Acoustic B1000HD

[bdplaid]

Birthday coming up (Big One) and the family treated me to a new amp; I chose this Acoustic B1000HD, partly because it was on sale and partly because I was curious.

You know what? I like it. A lot. It sounds really good through my Subway 115 (beefy, tight and growly, and with the graphic I can dial out a lot of the tweeter). But it's not perfect...

I agree with Ed Friedland; the fan is loud, and ill-placed. Makes me think the amp started it's design as a helicopter.

The blue LEDS on the front are positively blinding. The amp would probably have 2000 watts if not for those.

Initially, the amp made a weird sound at a weird time - a static-y, crackly sort of sound akin to a bad pot, but only as a note would trail off. Only did it when the graphic EQ was active. I have played with all the knobs and buttons and let the thing burn in all evening, and for the moment has stopped. I'll keep an eye on it.

But I wanted to ask - anyone else player this amp, and what do you think, particularly about reliability?

 

[casbonano]

man. I guess no one is into these amps. or you. but i am (the amps that is ). I was about to buy a 600w head. any feed back on your purchase.
(efin duff mckaggan leaded playing in the background with terrible vocals driving me bonkers. remembre that candy> bonkers?)

 

[bdplaid]

I guess no one is into these amps. or you.

I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me...

I like this amp. Have only had it a couple of days, but despite the odd issues, it's won me over. It being the acoustic brand (Chinese-made house brand for GC), I question it's long term reliability and will therefore lug along a spare amp.

The things I like about it are:

1. The transparent tone. Others including @edfriedland have remarked about the amp having no baked-in tone. I agree, and I like it. Nothing there to have to work around.
2. The 8-band graphic plus low and high controls plus sweepable Notch Filter plus Super low and Super High... There's a lot one can do with the tone section. And the Notch is more useful than I thought it would be. Methinks the tone section is well thought-out.
3. The compressor. It's hardly anything to write home about given the rather stellar state of bass pedal compression these days, but I think it's useful in taming the power that this amp seems to be able to generate. It may be useful in speaker protection when connecting the head to cabs with power ratings lower than what this amp seems capable of putting out.

In the end, it's all about the tone, and I look forward to getting this to a gig to wring it out.

 

[RoadRanger]

BTW in the past the GC/MF Acoustic brand was designed and manufactured by the "new" Kustom company - I suspect these are as well.

 

[bdplaid]

BTW in the past the GC/MF Acoustic brand was designed and manufactured by the "new" Kustom company - I suspect these are as well.

If this is true, it suggests that a company is buying up the rights to these old names and logos and such, and making new amps with just old names on them.

I had no allusions that acoustic had anything to do with the company of the 1970s, I knew they went out of business decades ago. But this info suggests a broader influx into the market: essentially the same line of amps with different nameplates.

Doesn't surprise me, and with greed what it is today, it's rather expected.

 

[bdplaid]

and wherever it's birthplace, in playing the B1000HD today, it sounds killer.

 

[bdplaid]

Played the B1000HD last night with the band. Sounds great. Band likes it a lot too. Been awhile since I had a graphic EQ on an amp, and I find the utility just awesome. Easily cut lows and highs without affecting the bulk of the mid. Love it!

 

[BassmanPaul]

Have a happy birthday when it comes.

Are you old enough to join the Old Fart's Club?

 

[bdplaid]

Charter member!

 

[blubass]

I purchased an Acoustic b300hd and really didn't like it. The knobs were scratchy, and the compressor didn't work. The input on the front was fairly loose as well and wouldn't inspire confidence. I purchased it in a hurry to cover another amp for band practice, and promptly returned it less than a week later.

Tone was okay. Nothing to sneeze at, and nothing to write home about for myself. They were still full price at the time, between $350 and $400 for the one I got, which really was a bummer after I compared it to a Fender Rumble 500.

I'm glad you're enjoying the amp though, I hope it is a workhorse for you!

