The best light and loud guitar amp?

**jzucker** · 01-17-2014, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

If it has space inside it should be easy to add a BYOC Reverb 2. I did that yo my henriksen head.

Or just rehouse a BarbEQ and a reverb pedal into one box (the ethos seems too big for this). The Ethos should include a tuner / mut switch and a nice reverb!

if *what* has space inside it? I have a decent floor preamp with good eq (ethos) and a decent reverb pedal but I want my amp to be grab and go. Don't want to mess with wall warts and ac cables. Just want to plug it in and have it sound great.

If I'm getting paid to do a gig, yes I'll bring a pedal board but if I just want to grab the amp and go somewhere to teach or jam, i'm not going to drag along $600 worth of pedals to make the amp sound good!

**pingu** · 01-17-2014, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by Klatu

Thanks for the reply. It's quite a bit less expensive than the AI, so I would most likely consider it should something happen to my Clarus.

The AI stuff seems very expensive
there site is poorly designed http://www.acousticimg.com/#/compare
they don't quote the weight of their products

Who buys an amp without caring what it weighs ?
oh yeah Metalica

**pingu** · 01-17-2014, 08:59 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

if *what* has space inside it? I have a decent floor preamp with good eq (ethos) and a decent reverb pedal but I want my amp to be grab and go. Don't want to mess with wall warts and ac cables. Just want to plug it in and have it sound great.

If I'm getting paid to do a gig, yes I'll bring a pedal board but if I just want to grab the amp and go somewhere to teach or jam, i'm not going to drag along $600 worth of pedals to make the amp sound good!

Right jz the amp should do it

**jorgemg1984** · 01-17-2014, 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

if *what* has space inside it? I have a decent floor preamp with good eq (ethos) and a decent reverb pedal but I want my amp to be grab and go. Don't want to mess with wall warts and ac cables. Just want to plug it in and have it sound great.

If I'm getting paid to do a gig, yes I'll bring a pedal board but if I just want to grab the amp and go somewhere to teach or jam, i'm not going to drag along $600 worth of pedals to make the amp sound good!

The carvin. Should be easy to add reverb... the FV-1 chip is another option, very cheap, small and the stock reverbs do sound nice. A decent tech will do it quick and cheap. Again, i did that to my henriksen head.

Another option, get a 9v out of the amp, put the reverb pedal with velcro attached to the top - it's now "part of the amp". I done that with the Barb EQ in the Henriksen.

I still carry at least a tuner and an active volume pedal, can't live without those pedals.

**pingu** · 01-17-2014, 09:42 PM

Or even lighter this

markbass micromark 801 ............ 11.5 lbs !!

http://www.markbass.it/product_detail.php?id=192

**jzucker** · 01-17-2014, 09:58 PM

the ai stuff is light. the corus is 22lbs with 600w. The specs are on the site. I agree the site isn't so great but the product and support are. I'd rather have a small company with a funky site and fantastic customer support than a huge corporation with no personal service. When I call AI I get the head engineer on the phone and he knows me by name.

**cosmic gumbo** · 01-18-2014, 01:48 AM

If we're just going with specs on a combo, doesn't the ZT Luchbox win on paper with 200W at 9.5 lbs.?

**jorgemg1984** · 01-18-2014, 07:59 AM

200w peak, 135 rms.

**jzucker** · 01-18-2014, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

If we're just going with specs on a combo, doesn't the ZT Luchbox win on paper with 200W at 9.5 lbs.?

huh? Did we all forget our basic HS math skills?

Acoustic Image Corus, 600W, 22lb. I rest my case. (And that's with a full range speaker system)

**pkirk** · 01-18-2014, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by AlainJazz

Totally agree. The amp isn't very usable for my taste either.

I use the GK 200 as a second channel when playing in stereo to spread the sound. It pairs OK a RE NY8 which I find a little too boomy with the Clarus. It's not great by itself, but will do in a pinch. But to get a second channel for 22+2lbs works for me.

**pingu** · 01-18-2014, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by jzucker

huh? Did we all forget our basic HS math skills?

Acoustic Image Corus, 600W, 22lb. I rest my case. (And that's with a full range speaker system)

Yeah thats got to be the Gold medal winner !

Who else's got one ?
Do you dig it much for clean Jazz sounds ?

In the mean time I've got to fix up my AER Comp 60's Master volume Pot this week
If I can get that done ................ I'll be carrying on with that setup for now

Thanks for all the info guys ... food for thought
(apart from the big Ampeg ;0)

**jzucker** · 01-18-2014, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by pingu

Yeah thats got to be the Gold medal winner !

Who else's got one ?
Do you dig it much for clean Jazz sounds ?

