Question:
I am probably going to sound stupid asking this, but I'm new to guitar playing and don't know better. I just bought myself an Ovation Celebrity (model #CK 057) off of Ebay, and I like it a lot. It's an acoustic/electric, but I haven't bought an amp yet (kind of low on money ) Anyway, I was wondering if there was a difference between acoustic/electric guitar amps and electric guitar amps. I was hoping that I might be able to buy an amp, and then later on buy an electric guitar so I can get that rock-n-roll sound. Or can you actually get distortion from an acoustic/electric? Like I said, I don't know ANYTHING about amps, so any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks for responding!
John

P.S. I know everybody thinks tube amps are better. I will almost positively get one unless someone can give me a VERY good reason not too.

P.P.S. I am looking at a "Pignose G40V 40-Watt All-Tube Amplifier" (http://www.zzounds.com/item--PIGG40V). Any suggestions on if I should buy it?
Answer:
Electric guitar amps are a lo-fi amp, they process the sound in a particular way that sounds good for that purpose. They are not a full range amplification system, like a sound system, home stereo, etc. You can certainly use one for an acoustic, it will sound dull, since it doesn't have a tweeter. Its freqency response drops dramatically at around 5K - 6K hz, acoustic guitars have a lot of harmonic content in those upper 2 octaves. In a pinch, adding a tweeter to one of these will help, but it isn't the best solution.
An amp for acoustic guitars is essentially a small, portable hi-fidelity sound reproduction system with a couple convenient built-in features for using with an acoustic, like some sort of feedback suppression, and maybe reverb, delay, a line out for feeding a house sound system, whatever. These sound much better for acoustic, but would be pretty horrible to plug an electric guitar straight into.
Edit - oh yeah, tube amps are better for ELECTRIC guitars. The Pignose would be a bad choice for acoustic guitar.
Hope that helps.
Answer:
I see. That helps some. I'm still not understanding all of that, but at least now I know they are different. So does that mean I don't-have-to/shouldn't get a tube amp? Is there such a thing as a acoustic tube amp? Basically, I need to know the basics . Thanks for posting!
John
Answer:
Acoustic electric amps are built specifically to deal with the nuances of trying to nail the acoustic sound. One of the primary concerns with amplifying your acoustic guitar is feedback (bad in the acoustic, cool with the electric), so most of these amps will try to eliminate this problem as much as possible. Many of these amps are also set up to handle a microphone input, so as the good Major has said, they are hi-fi systems. I am not aware of any good tube acoustic electric amps currently being made. They are typically SS. Some of the better amps are made by SWR, Roland, Trace Elliot, etc.
In your price range, you might look at the Behringer or a used Fender or Marshall, etc. I tried playing my electrics through the clean channel of my old Marshall 80SR AE amp, but it did not work well. Conversely, my Takamine through my Traynor tube amp does not have the clarity and mojo that is produced through the AE amp. Also, it does not sound as good through my Fender Champ SS amp either. Keep in mind the electric guitar is not meant to sound like an acoustic guitar and vice versa; therefore, it's the reason why each type of amp is different.
Answer:
Because of the differences in amplification needs described above, playing through a PA is a fine way to go (assuming you're talking about playing at church or in a band with a PA system). Many (most) acoustic players do it this way. You can still add effects on the front end if you like (chorus is especially popular with plugged-in acoustics).
Answer:
Thanks for the response, guys! I think I'm getting the idea now. As for playing it through a PA system, I will only be playing it at home most of the time; if I ever get good (at the guitar), maybe I will play at a christian coffeehouse or something. And I'm going to sound REALLY stupid asking this, but what the heck. What does "PA" stand for and what is it? Sorry if I sound dumb.
Thanks for your response!
John
P.S. I've read that ULTRASOUND acoustic amps are good. What do you guys think of the ULTRASOUND AG30 acoustic amp?
Answer:
Originally Posted by johnkess Thanks for the response, guys! I think I'm getting the idea now. As for playing it through a PA system, I will only be playing it at home most of the time; if I ever get good (at the guitar), maybe I will play at a christian coffeehouse or something. And I'm going to sound REALLY stupid asking this, but what the heck. What does "PA" stand for and what is it? Sorry if I sound dumb.
Thanks for your response!
John
P.S. I've read that ULTRASOUND acoustic amps are good. What do you guys think of the ULTRASOUND AG30 acoustic amp?
Public Address - it's derivation goes a ways back.