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MGR/Billy « Hartke AC150 »
Published on 12/09/10 at 15:00Hartke is known for being at the top of their game in the bass world, many people don't realize they make guitar and keyboard amps as well. I was able to checkout the AC150 Acoustic Guitar Combo.
The initial brown tolex with the gold back plate makes it look like something classy you'd see in a cigar shop with a Do Not Touch sign on it.
My local shop got this in and I had to give it a test drive. Brand new they run $449.99. There aren't many companies doing the acoustic guitar amp, so the Hartke didn't have too much competition. I played it against a Marshall and Fender, but liked this the best. I was driving 4 5' speakers instead of one or two bigger drivers. In my opinion I think this cuts down on feedback, but since I have no scientific proof this could just be an old wive's tale.
The kickback design which is a popular design used on the Hartke bass combos was a big plus. This allows you to angle it properly so you aren't wasting energy or blowing out another band member with you guitar.
The controls were simple. It has about 100 digital effects which were easy to navigate through. The effects were subtle, so it wasn't like some amps where you wonder, 'Who the heck would use this?'
Another plus is the RCA jack in and the XLR in. I did not try these out, but this feature takes it from a guitar amp into the PA world. Plug an MP3 player or Mic into this and get down with your bad self.
The effects could have had a rate or depth knob for the price of this amp. A subtle chorus or reverb this isn't necessary, but I feel I could benefit more from the delay effects if I had a tap/tempo.
Well built. I feel I could bring it out to a bar gig, let it make some comments about another amp's girlfriend and survive a bar fight.
Knobs felt sturdy, I was able to crank the amp up without fear of blowing something up. There's a huge difference in gain between the Piezo and the Active inputs, so I got a nice chirp of feedback as an official explanation (why read the manual?)
If you are on the market for a good, loud acoustic amp with decent effects to boot, check out the AC150 by Hartke.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
The initial brown tolex with the gold back plate makes it look like something classy you'd see in a cigar shop with a Do Not Touch sign on it.
My local shop got this in and I had to give it a test drive. Brand new they run $449.99. There aren't many companies doing the acoustic guitar amp, so the Hartke didn't have too much competition. I played it against a Marshall and Fender, but liked this the best. I was driving 4 5' speakers instead of one or two bigger drivers. In my opinion I think this cuts down on feedback, but since I have no scientific proof this could just be an old wive's tale.
The kickback design which is a popular design used on the Hartke bass combos was a big plus. This allows you to angle it properly so you aren't wasting energy or blowing out another band member with you guitar.
The controls were simple. It has about 100 digital effects which were easy to navigate through. The effects were subtle, so it wasn't like some amps where you wonder, 'Who the heck would use this?'
Another plus is the RCA jack in and the XLR in. I did not try these out, but this feature takes it from a guitar amp into the PA world. Plug an MP3 player or Mic into this and get down with your bad self.
The effects could have had a rate or depth knob for the price of this amp. A subtle chorus or reverb this isn't necessary, but I feel I could benefit more from the delay effects if I had a tap/tempo.
Well built. I feel I could bring it out to a bar gig, let it make some comments about another amp's girlfriend and survive a bar fight.
Knobs felt sturdy, I was able to crank the amp up without fear of blowing something up. There's a huge difference in gain between the Piezo and the Active inputs, so I got a nice chirp of feedback as an official explanation (why read the manual?)
If you are on the market for a good, loud acoustic amp with decent effects to boot, check out the AC150 by Hartke.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com