Top 5 Best Amps For Your Acoustic Guitar (2020 Review)

Top 5 Best Amps For An Acoustic Guitar

In a hurry? Check out my top 5 amps below! Keep reading to learn more about these best amps for your acoustic guitar.

1. Fender Acoustasonic 40 (My Top Pick)
2. SUNYIN 10 Watt Protable (Best Budget)
3. Fishman PRO-LBT-700 Loudbox Performer (Best High-End)
4. Marshall Soloist AS50D (Best for Solo Gigs)
5. Roland Battery Power MOBILE AC (Best for The Road Warrior)

What’s The Difference Between An Acoustic Amp And A Regular Amp?

Most musical novices can explain the basics of a guitar amp. These devices amplify the sounds of guitars by taking the electrical signals from a guitar’s pickup, then running that signal through a loudspeaker.

Not all amps are suited for every single type of guitar out there, though, and there are some differences you’ll want to note between “regular” solid states and tube amps for electric guitars and amps made for acoustic models.

Let’s take a quick look at electric guitar amps, shall we?

Without getting too deep into the weeds on the technical details, the purpose of electric guitar amps is to take the signal from an electric guitar and, in addition to amplifying the sound, to “color” it with various forms of overdrive, distortion, and effects.

The end result is a tone that’s uniquely suited for louder forms of music: heavy jazz, rock, metal, etc. For many electric guitarists, the amp can be more important a tool than their guitar itself because of its ability to transform their sound with a depth they’d not achieve otherwise.

Now, contrast the way an acoustic guitar creates sound and the purpose of a dedicated acoustic guitar amp. An acoustic guitar can create audible tones without amplification, via the vibration of its strings.

The goal of an acoustic amp is to magnify this natural sound with as little distortion as possible. Thus, acoustic guitar amps are geared toward creating a neutral, “colorless” tone that more accurately reflects the true sound of the guitar without amplification.

This emphasis on “cleanness” of sound makes acoustic guitar amps more akin to keyboard amplifiers or miniature PA systems than their electric-focused counterparts.

The difference between the two is one you’ll be able to hear immediately, should you compare the sound of your acoustic guitar running through a regular amp and an acoustic one (more on that later, though).

Read Also: What are the best strings for your acoustic guitar?

What Are The Different Types Of Amps For Acoustic Guitars?

Within the realm of acoustic guitar amps, there are different varieties for different needs. The following section will provide insight into the scenarios in which you might need an acoustic amp, and how different acoustic amps fulfill different niche roles.

Amps For Home Use & Practice

While it’s true that you can hear your guitar sans-amplification in a home setting, some guitarists prefer playing through an amp to better analyze their playing while practicing (much as a keyboardist would listen to themselves play through headphones).

Personally, I find I can apply a more critical ear to my mistakes when practicing at home with an amp, and the added features that practice amps provide — such as the ability to link up with an external audio device for backing tracks — allow me to get more creative with my drills.

If you just need an amp for training your skills at home, you won’t need anything terribly large or powerful, so the emphasis for these types of acoustic amps is compactness and ease of use.

Generally speaking, practice amps cost less than performance amps, are lighter in weight, and are fitted with smaller speakers.

Such amps are typically lower wattage (10W, 15W, or 20W) and have a minimal number of controls (usually a volume and EQ) so you can just plug into the guitar input and play.

That said, there are some practice amps with limited built-in effects, like reverb and chorus, that can add a small amount of shimmer and echo to your sound.

Though not always the case, amps in this wattage range are more likely to come with two speakers (a woofer and tweeter setup).

This allows them the ability to handle high and low-end frequencies from your guitar separately, reproducing a more precise sound. Some may even include mid range speakers for even greater clarity.

Gig-ready amps often provide dual input channels for guitars and vocals. This allows musicians to hook their guitars up through a ¼” jack and a microphone through an identical jack or XLR input.

More advanced amps in this category will have tone controls for each channel, allowing you to fine-tune their sound separately.

As solo musicians might occasionally want to play with some accompaniment, many gig amps also include a 3.5mm input or Bluetooth connectivity that allows guitarists to hook up external audio devices and play along with their own backing tracks.

Combined, these features provide guitarists with everything they might need to put on a small solo show, with the trade-off being their increased size and weight.

Whereas most practice amps range from 10-15 pounds, gig amps in the 40W-100W range can weigh well over 20 pounds.

Amps For Band Settings

On its own, your acoustic guitar isn’t hard to hear. Add a few other instruments, though (say in a rehearsal or stage setting) and the likelihood of you getting drowned out starts to go up.

It’s in these situations that you’ll need the most power — amps over 100W in power. Increased wattage isn’t the only detail that distinguishes these high-end amps, though.

Like solo gig amps, high-wattage amps have dedicated speakers and controls for low, mid-range, and higher frequencies to accurately replicate the guitar’s entire sonic spectrum.

What’s more, high-end amps include feedback control and other features to help maintain a clear sound — even at high volumes.

You’ll find many of the same features on high-end amps that are present on solo gig amps, and then some. Multiple inputs, built-in effects, Bluetooth connectivity, and even options like phantom power that you can use for condenser microphones.

Acoustic guitar players should be prepared to pay a premium for high-end amps, however, and like solo gig amps, high-wattage amps fall on the larger/heavier side of the spectrum.

Expect most amps over 100W to take up a fair amount of space, and weigh in over 30 pounds.

How Do You Pick An Amp For An Acoustic Guitar?

To help narrow down your personal picks for an acoustic guitar amp, you’ll first need to identify the specific role your new amp will play (which I covered in the previous section).

If you’re just starting out and want to practice your skills at home, for example, you might lean towards a portable or practice amp.

If you’re a serious performer and need an amp for your shows, however, your focus should shift to higher-end amps that will deliver the power you need.

Once you start looking past 100 watts of power, you can expect to pay in excess of $500. The Fender Acoustic 200, for instance, packs a 200W punch along with an array of onboard studio effects, running about $549.99.

A bit higher up the price chain, you’ll find models like the Schertler JAM 200W, which packs an impressive array of effects and features into its frame for a considerable $1,288.00.

High power amps can get even pricier, still, with huge acoustic combo amps like the AER Domino, 3 set at $2,799.00.

Acoustic amps at this end of the spectrum, however, are more than what most beginner and intermediate guitarists require, and it's likely that modestly-priced models will more than satisfy their needs.

Can You Use A Regular Amp For An Acoustic Guitar?

The short answer is “yes.” You’ll find that in practice, however, using an electric guitar amp with an acoustic guitar will produce a sub-optimal sound. You’ll recall we mentioned how electric guitar amps are designed to “color” sound, and that applies to acoustic guitars as well.

While it might be possible to get a palatable tone with some rigorous EQ adjustments, most guitarists are underwhelmed by the distorted sound of their acoustic guitar running through an electric amp, and, conversely, the lifeless sound of an electric guitar running on an acoustic amp.

I'll never forget the shock I received when first trying to hook my Takamine up through my Fender FM 212 — sure, it worked, but that buzzy tone was enough to make me want to hang my head in shame.

As an aside, acoustic players often find that they can get a pretty good amplified sound from their guitars by running it through a complete PA system.

This is standard practice for large performance venues, and it works because the PA system, much like an acoustic amp, won’t distort an acoustic instrument's natural sound.

Most new guitarists don’t have the funds to purchase a whole PA system, however, and lugging one around to every performance can prove quite the hassle.

In addition, acoustic-dedicated amps come packed with extra features that can benefit most performers, which makes investing in one sound decision for most musicians.