Fender Acoustasonic 30

My Acoustasonic 30 is the non-DSP model. It is in like new condition. I play folk-rock mostly and wanted an amp to play acoustically thru and sing. The amp has 2 channels, 1 for guitar, 1 for voice (XLR-in). It has reverb which is nice...I think it is a spring reverb because I can hear it when I move the amp. It also has chorus which I don't care for. 3 band EQ is decent and string dynamics control is a bit of a mystery to me, might be more obvious at louder volumes. I use a ART tube preamp, one of those little ones with the meter on it and I found it greatly enhances headroom, lots more volume for my Gibson J45 with stock pickup. I wish it had seperate stereo outs...one for voice, one for guitar.

I waited a couple of days after I got the amp to post a review, as to be fair. I must say I love the sound of this amp! Everytime I turn it on it inspires, I tried a fancier Fender model about a year ago and thought it was awful and I was shocked at how much I liked this one. I never thought I'd love a solid state amp for guitar. I must add using my ART preamp with the amp with the chorus turned on makes some weird "quispey" sounds...but I have no-use for chorus so not a problem.

It is Fender, so I assume it will never breakdown. I have 3 others a 70's Champ and Princeton, and a early 60's (hurting) Bandmaster. The pots in these old amps don't even make static...I think Fender amps are the greatest!

No answer, don't really know.

I have been playing a long time...doesn't mean I'm any good...lol. It is a great hobby, I might play out again someday, but maybe not. I just enjoy playing music. I am glad I came upon this amp as I was actually drawn to a modestly priced Behringer ACX 1000, or whatever its called that I thought might be a good option...I didn't like the Behringer at all and as soon as I plugged into the Acoustasonic I was delighted. The only thing I wish this amp had was a bit more power and stereo/seperate outs. Buy one of you get the chance.

I have an older non-DSP model that I bought from Guitar Center as a clearance item. I like the simplicity of the features. The chorus on this older model is far better sounding than the new DSP model. If you can find a non-DSP get it. Plug in an SM58 through the vocal channel and it's all you need. Need more volume? Line out to the PA or mic it. This would be a great amp at twice what it costs.

I'm playing a Martin 000M with a Fishman Matrix active pickup through the Acoustasonic 30. It is virtually silent when plugged in. I use the chorus on about 1.5-2 and it is LUSH! The reverb is nice on the vocal channel but a little too much with both chorus and reverb on the guitar. I've played my guitar through just about every "acoustic" amp made and this little amp is the only one that doesn't sound like just a guitar through another amp. Flawless sound. I've been reading all of the "it's not loud enough" comments and yes it is not a Marshall stack but it gets plenty loud to do a small gig (with an attentive audience)on it's own or like I said...line out to the house system. It's the incredible sonic quality that sets this amp apart from the rest.

I haven't had it long enough to comment on this but hey...it's a Fender. I'm not too worried.

Once again...no opinion yet.

I've been playing for over 30 years and this is the only amp I've ever considered worthy of being called a true "acoustic guitar" amp. It blows anything else I've ever tried away for true sonic quality including it's big brother the Acoustasonic Jr. I don't know what or how Fender did it but this little gem is a treasure and it will be with me for a long time to come.

This is a 2004 Mexican made Fender DSP model. This amp is perfect for a practice amp and for smalls gigs. The digital effects on the amp are good. It would have been nice if Fender would have have given a "tap" control for the timing on the delay. Line 6 does it on their low end amps, you think Fender could do this too. The pre-sets are useable and they sound pretty good. The amp has enough power for me. I have noticed that this is one point that that this amp is criticized for. OK it is a small amp, if you need a big amp, buy a big amp. If you can get by with a small one. This is it!

I play a an Epi-PRE6 with the stock EPI Piezo pup and a Samick Cheyene SMJ-10 with an LR Baggs piezo. The amp is quiet anad clean. It can really deliver a plethora of sounds, I was suprised by how many. I mainly play finger-style guitar, Atkins-Travis style. I compared this amp to Crate and Peavey in the same size range. This was the best sounding amp to me.

It's a Fender. I have had good luck with Fenders for the past 30+ years. I have owned 5 this one makes 6. This unit seems to be very solid. Based on my past history with Fender, I do not expect anything different.

Never needed them. I alway try to buy from dealers who can support the equipment too. I know that this is not an option for some. If you can it is well worth it.

