Acoustic Control Corporation 134 410 Combo

I brought the Acoustic 134 new in Melbourne Australia around 1975-76. The reverb has always been really good with a full length spring reverb unit in the bottom of the case. 2 Channels, but each has a low setting so I can play in the house without drowning out the neighbours. I have used it for Guitar for rock, blues and funk. Used for a few years with a Roland keyboard and lots of use as a disco machine with tape decks and then CD-players and finally a full DJ setup on it ..

Around the same time I brough a Ovation breadwinner for AU$320 and the combination has just been awesome. The Ovation has its own batery powered electronics so I would just set the amp on 5-6 and adjust the volume from the guitar. Very, very clean. I also have an old Jap guitar, which has an amazing clone of a strat neck on it, the pickups were crap so I put some demarzio pickups and its one mean sound so thats the hard rock combo, push the amp above 6 and it just gets meaner, no louder. Yesterday I picked up an 84' Strat and its such a clean sweet sound.

A long long time ago, one of the girls in our group went out with the lead singer of Osibisa when ever he was in Melbourne. One night a few of teh band turned up at our community coffee shop that we ran and it turned into one great jamm session. My 134 was set up on a table and about an hour into the jamm it worked its way off and with a terrible crash it hit the floor. We picked it up, powered it back up and it never missed a beat !!! Tough. Okay kids arrived, the 2 bands I was playing in folded and music took a back seat for 20 years !!! It eventually migrated into the garage for years, and I just pulled it out this morning. My heart broke, rust, knobs fallen off .. I cleaned her up, plugged her in, plugged in the strat and bingo shes back. Just unbelievable, what a tough little box.

Never needed it ..

Playing for about 40 years on and off. If stolen would be very hard to replace. I luv' the fact thats its always been there for me, its always performed, it can be played softly (only clean sound) to very loud and a little dirty. Its damm heavy, and a killer to carry up stairs and I am not getting any younger !!

I'm not sure how old this amp is, but I seem to remember reading that Acoustic went out of business sometime in the mid 70s, so it's old. I got it for FREE (yes, FREE) from my boss. We found it while cleaning our warehouse and I dont think he thought it worked, and said I could take it if I wanted it! I took it home (after he and I and another guy muscled it into my truck) and plugged it in. Quiet as a church mouse. All channels work and are clean. I've used this as a guitar amp, keyboard amp, vocal amp at practice(I'm using it as a bass amp now). Four inputs for two channels. Reverb and tremelo on the second channel. It has a footswitch jack and a speaker out jack on the back but I've never used them. Also has an AC plug on the back as well. It weighs a ton and a half so I put some casters on it to help move it around. For some really weird reason, the handle is on the side instead of the top of the amp so carrying it is kinda tricky.

Loud doesnt begin to describe this amp! When I got it home, my friend and I decided to see just how loud it was. To quote Cheech, "I hope I can still have babies!" because at somewhere around 8 things started falling off the walls. But it never really broke up or distorted. In practical use, I've never had it up past 3/4 and it was brutal. The reverb tank on mine didnt work so I cant really comment on the quality of the reverb or tremelo of this amp, but have heard it is really sweet. When I used this amp gigging, I would run stereo with a Marshall Valvestate as my dirty amp, splitting the guitar signal from the guitar, then run through my Digitech RP processor with just some chourus and verb to this amp for my clean stuff and would either A/B it or use both at the same time. Clean this amp is exceptional, espcially with alot of chorus and verb.

Execpt for the reverb tank, which didnt work when I got it, I've never had a problem with this amp. Considering its age, and the fact that when we found it, it was under a bunch of other stuff and had a ton of crap lying in the back, it has been a real workhorse. It was bought used by my boss at an auction, so I dont know what has been done to it in the past, but the speakers look to be original. The wiring, while old, is still in very good shape.

Acoustic is no more, so I cant comment here

This is an exceptional piece of equipment. When I got it, a previous owner (not my boss, he's not that stupid) had used a roller and some white house paint to try to make it look like a Marshall or Boogie I suppose and had painted it. I had it recovered in Purple vinyl (I call it Barney now) and put some new knobs on it. For an amp that could possibly be older than I am (I'm 40)it sounds as good or better than most all of my other amps. It doesnt have all the features the others do, but I'd stack it up against them any day of the week and twice on Sunday! If you run across one of these get it, I dont think it will every let you down.

