A.E.R. Compact 60

Brand new Compact 60(2), fairly simple and intuitive two channel layout and has as much in the way of features as could be needed - if the requirements are for a great, organic acoustic tone with good quality effects, then most should be content with this. It scores highly with me, as it seems to have everything I need, but nothing I don't.

And a 60w power easily produces enough volume - if it isn't, then mic it.

Buils quality is excellent, its nice to look at, so no complaints at all.

Extremely portable and the bag/holdall is a nice touch, protective of the amp and is well-designed too, with stowage pockets fgor leads, strings, etc. The only aspect I would question is plastic snap-connectors which attaches the shoulder strap to the holdall - its not an over heavy amp, but its heavy enough to stress these things and if the connectors broke, its sure to result in damage to the amp, irrespective of how well-padded the bag is. However, I suspect most, like me, will carry it by the integral handle on the amp itself, which is designed to be easily accessible even with the amp in the holdall. Even so, its surprising AER have overlooked this, a flaw in an otherwise good overall package.

Superb - I play jazz & blues fingerstyle, the intention is to use this for home comping and for the acoustic set in my band's show. The sound is beautiful - lovely and crisp, natural sounding and nicely percussive, correctly sensitive and responsive, the controls really work and is an extension of the player. Plugged into it is my Fishman-equipped Martin 00028 and its a wonderful combination. Even my Gibson 335 sounds good plugged in....

Can't praise it enough. This amp replaced an original but hugely cumbersome SWR California Blonde. The AER is so much better and sweet sounding, but at least half the size and weight, superior build quality as well. What could be better?

Early days, but again, build quality, the care which has gone into the design of the amp and feedback from other players suggest it will hold is own, so I'm optimistic.

Never had to deal with them, but others report they're friendly enough

Playing for about 30 years, other gear - Mesa Boogie Lone Stars, PRS Custom 22 Artist, Gibson Les Paul Standard, Custom Shop 335, Fender Stratocaster, a lovely '52 Tele and of course the Martin. Use very few effects, mainly Keeley and a Bud-Wah.

If it were stolen, would certainly replace it with the same - proably not the Domino, either - again, this has everything I could need.

I bought a 60/2 online, new, for $1050. Best grand I've blown on guitar stuff in years. YEARS.

I'm a music school trained fingerstyle guitarist. Been playing for 20 years.

If you're interested in buying the best acoustic amp available, look no further. Ok, second best: the A.E.R. acousticube is probably the best. But the 60 is a proud number two - and only number two because of it's output, which is mind bending, but still not enough for large venues like the acousticube can handle.

ANYWAYS, plug in, stand back, and be amazed at how the medium sized room is magically filled with you guitar. Describing sound quality is a fool's errand, but here goes: Round, warm, clean, full and exactly how you imagine your acoustic sounding. Finally, an amp that does all that beautiful wood and steel justice.

The effects: not superb like the amp, but solid. The reverb is fine, the others are so-so. But don't get me wrong, they are still useful. They don't sound bad - not even close. I did not take the effects into account when rating the amp, though. They are fine, but the amp here is the star. It could come without effects and the result would be no different.

I've only had this puppy a couple of months, so.... It's built extremely well. No corners were cut in the engineering of this amp.

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AER Compact 60, made in 2006, made in germany of course!
features 2 channels, effects loop (4 effects), DI Out, no notch filter

this amp is 60 watts, its packed full of power in a very neat and tidy package ! i think everyone else has spoken about the features in great lengths so i wont need to repeat them. wish it came with a shoulder bag, instead it came with a padded case

its tiny ! only weighs 8kgs and so easy to carry around

did i mention expensive ? its more than what most people would spend on a acoustic amp

i use a cole clark fat lady 2 with a dual input pickup, this guitar sounds unbelievable through this amp, it has a rich lush natural sound which has to be heard to be believed. this amp really adds a touch of class to your guitar playing

i play a variety of styles, mainly fingerstyle and acoustic but i have plugged this amp into a classical guitar and it sounds brilliant! it brings out the best in every guitar.

there is very little unwanted noise when plugged in, even at high volumes, the mic channel is also excellent and adds richness to your vocals

i've only had this amp for 3 days, but it looks like it will last a lifetime, the build quality is excellent and being made in germany it should be extremely reliable and dependable like most things made there

Never had to deal with them yet, but my local guitar shop has said they are good to deal with. comes with 2 years warranty

i have been playing for 4 years, i have owned 2 other acoustic amps (ashton 30, behringer ultracoustic acx1000) and none of these come even close to this amp. they weigh 3 times as much, and doesnt pack as much power.

i compared this amp to the roland ac-60, fender acoustic, marshall AS50R , behringer acx1000, yorkville am100 and none of these could achieve the crisp, natural and lush sound that the aer provides.

i love the sound, the size and portability and ease of setup , only drawback i can see is the price, but you definately get what you pay for with this amp. definately recommended for those people who want the best possible sound from the smallest package

The Compact 60 2 has some great features for sure...but somebody make an acoustic amp with some real eq in there. Just put a 15 band graphic right on there and be done with it. Every pickup has to have some frequency cut, and every room is going to not like my mic at some frequency.... just giving me a ?mid? or maybe a ?notch?.... I know I can get an outboard unit, and separate reverb, maybe a buffer/pre too... but somebody put the whole thing together!

