Setting recommendations for my AER 60/4 and Eastman AR403 CE SB

[John H. Power]

So I just took delivery of this amplifier and I've already figured out what sounds the best with my Martin 00028EC and my Alhambra crossover nylon string guitar but I must admit I am struggling with the Eastman. I've seen several Youtube videos and other references to players using a jazz type guitar on an AER amp that are very positive but I can't quite get the tone I'm looking for. I play primarily chord melody a lot of which I put together myself and for some reason the bass side always seems to be a little muffled or dull. I'm using a Fender 57 classic pick up.

Is there anyone who owns this amp and might be able to suggest some settings to try. This seems to be a real gain focused amplifier so the gain setting has a lot of effect on the tone. I only play at home so I'm not worried about it being loud but I want a nice clear defined tone so that all of my mistakes are clearly evident to anyone who has the unfortunate experience I'm listening to me play

Thanks.

[Dave70]

I'm wondering if the guitar has flats, and if changing to roundwounds would help. Does the bass sound good with a different amp?

I play a Guild x175 Manhattan with my AER and I think it sounds fine. (I have rounds on it)

[Archie]

So I just took delivery of this amplifier and I've already figured out what sounds the best with my Martin 00028EC and my Alhambra crossover nylon string guitar but I must admit I am struggling with the Eastman. I've seen several Youtube videos and other references to players using a jazz type guitar on an AER amp that are very positive but I can't quite get the tone I'm looking for. I play primarily chord melody a lot of which I put together myself and for some reason the bass side always seems to be a little muffled or dull. I'm using a Fender 57 classic pick up.

Is there anyone who owns this amp and might be able to suggest some settings to try. This seems to be a real gain focused amplifier so the gain setting has a lot of effect on the tone. I only play at home so I'm not worried about it being loud but I want a nice clear defined tone so that all of my mistakes are clearly evident to anyone who has the unfortunate experience I'm listening to me play

Thanks.

I’ve always found the best setting for AER's with Archtops is the “off” one. Sorry champ.

[John H. Power]

I do not know what you mean by this comment. What is off? The color switch?

[D.G.]

I don’t find AER compact 60’s to be a good match with archtops. Hendrickson Bud works better for my tastes, but nothing beats a good Fender

[John H. Power]

I have heard that more than once. Maybe its time for a deluxe reverb. That would give me over $3k in amps just for playing by myself at home. Way cheaper than country club dues though I wonder if something like a used Blues Jr. might be an option...Can't you get those for about $500?

[John H. Power]

I have roundwounds. Actually the bass sounds better thru my Bose S1 Pro + but I need that for other things. But thanks for the reply.

[Archie]

I do not know what you mean by this comment. What is off? The color switch?

You enquired about some settings to try on your AER and my response was that the “off setting” would be the best one, as in “switch it off”.
Sorry I shouldn't have commented, I’m usually more helpful.

I've never found a AER to get a good tone with an archtop, so if you cannot find a "good” sound, feel comfort in the fact you're not the only one.

[Christian Miller]

Tbh I’d bypass the preamp completely and go in through the FX return. But I’m a bit weird


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[JazzNote]

I have for long played AER Compact 60s with my archtops. They work well at low volume, also if they are miked at this low volume into a PA. But when you have to turn them up the sound isn't anymore what I would expect, not warm enough, just too neutral. What I always did was dialing back the treble to 9 o'clock or less, mids up a bit to 1 or 2 o'clock or more , and also dialing back the bass knob.

[Christian Miller]

My feeling is that the preamp tends to compress everything. This flatters guitars with piezo pickups. My cheap nylon string with the lowest level fishman sounds like a million dollars through it. Also my steel string.

It’s also very flattering to vocalists using a dynamic mic.

And that makes sense, because it’s what it’s designed to do.

With the electrics it gives you a good modern vaguely Metheny-esque tone with reverb, albeit with a smidge of high end roll off. However this is not a sound I want all that often

FWIW the fx return is very useful, if you hook up a modeller, it works well as a small portable PA. But increasingly I like it just as it is.


