Fender Acoustasonic Junior

This little Fender acoustic amp has an adequate set of features for using the amplifier in stand-alone mode. That is, it has two channels, can take a mic'd guitar, has reverb, stereo chorus, and adequate power. What defies my sense of reason is why Fender omitted a line out, especially a mono out. Without this, I am forced to use a microphone to feed the main console. The amp has some signal routing but nothing that uses all of the preamp and leaves the amplifier functioning. Major oversight. Another question mark in my mind is the magic little knob that supposedly reduces distortion from highly driven piezo pickups. I can't hear a difference at any setting with any level of drive from my Washburn WD-20SCE or any intensity of play. There is also a notch filter for reducing feedback. There is no bypass switch, which means SOMETHING is always getting notched. Fender: that was dumb.

The amp is the best sounding acoustic amp that I have heard. But then, I haven't heard many. I sure is better than a generic guitar, bass, PA head, etc. VERY clean. Squeaky, even. I like it. All my guitar player friends like it. This is good. The chorus could be a bit deeper at the slowest frequency.

I would have to say, after about 4 months of ownership, that the SECOND amp is reliable, so far. The first amp came via UPS from a mail order house and the reverb unit was DOA. I don't beat up things much, though. It mostly sits in place at the church where I play and travels only occasionally on the road. My backup is a direct box into the main console. Followed by a microphone placed in front of the guitar. (What a concept!)

The Fender guy I talked to a CS was quite helpful in confirming that the reverb unit was in fact DEAD and that I was having "user error" problems. Phone call went through good. The dealer hopped right on sending out a replacement, too.

I would buy another one if it was stolen. Unless, someone finally makes a good acoustic preamp for a rack system, then I would buy that and revamp my whole acoustic, electric, bass, keyboard rig.

I have really enjoyed my new Fender amp. It performs very well for the price I paid (399.00). I play a Martin DC-1E through it and I also like the ability to plug in my mic on a seperate channel. My Shure SM-58 mic reproduces my voice accurately through the Acoustasonic Jr. This is the perfect amp for low volume applications. It is a no frills instrument that is very portable with good chorus and reverb. If you want lots of volume without distortion, get off of your checkbook. Otherwise, this is a fine amp with a classic sound.

See the many reviews below.

I was the first to review this amp for Harmony Central, and I regret that I must officially withdraw my recommendation of this amp. While the sound is fairly good at low volume, if you turn the volume up on your guitar, or play your guitar hard, the amp WILL distort. There is a very simply reason for this. There is no crossover in front of the tweeter. Therefore, the full range of the guitars sound is passing through the tweeter. At low volumes, this isn't a problem but turn it up to any kind of "performance" levels, or even high "bedroom" levels, and the amp's tweeter WILL distort. This is a fatal design flaw by Fender, and is completely stupid! Why would you not put a crossover or some sort of bass-blocker in front of the tweeter? It would have probably cost Fender an extra $2 per amp to implement this, which was obviously too much. The distortion is much more pronounced when using an archtop or solid body guitar on this amp. Try it for yourself and see. Further, there is no way to switch off the tweeter short of cutting the cable. Again, a $1 switch would have fixed this problem completely. Other amp companies do it. Why not Fender? Another major design flaw of this amp is that it has a FIXED pre-amp gain. This is a very dangerous design, as not all guitars have the same output. Since you can't adjust the preamp gain, the amp is going to be prone to distortion if you put any kind of hot pickup in front of it, whether piezo or magnetic. Many piezo systems are pretty low output, but the Parker Fly for instance can really cook if you crank it up. The Acoustasonic Jr. cannot handle it and will distort! The owners manual says nothing about compensating for the amps lack of a preamp gain control, nor does it specifically say that you can only use low-output instruments. Another fatal flaw. DO NOT BUY THIS AMP if you plan on using it with anything other than a low-output acoustic guitar. You will be sorry.
That said, when playing light acoustic through this amp at low volumes, it does sound good, and the reverb and chorus are nice.

My Acoustasonic Jr. has been in the shop twice since I bought it a little over a year ago, for warranty repair. The amp hasa never quit working completely, but you get annoying buzzez and static in the sound sometimes, and ANY time you play your guitar hard through it, you get distortion. Now, I have come to find out that it's a design flaw rather than a problem with the amp.

I have posted several times on Fender's forum about this problem and they have never once answered my questions.

