Recently I decided I needed a second amp. This was largely due to the fact that the first amp I have -- which was given to me -- does not yet work consistently. This is in spite of my unprofessional efforts to “fix” it. It would be nice to be able to play a guitar through an amplifier once in awhile [to say nothing of playing live where I wind up MOOCHING]. Since I primarily play acoustic, it seemed logical to look into amps specifically aimed at the acoustic market, but at the same time, I do sometimes pull out an electric guitar, so I didn't want to completely limit myself. Should I get an acoustic amp? Or something else?

When in doubt about gear, ask people who own the gear. Or, when looking for acoustic amplifiers, how about the people who make the guitars? In a soon to appear article, I talk to some of these folks about the acoustic amps and acoustic systems the prefer and recommend.

I came up with five basic things to consider when looking into an acoustic amp.

• How does it sound? Duh.
• Is it versatile? Can you play different guitars out of it and still sound good?
• How much does it weigh / how big is it. Solo musician? You have to carry it.
• How durable is it? Always a concern and especially so if you play live a lot.
• How much does it cost? This is down the list because to some people, this does not matter at all next to tone.

First I was intrigued by the Marshall AS50D and the Marshall AS100D. Marshall is not exactly the first name you think of when it comes to acoustic amps. These amps, however, were designed for the acoustic player.

Next I looked at a line of amps I have almost bought for the past decade -- the Fender Acoustosonic series [there are several of these]. I have played these and they always sounded pretty darned good.

Then there were possibilities from Crate [which made me nervous], Roland [which made me nervous] and Ibanez [which made me really nervous]. It isn't that these are bad companies -- it is just that none of them scream "ACOUSTIC" to me.

Then there are the Fishman Loudbox acoustic amps. Fishman is a name that does scream "ACOUSTIC." And the Loudboxes are intriguing amplifiers. They have an acoustic amp that puts out 600 watts. I do not think it was meant for the coffee shop. They also have 100 and 130 watt versions of the Loudbox. The latter two seem more reasonable for the musician playing solo acoustic in smaller rooms.

There are also amps not specifically meant for acoustic playing. But that I like anyway. There are a large number of Fender and even Marshall amps on this list, and even more amps are out there -— some great ones —- that I hadn’t heard about. The Fishman amps were recommended by a co-worker who, despite his love of prog rock, is a pretty good judge of gear.

Look for articles with acoustic guitar makers and then acoustic guitar players, on this subject.