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[Alter]

Try it with the preamp gain as high as possible (without clipping). I have found my Aer to warm up significantly when i do that, so with acoustics i have the preamp somewhere around 11 o clock, with archtops more like 12-2. Also experiment with the color switch (that actually cuts mids and many people like it for nylon string), as you might like that sound. Live i often have the lows literally cut all the way down to avoid boomy sound with my Elferink archtop (more so if the amp sits on the ground and close to a wall). Since you play at home experiment with the amp placement, a different position can make a huge difference in the bass response.

The Aer sound is always going to be an acoustic style sound, so if you 're looking for a tube style sound you can only go this far with the Aer.

[John H. Power]

Thanks to everyone so far with your responses. I am trying to avoid buying a 2nd amp just for my Eastman if I can get a tone I can live with, so to speak, although I can afford a 2nd amp if I need to. I tried the Blu 6 and even though everyone appears to think the Henriksens are the greatest thing since sliced bread I was never really happy with it so back it went. Not so with this AER at least as far as my nylon and steel string guitars go. I am very happy with those which I guess makes sense since it is, in the end, an acoustic guitar amp.

I am going to plug the Eastman into the 2nd input and see what I get. I have a friend who is a bass player and when he comes over I typically will switch between all three guitars (especially when he brings over his mandolin because there's only one style guitar that will work for that so I always reach for the Martin) and while I don't mind modifying the settings for two I really don't want to have to do it for three if I can avoid it so I will incorporate some of these suggestions into that second input

[John A.]

Thanks to everyone so far with your responses. I am trying to avoid buying a 2nd amp just for my Eastman if I can get a tone I can live with, so to speak, although I can afford a 2nd amp if I need to. I tried the Blu 6 and even though everyone appears to think the Henriksens are the greatest thing since sliced bread I was never really happy with it so back it went. Not so with this AER at least as far as my nylon and steel string guitars go. I am very happy with those which I guess makes sense since it is, in the end, an acoustic guitar amp.

I am going to plug the Eastman into the 2nd input and see what I get. I have a friend who is a bass player and when he comes over I typically will switch between all three guitars (especially when he brings over his mandolin because there's only one style guitar that will work for that so I always reach for the Martin) and while I don't mind modifying the settings for two I really don't want to have to do it for three if I can avoid it so I will incorporate some of these suggestions into that second input

I don't think you can avoid changing settings for different types of guitars, especially if you want a classic warm electric sound out of an electric guitar. That's just fundamentally different from preserving the acoustic sound of an acoustic instrument through an amp or PA. My suggestion is to go cheap - Fender Champion 25 (or its predecessor, Champion 20, which I have, if you can find one used). More volume than you'll ever need, small footprint/light weight, classic fat jazz tones (much better than an AER to my tastes; Henriksen, too), with a few different flavors that are models of different Fender amps, stupid cheap. I've used my C20, literally hundreds of times on gigs and jam sessions at home and elsewhere. The DV Mark Little Jazz is also great (IMO, sounds better than Henriksen or AER as well), though not as stupid cheap as the Fender. Blues Jr's are very nice amps, but bigger, heavier and more expensive.

[Christian Miller]

I would say the little jazz sounds very good, which is weird because people seem to moan about them all the time.

[tramline]

I too think the Compact 60 is generally a tough amp for amplified archtop, but there are good sounds to be found there:

I think they do the high-fidelty floater thing quite well:

Some nice thick laminate sounds (he's got the settings in comments):

Hirofumi Asaba is another guy people talk about as having good tone from the AER, although I've never seen his settings listed:

To my ear, the key thing with the AER is that it has way, way more treble than a typical jazz guitar amp, and that has to be managed especially in a band setting to avoid a thin, weak sound. There's nothing worse than coming in for a solo with this amp and only hearing that obnoxious steely twang. Just due to portability I've played a lot of archtop gigs with the AER and it would not be my first choice really ever, but that doesn't mean its not possible to get a usable electric tone from it as those videos demonstrate.