Boss AC-2 Acoustic Simulator

logical and simple

it is an excellent simulator, but do not use it if you have a lower end electric guitar costing less that $400. In my years of experience and study of guitars, the TONE on these guitars is generally SIGNIFICANTLY less in quality, as they are built assemly-line style with budget pickups and parts, causing imbalances and noise in the output tone. That's why some guitars are dirt cheap. I can get into the science of why cheap guitars won't have good tone, but not here. But, if you have bad electric tone to start off, you'll have bad acoustic simulation tone at the end. I've tried my AC-2 with other guitars to demonstrate this fact. My Carvin dc-400 plays it like a dream since it has awesome clean tone in the first place with active/passive electronics to really shape the output.

Also, you can't have a cheap amp either, or one with a speaker with less than a 12" speaker.


If you want good passable acoustic sound, it will do it, but you have to have decent gear first. You can't "cheat" in getting good sound. That's like trying to bake a gourmet cake with only saltine crackers and wheat and milk. Come on, you really can't expect good tone and good acoustic simulation from crappy gear. No offense, but that's the matter of it all.

There is a slight hiss and buzz that is from putting the high end tone TOO HIGH, so don't do that. temper your settings, and don't go extreme.

Super dependable. Never failed.

It's a SIMULATOR, not a replacement. A no, unlike other people, buying a junk acoustic will not sound better than this. Use good gear, and you'll get good sound. That should be, and is, the rule for ALL effects.

People have lost the ability to learn about how to eliminate tone and noise problems. You're dealing with an electronic item, so you have to think in those terms!

A no brainer really.... 4 knobs. The manual does a good job explaining what each one does.

A far cry from a real acoustic guitar. Remember, this ONLY a simulator. It pretty much adds color to straight, no effects guitar sound. The best way to see is, play your guitar with no effects, and step on the pedal. Gives the guitar more of the "jang jang" sound, but not as flat as the bypassed sound.
I use a Peavy Wofgang with a HH cinfiguration, and the Jumbo setting is a bit too boomy for my taste. So I usually stick with the Piezo, or the standard setting with the top around 1 o'clock setting.

My expectation of this pedal was pretty low, but I was pretty impressed with it. For guitar sonic critics, it won't pass your test.
But I think it will do pretty well. A good backup, but I would never do an unplugged set with this.

It's a Boss.

Never dealt with them.

For what it does, it's pretty good. Kinda pricey. I thought about the Rockman Acoustic pedal, but never tried it. I hear good reviews.
Now, for all those people who keep comparing it to the sound to Martin guitars, you should go and play other acoustics. Martin is not the end-all-be-all of acoustic guitars. Every guitar sounds different, and you're just misleading a lot of people with personal biases. Just because "popular" artists use Martins does not qualify it as the best guitar.

Very simple to use. Pulled it out of the box, dialed in the settings and away you go!

While not a 100% acoustic sound, it is very, very good. Running this through my effects loop on my VOX AD60VT amp - it's sounds great! Run it straight throught the guitar and it sounds the same as the acoustic pedal in the modeling section of my amp. I needed a deeper, richer acoustic tone. The "pedal" in my VOX amp did not have the sound I was looking for. I use the AC-2 through the loop, with a little compression (in place of the "acoustic" pedal on the amp), and a little chorus, it sounds great for my purposes. With my VOX amp, I can control the nasty bass or high treble by switching to another amp model (Black 2x12, AC15 and Boutique CL are the best). If I didn't have this VOX amp and its tonal flexibility, I see how you could get trapped into a very narrow tone range with this pedal. Without my amp, I'd give the sound a 6, but with my setup, it gets a 9.

First Boss pedal. Seems as solid as my Marshall Supervibe Chorus.

Try before you buy! This pedal works great for me.

It is very easy to use.

I took a chance and bought this thing without trying it first. I dont have that high of standards when it comes to gear. Im easily satisfied with most gear that i hear. I bought this because i figured it would allow me to switch to acoustic mid way through a song. Also the added convientcy of having an acoustic sound in a stomp box.

Ok on to the sound...This thing is absolutely terrible. I mean i knew all along before i bought it that it wouldnt sound 100% like a real acoustic but i was at least expecting 50% and this thing falls waaaaaaaayyyyyyyy short of even my low expections that i had set for it. It doesnt even come close to an acoustic. If it didnt say acoustic simulater on it, most people who heard it would not even guess that it is supposed to simulate an acoustic. I tried tweaking every which way and it still sounds like ass no matter what. Also when you turn it on there is a drop in the overall balance of tone. The best way to describe is like having someone throw a heavy cover over your amp. The sound is very muffled.

here is my advice. This thing cost $90. take that money and go to the guitar shop and buy some used low end acoustic for the same price. Even the cheapest, crapiest real acoustic will sound 1,000 better than this thing. I promise a used $100 acoustic will absolutely put this thing to shame. Lucky for me i took adavantage of guitar centers return policy and took it back and got a full refund.

come on now, its a boss. it worked for me and it will work for the poor guy who was unfortunate enough to buy it after me.

dont waste your time with this thing. take my advice above and buy a cheap acoustic for the same price and you will having something that will sound a million times better than this thing.

straight forward enough.