You will not find a review like this one. I bought this amp new in the mid 70's. I forgot how much I paid. I still have it, it still cranks louder than hell and it's never been repaired once. It's got some scratchy pots on it now but I don't use it much these days so it's not a big deal. I always wished I could have overdriven this sucker. I always had to use distortion pedals. The original Big Muff PI was the first pedal I used with my 73 Strat. Later went to a DOD pre-amp then a boss heavy Metal Pedal. All this before 1984. I stacked this on top of a cabinet with two 15" speakers. This complimented the 4 10"'s nicely. I could and did drown out everyone.

Back in the 70's and 80's I only played loud distorted metal so I alwasy had to use a distortion pedal. This amp is totally clean. You really can't overdrive it. The good thing is I've never heard it distort even at really loud volumes. I used to come home with my ears ringing after practice or gigs and I never turned it up over 4 1/2. Maybe 5 tops. That's with a distortion pedal usually set on 1/2 to 3/4. Oh, yeah this is a very loud amp. I'll bet clean playing guitarists really get the best out of this amp. I used to aplit my Roland GR-700 guitar synth through this amp. The synth wen tthrough one channel and the distorted guitar wen through the other. The synth was super loud and again never distorted. What a killer sound. As long as you have effects, the sound is awesome and this amp will carry any pedal excellently.

Never needed to be serviced in 30 years. Top that! Never let me down anywhere.

Ahh, yes, the Acoustic 134 4X10 combo.

Well, I have been playing with this amp for almost 10 years now. I found it at Daddy's Junky Music in Boston during the solid state bashing era when no one wanted such an amp, and they were cheap and I was poor. I have gigged with it, taken it to jams and parties and such, and used it in my home and at a few studios. This is definitely a loud amp.

The day I got it, my friends (Gords and Slopey) and I were doing an open mic show at a college ampitheatre and when I plugged in the first word was "Awesome!" It was glorious, you could feel the sound pouring from this amp, echoing across the cement as the sun set over the horizon, it was such a pure and beautiful feeling.

Needless to say the police showed up and shut us down for a noise violation on campus before the show even started. Oops!

This amp is 2 channel with 4 inputs. The clean dry channel is simple, volume, bass, and treble. The other channel has a great reverb, a bright switch (which is okay, you need to use it at the right time, it is good for jangly sounds), bass, volume, treble, and the selling point for me which was the tremolo. This amp has a great tremolo circuit that is complemented well by the 4 ten inch speakers. It came with 4 ten inch Pyle Drivers, which are great with a loud and puchy sound.

By luck, one random day I found the actual channel switch at another Daddy's Junky Music for $10.00, that helps...

Oh, but if you use it in a place with sketchy electrical wiring, watch out where you set the ground switch, otherwise you won't need any coffee for a week.

I think this amp could knock birds and other creatures from the sky it is so loud. I have never played above 5 or 6 (there are no numbers on the face of the control panel.) If you use it indoors at this volume, stuff will fall from the wall or shelves or cabinets in the floor above or beneath you. Trust me...

I have used this guitar with a variety of guitars from a Fender Mustang to an old Fender Acoustic 12-string with a Pro Mag pick-up to a B.C. Rich strat to an Ibanez ArtStar to a couple of keyboards to a Clarinet with a mic and even a Saxophone. It handles it all. I used to play with 2 bassists as a band, and this was never drowned out by them, and it never will.

It is a very clean amp. Even at loud volumes it still rings clean, which is awesome. The dry side is great, the reverb/tremolo channel is even better. The bright switch can be harsh at louder volumes, but if you use it right, it is pretty good, like when playing a 12 string acoustic through it.

I have played it from clean to heavily effects processed without much trouble. It can create the most dense feedback I have heard. It can be warm and ghostly, you can conjure up spirits with this amp. Wanna nail the Tommy James and the Shondells "Crimson and Clover" sound? It can funk, sing the blues, jazz it up, psychedilify, get garage-y, kamikazi, it can even get that Velvet Underground sound, think of the solo in "Pale Blue Eyes." It is very versatile. The 10 inch speakers are a great choice, and the Pyle Drivers that came with this amp are perfectly matched for its power.

If you want to have music rip through your pants while playing an amp, this is it.

I use a DOD classic Fuzz, old AC flanger, Stereo Phaser, Stereo Chorues, 608 Analog Delay ("hey, it sounds like the ocean"); A Marshall Supervibe, An Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser, Dunlop Wah, and a Ross Flanger with this. It handles it well, whether in any combination or all at once. However, during an experimental recording of feedback and sounds which lasted over a half hour (didn't know the tape ran out it was so loud,) something finally popped and smoke billowed from it. My local music store tech guy found one of the original Acoustic Techs and he swapped the old for the new one he was building for an even swap, and the newer one is even better, think New Old Stock...