I will be selling this amp as soon as it gets out of the shop. I cannot use it for live performances. When I originally bought and reviewed this amp, I was only using it in my home. Once I tried to use it at any kind of volume, the amp revealed it's true colors. I have since bought an SWR California Blonde. This amp is from a company who is experienced in building fine amps, and this one is no exception. It works right and it does what it's supposed to at ANY volume. The amp has a horn switch so you can shut off the tweeter if you're so inclined, but I've never had to do so. It is clean all the way up the dial. It's a 100w amp with a 12" Celestion speaker and horn tweeter. I paid around $700 for the amp, and it's everything that the Acoustasonic wasn't - i.e. a truly professional amp, not a toy. If you never plan on taking your Acoustasonic Jr. out of the house, and you never plan on playing very hard through it, you'll be fine with your purchase. The amp isn't very expensive, and for many, it would suit their purposes.

Bought amp brand new. Has built in chorus and reverb. I play mostly contemporary gospel, country, some pop rock. Play straight rythym, finger picking, bluegrass style. Use mostly in church. Not powerful enough by itself, use sm57 to mic to sound system. Other acoustic player shares 2nd channel. Features adequate, use reverb and chorus. Feedback notch is great.

I use with Martin D28 with under saddle Thinline Gold pickup. Sound is great. Reproduces Martin sound except for some mids, you try and boost mid and you get overpowering sound and some feedback. Low end a little overpowering and unatural. Just like anything else, have to tweak to get sound you want.

Had an annoying buzz when reverb was on. Took it back where I bought and they fixed. I had tried several at different music stores and decided on this one, but I didn't try the exact one I was buying. Tip: Try the one you take home. I would suspect that I will have no further problems.

Repair was under warranty at authorized service center. The music store offered to fix it, or order me a new one, I couldn't wait so I let them fix it. Warranty is 5 years.

I've had it for about a month, this kicks the crap out of competitors similar models like Crate, Epiphone. If I had it to do over, I would have went with the SFX with 160W and 32 effects. By the time you buy some effects, the price is not that much different. Spend the extra money for the SFX if you have it, if not, this is a great buy. Do not pay over $400 for this amp. If you pay $400, make them throw in footswitch or cover.

I play acoustic guitar for our church, so I was looking for something that would simply amplify and add a bit of color - nothing major. This amp fit the bill nicely because of the stereo chorus control, which is awesome, and the string dynamics control, which I'm still having fun experimenting with. The second channel will also come in handy to plug a mike into, as our PA is terribly inadequate. It also has an effects loop, which I have not yet put into use. However, a pedal for the chorus and a cover would have been nice additions.

I'm currently using a Yamaha FG-336 acoustic with a Lawrence mag pickup. The sound is crisp and clear. I like to throw little gimme notes on my chords and my previous amp would miss a lot of them, blending it in with the chords too often. Not this baby - I hear every note with clarity. The chorus is truly awesome - The sound is virtually identical to an old 'Electric Mistress' flanger I used to have - and a lot easier to control. The reverb is not as deep as some other amps that I tested (the SWR Strawberry Bloned and Peavey Ecoustic 112), but setting it at 6 or 7 usually is good enough for me. And the overall sound is better than both those amps (and the many others I tried).

I bought the amp new, and have had it only a few weeks, so I really can't say much here. But Fender has a great track record on other amps (the other guitarist at our church uses an old Fender Reverb series amp). And I used to have a Fender Jaguar guitar and never had any problems with the electronics on that.

I have a 5-year warranty, and will be surprised it I have to use it.

I've been playing guitar for nearly 30 years on and off. Right now I have only the Yamaha guitar, the new Acoustasonic amp, and my cheapo backup amp. Now that I play for my church, I really did a lot of homework before buying. I was unimpressed by the Epiphone amps I tried (Regent 30 and Regent 220). Their sound was harsh and I was unable to mellow it. The Peavy Ecoustic was a close second, but lacked the chorus. And it had a loud buzzing coming from my Lawrence pickup. The Strawberry Blonde didn't have a second channel, but the sound was rich and full enough for me to give it serious consideration. The Crate CA30 had good sound, but I'd have to crank it up pretty high to be heard. Several other amps were either out of my price range or of inferior quality. I would buy this Fender amp again in a heartbeat if it was stolen. It is simply the best combination of sound, features, name brand integrity, and price that I could find. Hopefully, I'll be getting an electric-acoustic (maybe Ovation or Takamine?), guitar soon and can't wait to hear it through the Acoustasonic Jr. I've already sampled a Yamaha electric-acoustic through it, which sounded great.

