An Amplifier for both Acoustic and electric

BTW for acoustic, are you intending to play gigs to public?

The only reason(s) you really need to plug one in at home is if you want effects or record it (and for that you may be better off with a mic anyhow unless streaming?)

Thanks Rob. The problem with micā€™ing the guitar firstly is the cost of a good mic and secondly wouldnā€™t there be the same problem of frequency response with the amp, unless I went with a PA? Then there would be a question of the electric guitar straight through the PA. I would see that to use mics I would be just creating more clutter in my already cluttered life.

Iā€™d go amp or direct to pa with acoustic live was more talking about home.

As for electric there are many many boxes / pedals that can do excellent amp sim and cab IR etc whole amp in a box solutions if you know you can run to a PA or frfr cab

I think itā€™s a great time but there are near endless options!

Well Derek, your question has had me wondering since I read this yesterday.
Especially the want to play bass through whatever amp.

The common answer is the boss. It always is.

So, trying to look at this from outside the box as the question to me is outside the box. Wanting a acoustic, elec. bass amp. Perhaps my best answer has finally come to me.

How about just get a audio interface?
Itā€™ll cover all your wants.
Ya can plug whatever ya want into it.
Use your favorite monitor speakers. Or in lieu of monitor speakers. Use your stereo (which I assume ya got, the clutter is already there taking up space) to get the music to your ears. Just assuming ya got a stereo. When I got the AI I thought I needed some powered monitor speakers. In the end, I just run the AI speaker out to my aux in on my stereo. It works very well.
I can monitor whatever (acoustic, elec. guitar, I assume bass) I plug into it from headphones (which I donā€™t like, but do use) or ya can play through your stereo, works like a amp.
My only concern would be feedback. When I plug into my AI and use the stereo, I can get feedback pretty easy, but at lower volumes, the AI donā€™t care if I play acoustic or elec., and I assume bass too (though Iā€™ve not tried that as I ainā€™t got a bass) through it.
To me, I consider the AI, when Iā€™m plugged direct into the AI, as the most clarity of whatever guitar I plug into it. Saying that another way is, the AI gives me the closest to what my guitar sounds like w/o coloring the tone at all via whatever amp I use. It reproduces the tone of my guitar. Acoustic or elec. If ya gotta have effects, get them through the daw that youā€™ll need too I think. daws can be free (I use traction waveform) and ya can get your plugins for whatever effect your wanting via the plugin for the daw.

Side benefit is ya can record as that is I think what the audio interface is designed for. It just happens ya can monitor the sound live.

Last comment is. For sure I play my acoustic/elec through my AI, but only when I record and I want to record direct in to the AI. As in, not live mic. the acoustic. But, me personally, the only time I want to amp my acoustic is when I do record. If I ainā€™t recording, I donā€™t need a amp for my acoustic. Itā€™s not like Iā€™m playing for a crowd of folks.

This is just food for thought.
I can think of no amp that will cover acoustic, elce. and electric bass. These three instruments to me all seem to have different requirements for reproducing their respective tone. Anything that could do all three, to me, would likely have some kind of trade off so it can do all three. AI donā€™t have that drawback since itā€™s job is to reproduce whatever ya plug into it.

Side benefit, audio interface takes up about zero space (very little clutter) + ya can record.

To me, audio interface meets your requirements. Albeit, using a AI this way is, to me, thinking outside the box.

fwiw.
Myself, I like amps. Got 3. I put them in places that are already wasted space. Wasted space in my case is. one amp under a desk, one next to a stereo speaker. Both along a wall. Last one sits on top of a separating banister between my living room and dining room. If the amp werenā€™t there, some kind of clutter would be. Iā€™m not big into clutter either as my house is 833 sq. ft. So space is at a premium at my house. Clutter is out, organization is inā€¦ :wink:

Good luck.

Thanks for that HC.
I have to say, if I havenā€™t already the bass would need separate kit I am sure and I havenā€™t seen anything that would effectively handle a bass along with acoustic.

I havenā€™t delved into AI and DAW but my impression is that is all computer based. Having finally retired from a lifetime working in computing and IT I am reluctant to spend more time in front of a screen than I have too, like you I prefer actual amps rather than ethereal lines of code. I do have a stereo, in fact I have two both around 30 years old but still working well. The problem with being tied to the PC and the stereo is being fixed in the same place. I like to move to different parts of the house depending on the time of day and how I feel, even playing along with the TV.

i know I am sounding like I am finding issues where there may not exist but the search for the perfect solution is frustrating. I should just dive in and buy something/anything just to get started and move on from there. When I was playing as a teenager one of my band members father was into his HiFi, he had a room dedicated with a specific chair placed just right and spent huge amounts perfecting the sound he was after. Once he got there he decided he didnā€™t like it after all and traded it all in for a set of separates that was considered at the low end of the market. I donā€™t feel I have the years or money to do that and living remote form major centers of commerce I have to rely on on-line and mail order so canā€™t actually see the kit in the flesh.
Your right about clutter, if you have a space it has to be filled with somethingā€¦anything.