I give it a high rating mainly as it compares to other acoustic amps, but the whole I?m cynical about amplifying acoustic guitars, so I won?t bore readers by saying an amp will make your guitar sound just like it does in your favorite room in the house only louder. The Compact is not going add any magic, but it will bring out the best your pickup can likely do, and when using with a mic, it makes for a very very transparent little PA.

I used this amp a few different ways (I actually use two most of the time). In some places I?ll use just a mic; either AKG C1000 or a little Audix i5 dynamic. I also have a K&K Pure Mini in the guitar (SCGC OM/PW). But more often than not I pop in a Fishman Rare Earth, or some combination. With the exception of the K&K- because it really needs the mids cut- I only use the mic channel. I can?t personally get a decent sound out of the instrument channel with the Rare Earth, I would use the mic channel for the Mini too if if had a mid pot. I think one beef with the instrument channel is that the mid pot, if I remember right, is only a 3db cut at 500hz. That?s a good frequency to hit, particularly with a soundhole mag, but I?d like to be able to make a cut about four times as deep as 3db. The Contour button has a prefabbed smiley face eq curve which sounds ok with the K&K, but it?s not that great.

With the Earth, I find the using the mic channel with the bass very high sounds really nice. But with the mics I keep things pretty flat, maybe a slight bass cut for the Audix. The miced sounds obviously are much better than the soundhole mag or the K&K mini, but it?s hard to make that work in many gigs. But when it does, the AER really shines.

The reverb is better than the Ultrasound, and miles better than the SWR, but still not great. I wish it had four different reverbs, with a little more tweekability... why put chorus and flange in there?? What a waste.

One great thing for sure is that these little guys can put out. Again, I tend to need to push the bass to move some air, but I?ve had these guys on mic stands for a few pretty big rooms and they sounded great. And with the great little shoulder bags and my gig bag for the guitar, I can move both amps and my guitar in one trip- yippee.

I?ve used both Compact 60?s for quite a few gigs over the last few months with no problems

Really bad, at least via e-mail. I?ve tried to ask a few questions about operating, and spare parts. No response.

These Compact 60?s replaced two JBL EON15 G2?s, which replaced two SWR California Blondes... I?ve also had two Ultrasounds, and some Carvin acoustic stuff over the years too. I think these are the best in terms of overall tone and connivence. Very transparent, but in contrast to the JBL?s and SWR?s, I know there?s going to be a few gigs this Summer where I?ll need to rent some reinforcement... All in all it?s a great sounding, solid, easy to move rig. I recommend the AER stuff very highly.
http://www.ericskye.com

Nice range of features, though it ought to for the price! It's all been said in other reviews, but I particularly like the colour switch on the first channel - really makes finger picking 'zing' by adding top end and a bit of middle.

Don't let the size of the amp put you off - it really is capable and will easily fill a small/medium venue.

I thought at first that it would all be top heavy when put on the top of a mic stand - but it is quite stable. Very convenient, very easy!

I'm a picker - so this amp really suit my style. really delighted with it - it's the kind of amp I've been looking for, and beats the pants off my previous Marshall AS50R - but then it is more than twice as expensive.

I use it with both an old Japanese Epiphone acoustic and a Line 6 Variax Acoustic. The Epi sounds particularly good - a real acoustic sound true to the guitar, but louder!

No comments to make - and long may this be the case!

Again, nothing to add here, except my dealer, Soundcontrol, is top notch!

A cracking amp, really portable, and comes with a natty little padded bag. The biggest joy for me is being able to walk into a gig, guitar in one hand and amp slung over my other shoulder. Connect the two, and away we go..

I have had the amp for about a year. I play mostly jazz but I so some Rock. The amp is used as a piano, organ, tenor sax and flute amp. I use both channels. I don't use any effects other than the built in reverb. So far I haven't used the Headphone jack. On small gigs I get by with just the Combo 60 but on larger gigs I use it as a monitor. For my uses it has enouth power. What I really love about the amp is is size and weight. I play mostly resorts and weddings. We have to move to different and it's really easy to set up and move. I wish it had a more universal way to mount it on a mike stand. They supply a little adapter to do this and I'm always worrying about stripping the threads. It's high priced but is an excellant amp.

I don't play guitar.

So far no break downs.