In the mean time I've got to fix up my AER Comp 60's Master volume Pot this week
If I can get that done ................ I'll be carrying on with that setup for now

Thanks for all the info guys ... food for thought
(apart from the big Ampeg ;0)

yes, as I've written many times before it's my favorite for clean jazz sounds as well as acoustic guitar and it sounds great for bass too. Not so good for overdrive or funk guitar

**jorgemg1984** · 01-18-2014, 04:28 PM

I personally hate the AI ("acoustic amps") sound with archtops. The onlu acoustic amp that I've tried and found decent was the Roland AC series.

**jzucker** · 01-18-2014, 04:35 PM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

I personally hate the AI ("acoustic amps") sound with archtops. The onlu acoustic amp that I've tried and found decent was the Roland AC series.

the corus was designed from the ground up with a jazz guitar sound in mind. Have you played through it? It sounds great if you like a traditional jazz guitar tone.

**jorgemg1984** · 01-18-2014, 04:46 PM

I am not sure which model I tried but the one I did I didn't like. I know people also love Fishman amps for the same reason but I hate how they sound with archtops. Brilliant with acoustics though.

**jzucker** · 01-18-2014, 04:56 PM

i'm guessing you didn't try this amp because I had a loudbox and it's jazz tone is horrible compared to the corus.

**AlainJazz** · 01-18-2014, 05:23 PM

Funny, I just played through a loudbox today and thought it sounded pretty bad. Mind you, it might have sounded better for an acoustic guitar but with a humbucker'ed archtop it was lousy.

**jzucker** · 01-18-2014, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by AlainJazz

Funny, I just played through a loudbox today and thought it sounded pretty bad. Mind you, it might have sounded better for an acoustic guitar but with a humbucker'ed archtop it was lousy.

i had the same experience. no headroom and boxy

**jorgemg1984** · 01-18-2014, 06:40 PM

I don't know which one I tried - but it sounded terrible for jazz. For my taste of course.

I like the Fishman amp a lot but for acoustics.

**jzucker** · 01-18-2014, 06:56 PM

do you not like the Joe Pass sound from the '60s? That's what the corus does VERY WELL. And, you apparently haven't tried the corus and are not sure even which amp you've tried!

I'm a dedicated fender / tube amp player but love the corus for jazz. Sounds like a '60s jazz tone to me which never fails to make me smile.

The fishman didn't sound as good as the corus for jazz guitar or acoustic or nylon string

**jorgemg1984** · 01-18-2014, 07:07 PM

It was sometime ago, so I am not sure which model was. I would love to give it another shot but they don't come often around here... Sometimes we need a second impression, it has happened to me a lot in the past.

I imagine it sounds glorious with an acoustic, I tried it with an archtop.

PS - I do not like Joe Pass' sound... from any era

**jzucker** · 01-18-2014, 07:20 PM

you don't relaxin' at the camarillo?

You're disqualified from any further comments, lol. <just kidding sort of>

**yebdox** · 01-18-2014, 07:23 PM

I tried the Corus for a few days and sent it back, tried every iteration of eq tweaks and couldn't find anything I liked at all, including with a nylon string. Really wanted to like it because of the power and weight, but sent it back. My friend Michael at Island Sound thought I should try it again with some coaching from him, so maybe I will give it another shot. In the meantime, I found that a Boss EQ pedal in the loop of a ZT Club made an amp that I didn't care for into a really workable, light grab and go amp. I would take a tube amp on a serious gig, but I could get much better tones out of that setup than I could with the AI.

But, I would like to try the AI again someday. I do remember that the built in effects were pretty crappy, though. And, the output was a Speakon jack, so I couldn't try the head through a standard cab (I don't use Speakons anywhere, so that was a minus, in spite of their supposed advantage.)

**jorgemg1984** · 01-18-2014, 07:27 PM

That is one of his best sounds (from what I've heard) but still... not my cup of tea (sound or playing). But I do have a big respect for him, it's just taste. I do love his work with Ella!

**jorgemg1984** · 01-18-2014, 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by yebdox

I tried the Corus for a few days and sent it back, tried every iteration of eq tweaks and couldn't find anything I liked at all, including with a nylon string. Really wanted to like it because of the power and weight, but sent it back. My friend Michael at Island Sound thought I should try it again with some coaching from him, so maybe I will give it another shot. In the meantime, I found that a Boss EQ pedal in the loop of a ZT Club made an amp that I didn't care for into a really workable, light grab and go amp. I would take a tube amp on a serious gig, but I could get much better tones out of that setup than I could with the AI.

But, I would like to try the AI again someday. I do remember that the built in effects were pretty crappy, though. And, the output was a Speakon jack, so I couldn't try the head through a standard cab (I don't use Speakons anywhere, so that was a minus, in spite of their supposed advantage.)

I have upgraded all my amps / cabs to speakon. It's much safer and all my tech friends said it's a much better choice electronically... but not as practical because most amp / cabs use jack. I have a few jack speaker cables and jack to speakon adapters to use with regular cabs if needed.

Eq pedals can save almost any amp... I rarey leave the house without my parametric!