Acoustic Image Clarus

**monkmiles** · 10-30-2012, 09:31 PM

Do we have a lot of AI Clarus users here?

The Clarus used to be the talk of the town at the usenet jazz guitar group that I used to participate in before I got here. Though it doesn't seem as popular on this forum.

I've never played through one, have always been interested in a head so small as the Clarus I and II models.

I've seen Pat Martino use his live a bunch of times. I'm so so on his tone. Corey Christiansen uses one and I do like his tone.

**P4guitar** · 10-30-2012, 09:38 PM

I'm a long time owner. It's my favorite head so far.

**floatingpickup** · 10-31-2012, 07:32 AM

I use a Clarus 2R (series III) with a Raezers Edge cabinet (a Stealth 10, Stealth 10er, or a Stealth 12, depending on the gig) I love this setup.

**John Link** · 10-31-2012, 07:59 AM

I have been using the AI Corus for years and I can honestly say it is the best investment I ever made in a combo amp. Previously I used a Clarus head with a Razor's Edge Twin 8 Cabinet and I loved that combination also. In addition I have a AI 2Ten extension cabinet which is also top shelf. You just can't beat Acoustic Image products.

**rpguitar** · 10-31-2012, 09:18 AM

Me too. Been using a 2R (series III) with Redstone and Avatar cabs for years.

**bmw2002** · 10-31-2012, 10:34 AM

Recent Craigslist acquisition of a Clarus 2R (series III) that I use with a custom made 10" cabinet by Rick Johnson.

**Jonathan0996** · 10-31-2012, 12:07 PM

Not to be the lone curmudgeon, but I have a more qualified answer. I have an AI Corus, and I think it's got its strengths and weaknesses. Take the following for what it's worth:

A. The amp has lots of clean headroom and plenty of power. It also can take 1/4 inch plugs or cannon plugs, and has a Neutrik out for the speaker. There are also ins and outs for effects, a parametric midrange EQ, and a balanced (cannon) line out jack. It's got all the modern high-end connections.

B. The amp is light and portable.

C. The amp is somewhat versatile. You can get a good archtop sound, as well as a good sound with nylon or steel string acoustic guitars.

D. The amp pretty much gets one archtop sound, and it's fairly dark. If you like a little tube amp grit, forget it. This amp is so clean you could do surgery on it. If that's your thing, great. A lot of guys get a nice sound with these amps. If this is not your thing, however, this may not be your amp.

E. The treble control is fixed at a peculiar frequency for guitar. It's above the frequency range of most magnetic pickups (around 8-10K, which might be at a good range for acoustic pickups), so the treble control doesn't do much for the sound of a magnetic pickup. What you get is pretty much what you get. You can probably work around this with some sort of preamp or EQ, but do you really want to mess around with all that?

F. The sound of this amp is highly dependent on the guitar. Since it basically does one sound, and that sound is very neutral, a great sounding guitar can shine. A guitar that needs a little help probably won't get it. And a player who wants a more electric sound with some edge or a midrange hump or something will need outboard gear to get his sound.

Those are my observations. As you may have surmised by now, I don't love this amp unconditionally. I'll probably keep it, but not as my only amp. If you want something kind of funky and edgy and "classic jazz" sounding (think Wes), you might consider other options.

**Klatu** · 10-31-2012, 01:47 PM

Great post. I'd steer someone who wanted versatility to Jim Soloway's posts concerning his POD HD. He has posted some really great sounds ranging from bright Fender sounds to dark Polytone sounds and many in between.

I am with you in that the Clarus is most neutral amp I have heard. For those situations where I want a bit more color, I plug into my Evans. With both amps, I've got all my bases covered.

**Jonathan0996** · 10-31-2012, 02:05 PM

I agree; "neutral" is a good word for the Clarus. Something like an Evans is a great complement to the Corus in one's amp arsenal, and those two amps should be able to cover all the bases, at least for straight-ahead jazz. It has the ability to get brighter and edgier, with more tone-shaping possibilities.

