Question:
right here's the story. i'm planning on buying my g/f an amp for her Applause AE27 (by Ovation) electro acoustic for her b/day...
Now, I play bass... been playing for around a year.... I'm not too great so I really don't know a greatdeal about technicalities. But I'm sure some of you's do. Now, I've been looking at the
LANEY LA65C Acoustic Amplifier [mainly cos I have a Laney HCM30B practice amp for my bass and it's pretty darned good - plus it's a solid british make] http://www.laney.co.uk/html/products/acoustic/LA65C.htm
"The LA65 is a 65watt two channel dedicated acoustic amplifier with chorus housing 2 x 8" custom designed drivers + horn. Channel 1 features an XLR input, Tape/CD input & volume. Channel 2 features an active & passive input, volume, chorus on/off, bass, Parametric mid, treble insert and line out." - From the Laney site.
She's quite serious about her playing and singing so here are my questions:
1. Is this amp (65W) going to be powerful enough for a small to medium church setting... say up to 500 people? And what about gigging... small rooms...? If not, what would you recommend by way of wattage as a rough guide?
2. Does it have enough EQ settings and 'options' as it were, to make it a good purchase to last her a couple of years down the line? Is it a good enough beginner amp? Cos I don't want to be buying junk lol.
So, having looked at the spec, any of you guys got any alternatives that you would reccommend from experience? in the same price range... which is around £150 - £200 (or around $300 - $400 if you happen to be American!) Any advice (before June 2005!) would be much appreicated!
Also while you're at it... microphones... I'm gonna be asking bout them in another thread... so please all you experts, come to my aid. Thanks in advance.
Jonny B
Answer:
Hi there, good choice, I've liked many of the Laney's I've played.
Yeah 65 watts (solid state) should be enough for meduim sized churches.
A cheaper option that could sound just as good and likely better is to buy here a D/I box and run her acoustic guitar (it has a pickup) through the church sound system (assuming that your church has a sound system)
If not, then the amp would be great and if you did need it louder and did have a church sound system you could mic the amp.
The eq seetings look to be quite good, it also has Chorus? Most likley your g/f's acoustic guitar will have it's own Eq settings on the pickup as well, combined that should provide much tweeking to your likeing.
Other amp options, you could look into a fender acoustic amp, I've liked what I"ve heard there as well.
For vocal mics, if you want a cheap option that is good you can look into a Sure PG48 or for a higher price and better quality try a Shure SM58. AKG also makes quality mics.
Goodluck!
Answer:
Should be fine. I would highly recommend miking the amp regardless though. This way you get a more even sound throughout the church, and she can use the amp as a monitor. Much cleaner overall sound that way.
Answer:
hey 4glory and pianoman!
thanks for your advice! as for the mic, yeah i was looking into a Shure SM58... cos I know they have a solid reputation. Gonna use the 2nd channel on the amp fro it. That'd be cool right...? I assume thats the reaon for the second channel! Cheapest I can find it is on ebay with a bundled 20ft Venom XLR-XLR cable and a Adam Hall mike stand.... all for £95 including shipping... thats... $190 US dollars... is that reasonable? I know things are often cheaper in america.... let me know?
Cheers again!
Jonny
Answer:
Check out Ultrasound amps. They are made in the US and sound best out of everything I have ever played. I think that Laney has a tendancy to sound quite thin.
Answer:
Originally Posted by snakecraig Check out Ultrasound amps. They are made in the US and sound best out of everything I have ever played. I think that Laney has a tendancy to sound quite thin. I don't own an acoustic amp, but when I was looking for one, I read tons of reviews of different acoustic amps on the net. I found that the Ultrasound amps seemed to have the best reviews. I've never played one personally, but pretty much everybody said they amplify the sound perfectly. The only problem is they cost more then you had said you wanted to spend. At least I think they do. Price was the reason I didn't get one (yet). But the 50 watt one did have great reviews. Google it and see for youself.
Good luck!
Answer:
Originally Posted by JaytheK I don't own an acoustic amp, but when I was looking for one, I read tons of reviews of different acoustic amps on the net. I found that the Ultrasound amps seemed to have the best reviews. I've never played one personally, but pretty much everybody said they amplify the sound perfectly. The only problem is they cost more then you had said you wanted to spend. At least I think they do. Price was the reason I didn't get one (yet). But the 50 watt one did have great reviews. Google it and see for youself.
Good luck!
I have two of the 50 watt models in my office now. They sound pretty fantastic. Also the AG-30 sounds marvelous for its size. Most shops that I show them to take the 30 watt at once. They say that it beats everything in its price class.
The 30 watt is also great to just plug into a soundboard. Better then any DI I have ever tried. They also make a DI plus, which is a DI box with the AG-30 built into it. It's quite cheap. Great for those that just want to plug into the board and get a great sound. It does wonders for your acoustic.
Answer:
Originally Posted by JaytheK The only problem is they cost more then you had said you wanted to spend. At least I think they do. Price was the reason I didn't get one (yet).
indeed they do cost a packet. so what did you end up buying?
Answer:
and the fact that ultrasound are a US amp manufacturer and i cant find anywhere that sells a UK variant. power supplies are completely different over here, so thats out of the window. you were right tho, i heard nothing but good things about it.
Answer:
I can fix you up with a Swedish dealer that can sell one to you from over here (some dealers can sell and ship to England). The ones I have are running on 220Volts. I've got them all in stock. I've only got the usual European cables, but you can supply that yourself.
Answer:
turns out i was wrong. there are 2 shops (one in scotland, one in england) that sell them in the UK. but oh my goodness are the prices extortionate. and i mean extortionate. ive see nthe AG-50DS2 for around US$450 in the US.... around £250... but over here it is over £500! that's around $1000 for you US people. stupid specialist elitest shops.
so snakecraig, what price are your stockists in sweeden selling them at?
Answer:
Originally Posted by redhotmoon turns out i was wrong. there are 2 shops (one in scotland, one in england) that sell them in the UK. but oh my goodness are the prices extortionate. and i mean extortionate. ive see nthe AG-50DS2 for around US$450 in the US.... around £250... but over here it is over £500! that's around $1000 for you US people. stupid specialist elitest shops.
so snakecraig, what price are your stockists in sweeden selling them at?
Check out my homepage www.seriousmusic.se and get my e-mail address there. (go into information at the top of the page) Most of its in Swedish, but I think that you'll find our E-mail address all over the site. I cannot post the prices on a forum. (I can get in some trouble!)
Answer:
Originally Posted by redhotmoon indeed they do cost a packet. so what did you end up buying? Ummm.....I didn't. I didn't have enough money (or didn't want to spend my money on that), so I'm just playing my acoustic/electric as an acoustic. And now I just bought Epiphone Goth Les Paul, so I am going to need an electric guitar amp for that, so it'll be a while before I get an acoustic amp.