 

[bdplaid]

The thing that got me looking at this particular amp was the graphic EQ - and it was on sale! I played a 600, and to me it sounds similar to the 1000 without the extended EQ, but I don't think I'd have bought it; it's pretty much like any other amp. I imagine the the 300 is even moreso.

I also have a Rumble 500 and a Subway 800, and a couple of MarkBass. They all sound good, but for just the tone, I like the Acoustic, reason being that there is almost no "baked-in" tone, it very much has a rock tone, but not like the GK's. The Acoustic is barkier. Both Rumble and Mesa have a tube-like quality.

I still really like both Rumble and Mesa though, and suspect they may both be more reliable than the Acoustic - which is the reason I also bought an extended warranty with it.

 

[WaynerBass]

Is the low/high knobs active?

 

[bdplaid]

Is the low/high knobs active?

if you mean cut/boost, yes.

 

[Wicked G]

So after owning it all these months, how do you feel about it now? I purchased the B600HD over a year and a half ago and find the fan whisper quiet but have read that the 1000 watt version is loud. I have thought about getting rid of mine and my GK MB500 to help fund a Genzler Magellan, but then every time I plug into the Acoustic it just sounds good. I really can't find any real faults with it.

I think maybe I just spend too much time, here on Talkbass, reading about how cheap Acoustic is and how it is owned by the evil Guitar Center and how much better other amps are. But then I plug into it and it reminds me how much more I liked it in comparison to some other heavily hyped amps here that really didn't do it for me. So for now I'm keeping it and I'll get the Genzler a little later on.

 

[bdplaid]

I still have the Acoustic B1000HD and still like it. But...

On a lark I bought one of the new Acoustic Neo 410 cabs GC recently had on sale for 350. It sounded great, but there was apparently so little bracing inside the cab that the top vibrated the amp (nearly) off it. It looked like the old electric football game where the players would move on a vibrating playing field. I sat on top of it while I played with my bass-heavy rock band and felt my eyeballs vibrate. Literally. Still, it sounded great. But knowing that the cab was built for shite, I returned it.

I was powering it the the B1000. Not a hiccup from the head. yes the fan is loud, but at band volume you won't hear it. Yes the fan is in a really bad place (top of the head.). But I still have it around for kicks and backup.

Would I stake my rep on it? No. I do think it's a cheap amp. I just like it. If I were to have to pay full freight for it, like $600, I'd put that money toward a better head. For example, the Quilter BB800 is $599. A GK MB800 can be had used for $450 (I just re-bought one).

If you have to have one, wait for a sale.

 

[WaynerBass]

Ok so I recieved the Acoustic B1000HD yesterday afternoon, I bought it while it was on sale at GC.

This is my 3rd class D head.

My first class D was the Fender Rumble 500v3.

My 2nd class D is the Peavey MiniMega 1000.

So in comparison of the 3... all 3 amps are being evaluated through 2 Fender Rumble cabinets. The 410 and 115 respectively with tweeter in the off position.

The Fender Rumble 500v3 -

This amp has an output of 500 watts rms and to my ears is a one trick pony and if you want that vintage smooth tone thats slightly compressed with plenty of headroom then the Fender is a great amp. The overdrive on this amp is not really anything like overdrive that I find on the other 2 amps.. mainly what the overdrive does on the Fender is bump up the headroom slightly, gives the low end more oomph.. if I had to rate this amp it would get a solid 7 only because I can't seem to get that chest vibrating feel from this amp and because it has a built in automatic compression circuit, I don't think any kind of drive pedal in the front end sounds to good.. It colors your tone vintage. I have run other effects with good results, especially so through the effect loop. Also the XLR out is great! Comes with a carrying bag.