All those idiots out there just plugging it into your Marshall amps et all expecting it to sound just like an ovation, martin etc. are very dissulusioned beings. Have this pedal at the front end i.e your guitar THEN plug your amp, effects etc. into the e.g out and have the direct signal going to your desk and it sounds fantastic!! Darn useful when wanting to change from acoustic to full on overdriven filth. I use a Gibson Les Paul with the bridge pick up to get the best sound capable. Sounds better than my Yamaha electro acoustic!!! Can also be used to beef up the sound of your tinny acoustic to boot. When playing through a guitar amp, the unit may sound a little harsh and distort, but this is more due to the colour of your amp than the effect unit itself.

built like a brick outhouse

I dont know how i suvived without it before. Very useful if you need to change sounds quickly without the need for guitar changes.

There are only 4 knobs, it isn't that hard.

There is a fuzzy sound whenever the level is above the halfway point. It is hard to get a good sound. The bass is usually to high, even when the "Body" knob is near the bottom. I usually use it on the piezo mode or standard. Jumbo has too much bass. It doesn't sound like an actual acoustic guitar, but is the best simulator i have encountered. My setup is as follows: Epiphone G-400 guitar, Boss Ds-1 Distortion, Boss Super Chorus pedal, the Ac-2 and a Marshall 30dfx combo. It sounds cool to use the Chorus and Ac-2 together, on very quiet songs. I like to play punk, Hardcore and Rock in general. My Favorite bands are Blindside and Dogwood.

It is very good, like all boss pedals I have used.

Never encountered them.

It is durable and easy to operate, but the sound isn't that great. It's fuzzy and doesn't sound like an acoustic. But there aren't any other good simulators that I have seen before. When you find the perfect setting, it does sound great, but it isn't very cosistent.

I got the pedal used and with no manual, so I ended up needing to take a full day to play with it and find the settings that I liked. Once I got a few sounds and wrote them down, it became a very easy pedal to use.

I was really surpised when I plugged this pedal in. All that I could think was that this is the noisiest boss pedal that I have ever owned, as a loud hiss was audible. After a day of tweaking my pedal however, I was able to quiet the pedal down enough to record. As far as the acoustic simulation is concerned, I am able to get great dark and bright acoustic sounds. It sounds even better with a little reverb.
I use an epiphone dot with .11 strings and a fender twin. My only real beef with the pedal now is that it seems to drop the volume of my guitar significantly when I turn it on. I have to keep it cranked to max output to get it to equal regular guitar volume. I don't suggest using it with distortion, as I have never been able to get a good distorted sound out of the pedal. (Of course thats not why I bought this pedal.)

I have never had problems with boss pedals, and would gig without a backup.

never dealt with them

I play blues, rock, punk, alternative, whatever I happen to be interested in at the moment. This pedal is indespensible, and while it isn't the same as my dad's old acoustic, it makes my electric sound amazing. I only wish that it was a little quiter, but its excellent for live playing.

very easy to use. I find that the enhance mode works best for me.

I knew when i bought this that it was not going to sound 100% like a real acoustic. Id say it gets about a 50% acoustic sound. Really all it does is alter the clean sound rather than make it 'acousticish'. Its alright. I play a Jackson PS-4 guitar which has a H-S-H pickup style. I have a Duncan JB in the bridge and it sounds best there obviously since the JB has a great clean sound. THe middle single coil is too thin and the simulator just makes that more noticable. This pedal does make a little hissing when turned on. Nothing too bad though.

i doubt ill have a problem with it

never dealt with them

if it were stolen i doubt id replace it at its current price. Its a decent pedal but not at $90. Id probably try to pick up a used one on ebay if it were stolen for a lot cheaper. Id imagine a high end strat with a bridge single coil would work best with this thing. Id say only buy this thing if you have: A) a guitar w/ a bridge single coil. B) your desperate to improve your clean sound without buying a new amp.

Just a few dials.

Great with strat bridge. I can't get a good sound with my other guitars. I find that the most electric/artificial sounding input generates the sweetest acoustic output.
Might have to tweek the other guitars. You should try this on your guitar before buying.

Its a Boss. Nuff said. :) Only kidding. I have no idea. This is my first boss pedal. Looks as solid as all my other pedals.

Not used.

You can get it cheaper mail order. I use this all the time. I don't like my strat bridge pickup. I play mostly clean. This is great. Does chords too. It has a bit of reverb/delay so turn those effects off at the amp.

This pedal will take alot of tweaking to get a good sound. However, there are many authentic acoustic sounds to be had. Alot will depend on your guitar and amp. For instance, I could get no use out of this pedal whatsoever through the clean channel on my Marshall. The tubes distorted from the frequencies on just about every setting. However, going direct through my mixing board was magical. It also sounds great on my solid state Fender chorus amp. The manual is helpful, but due to the amount of intangibles, you will still need to tinker.

I play a custom 24 PRS into a Marshall JCM 800 head for dirty. I A/B the clean sounds via the acoustic simulator into the PA. I can get a beautiful sound using the ENHANCE setting with a little reverb. My guitar resonates like an acoustic would using this pedal. It is very genuine sounding to me. Your pickups will have alot to do with how to set this pedal. Using the neck humbucker with the volume rolled back a bit,the sound is warm. I get a great sound for the acoustic part on "The Trees" by RUSH. A little brittle on the bridge but like I said you need to tinker.

I use BOSS whenever I can because they are indestructible!! Most of them really do what they are supposed to do too.

Never needed them

This pedal saves me the hassle of lugging an acoustic around for the brief moments it is needed. If it were lost or stolen I would replace it. Nothing will beat the sound of a real acoustic, however this comes real close. It will take some time to tweak. (Believe me, I wanted to return it at first) Dont give up until you have tried each mode and setting. The A/B feature is great if you want to use a separate amp for acoustic.