**Dpardoe** · 10-31-2012, 02:28 PM

I recently got a Clarus 1 series 3 off Ebay and have been using it with a Sansamp Paradriver DI. If I remember right, another member has the same setup and has posted several threads on its use with the AI. I have a Yamaha piano as well as guitar and get a nice neutral sound with the AI.

**jorgemg1984** · 10-31-2012, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by Klatu

Great post. I'd steer someone who wanted versatility to Jim Soloway's posts concerning his POD HD. He has posted some really great sounds ranging from bright Fender sounds to dark Polytone sounds and many in between.

I am with you in that the Clarus is most neutral amp I have heard. For those situations where I want a bit more color, I plug into my Evans. With both amps, I've got all my bases covered.

Just looking at current prices - the cheapest Clarus head and AI cab totalize 1450US. The cheapest Evans combo is 1400US. So total 2850US... You can buy the hell of an amp for that money! (don't get me wrong, I know you like your rig but it made me wonder)

I tried an AI briedly once and thought they were great for acoustics although very expensive compared to lots of other alternatives in the market - like a Fishman. For a magnetic pickup archtop, which is what I most play, the preamp didn't do it. And what you pay in a "jazz amp" s basically a preamp... I ended up in the flat amp with eq pedals because I found an Henriksen head for 400€.

Otherwise why not have someone make you a little power amp that accepts instrument level and than connect your eq pedals there? Something like a Para Driver DI or an Empress EQ should even be able to drive a power amp alone. Should be the same and much cheaper no? You can even choose a more guitaristic cab / speaker configuration.

**Klatu** · 10-31-2012, 02:53 PM

I have a Fender Super Reverb and have played Fargens and other highly touted tube amps, and while they are very fine, I wouldn't say they are better than the Evans. I would actually prefer the Evans to my Super Reveb, and I would take the Evans over a competing tube amp for both sound and reliability.

If I am not sacrificing tone quality, I rather like the thought of not having to worry about tubes. If you haven't played an Evans, I recommend you do so. You may well be pleasantly surprised.

**Jonathan0996** · 10-31-2012, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

Just looking at current prices - the cheapest Clarus head and AI cab totalize 1450US. The cheapest Evans combo is 1400US. So total 2850US... You can buy the hell of an amp for that money! (don't get me wrong, I know you like your rig but it made me wonder).

Good point. If you want a versatile amp at a lower cost, there are lots of choices, and some might be better for you. The Clarus is a one trick pony, but many players love that one trick. The Evans is a little more versatile for electric guitar, but doesn't handle acoustic instruments as well.

Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice.

**Jim Soloway** · 10-31-2012, 03:09 PM

I owned them twice and never got comfortable either time. I always felt like I was playing directly through a PA.

**jorgemg1984** · 10-31-2012, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by Jonathan0996

Good point. If you want a versatile amp at a lower cost, there are lots of choices, and some might be better for you. The Clarus is a one trick pony, but many players love that one trick. The Evans is a little more versatile for electric guitar, but doesn't handle acoustic instruments as well.

Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice.

If course, I am not questioning people's choices. In my case a 1000§ should only need pedals if I wanted to (and I do most of the times but that's another story) - the amp by itself should provide me all I want, this is great cleans, eq and nice reverb.

**jorgemg1984** · 10-31-2012, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by Jim Soloway

I owned them twice and never got comfortable either time. I always felt like I was playing directly through a PA.

My feeling with ai and henriksen. I have the henriksen because it was cheap and with a nice eq pedal / booster, reverb and an EV can be quite guitarisitic. Next try will be a barb eq to see if I can nail your blackface sounds

Interesting that no jazz amp maker gets to replicate a ss blackface tone stack, have a custom guitar speaker made to 200w by Jensen or Eminence (not the PA speakers of jazz amps), nice digital reverb and there you go. A loud, small, no tubes Twin... I think Quilter tries to do this with his amps but never tried one either.

**mikeSF** · 10-31-2012, 07:11 PM

another AI user checking in. I have the Clarus 2R (series II) through a Redstone 12ER cabinet.

