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What happened to amps made by Acoustic?

Discussion in 'Amps and Cabs [BG]' started by DuluthDank, Jun 9, 2019.

  1. Jun 9, 2019 #1
    DuluthDank

    DuluthDank

    May 11, 2008
    Minneapolis, MN
    I'd never given the brand much thought, as I've only seen them in Guitar center and had never noticed one of of their amps on stage anywhere. What got me interested is that on my Zoom B3N multi effects processor, the Acoustic 370 amp is by far the best sounding "always on" amp sim I could find. Considering that they included it on their limited list, clearly it was iconic at some point. I did a bit of research and found out that Jaco's sound was the combo of his Jazz bass with an Acoustic amp, for instance. So what happened to make them such small player these days, and how is their stuff now? I see you could assemble a nice Acoustic rig of stacked 112 neo cabs and a 600 watt class D head for less money than most brands, and the head has lots of great features built in. Does the new class D stuff retain the same tonal footprint as the old stuff, sort of like Ampeg's portaflex series?
     
  2. Jun 9, 2019 #2
    AGCurry

    AGCurry Supporting Member

    Jun 29, 2005
    St. Louis
    The Acoustic brand has been run by at least three different owners since, I think, the early 1970s. The Acoustic amps you see in GC are NOT the amps Jaco Pastorius used. That's all I know.
     
    TinIndian likes this.
  3. Jun 9, 2019 #3
    Nighttrain1127

    Nighttrain1127 Supporting Member

    Nov 27, 2004
    Near Worcester MA
    The acoustic amps you see in GC Brand new today are a GC Brand and the old ones were made by Acoustic Control Corporation and have nothing in common with each other except the name
     
  4. Jun 9, 2019 #4
    JTE

    JTE Gold Supporting Member

    Mar 12, 2008
    Central Illinois, USA
    Acoustic Control Corporation disappeared in the '80s. The name only was revived and that's the GC stuff. One of the latter people at the original company was Steven W. Rabbe. He founded a company named SWR, making maps and selling cabinets made by David Nordschow's company Eden Electronics. Rabbe sold SWR to other people and started another company making small headphone amps. Eventually Fender Musical Instrument Corporation bought SWR and operated it for a few years until shuttering it due to lousy sales.
     
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  5. Jun 9, 2019 #5
    Bill Whitehurst

    Bill Whitehurst

    Sep 25, 2010
    Fort Worth, Texas
    If you like the sound of the sim, you might love the real deal.
    ACC Acoustics were pricey but coveted when new.
    They were built to last and many have.
    Do some research and there are a lot of YouTube vids,
    forum posts and opinions about them.
    Be aware that there were no light weight class D amps back in the day
    and the 360s or 370s is as big and almost as heavy as an SVT.
    Other models less so.
    You will find that they still have some devoted fans.
     
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