Acoustic amp or PA system?

[TomWinter]

Hey, i'm new to the forum so hi to everyone. Thanks to mutley2209 for recommending me to join and to buy a L32. Looking forward to it arriving and thanks to JB of course for the excellent customer service.

Anyway, i'm fairly new to gigging and don't really understand the whole technical side of it. I'm planning to do some gigging with my new L32 fitted with a K&K Trinity set. Would it be best to buy an acoustic amp or to plug straight into a PA system? assuming the venue supplied one.

Also, i was planning on doing some busking in my city, is there any decent battery powered amps you would recommend?

Thanks,

-Tom

[TomWinter]

Hmm i've seen the name of that amp floating about quite alot around these forums, then i had a look at them on GAK and...eep..£700.

But from what i've read, it seems like a top notch amp. Guess i'll have to do a bit of saving.

As for busking, i think you're right, not sure i have the guts to take it out into the streets.

Thanks for the advice.

[singlereed]

Or look out for a second-hand Trace Acoustic amp TA50R, TA100R etc. These are nice sounding and well-built - apparently they will soon be back on the market, I imagine built in China rather than the UK this time....

[SimonC]

Or look out for a second-hand Trace Acoustic amp TA50R, TA100R etc. These are nice sounding and well-built - apparently they will soon be back on the market, I imagine built in China rather than the UK this time....

And as if by magic I have an original UK made Trace Acoustic TA50R for sale!

HI Tom - good to see you here, Muttley is the boy - a great guy and an even better guitar player (when drunk!). I have a Trace TA50R for sale. These are probably one of the most iconic acoustic amps ever built - and have an amazing tone, which many believe is second to none. They also have some nice built in reverbs and a dedicated Mic channel that has phantom power. The amp comes with a Silverstone padded cover and can be sent by courier anywhere in the UK. £300 + P&P.

[TomWinter]

i have to say, i am very interested but i just don't have that kind of money spare at the moment. Are there any other people interested in buying it at the moment? just so i know how long i would have.

[MIKE 450]

Hi Tom, I'm currently saving up for a AER 60 WATT--I agree with everything the greypicker said "he's never wrong". I've tried almost all the acoustic amps and the AER won hands down.

You mentioned busking GO FOR IT --Having played most of the pubs in N.Ireland as a lead guitarist in the past--I wondered how I would fare playing solo acoustic/singer/songwriter all on my own-nee-o.

So of I went into Belfast ALONE and must say I was brickin it. The hardest bit was getting the guitar around my neck--after the first song I was feeling great. I done this for 8 weeks in the summer 2007 --I met so many interesting people some famous some not so famous.

A lot of people wanted to ask me about my Avalon 201CE "so avalon owe me lol" One afternoon I met a Canadian called Chris -he told me he was a good friend of Brain Adams --he went on to tell me he was with Brain Adams when he wrote a song a couple of weeks ago--he said he helped out a little----so I give him my Avalon and he played me the song--he was FANTASTIC a small crowd gathered and cheered when he finished.

Great Song!

Chris and I are friends now--and I must say he loved the Avalon. Busking is great for building confidince--and let's face it-you won't met all those folks sitting in your house---Keep an eye out for the wineno!

[TomWinter]

When i say busking, i mean playing in the streets which i imagine isn't a wise idea with such an expensive guitar. But gigging in pubs, i'm definitely going to be doing that, hopefully on a regular basis. I have played in pubs before and it did come to point where my nerves affected my playing which looks very amateur-ish, and its all just downhill from there on. But either way, i plan to continue gigging.

As for the AER, that'll have to wait. And i'll just play gigs through a PA with a reverb pedal perhaps. Who knows i certainly don't.

[Gerald]

For a small gig an acoustic amp is great (restaurant/quiet bar). Portability is so important!

For a big gig (festival/loud bar/concert hall etc.) still use the acoustic amp, but use the post-eq out to connect the amp to the PA, using the amp as a "preamp" and monitor - this allows you have to have your normal tone (with you operating the tone controls not a sound man) but lets the PA push the sound out front of house (meaning you do not get feedback from your amp which can be run quietly with just enough volume for you to monitor from). This means you do not have to rely on the sound man giving a good sound through a floor monitor of possibly questionable quality - you get the controllable sound of your own amp that you know how to set-up and control.

I use an Avalon A32J with K & K pure classic pickup through a Trace Acoustic TA 50R into a RCF 350 watt PA with powered speakers for big gigs (unless a PA is provided and then I use their PA) - works really well with little/no feedback. The K & K is amazing and the Trace Acoustic works very well with it.