You know how people say they can feel the music around themselves? Yeah, this is it, baby.

Well, judging by what I said earlier when I melted down the amp by way overdoing it, I mean of course I lost a bit of hearing in my right ear because of it, this amp was very reliable before it blew up. It had been on gigs galore, partied with me, visitted the studio, and was used daily for about four years straight as much as I could use it (I had to go to art school and work and sleep for an hour here and there.) It is an old amp, but a good amp.

Like I also said, when the old Acoustic Tech swapped me the guts for guts, the New Old Stock guts were amazing like the original. If he or she ever reads this, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELPING ME OUT!!!! I don't know where I would be besides up the creek without this amp. Please feel free to contact me if you are curious about how your NOS amp you replaced for me is doing, it is alive and well. Quite well.

Okay, well, Acoustic is no more, which is a dang shame! This amp is from the by gone era of loud, proud, and beautiful!

However, whoever the mystery tech is that replaced the guts for me, I greatly appreciate it. You are a great genius! It is the same amp, only new inside. Thank you.

My only information was that it was a tech out in either Oregon or Washington state who used to build Acoustic Amps, and after Acoustic folded, this person had the schematics and the parts and was planning to rebuild these awesome amps. He or she had a unit that was totally new and wanted to see an old one, and thus the swap was made. I hope everything is going well for you, and bless you for doing what you did. You saved a necessary part of me.

Okay, well,if you're not on the last train to Tubesville, if you are sick and demented, if you like 'em loud, if you are a total mainiac with a sick urge for limitless sonic power; then this IS the amp for you. I like the durability and toughness of solid state, it doesn't wear little white gloves and sip brisk tea in the garden. This amp is a Chevelle from Hell tearing across an open desert, roaring like a mighty lion. Stop it if you can, you would probably disintigrate due to the sonic waves this amp emits. POWER! RAW POWER! YES!

It is also a very toneful amp when you figure out all the features and sweetspots it has. It is very versatile. When I first tried it out, it kind of had a farty tone, but when you sit down and dial it all in (like anyone should,) you can get great tone. I just found out that Pat Methany uses this amp. See, a great choice, I've known it all these years.

If it were stolen, well first of all, TRY stealing it, it weighs a ton, truly Heavy Weight Championship material here. If by some chance it were stolen, you'd have to be big like Conan to do so, I would obviously turn into a jackyl headed demon and devour the soul of whatever profane creature tried to defile this amp. IT IS MINE, TOO BAD, GET YOUR OWN DANG SONIC WEAPON.

I have tried a bunch of amps, and I mean a bunch of amps over all the years I have played for, and this amp is a character. Let me tell you, there aren't too many amps like this. CLEAN and LOUD? C'mon dude!

I have no idea when this was made. I've been playing thru it on and off for 15 years. This is a great clean amp, perfect for those of us with multieffects devices.
I believe it's 230 watts, solid state and built to last forever.
There is no channel switching, effectloops or headphone jacks.
There are 2 channels, both channels have bass and treble controls. Channel 2 has tremelo as well, actually quite nice. There is a shared reverb tank.
This is INCREDIBLY LOUD!!!!!! Let me stress that I've been playing in a hardcore band with one of the heaviest hitting drummers, another guitar player and I can drown them out with this on 4.

I play a Gibson RD Artist thru a Roland GP16 into this beast. It is without a doubt the heaviest guitar sound ever. I've played thru Marshalls and Boogies and nothing beats that combo. The low end can move furniture.
I read another review that said it distorts around 9. I think my heart would stop if I played it that loud. It was probably the guys brain turning to mush. Cleanest amp I've ever played. Warm too.

This amp, this poor poor amp. It has survived so much. Dozens of keg parties. Being lent to other bands for months at a time. Thrown in trucks, on stages.
The cords get ripped, the metal has come off the knobs, the speaker wire was crushed, but it won't die.
I've gigged without a backup. Never a good idea.

I don't even know how I'd contact them. Or why.

I've been playing for 20 years. I would love to own a Diezel or new Marshall, but I live in an apartment and can't justify that kind of cost. I don't own another amp and only have kept this amp recently at home.
I love the fact I can gig anywhere with this thing. I don't love that there is no low volume setting or headphone jack.

