Acoustic 140 Amp Head

[CityEscape]

I'm looking for information about this head. I found an old TB thread that had conflicting information about its volume and power, and I'd just like to get the info straight.

Does anyone have experience with or know much about this head? There's one on Craigslist with a 2x15 Fender cab for $200.

 

[bottomend!]

110w into a 4 ohm load. It's sounds ALOT louder though!

 

[CityEscape]

110w into a 4 ohm load. It's sounds ALOT louder though!

That's what I've heard, that it's very loud for its reported wattage. Does anyone know why this is?

More importantly, how gig-worthy is this amp? How big of a space can it fill?

Thanks

 

[CityEscape]

Bump!

 

[Thor]

I used it for years with the matching Acoustic 106 2x15 bottom. My ears still ring.

If you buy it and want the schematic, I have it. I still have the amp, works fine, never broken, never needed repair.

What cab you you run it with? That kind of defines how big a space you can fill. Also, do you use PA support?

 

[CityEscape]

do you use PA support?

I think that more often than not, that'll be a no.

 

[chetmz]

I had the combo version (Model 136) which was the 140 head with a single 15 in what I believe was a folded horn design. Good, reliable, and loud for what it was.
It would never be mistaken for something with a warm, tubey sound, but that's fine.

 

[TomB]

I used it for years with the matching Acoustic 106 2x15 bottom. My ears still ring.

If you buy it and want the schematic, I have it. I still have the amp, works fine, never broken, never needed repair.

What cab you you run it with? That kind of defines how big a space you can fill. Also, do you use PA support?

I used the same combo for years, before PA support was common. It filled small to medium-sized clubs nicely. In 20 years of gigging it needed only one minor repair... solid as a rock. It was definitely not a tube amp. I used a 10-band MXR eq to thicken up the low end. It worked very well indeed.

 

[Thor]

I think that more often than not, that'll be a no.

CAB?

 

[Eric Scholz]

Speaking from experience with this amp, it is very loud. I used this amp for a while for practicing with my band, and it was more than loud enough, but it did not have enough low end. The head starts to break up with the volume at 11 o'clock, and is extremely responsive to playing dynamics, for a solid state amp.

This head did not suit my band's playing style, but my band plays extremely loud doomy/ambient post-rock style music, along the lines of This Will Destroy You, Earth, Sunn O))), etc. For my rig I require a lot of clean power, and I rely on pedals for all my overdrive. I ended up selling the amp to my friend who plays in a noodly indie/emo band in the style of bands like Algernon Cadwallader, Snowing, etc. It works very well for him, and I recorded his band, and even used that rig over my own for his band.

 

[bottomend!]

I had the combo version (Model 136) which was the 140 head with a single 15 in what I believe was a folded horn design. Good, reliable, and loud for what it was.
It would never be mistaken for something with a warm, tubey sound, but that's fine.

100% disagree with the warm tubey comment. These heads are responsive, break up in a controlled fashion and will split your head open with overdrive. I've fooled many many folks who cant believe the tone they are hearing is from a SS amp. PM me your email and I'll send you a clip as proof.

 

[Thor]

That was not my experience. I think it depends on the speakers you use with it. The rig was originally designed when PA support was not common and the bass rig had to fill the room on its own and was so designed.

It was sold as a matched rig, the 140 and the 106 cab, then called the 146 together. I still have the original rig and there is no lack of bottom.

Like you Eric, I have a rig with 2x12 Em Delta 12 LFA's and I wouldn't pair that with this. I pair that with an Eden Wt-400.

I played a Gibson Eb3 through it originally (with the famous Mudbucker) and there was way too much bottom, I had to use the bridge pickup only. Lately I play the rig through a Geddy Lee Jazz bass with Seymour Duncan Antiquity II's and the E string response is such that I have to EQ a little bottom out so it is even across the whole note range.

Basically, your choice of speaker cabs is more important than anything.

Why so loud? Well, it was supposed to be loud, it was designed that way to meet the needs of the times. Also, the amp was very conservativley rated and today surely someone would claim 300 watts or say sounds as loud as a 400 watt amp because it is. I never measured the SPL, but I kept up with 2 very loud Les Pauls and Marshall's at the time. It was lud enough to pull very nice sustain and feedback from the rig with the Eb3. You won't need more juice than that

 

[Eric Scholz]

That was not my experience. I think it depends on the speakers you use with it. The rig was originally designed when PA support was not common and the bass rig had to fill the room on its own and was so designed.