I have been a professional musician for about 30 years. I play a Nord Electro keyboard through it. I have a Selmer Mark Vi alto and tenor sax and a Haynes flute. Other sound equipment I own are two Crown amps, 2 mackie 1202 Mixers and 2 JBL's (MRs) with 15" speakers and Lexicon effects. I also have a Roland piano amp. I could not work without the little AER amp.

My AER compact 60 was made last year. I am totally sold on the features. The back of this amp is just loaded with inputs and outputs, from phones to Di's I intend to use all the features.

I play a Maton Acoustic about 12 years old. Until now I've never really enjoyed playing it. I play in a covers band and I take it to rehearsal useit as my personnel PA and it beats the hell out of the studio PA! It's quiet as. I'm totally taken by the sound of this thing man it's good I play the guitar through the first channel and the colour button is fantastic for finger picking.

I've been playing for a few years now. I had a Fender DSP90 which I found to be unreliable and sound wise inadequate. If stolen I'd track the thief down till I die but I'd have to buy another in the mean time. I love it! It's a pleasure to take to gigs and I'm just in raptures about it's sound clean clear no hiss no fuss nothing left out...of any consequence, magic!

I bought this amp used in 2004. Not sure what year it was built, but it was like new. This little amp is super portable (19lbs) and ideal for amplifying a guitar and microphone. Comes with a gig bag that you can throw over your shoulder. I mostly play fingerstyle with some strumming.

This is the best acoustic amp I've ever heard and given its size and weight it's tough to beat pound for pound.

FYI, I've heard praise for the Schertler Unico which is 100w, 32 pounds. Others have told me that the discontinued Fishman Performer Pro, which I also considered, is harsher than the AERs but then again it packs 240w of power.

No problems to report so far.

I have not dealt directly with the company but have high praise for the USA distributor (fredcoynersales.com). I needed the adapter which is necessary for mounting the Compact60 and Alpha on mic stand and they mailed them out to me for free. Can't beat that.

I'd get another if mine broke, were stolen or lost. The sound and portability is perfect for my needs (wedding, corporate, private gigs). I compared the Fender Acoustisonic series and Ultrasounds. The AER sounded best for me.

Pourchased new in 2004. Two channels, 60 watts, co-ax 8" speaker, lots of output options in less than a cubic foot of space. 18 pounds light. 3 band eq on guitar channel, two band on mic. Super clean line out. Wish it had a notch filter - hence the 9.

This amp sound absolutely fantastic. For solo shows I use it for guitar and vocals. When I do use a PA I use the AER as my guitar monitor. This little amp will fill any coffee shop or restaurant easily. Super quite - no hiss at all even which pushed. The vocal channel is better than any PA I've ever used. My K&K and B-Band equipped guitars sound GREAT. Now I know why Tommy Emmanuel takes one everywhere he goes. The AER Compact 60 is is super portable and easily as loud as my 100w Roland AC-100. I do mostly finger picking folk/blues/country blues and this amp is PERFECT for my style. I'm surprised at how loud I can be with this without a notch filter. When I do get feedback, I use a Baggs PADI to control it.

So far no problems at all. Love the carry bag - it protects the amp and makes it very easy to carry.

Havent' dealt with the company.

A bit pricey, but if you want portable there's nothing else that even comes close. Just wish it had a notch filter.

Mine is a 2004 made solid state amp with 2 channels for instruments and/or microphone, 4 effect presets, versatile connections. Despite of all the features for me it make a "purist" impression. The only features I am missing is a mute switch for convinient silent tuning and recording (you can turn down the master anyway)

I bought this unit to amplify my ibanez archtop and my voice. That is the natural sound I was searching for - which I could not get out of my mesa boogie and fender tube amps. period.
and it's a fine amp for singing. Both on the guitar and voice I do not need lots of bass (actually I turn down the bass a bit to avoid boominess), so the small speaker is more supporting than limiting my sound. could be different for you.
The effects are not my cup of tea, I use just a little bit of reverb in the rehearsal room to avoid the "narrowness" of a little speaker in a small room.
Tried it with my cheap acoustic with magnetic pickup, my tele and lapsteel as well. everything works well.
I tried a rat distortion, too, but that did not sound good, bass did not work either.

All in all it is a very natural and pure amp, It does not have a "wow-effect" on it but the longer I play it, the more I realize how rewarding it is. It forces you to play good and if you do, you can hear all the details. And it's loud enough to reach a jazzcombo level - both for Guitar and singing.

no problems so far

I play for 26 years and own a Mesa boogie and a fender tube amp. Both sound good for electric guitar, but I wanted a more natural sound for the archtop which the AER delivers. I wanted a small package, too (no more stiff right hand from lugging amps at the gig) I compared it with a roland ac 60 which sounded more artificial IMO. I can amplify my voice with the same little package and have enough volume and headroom for small gigs (can use de built in D.I. for large venues). For the jazzguitar in my personal opinion this can be a new standard - just like the polytone used to be.