Hey, i'm reviewing an acoustic 134 amp. It has 4 10" speakers in it, and the head is already attached to it (comes with it). There are 2 channels and 4 input jacks (2 for each channel) at one time. This means 4 different people can play out of your amp at any given time, which is really great for a band that has two guitar players and one of the guys doesn't have a lot of money for a good amp; it's great for lead players or for people who want to share their amp. On the head of the amp there are some cool features on it... in channel 1 are just the basics (volume, treble, and bass), but in channel 2 the features include volume, treble, bass, reverb, speed (of reverb), and intensity (of reverb). I wish there would maybe be some EQ features available on the amp or some built-in effects (what can you expect from something built in the 70's?), but that is why I recommend possibly getting a 120 or 270 acoustic head for that, but it's not a must. Both channels on the amp also include a BRIGHT function, which makes the sound a bit more clear and treblely. For me, this amp is versatile. It holds up when playing rock, blues, psychedelic, or acoustic material... with the flip of a switch you can change the whole personality of your instrument. There are no tubes in the acoustic 134, so if you're looking for that vintage sound that many rock stars had before, this might not be the amp for you, go for a tube amp. However, I feel that if you really give it a chance, and you have a decent guitar, this amp is undeniably the best amp you'll ever own (it is for me) :-)

I use this amp in my band, where I compete with my bass player's 360 combo (loud as hell!), a loud-pounding drummer, and another guitarist with a Fender Twin Reverb. I used to play out of a little CRATE amp, and I always got drowned out, but now... now, I can drown all of them out if I want to heh heh heh... it's very powerful, and I like that- you can shake your whole house up if you crank it just a little bit past the "7" marker hehe... in essence, this amp is perfect for anyone as long you know how to manipulate the sound, which- in time- you learn how to do on the 134.

I play with a Les Paul out of it, and i'm happy with it, but i'm looking to get a Rickenbacker 650D so it sounds great no matter what (the single-coil tone I think sounds a little bit better with this amp). If you don't feel like buying an extra guitar to use this amp (for single coil tone), again, I suggest maybe tacking on a 120 or 270 acoustic head, so you can EQ the whole thing, and thus, not have to worry about your pick-ups. Humbucking pick-ups sound as good as any pick-up when you have some effects running, but when playing clean, a more treblely sound appeals to me (as a listener). Like I said before, I play rock, blues, jazz, psychedelic, and acoustic music... when it comes to all of these styles, this amp kicks butt. It suits me great because (like I said) with the flip of a switch or turn of a knob, the whole personality of the instrument can change. Everything from dark and rough tone to a clangy treble tone make this amp alter the whole sound around, which is really cool. It DOES have limitations though (like it can only be altered SO MUCH with the features), so getting some effect pedals would be to your benefit.

The amp is not noisy at all until you crank up your volume. No hum or anything when you turn it on at all. I usually jam in basements where everything is compact (I'm testing it out onstage though in about a week)! One cool thing about this amp is that even after you turn it off, it still makes sound until about 5 seconds after it's been shut off. I was rehearsing with my band and the power went off for about 5 seconds and we didn't miss a beat still, and it was great!!!

On it's own, the amp is great. However, when you put the volume up to the max (which is REALLLLLY loud), it DOES distort a little bit. It only does this for me though when I push it over the 9 marker, but that tad bit of distortion is nothing to really worry about.

When I plug in my effects for my guitar, I have to admit, it sounds awesome. The distortion tones, chorus, flanger, delay, and wah-wah all sound incredible busting out of this amp. I love it clean too, and if you get your hands on one of these, you will too.

The most dependable amp you will ever own, I 110% gurantee it. This amp will never break on you, and you may have to repair it maybe once very 5 years. And by repair i mean tighten a few screws or tape some things back into place. This amp was built to last, I will never, ever need a back-up for this amp, and I'm very certain that any acoustic user will back that statement up.

I think I heard somewhere that acoustics went out of business, but I'm not sure. However, the users of the acoustic amps all are great people, and they definitely take a liking and are really great to all the people who are new to acoustics. I consider them to be a part of the customer support since if you go anywhere to try and contact them on the internet, they will definitely help you out. Thanks, guys!

I've been playing guitar for almost 5 years now, and I've owned Fender and Crate amps, and I am dead solid on the fact that acoustics are the best available amps out there. It's so durable and vintage, I just got to give my hats off to the manufacturers. I got it for $200 used and I'm happy for that!!! If this amp was stolen (which I think the thief would have a hard time cuz it's heavy as hell), I'd try to replace it if I could, however i think it IS kind of rare, so i'd probably try to get an acoustic 104 with 6 10" speakers. One thing is for sure though, no matter what, I am always going to use acoustic amps from now on!