Best Acoustic Guitar Amp

If you are playing regular gigs, especially as a singer/songwriter, you know how important it is to have a reliable amp. To get the best sound and performance possible, you are going to want to use the best acoustic guitar amp you can find.

If you've ever tried playing your acoustic guitar through a standard electric guitar amp, you know that it just doesn't sound quite right. Sometimes the sound is a little "boxey". Sometimes you get a crazy amount of feedback. In most cases it just sounds like "your guitar playing through an amp" and not just "your guitar".

One of the key differences between an acoustic guitar amp and a regular amp is they are designed to take advantage of the resonating quality of an acoustic guitar. So avoid the constant feedback and the lackluster sound and grab yourself one of these fantastic acoustic guitar amps.

The Best Acoustic Guitar Amp

Before we get to the full list we like to give you our overall top pick first.

The Best Sounding Acoustic Guitar Amp

Our top pick from this list is the Fishman PRO-LBT-600 Loudbox Artist Bluetooth 120W Acoustic Guitar Amplifier. This amp, and the rest of the Loudbox series, is a fantastic amp.

You can plug in your guitar, your vocals, run effects, fight feedback, and more. If you are looking for a powerful, clear, and versatile amp for your acoustic guitar, you will not be disappointed.

Our Top Picks

under 50w

1. Yamaha THR5 Mini Acoustic Guitar Amplifier

2. Roland AC-33RW 30-Watt 2x5-Inch Acoustic Chorus Guitar Amp

50w to 100w

3. Marshall Acoustic Soloist AS50D 50 Watt Acoustic Guitar Amplifier

4. Stagg 60 AA R USA 60 Watt RMS Acoustic Guitar Amplifier with Spring Reverb

over 100w

5. Fishman PRO-LBT-600 Loudbox Artist Bluetooth 120W Acoustic Guitar Amplifier

6. Boss Acoustic Singer PRO

7. Fender Acoustic SFX Amplifier

Best Acoustic Amp Review

As you can see, we've split this list into three categories; under 50w, 50w to 100w, and over 100w.

Here is our complete breakdown of all the amps we have reviewed.

Under 50 Watt

5. Fishman PRO-LBT-600 Loudbox Artist Bluetooth 120W Acoustic Guitar Amplifier

Description: Fishman is well known in the guitar amplification world. In fact, many of the best acoustic electric guitars we've reviewed have Fishman pickups and preamps in them. That's why we have picked the Fishman PRO-LBT-600 Loudbox as our top acoustic guitar amp.

So guitar amplification is nothing new for them. The entire line of Loudbox Acoustic Guitar amps are excellent. Not only do they come in a 120w, like the PRO-LBT-600, but you can also get them in 60w (battery powered and portable), 60w (corded), and a whopping 180w; ALL of them Bluetooth enabled.

The featured amp delivers 120w of power through a pair of high quality speakers; 1 100w 8' woofer and another 1 20w 1" soft dome tweeter. The combination of these speakers are designed to relay the full range of your guitar's sound.

The onboard effects include chorus, flanger, and slap echo as well as an optional foot pedal jack on the back. Craft your sound with a full 3-band EQ as well as a notch filter to control your feedback.

Dimensions: 13.5” H x 15.5” W x 11.5” D

Weight: 25.5 lbs

Watts: 120w

Speakers: 2 speakers total: 1 8' woofer (100w) and 1 1' soft dome tweeter (20w)

Type (Tube/Solid State?): solid state

Onboard Effects/Modeling?: yes

Pros:

- Bluetooth connectivity is super convenient
- phantom power for condenser mic
- bi-amplified speakers give you a full range of sound

6. Boss Acoustic Singer PRO

Description: If you are a gigging singer/songwriter, this amp has your name all over it. You get phantom power so you can use a standard or condenser microphone. The vocal channel had a delay/echo effect and a harmony function that will digitally analyze the chords and key of the song you're playing and add in harmony vocals.

On the guitar side of things you have 120w bi-amp 8" woofer with an additional dome tweeter. The guitar channel has it's own chorus effect and is also equipped with "Acoustic Resonance" which helps to maintain the integrity of your guitar's natural tone.

There is a built-in looper as well as an input that supports a foot switch. In addition to the previously mentioned effects, the dual channel audio controls include a full 3-band EQ, reverb, and an anti-feedback control.

Dimensions: 14.76 x 17.17 x 19.69 inches

Weight: 36 pounds

Watts: 120w

Speakers: 1 8" with additional tweeter

Type (Tube/Solid State?): solid state

Onboard Effects/Modeling?: yes (Chorus effect on guitar channel, delay/echo effect on mic channel, and independent reverb on both channels Harmony function creates vocal harmonies via real-time key/chord analysis of the guitar input)

Pros:

- vocal harmonizer
- built in looper

Cons:

- no way to mount on a stand

What is it?

It is an amp that has lower wattage and a smaller speaker. The wattage generally falls in the 3 watt to 50 watt range, depending on the size. Practice amps are smaller, lighter, and have lower volume so that they are more accessible and easier to just plug in and play.

What is the difference between an acoustic amp and a regular amp?

Do you need a special amp for an acoustic guitar

Why Do You Need One?

The two main reasons you would want an acoustic amp is for live performance and practice.

When Do You Need One?

An unplugged acoustic guitar does not have the same pitfalls that an unplugged electric guitar would have. Your sound will essentially be the same with or without an amp, assuming you are not using any effects.

When you need one is when you are starting to add some effects to your playing, when you want to add a microphone for your voice, and/or when you start performing live.

Work on your technique

The fundamentals of playing on your acoustic guitar (i.e. scale runs, chord positions, etc) won't really change whether you are plugged in or not. However, the velocity in which your pick and strum can be a little lower and you can still be heard when plugged in.