I have been playing for over 30 years. If lost or stolen I would replace it with the same amp. I love the sound and the flexibiilty this anp affords. I wish Fender would give time delay control to it's amps. Like I said Line 6 does it on it's low end models. Come on Fender, you can do better than that! That is my only complaint. Otherwise I give this amp a 10.

This review is for the 2004 model of the Acoustasonic 30 (the one with DSP effects). You can find most of the features listed on any vendor's site. The amp has 2 channels, instrument and mic (each with individual EQ and DSP effects). A minor disapointment was that the instrument channel only has an unbalanced 1/4" input. The mic channel on the other hand has an XLR input - but when I plugged my guitar into that channel, it was fairly noisy.

I used this amp to amplify my Taylor 710CE (with the expression system). The guitar sounded great through the amp. Just as good of a tone as much more expensive amps that I tried. The effects sound great too - great Fender reverb, delay is always fun to have, chorus - and even a neat vibrato (which I don't even think the higher-end SFXII has). Even with my guitar AND amp turned up all the way, there was very little noise and hiss - however, the simple reason for that is that the amp is WAY TOO QUIET! I disregarded most of the reviews I read stating that it wasn't loud enough. I figured that a 15 watt little elctric guitar practice amp got pretty loud, so a 30 watt amp should be plenty to be heard over drums and an electric guitar. Well acoustic and electric are quite different methods of amplification. So as much as I like the amp in terms of features and sound quality (not to mention it looks really cool), the loudness simply isn't enough for my applications.

It looks pretty dependable, but I didn't own it long enough to comment on this.

I called Fender before purchasing the amp, to ask them a few questions about the amp. The guy I talked to was very friendly, and also pretty sincere. In fact, even HE told me to think about getting a higher end model (the Acoustasonic Jr.), since he said this one is fairly quiet.

Don't get me wrong, this is a GREAT little acoustic gtr amp, but I would limit its applications to practicing by yourself, or at most playing in public in a very quiet environment. No store around me carried the Acoustasonic, so I never had a chance to try it out. So I ordered it online and hoped for the best. As I said, the sound quality is very good, and across the volume range there is very little background noise. But I simply would not be heard on top of our drummer and electric guitar, so I returned it and ordered the Acoustasonic SFXII. Hopefully it's 80x2 watts will be enough power.

Update to review below

I traded my Ovation S771 for a Mexican maple neck strat. Absolutely gorgeous clean tones out of this amp! The warmth of the amp combined with lush chorus, good 'ol Fender reverb and the string dynamics (!) are amazing. Another reviewer opined the string dynamics was some sort of compressor, and it does seem to add sustain. All I need now is a good distortion pedal..

Bought it Summer of 2002, and raved about it in previous review. I've lived with it for a while and changed guitars and I'm passing along my updated perceptions.. Lots of features for the money.

Originally I was playing an Ovation S771 Balladeer through it. That combo sounded great. The S771 has the OP24+ preamp in it, and that compensated for the low power of the amp. Not a transparent sound at all but a nice juicy, punchy acoustic electric steel string tone. Then I went and fell in love with an Ovation 6773 Country Artist, a nylon string guitar with the older OPX preamp. It sounds OK through the Acoustasonic 30 but as all you fellow tone junkies know, OK doesn't cut it. I'm currently shopping for something a little more transparent in an acoustic amp. Maybe a Trace Elliot, AER would be great, I hear they sound great w/nylon string guitars, but they are pricey.

Owned less than a year, have owned several other Fender amps, never a problem. Built solid, but rather heavy and awkward to carry.

No experience.

Great sound for steel string, super with Ovation OP24 series preamps. Very heavy for power rating, awkward shape. I'd keep it if I was still playing steel string and deal with the weight/transport issue. Makes a nice onstage monitor if playing solo in a fairly quiet hall or restaurant. Probably wouldn't work for a band w/drummer or solo in a real noisy bar/pub because you'd have to crank volume to the point of distortion (saturated tone) to hear yourself. I only play solo to church groups these days (have permanent tinnitis from playing in bands in front of a 100 watt Marshall!) and haven't had any experience in those environments so it's mostly conjecture on my part.

