The first few things that come to our minds on hearing about acoustic guitar amplifiers are the big speakers and cabinets behind the singers at the concerts. If you are looking for something that can amplify the sound of your guitar effectively, then you have to understand a whole lot of stuff. You need to know about the functions of the amplifiers along with the pedals and cables attached to them. Because everything counts for the best quality sound production.
However, the market has ample options to offer you with. A good acoustic guitar amplifier should be able to accurately reproduce the clear and natural tone of the instrument. The amplifier with flat frequency response and pure sound would be an ideal choice. At the same time, a good amplifier comes with good quality guitar pedalboard cables. One cable connects the guitar to the pedalboard, and another is connected between the pedalboard and the amplifiers. These cables in-between the guitar, pedalboard, and amplifiers are called guitar patch cables.
Therefore, this buying guide is going to help you set up your system before you start embarking on your journey.
How to Choose the Best Acoustic Guitar Amplifier?
Channels
The greater number of channels in an amplifier can ensure versatile performance. Most of the guitar amplifiers have more than one channel. The channels make it possible to plug in multiple guitars or instruments or vocal microphones altogether depending on your need. Each channel can independently control the different inputs and provide power to the speakers. Thus, the channels help in producing versatile yet balanced sound output.
Inputs
The acoustic guitar amps work in a slightly different way from the electric guitar ones. These have different input types. Such as ¼-inch connectors for instruments and XLR connectors for mics. The amplifiers even have inputs for stereo audio devices like iPods or laptops. Some amplifiers have all the input options, while some have a combination of certain types. Make sure the amplifier has all the connection types that you need before you choose.
Onboard effects
The acoustic amplifiers come with a few built-in effects. Some of the effects won’t impact enough on your sound, while some others can completely change the sound. But these effects are not as good as the effects available on a well-equipped pedalboard. Moreover, you can always expand the possibilities of effects with external guitar pedals or multi-effect processor. So, these should not be one of the most important criteria while choosing an amplifier.
Feedback control
Most guitar amplifiers come with some feedback control options. This is an important feature, indeed. Some amplifiers come with push-button feedback control, and some have a more elaborate control system. The push-button system can compromise with the tone of the original instrument. This is why, while looking for this feature, consider the impact on the sound as well as the ease of use.
Guitar Pedalboard Cables
The flat patch cable is a small cable that is used to connect your effect pedals and your amplifier. These cables shorten the length of the cables. It allows your signal to maintain the integrity and frequency of the sound. The length of the patch cables is between 6” to 12”. Besides, these cables are cheaper than the full-sized cables. TourGearDesigns is one reliable company that has a range of these flat patch cables you can opt for.
Final Takeaway
To summarize the entire discussion, we would suggest that you should keep in mind the style of your playing and in which parts you need amplification. Hopefully, this guide will come helpful in guiding you to choose the perfect amplifier for the best sound effect. And don’t forget that TourGearDesigns is one of the best resources for flat pedal cables for your acoustic guitar.