Many thanks for you detailed reply I am learning so much from all you guys and I think it is helping me narrow down my choice.

You may like the Yamaha thr30ii. Itā€™s portable with its own battery. Wireless if you buy a dongle. Low volume. You can play it anywhere, even in the garden.

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Thatā€™s what acoustics guitars are forā€¦ :wink: :slight_smile:

A acoustic guitar really does eliminate many issues. All ya need is you and your guitar to make music anywhere, anytime.
A very simple recipe. No electricity neededā€¦ :slight_smile:

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That is very true

True :slight_smile: Acoustic guitars have a special place in my heart even though I mostly played electric in the past year :slight_smile:

Thatā€™s indeed the main disadvantage of AI. Though, I realize that I still need my computer all the time when playing guitar to watch Justinā€™s video, find tabs, play with backing tracks, use the practice assistant, discuss in the community :rofl: So in the end, I pretty much increased my screen time anyway hahaha !

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I may have overseen this option in this thread, I went for Kemper last Christmas, an acquaintance went for the Kemper Stage and sold me his Profiler toaster at a price I could no refuse. I have been thinking about Kemper amps since 2015 and the one I bought was made in 2015, so it could not have been better. This amp covers acoustic, electric and bass guitars, and probably any instrument you can connect to it.
I am a Marshall and Orange fan, I have them all now, in all imaginable configurations in the same single box, with an accurate rendering of the tones, logical to handle with an infinite number of possibilities. I sold my Marshall and Orange (had one of each) and the Kemper brought me a pool of amps and effects, and the sky is not even the limit.
I should have bought it in 2015, this amp is just awesome of capabilities.

If you opt for a compacter size (one can not profile with the smaller one, itā€™s just the amp), go for the Player, same capabilities in a large effect pedal size.

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Wow thatā€™s a huge beast :open_mouth:

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Hello and welcome to the community. I have acoustic steel string and nylon, electric, and also a hybrid acoustic electric guitar, with both piezo and humbuckers.
I use an HX Stomp pedal through an Alto Busker ā€œampā€ . I think itā€™s more like a mini PA, which replicates quite closely what is happening when I do open mics, my guitar generally goes straight into the PA usually via a small mixer.
The HX Stomp is brilliant, fantastic sounds for any type of acoustic or electric guitar. The Alto Busker is great, two inputs so I can play and sing, it also has an AUX input that I can use for backing tracks or a drum machine.
The Alto Busker is basically a cut price Bose, but is plenty good enough for me.
Hope this helps.

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Hi Mathieu, looks like a beats can be tamed like a puddle. I very like the analog type setup of the system, like an usual tone chain, compared to a Quad Core or a Fender Tone Master, 100% digital setup, with a screen, I agree, but not my taste (I am an old fart). The Kemper Player is far smaller and inviting, actually the ideal amp for the stage.
Both are not powered (my Kemper Profiler and the Kemper Player), so you need a powered cabinet. I have a 200W Power Kabinet, silent like a butterfly to louder than a thunderstorm.
There is also a powered option with the PowerHead Kemper Profiler, with a 600W power amp, then you can plug any usual cabinet.

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Iā€˜d also throw in the Yamaha THR series. They are really small and good for the wife: they look incredible! :wink:
They are wireless both for the guitar and the power chord. And best: they support all three: acoustic, electric and bass.
You can crank them up but also can play them very quiet and they donā€˜t change the sound as tube amps do.
So for the bedroom they are my choice.

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Yes good option for home use for sure.

I would be looking at a Blackstar BEAM, I do have one myself and it will do what you want, the Bass use isnā€™t as good as a proper Bass amp but at bedroom levels itā€™s OK. The other advantage of it is that works as an Audio Interface so it will go straight into your DAW.

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I just want to give a quick mention to the THR5A from Yamaha as an option for plugged-in acoustic. Unlike most (all?) acoustic amps on the market the 5A is a microphone-modeling amp that gets you some fantastic mic 'd-up sounds without investing in mics and stands. You can choose from a condenser, a dynamic, or a tube mic along with a channel for nylon string guitar and a channel for clean electric guitar.

I use mine with a solid body nylon guitar and a Yamaha Silent Guitar, making both sound amazing!

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Interesting. Did you try recording directly with the amp with a piezo pickup ? How was the sound compared since piezo pickup are usually not sounding that good when recording.

I use the Fender GTX100.

It has all the usual simulated amps for electric guitar but also has the Fender Acoustasonic amp sim for acoustic guitars, and Iā€™d say it does a pretty good job of amplifying the natural sound of my electro-acoustic.

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