30 watt acoustisonic, instrument and vocal channel, string dynamics, chorus, reverb, line out. i would have liked an effects loop, the option of a reverb switch on the vocal channel, and also a mid pot on the vocal channel. phase switch is a bonus.

i use a 1984 gibson epiphone with a fishman bridge pickup, run it through an art dual mic pre into an art tube parametric eq, and split the dual outputs to board and amp respectively. i run vocals through a yorkville apex 430 condenser mic to the art mic pre and split the dual outputs to board and amp. the line out goes to the board to fill it all out. i play beethoven to nick drake, elvis costello to the zombies, and i find this amp works well for all. with a touch of rev and chorus, the guitar sounds warm and full and the vocals sound surprisingly good. the blend of both through the amp is very pleasing. the amp was a little weak when pushed to its limits in a noisey setting, but with the options available in my set up, a PA makes this irrelevent. the vocal channel distorts when pushed and is pretty hissy, but oh well. i like this amp alot.

so far so good. i bought it used, but fairly mint.

no dealings yet...

i've been playing guitar 22 years, drums 28 years. i own lots of gear. my favorites are a 57 les paul junior, fender 'the twin' amp, tannoy reveal studio monitors, my epiphone acoustic (a rare gem that, while not top of the line, sounds amazing!!!!!) and this little acoustisonic makes me smile. i would get another acoustisonic if it was stolen. i'd like more power, but this one sounds great and i like its portability (SMALL, if not quite light!) looks and sounds great, and i love the tilt back feature (not when carrying it...)

Many others have pointed out the features of this amp. But there are
some features this amp is missing. It doesn't have a jack for an
external cab and it doesn't have a switch to turn off the internal
speakers. The line out jack isn't that useful if you have to crank the
amp up to feed the PA. The tweed grille, wood grain face, and tan tolex
is very attractive. This amp is very heavy as the cabinet is made of
thick particle board.

An acoustic amp isn't supposed to have a warm creamy tone. It is intended
to be a linear reproduction of the input signal, like a small PA amp.
It has knobs on the front for equalization, but it isn't designed for
any particular instrument in mind. For guitars with built in eq, it is
best to leave the knobs at 5 and use the eq on the guitar. Since the
back of the amp is closed, it can delever quite a bit of bass for
an 8" speaker. The phasing switch is useful to avoid feedback. The amp
isn't very loud, so I wouldn't recommend it for use in noisy venues. It
does make for an excellent practice amp. The spring reverb sounds great,
but is prone to hum. The chorus is quite excellent, but the only control
it has is it's speed. The amp is prone to hissing, even with the
instrument cable completely disconnected. The hiss is even louder
on the line out jack. Hooking it up to a PA may result in unacceptable
levels of hiss.

It does come with a full schematic if you desire
to fix it yourself.

This amp is best described as an acoustic practice amp. It's low
volume and hiss on the line out limits its use in noisy places or with a PA.
It is perfect for home use or other smaller quiet places.

Brand new, made in Mexico, a wonderful country that doesn't have a jerk for a president. Great features, read about 'em in the other reviews. Chorus to die for, good 'ol Fender reverb w/spring. Plenty of power for me, if I want more volume it's cause I'm playing a big hall so then I run the direct line out into a 500 watt PA system. Like DUH!!

Crystal clear gobs of luscious creamy quivering (w/chorus) acoustic/electric tone. Best sounding acoustic amp you can buy, period.

It's a Fender. My seventh Fender in 35 years. Like DUH!

It's a Fender, like DUH!

Great amp. Compared with others, TA50, Marshall, SWR, blew them away.

30 watt acoustic/vocal amp, with chorus and reverb, and a phase switch.

this amp has brilliant, crystal clear sound. my singer uses it as a sort of monitor, and he left it in my studio. so i tried it out, and wow! great sound, killer reverb, good chorus. with an sm58, the vocal channel was awesome. even my tele sounded cool through it!

the problem? the instrument channel has no guts at all. the vocal channel is plenty loud, but even through a preamp the instrument could not keep up. sure it could be miced, but then you may as well skip the middleman and go direct. i doubt it could give enough juice for any gig or party, unless everyone was being very very quiet. if you just want something to practice with and use in a studio or whatnot, id give it a ten. if you want to take it out...get a bigger one.

n/a, not my amp

???

im seriously considering getting the acoustasonic pro after playing this. i love the sound, and the convenience, and if it had the power, id love it. ive had a ball just dorking around with it.

oh, and it is very heavy!!