-string, a Warwick fretless, an American Jazz, and a Fender Jaguar with flatwounds through it. (Hey, I was in a music store, so why not?) And much to my amazement, it sounded good. Real good. Especially with the 15" cabinet. I've always been a fan of 15" speakers. There's a certain "tubbiness" in the 15 that you just can't get with 10's. For old-style 60-70's rock (or blues or ska) there is no substitute.

I could find workable settings for everything I threw at the Acoustic. And there even seemed to be a little of the old Acoustic "vibe" in there somewhere - although I doubt I can say that with certainty since it's been many years since I've heard my old 150.

Here's my take: they sound good and look nice. The real question is how reliable and roadable they're going to turn out to be. They seem to be well made, but only time will tell. I am definitely planning on buying one. Price-wise, they're a steal.

Ideally, I'd like to get two heads, plus one 4 X10 and one 15 cabinet. I'll probably start with the 1 X 15 and one head since I already have an SWR Goliath Jr 2 X 10. I have always missed not having a 15" rig when I play out, but I hate to take my vintage Ampeg stuff on the road, so this just might be the answer I've been looking for.
 
#9
Acoustic 200H head....best inexpensive, "GOOD sounding", head on the market. To my ears the 115 is the better sounding of the two cabs they have offered. Two 115's (the set-up like Sevenorchids') would be pretty nice.
Anyone know what new cabinets they may have to go with the 600H ?
 
#11
thesteve said:
There will be a B810 coming out with the B600H, I believe. I think the plan is to make it a 4 ohm cab. The B600H is going to be 600W at 2ohms and 450 at 4 ohms, so it's going to be designed to power two full stacks (or a pair of 4 ohm cabs).
Click to expand...

I believe you mean to say 600 at 4ohms and 450 at 2ohms.
They are coming out with an 4ohm 810 cab, but I plan on using 4 of the current 8ohm Acoustic cabs (2x 410 & 2x 115) for a 2 ohm load. :D
 
#12
llamalor2112 said:
I believe you mean to say 600 at 4ohms and 450 at 2ohms.
They are coming out with an 4ohm 810 cab, but I plan on using 4 of the current 8ohm Acoustic cabs (2x 410 & 2x 115) for a 2 ohm load. :D
Click to expand...


He had it right the first time, solid state head means lower ohms = more power, not less. I plugged into one of these last time I was at GC just to see what all the fuss was about. Nice head and seems to have good power for what it's rated at, think Peavey or GK, that means 200watts sounds beefy and loud enough to gig with. I've played other heads that sounded weak/sterile for what they were purported to be putting out. Nice tone section too, maybe not the uber sensitive eq where a little tweak creates a big difference in sound but definately usable with 6 bands that have eq centers that are where you need them for a bass. I didn't bother messing with the cabs, I build my own but the 200 on a 4ohm 212 or 215 would make a nice little rig. The 410 didn't do much for me but for that price, I'd suspect corners being cut where you can't see them (on the inside).
 
#14
Led Hendrix said:
What do you guys think about Acoustic amps? Would this be a relevant amp for a guy who plays in a classic rock and punk band but also looks for a classic Roger Waters sound?
Click to expand...

Old Acoustic amps and all of their derivatives are pretty cool. Nice, clean sound. Great for classic rock, but most punk uses a pretty dirty tone. You'd probably want to add some grit to one for that. As far as the new Acoustic...I try my hardest to entertain only domestic products, so I really can't comment. Sorry.
 
#16
Thanks Will33 and thesteve, It would seem that I have beeen fed misinformation by "knowledgeable" guitar center employee. :smug:
Anyway, this news is all the better as I will have an excuse to by a 4ohm 215 to pair with the new 810. (My other solution won't work as they 8 ohm amps can't handle mor than 450watts.)
 
#17
BadB said:
Old Acoustic amps and all of their derivatives are pretty cool. Nice, clean sound. Great for classic rock, but most punk uses a pretty dirty tone. You'd probably want to add some grit to one for that. As far as the new Acoustic...I try my hardest to entertain only domestic products, so I really can't comment. Sorry.
Click to expand...

I can get the craziest distortion from my Acoustic amps without plugging in an effect pedal. Of course, I may have to be on " blast" mode to get it but it can compete and surpass ANY punk tone you can get from a pedal.

Glad you try to buy only domestic ( same as me) but the new stuff is pretty dang well thought out and worth a listen IMHO.
 

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