Peavey MiniMega 1000 -

In the past I have owned many Peveay heads from a 1978 MarkV to a Firebass 700. this amp first off is a claimed 500 watts more than the Fender 500. For a total output of 1000 watts rms. Has an adjustable compressor from off to full on. It works well but use it sparingly as it will squash your signal if turned up to much. It's musical but not so much. A pedal compressor is much better. This amp has more features than you need imho. It has an effect called Kosmos which is adjustable via it's own knob and off/on button.. sounds like a slight doubling effect to me, you can definetly tell it's working, takes your signal and adds a second signal an octave lower.. guess this may be good for dub step, djent or house music, I am old school player and play classic rock so I can't find a use for it. It also has a psych-accoustics button and effect level knob.. I like this built in effect. It fattens up your sound and gives it an old school really FAT tone.. it's mids controls also have notch filters with on/off switches. And it has a multitude of lighting options that light up all functions so it's very "dark or dimly lit stage friendly" you can't adjust the brightness. Overall this amp with the right settings punch hard, is transparent for the most part. The eye candy of lights are really cool at first and you'll want to shiw it off to your band mates and fans but after you get used to them it's pretty much just a nice feature. It takes pedals very well in the front end and loop. Comes with a carrying bag. I would rate this amp an 8.

Acoustic B1000HD -

This amp I truly bought this head on a whim. In the past I have owned the 1st gen B200 and B800 which never failed me, these heads sounded good but very heavy.

This head says it weighs 8.5 lbs but to me it feels like it's heavier. When I got it yesterday, it came 3hrs before band practice so I took it with me. When I got to rehearsal I plugged her up to my cabs, turned it on and and immediately noticed the fan noise but it was quiet in the room, can't hear it at all while playing through it. I pretty much flattened out the EQ and tone knobs. The compressor on this amp to my ears is very nice, it's adjustable with and on/off button and knob to adjust. First off this amp hits hard, I can feel it in my chest! And has a ton of headroom!! Playing through the night I tried the super low ( I would only use this button at low volumes because it will fatten up your tone a lot) I used the graphic EQ to fine tune the tone, very nice to have. I tried the overdrive and this has the better sounding overdrive as compared to the other two, it has a switch for on/off and a overdrive level and blend level knobs, you can get from a slight tubey bump up to a decent grind tone. Overall it is transparent and punches really well like the old school acoustics punched well. The XLR out was quiet and had an adjustable output. I did not use the loop as of yet. Overall this amp hits the hardest and with bass you can not only hear but feel as well. My band mates even comment that they coukd feel the bass better and when you can feel it, it helped them to lock in with me a little better. I'm loving this amp right now, only time will tell in the long term. Overall as of this writting I will rate this amp a solid 8 but if the effects loop works well and I have no issues in the future, I may bump it up to a solid 9...

I'll keep you posted but honestly, all 3 amps serve up great tone and reliability on a budget. Good luck!

 

[Wicked G]

Very good review WaynerBass. I'm sure people looking at these 3 amps will appreciate the effort you put into it.

 

[foolforthecity]

Ok so I recieved the Acoustic B1000HD yesterday afternoon, I bought it while it was on sale at GC.

This is my 3rd class D head.

My first class D was the Fender Rumble 500v3.

My 2nd class D is the Peavey MiniMega 1000.

So in comparison of the 3... all 3 amps are being evaluated through 2 Fender Rumble cabinets. The 410 and 115 respectively with tweeter in the off position.

The Fender Rumble 500v3 -

This amp has an output of 500 watts rms and to my ears is a one trick pony and if you want that vintage smooth tone thats slightly compressed with plenty of headroom then the Fender is a great amp. The overdrive on this amp is not really anything like overdrive that I find on the other 2 amps.. mainly what the overdrive does on the Fender is bump up the headroom slightly, gives the low end more oomph.. if I had to rate this amp it would get a solid 7 only because I can't seem to get that chest vibrating feel from this amp and because it has a built in automatic compression circuit, I don't think any kind of drive pedal in the front end sounds to good.. It colors your tone vintage. I have run other effects with good results, especially so through the effect loop. Also the XLR out is great! Comes with a carrying bag.