I have two gigging amp rigs depending on the guitar I take as I have definitely found the results depend upon matching guitar to amp. My other amp is the Henriksen Jazzamp12 with tweeter.

OK that said, here is what i like about my Clarus:

1) so small and light. seriously, this is a guitar amp?!
2) very uncolored. for my acoustic archtops, i like this sound best. for the darker electric sounds, i prefer the henriksen.
3) 2nd channel gets used in a pinch for my vocalist when her PA craps out
4) Support by Rick at AI is phenomenal. i won't give details but i cant believe the guy makes any money the way he supported my old off warranty transformer replacement for FREE! (shipping too)
5) chords, especially close voicings, ring clear enough to hear each voice. My Fender tube amp could not do that.
6) reverb is decent enough. yes i have a Lexicon unit way better but for just a light rig the Clarus cuts it fine.
7)eQ is great, especially the bright knob for dialing in all the fingernail attack i like to hear.
8) excellent clean headroom. i never want for more power. ever.
9) the effects loop. i use it for running backing tracks off my phone or other things and it works great.

my list of cons:
1) not very warm sounding. When I want warm I will use the JazzAmp instead or sometimes run both amps at the same time by splitting the signal and it sounds amazing (dang, i shared my best secret).
2) the notch/high pass eQ filter is not voiced effectively for my needs so i'll never use it. No biggie but i can see using it if the notch were narrower and more extreme for that one loud note that resonates on each acoustic archtop.

I also have a small rack case with a compressor, lexicon reverb, groove tubes The Brick preamp, and a red eye loop switcher. If the sound is really important to my that night, i may lug that sucker along and it really livens up my electric tone. The Brick is a great warming device for some tube pre- sounds.

For the bare bones, gas 'n go gigs, guitar in one hand, Henriksen in the other...done!

**mikeSF** · 10-31-2012, 07:15 PM

I guess this isn't a thread about Redstone, but my Redstone 12ER cab is just a perfect pairing for my Clarus.

**monkmiles** · 11-18-2012, 05:02 PM

Thanks for all the responses, I was just curious if people were still high on them because people on another forum used to go crazy about them and I see them used professionally a fair amount (Pat Martino, Corey Christiansen, Jimmy Bruno, etc). So obviously people are still high on them, even though it is a specific sound/tone.

Anyway, my recent guitar purchase decision had me spending less on the guitar than I initially thought, which left a good chunk for a solid state, high power amp to be jazz specific (even though I had thought I was going to go away from that type of amp). I found a good deal on an older Series II Clarus 1 on craigslist locally and decided to try it. I took my time deciding on a cabinet and eventually hunted down a used Raezer's Edge Stealth 10. I've had the Clarus for a couple weeks and the cabinet just for a couple days. I put them together the other day for the first time and was really impressed and happy. I'm ready to take it to some jams now along with my new Eastman AR403. Very portable with the Stealth 10, yet should be very powerful and I'd have the ability of adding another cabinet if needed.

Would you long time Clarus users mind sharing your settings? Especially in regard to the master level versus the channel level knob?

**P4guitar** · 11-18-2012, 07:14 PM

I have the original Clarus and the original RE Stealth 10 - both very old but similar to your setup.

As for settings, it varies a bit but I keep EQ fairly flat with some bass roll off as volume goes up.

Master is adjusted for overall volume and input gain is kept sort of high. It's a quiet rig so this seems to work well.

**Klatu** · 11-19-2012, 10:45 AM

Newer units have a "cut" feature which allows for the shelving of bass frequencies. This means that you can cut the bass of the lowest notes while preserving the girth of the mid and high notes. It's a wonderful feature that I think deserves to be incorporated into many more jazz amps as it helps one play at higher volumes without boominess or feedback.

**jorgemg1984** · 11-19-2012, 10:47 AM

Sacrificing fat in order to avoid boomy / blanket sounds is one of my constant strugles with amps... that AI feature seems like a really nice one.

