Acoustic Control Corporation - yay?

[brycycle]

i've been looking around for a 'basic' solid state head for small practices/easy transport (my V-9 is a burden to haul).

i stumbled across some info on Acoustic, and have source a 140 head.

the reviews seem good, anyone have any first hand experience?

[chuck_king]

I've got several Acoustic amps and I LOVE them. The 140 is a good little head. I have a 150, which is the guitar version---the only difference is that the 150 has reverb and tremolo on one channel. I've used it for bass too.

Those old Acoustic amps suffer today from tube snobbery, but the thing to remember is, when they were made, transistor technology was still on the way up and they were made using the best technology to be the best sounding amps they could. They were absolutely top-shelf gear at the time, used by lots of professional touring acts. They came with a lifetime warranty---which is of limited value now since the original company is long gone---but the point is they were built to a level of quality where the makers were comfortable guaranteeing them forever.

They are a lot louder than you would expect from their power ratings, especially if you can find an Acoustic cabinet to pair them up with.

Here are a couple links to good information about Acoustic products:

Acoustic Control Corp. Unofficial Homepage

Unofficial Acoustic Control Corp. Forum

P.S. They work well with Ricks!

[brycycle]

thanks Charles!

over the last few days, i've been frequenting the website you linked.

i've located both a 140 and 150 at good prices - now trying to find a 106 cab.

[teb]

I've been using an Acoustic 140 head for more than 35 years - originally to power a Sunn 118VH folded horn cabinet and currently to power a cab I built to hold a JBL E-140. Some of my basses are stereo-wired and I run them through both channels at once with different eq. First of all, if desired, it will blow your house down. Secondly, anybody who claims that you can't get good tone without tubes is full of beans. The 140 and 150 have a much wider tone range with just two knobs and a bright switch than an awful lot of modern amps have. I also own a Traynor YBA 200 (tube head) with the matching YBX1510 cabinet. It's an excellent amp, but depending on what sound I'm after, sometimes the old Acoustic sounds better.



I originally switched to the Acoustic/Sunn-cab rig when my Ampeg B-15N was having trouble filling the halls we were playing in (this was back in the day when we actually used B-15's, not some sort of retro-nostalgia amplifier trip). Problem solved. Considering what old 140's and 150's are selling for on eBay these days, they're a heck of a bargain. You'll want to add a 3-prong plug as they came 2-pronged, but after that it's pretty much ready to go for a few decades.

I was in the local Guitar Center the other day and ducked into the acoustic guitar room (mostly to get out of all that horrible noise out in the main room) and spotted this little guy. I don't own an acoustic bass guitar, but I might have to buy one of these just because it's cute.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Acoustic-AB ... 1385075.gc

[johnallg]

How good is an Acoustic 230, especially for bass?

[brycycle]

thanks for the first-hand account, Todd.

yeah - for $220 shipped to Canada, they definitely are a bargain.

[gibsonlp]

Any comments regarding model 164?
Someone is selling one here in Israel...
He wants a bit over $1500 for it...

[brycycle]

Gil, did you see these reviews?:

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... n/164/10/1

[brycycle]

the Acoustic 140 just arrived at my work.

Todd, do you know a source for replacement corner guards? the one's on the amp currently are black plastic replacements - i'd like to go back to chrome!

thanks-
B

[teb]

They may not be the exact ones, but I got the metal corners for the speaker cabinet that I built to go with my 140 from an eBay store that had lots of new amp parts (tolex, grille cloth, handles, corners etc.). Unfortunately, I don't remember the seller's name, but a little searching might bring up the store.

[chuck_king]

There's a guy on the Acoustic forum (linked above) with the screen name Vetchking who sells parts for restoration of old Acoustic amps and cabinets. I'm pretty sure the metal corners are one of the things he supplies. If not, he or somebody there should be able to direct you.

Edit: he may be the same guy referred to in the previous post.

[gibsonlp]

Bryce: Thanks, I missed your reply.

I looked at the reviews, looks good - but the price the guy asks seems a bit too high...

[brycycle]

John, i'll keep a look out for you!

[johnallg]

John, i'll keep a look out for you!

I know where one or two are, just wondering if they work for bass, being they are the guitar model.

[brycycle]

well, after a quick spin at home, i can tell you that the 140 is the nicest sound solid state i've ever had (previous include GK, Ashdown AMB (close second), etc).

simplistic amp w/ nice 'pure' tone. looks to be extremely well made and is very light-weight.

does it sound as good as my V-9? no...does it sound good enough to use as a compromise when i don't want to haul the V-9 around?

definitely.

and for $225; incredible value for money.