A very nice acoustic package. As others have stated, the string dynamics is subtle, but noticable once the volume levels increase. There is an effects loop for channel one (guitar) and a master effects loop for the entire system. The master effects out can also serve as a line out to a board (nice touch, but I have not used it).
Reverb is good, chorus is nice if kept to the lower numbers on the dial. Phantom powered mic input gives the option of vocals or instrument mic.

I play a Taylor 614ce with fishman blender. I have been experimenting with settings and have been able to get a wide range of tones from this combination. With all the handles on the fishman blender, you don't seem to need all the EQ settings I have seen on other acoustic amps at much higher price points.
The system seems to get loud enough with both vocals and guitar to do a nice job at a small club or coffee house gig.
I have played my Strat through the Jr. and it sounds like a clean strat. This thing does not distort. I do plan to try an RP-7 Digitech in front of my strat and would expect it to sound great.

Just purchased in January...just fine out of the box.

5 Year Warranty

I've really enjoyed the JR for the few weeks I've owned it. I really liked some of the more expensive acoustic amps, but did not see or hear the extra value for the $$.

This is a follow-up to the review I submitted in 10/98. To save you reading time, I won't recount the features again.

Tone is what I want to zero in on.
I have 2 guitars - a Taylor 412CE with a piezo pickup and pre-amp & EQ and an Epiphone Emperor II (Joe Pass model) hollow-body jazzbox with 2 humbuckers.
First, the Taylor... It sounds great with or without the chorus. I like the chorus circuit as it widens the breadth of sound coming from the Taylor. The "string dynamics" knob really helps to eliminate the unnatural distortion from the piezo pickup. I was skeptical of this at first, but have since learned how to use it. The result is a warmer, rounder, more mic'ed-like acoustic tone. Gone are the semi-metallic overtones that make an amplified acoustic guitar instantly and infamously recognizable.
With the Epi Joe Pass, the amp is great. I can get the jazz tone I have been looking for, but could not achieve even with a Gibson ES135 and a Fender Stage 112 SE. What's really cool is that I can flip to the bridge pickup and get old-timey R&R sounds that come through loud and clear from the Acoustasonic. With both pickups on, I can get that 50-ish P-90 jazz tone.
The Acoustasonic faithfully reproduces the sounds of my guitars without much coloring (unless you dial it in). This is unlike other amps that seemed overly bright or overly muddy no matter what I tried.
The Acoustasonic does not distort, but at higher volumes (> 7), you can get early 60's R&R tones.
The reverb is a bit strong and overstated for my tastes, so I keep it at 4 or less. The chorus is very nice, but I typically don't go up past 5 on the dial. Chorus sounds best supporting the sound, not overpowering it.

So far, so good. I am currently a "bedroom" player, but I have fairly discriminating tastes given that I have owned full Marshall tube stacks in the past. The amp has shown no signs of problems in the 4 months I have owned it, but it has not been gigged either. At $350-$400, you could afford 2 if you made enough money gigging.

I understand that Fender is very reponsive to authorized repair shops and the place I bought this amp is an authorized repair facility. With a 5 year warranty, I'm not worried, buit I have not had an opportunity to test it - and hopefully will not.

The Acoustasonic is a great all-around amp that sounds good with an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar (at least archtops - all that I tried).
One thing, though, a Fender Telecater with a humbucker at the neck and a single coil in the bridge did not sound that great through the Acoustasonic, buit all the other Archtps (Epi Joe Pass/Regent/Casino/Howard Roberts and Hohner's archtop did sound excellent).
All in all, I feel that I got alot of amp for the money given the Acoustasonic's versatility to go acoustic or electric and given it's wide tonal capabilities given it's rich chorus circuit and servicable reverb.

You've read the features in the other reviews. Fender put a lot of thought into this one. It really is a good acoustic combo amp. The inclusion of an XLR input for mikes really makes it versatile. The tilt-back legs are sort of strange-looking, but I guess if you needed them, that's about the simplest way to accomplish the task.