It was sold as a matched rig, the 140 and the 106 cab, then called the 146 together. I still have the original rig and there is no lack of bottom.

Like you Eric, I have a rig with 2x12 Em Delta 12 LFA's and I wouldn't pair that with this. I pair that with an Eden Wt-400.

I played a Gibson Eb3 through it originally (with the famous Mudbucker) and there was way too much bottom, I had to use the bridge pickup only. Lately I play the rig through a Geddy Lee Jazz bass with Seymour Duncan Antiquity II's and the E string response is such that I have to EQ a little bottom out so it is even across the whole note range.

Basically, your choice of speaker cabs is more important than anything.

Why so loud? Well, it was supposed to be loud, it was designed that way to meet the needs of the times. Also, the amp was very conservativley rated and today surely someone would claim 300 watts or say sounds as loud as a 400 watt amp because it is. I never measured the SPL, but I kept up with 2 very loud Les Pauls and Marshall's at the time. It was lud enough to pull very nice sustain and feedback from the rig with the Eb3. You won't need more juice than that

I haven't updated my gear list on here in quite a while, but I tried it through an array of cabs including a 6x10, 8x12 (full stack), 1x15/4x12 (full stack), and 2x15. With all the cabs it was lacking in bottom, but this is really going to depend on the genre of music you're playing. To shed some perspective, I now play either a 400 watt Trace Elliot V-Type, and a 69-70 SVT, through an 8x12 full stack or an 8x10 SVT cab... I play both of them with the volume past 2 o'clock.

Obviously my band is not very traditional, so this amp did not work for me. If you're playing in a band that is somewhat traditional, like a rock band or indie band or even a metal band, this is probably going to work well for you. If you're going to ask it to do things that an SVT can barely do, it's not going to cut it.

 

[Thor]

Yeah, I had it in a rock setting with a 4 string. No, it's not an SVT. For 200 bucks its a pretty killer head though. See if you can get the guy down 50 bucks.

It does not have a DI or effects loop. I think I have pics though, of the back and front.

 

[chetmz]

My recollection of "tubey' is based on also owning an Ampeg V4B and original Sunn Model T at the same time. The 140 may have some sense of tube sound to some, but I think Ampeg pretty much defines tubey.

In the end whatever delivers the sound you want is what is best. My fading memory doesn't really matter.

The 140 is good and as Thor suggests, at $150-200, it should serve you well.

 

[CityEscape]

Yeah, I had it in a rock setting with a 4 string. No, it's not an SVT. For 200 bucks its a pretty killer head though. See if you can get the guy down 50 bucks.

It does not have a DI or effects loop. I think I have pics though, of the back and front.

He's asking $200 for the head with a Fender 2x15.

Since this is a pre-PA era head, does that mean that I won't be able to use it with a PA?

 

[Thor]

It doesn't have a DI.

Sound puke just has to put a mic in front of it and snake it back to PA. No big deal. Or you can get a DI Box.

Dude, 140 AND 2x15 cab? GO FOR IT!!!!!

You can always rebuild/ re-speaker the cab, but that sounds like a killer deal.

Don't lose it.

 

[HOOLIGAN]

That was my 2nd rig (after a Westbury 50w combo)-
Sounded great w/ the Acoustic 106 cab-
Even better w/ a 8x10 SVT cab-
Plenty loud-

 

[zon6c-f]

I typically screw-up when posting links, but if you just look up Acoustic Control Corp and open the "unofficial site" there is a wealth of info awaituing. You will see some of our TB Acoustic Brothers frequenting it. As for myself, I use a different screen name when on Acoustic site, "rikfenzon".

Check out that site: Schematics,parts, users, pics, etcetera.

 

[marcodeo]

I'm looking for information about this head. I found an old TB thread that had conflicting information about its volume and power, and I'd just like to get the info straight.

Does anyone have experience with or know much about this head? There's one on Craigslist with a 2x15 Fender cab for $200.

I own a 140 ,just looked it is 200 watts .Loud enough to make my walls vibrate. I payed around that for my 140 in 1976.