If you are playing live, you will want to practice with an acoustic amp so that you can perfect your "plugged in" technique.

No Bad Habits

This kind of piggybacks on the section above. If you are practicing regularly with an amp, you aren't going to form any bad habits.

Sound Shaping

Modern amps offer a lot of effects and modeling options. The only way to take advantage of molding your acoustic sound is by running it through an acoustic amplifier.

How To Choose An Acoustic Guitar Amp

There are a few things to consider when picking out an amp.

Type

Tube, Solid state, or Modeling Amp?

This is really going to come down to your own personal preference. What kind of sound do you want your guitar to have.

A tube amp is going to have a more classic, warm tone and vibe. However, there are many solid state and modeling amps that do a pretty good job at mimicking a classic tube sound.

You can also use a modeling amp to try out other amp/head/cabinet combinations. Read reviews, watch some videos and figure out what sound you want to play.

Stereo or Mono?

You will sometimes see an amp offering you a single mono speaker, multiple mono speakers, or multiple stereo speakers. Typically when you have a multi mono speaker setup, the amp will play the sound at the advertised wattage (example: 150 watts). If it's a two speaker cabinet, each will play the same sound at half the wattage (example: 75 watts x 2 = 150 watts).

With a stereo speaker setup, you will still get the same wattage split but you will get a true stereo sound. This is generally used with effects. So if you are using a flanger pedal, you can have the effect pan from the left channel to the right channel or vice versa.

The stereo vs mono debate really comes down to what sound you want to hear. If you are not using effects, you may not need or want a stereo amp.

Features

Some amps come with a bunch of bells and whistles, like modeling options, various effects, downloadable patches, Bluetooth connectivity. Some amps are just bare bones and simple. What are you looking for in an amp?

Effects

You can get a ton of amps these days packed full of different effects and pre-loaded sounds. You can even find online communities that share downloadable effects you can use on your amp. If this is something that excites you about playing, you may want to grab an amp that has an effects package.

Size/Portability

Since most amps available these days are solid state and not tube amps, the average weight of an amp has started to go down. However, they can still take up a good bit of space and larger amps are still not light.

You should assess what you will be using the amp for, where it will need to go, and how much room you have available to transport and store it. You don't want to spends a good chunk of change on a high quality amp and not be able to take it anywhere to gig because it won't fit in your car.

Inputs/Outputs/Dual Channel

Many acoustic guitarists play to accompany themselves while singing. Some acoustic guitar amps can play double duty and offer a two channel system. So you can plug your guitar in and control it on one channel and plug in your vocal mic with controls on another.

If you are a solo singer/songwriter, this might be right up your alley.

Power/Wattage

How much volume are you going to need? Most smaller acoustic venues can probably handle an amp that is 50 watts or so. Larger venues, with more crowd noise, you will want something bigger.

If you are using it just for practice, anything over 50 watts and your neighbors may start to hate you. Or they'll become your biggest fans. It could either way.

Anti-Feedback

Because acoustic guitars resonate they can cause feedback that you won't experience with a solid body electric guitar. Basically, the sound you play resonates in the guitar and comes out of the amplifier, which re-enters the guitar through the soundhole causing more resonance, which comes out of the amplifier and goes back...you get the picture. You end up with one big feedback loop.

Many acoustic guitar amps nowadays give you phase control and notch filter options to mitigate this feedback loop. Some acoustic amps even have a built-in smart anti-feedback function.

Price

I know we hate to talk about price but it can sometimes be the most important factor in picking an amp. You want to make sure the amps you are looking at will fit into your budget.

If you already have any pedals, loopers, tuners, etc, you may need, a bare bones amp may do the trick. If you want an all in one package, you may want to spend a little extra and get an amp with some effects and modeling features.

Depending on what you need you can figure out if you want the best acoustic amp for cheap or if you want a pricier model.

How To Set Up Your New Amp

You can plug right in and start playing but to really get the best sound, you will want to go through a set up process.

The first thing you may want to do is elevate your amp off of the floor. Isolating your amp will keep it from vibrating too much on the floor and creating a bassy, muddy mix.

Next, turn all of your knobs to 5. This will give you a good baseline for what your amp will sound like and you can adjust from there. Then, adjust each setting individually.

Don't just start tweaking all at once, it will be difficult to know what is changing your sound. Adjust one of the knobs until you like what you hear and then move to the next knob.

You will want to use your bass sparingly. The bass will give your guitar a heavier, warm, and thick tone. However, too much can get muddy really quick.

The treble is what controls the high end of your sound. If you ever hear someone talking about a guitar sound "sprakling", that's the treble. Adjust this to taste.

The mids cover everything in betwee. This is kinda like the seasoning to the meal that is the treble and bass control. The mid control is also what can help you cut through and stand out in a band mix.

If you have a gain control, this will basically give you distortion. If you want to try out a distorted sound with your acoustic, start low and gradually adjust until you are happy with the sound.

Remember, your guitar sound is all about personal preference. There is no right or wrong way to set up and adjust your sound. These are just some guidelines to help you get started and avoid analysis paralysis when looking at all the options available to you.

Overall Top choice

Again, our top pick for best acoustic guitar amp is the Fishman PRO-LBT-600 Loudbox Artist Bluetooth 120W Acoustic Guitar Amplifier. This amp has anything you could want in an acoustic amp; dual channel audio so you can amplify your guitar and your voice, phantom power for your condenser mic, a few effects and a foot pedal jack. You can even get a similar model in various sizes.

Conclusion

There are a ton of awesome acoustic guitar amps on this list. We wanted to not only offer some great models but those models in various sizes. There is definitely an amp on this list that will meet all of your needs. We can't wait to hear which one you pick.

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