Few musical feats feel so intrinsically like compromise as amplifying an acoustic guitar—especially when you’re trying to do it on a budget. A lot of experienced acoustic players will choose the hit-or-miss proposition of miking their guitars rather than deal with a cheap, dodgy dedicated acoustic amp that sounds like a discarded car-stereo speaker in a shoebox.
Given these grim truths of acoustic performance on a shoestring budget, the fact that Acoustic has managed to deliver the thoughtfully designed and stage-worthy A20 for the price of an inexpensive delay pedal is noteworthy. That it often feels truly musical, organic, and full beyond the boxy, teetering-on-the-verge-of-feedback constraints typical of the breed will be a cause for minor celebration among cash-strapped cafe performers everywhere.
Most entry-level acoustic-guitar amps could easily be mistaken for budget electric-guitar amps (save for the brown vinyl often used to suggest rusticity and acousto-worthiness). But in the case of the A20 and its bigger cousins, the A40 and A1000, Acoustic chose to forego four right angles in favor of a stage monitor-like pentagonal shape.
The benefits are threefold: improved projection, more accurate and directional monitoring (which can also facilitate performing at lower, less feedback-prone levels), and more ergonomically efficient interaction via easy-to-see controls. It’s also an especially stable amp—a more than fair trade for not being able to perch your drink upon it.
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