**P4guitar** · 11-19-2012, 10:55 AM

The bass cut feature sounds nice. However just rolling off the bass a tad seems to work pretty well for me.

I'd prefer to have a newer model (don't know why though) but my two ancient units have been absolutely reliable and still sound great. I've A/B'd them to a lot of new amps and don't find myself wanting...yet

**yebdox** · 11-22-2012, 01:07 PM

I tried a Corus (II? Not sure which, but new 2 years ago) for a couple of days and could find absolutely nothing inspiring about it whatsoever, though I had high hopes, because of the portability. I purposely did NOT try it through an extension cab, because I wanted it to be a standalone solution.

I love tube tone, but am willing to sacrifice a little sparkle and warmth for portability. However, I could not find an EQ setting I could live with, including flat. Very UN- guitar like EQ to my ears, and seemingly under powered, as well, in spite of its ratings.

I was left with the conclusion that the cab must be making all the difference for those avowed enthusiasts, again, which defeated my goals for the amp. Now, I recall that I didn't try it with another cab, because it only came with speakon cable output, and I had no way to connect it to one of my cabs. I tried my Godin nylon string, as well as my tak nylon electric, thinking maybe it would be useful for that. But, I preferred even acoustic tones through one of my tube amps by a huge factor.

When players talk about an amp being literally half the equation in the creation of great tone, this kind of experience confirms it for me. I would rather carry a 70 lb tube amp to a non paying gig up two flights of stairs than try to find inspiration from an AI Corus that fits easily in a shoulder bag. I really was hoping otherwise, no disrespect to AI. I'm not their intended consumer, apparently.

**oldane** · 11-22-2012, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by yebdox

I tried a Corus (II? Not sure which, but new 2 years ago) for a couple of days and could find absolutely nothing inspiring about it whatsoever, though I had high hopes, because of the portability. I purposely did NOT try it through an extension cab, because I wanted it to be a standalone solution.

I love tube tone, but am willing to sacrifice a little sparkle and warmth for portability. However, I could not find an EQ setting I could live with, including flat. Very UN- guitar like EQ to my ears, and seemingly under powered, as well, in spite of its ratings.

I was left with the conclusion that the cab must be making all the difference for those avowed enthusiasts, again, which defeated my goals for the amp. Now, I recall that I didn't try it with another cab, because it only came with speakon cable output, and I had no way to connect it to one of my cabs. I tried my Godin nylon string, as well as my tak nylon electric, thinking maybe it would be useful for that. But, I preferred even acoustic tones through one of my tube amps by a huge factor.

When players talk about an amp being literally half the equation in the creation of great tone, this kind of experience confirms it for me. I would rather carry a 70 lb tube amp to a non paying gig up two flights of stairs than try to find inspiration from an AI Corus that fits easily in a shoulder bag. I really was hoping otherwise, no disrespect to AI. I'm not their intended consumer, apparently.

Two things:

1) The AI is not an electric guitar amp. The center frequencies of the tone controls are not well chosen for that. In fact the mid is pretty far from ideal and the treble is way off above the upper frequency limit of most magnetic pickups (10kHz where something like 3-4kHz would be much more appropiate). The AI is primarily intended for and designed as an amp for acoustic instrumnts. As such it can be considered kind of a PA amp. If used with an electric guitar, a preamp pedal such as a Sansamp Paradriver DI or one of the Sansamp "Character" pedals will help a lot.

2) The speaker system of the Corus is not intended for electric guitars either. The corus is fine as a very portable mini PA system with quite a lot of power. I bought a Corus because it was sold for a very reasonable price, but I was prepared to use the head without the speaker. And sure enough, I quickly ended up with the head, a 10" Redstone speaker and a Sansamp Paradriver DI pedal. That setup works just fine with an electric guitar for jazz. The Corus speaker cabinet rests in my basement.

Some day I'll give the complete Corus combo a chance with a miked acoustic archtop. It should work well as a smal and light general purpose PA type amp.

You are right, it's definitely not an electric guitar amp. But then, AI doesn't market it as such either. After all the name is Acoustic Image.