Peavey MiniMega 1000 -

In the past I have owned many Peveay heads from a 1978 MarkV to a Firebass 700. this amp first off is a claimed 500 watts more than the Fender 500. For a total output of 1000 watts rms. Has an adjustable compressor from off to full on. It works well but use it sparingly as it will squash your signal if turned up to much. It's musical but not so much. A pedal compressor is much better. This amp has more features than you need imho. It has an effect called Kosmos which is adjustable via it's own knob and off/on button.. sounds like a slight doubling effect to me, you can definetly tell it's working, takes your signal and adds a second signal an octave lower.. guess this may be good for dub step, djent or house music, I am old school player and play classic rock so I can't find a use for it. It also has a psych-accoustics button and effect level knob.. I like this built in effect. It fattens up your sound and gives it an old school really FAT tone.. it's mids controls also have notch filters with on/off switches. And it has a multitude of lighting options that light up all functions so it's very "dark or dimly lit stage friendly" you can't adjust the brightness. Overall this amp with the right settings punch hard, is transparent for the most part. The eye candy of lights are really cool at first and you'll want to shiw it off to your band mates and fans but after you get used to them it's pretty much just a nice feature. It takes pedals very well in the front end and loop. Comes with a carrying bag. I would rate this amp an 8.

Acoustic B1000HD -

This amp I truly bought this head on a whim. In the past I have owned the 1st gen B200 and B800 which never failed me, these heads sounded good but very heavy.

This head says it weighs 8.5 lbs but to me it feels like it's heavier. When I got it yesterday, it came 3hrs before band practice so I took it with me. When I got to rehearsal I plugged her up to my cabs, turned it on and and immediately noticed the fan noise but it was quiet in the room, can't hear it at all while playing through it. I pretty much flattened out the EQ and tone knobs. The compressor on this amp to my ears is very nice, it's adjustable with and on/off button and knob to adjust. First off this amp hits hard, I can feel it in my chest! And has a ton of headroom!! Playing through the night I tried the super low ( I would only use this button at low volumes because it will fatten up your tone a lot) I used the graphic EQ to fine tune the tone, very nice to have. I tried the overdrive and this has the better sounding overdrive as compared to the other two, it has a switch for on/off and a overdrive level and blend level knobs, you can get from a slight tubey bump up to a decent grind tone. Overall it is transparent and punches really well like the old school acoustics punched well. The XLR out was quiet and had an adjustable output. I did not use the loop as of yet. Overall this amp hits the hardest and with bass you can not only hear but feel as well. My band mates even comment that they coukd feel the bass better and when you can feel it, it helped them to lock in with me a little better. I'm loving this amp right now, only time will tell in the long term. Overall as of this writting I will rate this amp a solid 8 but if the effects loop works well and I have no issues in the future, I may bump it up to a solid 9...

I'll keep you posted but honestly, all 3 amps serve up great tone and reliability on a budget. Good luck!
View attachment 1136064

Hey WD, looking for an inexpensive Class D. My PF-500 was starting to sound a bit gritty last weekend so in my search for a lightweight less costly head I came across the B1000HD then found your write up.... what's your take on it after a few months? I'd use it to drive two Ampeg Portaflex cabs.

 

[zon6c-f]

Early Fall I tried store demo GC AC 300 and loved it and 2-10 neo cab which proved heavier than I wanted and didn't sound so good with low B

Returned cab Ordered new unit which died a slow death every 10-15 min

Exchanged it for 600... just didn't need 1000 Watt unit

Loved the too brite blue eq for easy visual tone but ... didn't seem to do anything to really affect tone

Took head to a dealer with more high end components and compared AC 600 to Genzler and Bergantino clas D amps

Sadly the GC AC 600 cracked and buzzed repeatedly and especially when EQ was engaged which led to choice between Genzler and Bergantino

I chose Bergantino rig: Lighter and no noisy quality issues

Kudos to GC for No Hassle return of Acoustic rig

I felt badly because I like to shop and support local businesses Again kudos to
GC return policy

Had the 300 performed liked the display unit I'd have been Very satisfied but always curious about the eq on the 600 model
And very satisfied with my Berg rig ; not likely to fizzle out during a gig

 

[Sav'nBass]

I play through one of these.. Not bad at all. The sax player in my band who also plays bass uses one.. I agree about the LEDs .. Too bad you can't turn them down.. I also agree with your review..