Acoustic Control Corporation 470

two channels, built in flange, reverb, and distortion. High and low input. Two speaker outputs on the back. three band dial eq and 5 band slide eq. Lead switch which is intended when used for guitar. Yes that's right. The 470 was designed to be able to be used for either bass or guitar. Tested that theory with my Death Metal band playing nephew. PLuggd in cranked it up only to about three or four. Then shut it down and waited about a half hour for our ears to stop ringing. It had that much power it blew his Blue Voodoo away. Made me promise it to him if I ever was going to part with it or will it to him when I die.
How about this little fact (previous reviewer take notes cause if you had some kind of problem get it to a shop) the 470 has to ability to run ANY ohm speakers for 2 up to 16 without I repeat WITHOUT and changes no flipping switches or anything. Now if you try to run 1 8 ohm and 1 4 ohm well that's just stupid and THAT would mess up your rig. Surely noone out there is that dumb. Must have a built in power conditioner or something cause on the back is a three prong outlet I used to plug a personal fan into it but my new keyboard player has a veru fussy rig and it will hiss and pop in almost any outlet we use at gigs. UNless she plugs into the outlet on the back of my 470 then her rig has absolutely no background noise at all. I used to plug the power mixer and run run the entire PA off that outlet in one of my ld bands. Di that for what 2 years three years?
Originally bought it with the 2x15 model 406 cabinet but well I was stupid and tired of lugging it around (that and it was shall we say difficult to transport when my truck broke down. So I traded it was a peavey black widow 15 and cabinet. Wish I would have known better then instead of now.

Have played country, blues, rock and metal through this rig on bass. Has been used for rock and metal for guitar.

After a drummer induced lack of a mixer at a show one time actually used this 470 as a PA for one night. It did sound a little bassy didn't think to roll it over to the more trebley lead guitar switch. But hey it get us through the night, paid, and rebooked.

I've used this for 15 years and it's been to the shop twice. Both times for different reasons both times cost $125.

Out of business but my amp man has had no problem getting whatever he needs.

UPDATE acoustic controls is coming back beware though what they are currently selling clearly reads on the back designed in america assembled in china. Yeah china. I doubt I'll be buying one of those. Have this problem with anything made in china.

I don't even listen to offers cause well I like this thing. It's heavy the spring reverb noise will drive you nuts on long drives with it in the back seat. Heavy as a boat anchor. Wouldn't trade it or sell it.

I use a pair of Acoustic 470s for my guitar rig. I like the 2 channel option, and the EQ option too. How many amps can you think of that have a 5 band graphic on it? The 5 band EQ points are....funky (it WAS designed in the 70s...), and the effects loop just had to be redone because it wasn't meant for in-line processing. The selectability on the amp, like the A/B feature assigns, lead/bass selector, ground lift are all nifty features. Best features, I think, are the circuit design and discrete componentry which make these amps real sleepers. I use my 470s for larger venues, 500 + fusion or rock gigs. Whenever you hear tube advocates snobbing on about tubes, ask them if they've ever priced Neve channel modules lately.....get my drift?

I play both Gibsons and Fenders, old ones, and most of them have the stock pickups. If they have aftermarkets, they're replacement rated or on the mild side of the output range. I need an amp that doesn't necessarily favor a humbucker over a single coil or vice versa, and I can work around the different output levels. I love the stock clean channel tone; it's good for complex chordal work, jazz and Roland guitar synth signals. The lead channel was ok, but I had the gain raised some on the distortion feature because the stock rating was way too low, and a TS 808, regardless of how nice it sounds, was too noisy with the stock circuit. Voila! Lower noise and better tone. Once that's done the lead tone is fabuluous! Throaty, and with a little work with the EQ can get sone nice sounds, like a Hendrix-y fuzz-face with better gain. The lead channel can get nasty, nasal, smooth, chunky, biting - all with a little adjusting of the tone controls, gain, and EQ. I also had a parallel loop put in because the stock one was too primitive to function in the modern sense, and that had a dramatic effect on the quality of sound. Otherwise you can't mix the effect-straight signal correctly. The EQ frequencies are a little odd, but for some reason it works. Then again, a more useful EQ would have 10 or more bands with better EQ points for guitar, but you can't have everything. The clean channel dirtied up just a little bit at high volume but swapping a couple of parts lowered that channel's gain stage just enough to handle that problem...it was WWAAYY worse with my Twin Reverbs.

When you get older gear like this you have to pay at least twice the attention you do with something newer. They develop unusual habits that you have to become accustomed to working with. You have to learn how to care for them - they're NOT like Fender, Marshall, or more modern solid state amps. Especially the filter caps. IF you do that, they will take good care of you. ALWAYS HAVE THEM PLUGGED INTO A CABINET THAT HAS THE CORRECT IMPEDANCE! OTHERWISE YOU WILL BLOW THE AMP UP IN SECONDS!

This is NOT an amp for the typical user...there's too much you have to learn about and be aware of and for most of you punk/hip hop/new school guys it won't work because they're not plug and play. Sorry, but 'ya gotta take this one on the chin. In other words you have to become your own customer support center. Acoustic is NO MORE. Get a parts list resource, get an experienced electronic tech, be hyper anal about how they sound, get wired up, etc. Worst case scenario (I have had to do this myself) - blueprint whatever mods you need to get it up to snuff for you, and keep a line on where to get another 470 when/if yours blows up in case you can't repair it. Or, like I do, keep a couple spares around.

I have been playing for 34 years. I play mainly fusion, rock and classical/fingerstyle. My guitars;72 Gibson ES 335, 68 Gibson ES 325, 70 Les Paul Custom, 64 Les Paul Custom (triple P/U), 54 Strat, 58 Strat, 62 Strat, 69 Strat, 73 Strat, 75 Strat, 64 Tele, 3 90s Ovation Acoustic Guitars. Amp Rig - 2 Acoustic Model 470s with Marshall 4x12 cabs, 2 transition era Fender Twin Reverbs (customized), 2 Marshall 100 Watt Super leads/JCM 800s (modified)/MK IIs with Marshall 4x12 cabs. The Acoustic 470 has been such an integral part of my setup for the last 20 years, that if I were to be forced to do a gig with just one or two amps, they'd be it. Desert Island beauties in my book. And yes, on bigger gigs I use 6 amps...2 470s, 2 Twin Reverbs and 2 100 Watt Marshalls. Smaller gigs with my own band, usually one 470 with 2 Twins.