I play my Taylor 815CE (with Fishman piezo and condenser mike, and the on-board blender) thru this amp at gigs once or twice a week. I use the XLR input for my Shure SM-58 mike, and that is my whole gig rig. I bought a speaker stand socket and buried it in the bottom of the amp(it's okay, there is nothing to saw into, but take out a speaker so you can see to miss the wires) , and I raise it about eyeball high, and that is my sound system. I play at outdoor bars, with a crowd of up to 75, maybe, and this has been plenty amp for this situation. I have yet to get the volume knobs over 4. The chorus and reverb give the acoustic guitar and vocals a really nice sound. I have a foot switch for the chorus, but I usually play with it on all the time. The effects loop is a stereo out jack, so you have to cobble up a stereo to 2 mono jack adapter to send and return(a pain in the ass!). I use a Boomerang Phrase Sampler/Sideman to lay down basslines for some songs, and the effects loop functions well. I played my Mex Strat thru this amp and wasn't very impressed. I was looking for Blues Deluxe sound and it wasn't there.

I've been gigging with this amp for about six months, and it always works, and sounds good. I have picked up no hums or noise, but as mentioned in another review, it has the slight solid-state hiss. I don't take any other amps with me to my gigs. Trust!

I bought a cover from Musician's friend, as it didn't come with one. They should include one, but it was not a large deal. I haven't needed any repairs. I got mine via mail order just before the price went way up.

I've been playing for 35 years, both in a band and solo. I have a Mex Strat that I play thru a Peavey Bass Amp, but rarely on a gig. The acoustic guitar/vocal gigs I do fit very well with this rig. I have gotten numerous compliments on how nice my new guitar sounds, but I know most of what they are hearing is the new amp.

I just purchased the amp brand new in the carton (10/98). The amp is packed with features including 2-40 watt amplifiers, 2-8" speakers, hi frequency horn, dual channels - one for piezo pickups, the other for high impedance mics or a magnetic pickups, effects send (doubles as line out) and return, XLR mic input, luscious stereo chorus, Fender reverb, tilt-back legs, and special EQ controls to get just the sound you want.
I wish it came with a cover, but no biggie as I already have a Fender amp cover that fits (except it is a little long). A foot switch would be great, but I can get that later.
I just this amp in my bedroom for practice, but it is definitely giggable with 2-40 watt amps.

I play light acoustic jazz, a few fingerpicked tunes, and some open string strumming songs. The amp is the perfect under $500 companion to my Taylor 412CE acoustic guitar. The amp is very quiet unless you max out the controls, then you get a hissing sound that is not too loud. There is no distortion knob on this amp and so it plays clean - real clean. In fact, I tried the amp with an Epi Casino semi-hollow body just for grins. It sounded great - if you liek a jazz sound, that is.
In any case, the Acoustasonic amp has excellent tone.

unknown - just got it.

Unkknow, never needed it.

Great acoustic amp! Well worth $400

The Acustasonic Jr has two 40 watt amps with two 8" woofers and a single Piezo horn. Two independent channel controls with independent tone. The first channel (unbalanced 1/4 inch) is for your acoustic and the second (balanced 1/4 inch and XLR) can be used for a mic or a second instrument. Each channel can be fed through the amps two onboard effects, analog chorus and spring reverb. There's a footswithch control for switching the Chorus on and off. A effects loop and a separate insert patch for a signal processor are also included. Over all there are a lot of features for a amp in this price range. In addition you get a useful, for acoustic, feed back notch filter and a less useful, but Fender makes a big deal out of, String Dynamics. Fender says this aids in reducing the instruments hashness??? Well maybe on a cheep acoustic you'll hear a difference but I don't think it makes a big difference. Anyway lots of nice stuff , including kick back stands.

Every time I use this amp in a live situation people alway comment on how great it sounds. I have a Marting D35, and maybe that is the reason, cause its a great sounding guitar. When I went looking for a amp I was looking for something that could reproduce the natural sound of my guitar. Well this is it. I love it and would buy it again. This is by far the best Amp/Guitar combo I have ever heard. I'm not the only one who feels this way everyone I play with says the same. The only short comings are the hiss you get from the reverb unit and the lack of power. Well maybe if I could get the drummer and the electric guitars to turn down a notch.......Any way as I said this sound great. Better then most of the more expensive Trace Elliots. Try one out.

I don't know have owned it since December 97 and so far so good. A small pop ever time I push the master chorus switch. Fit and finish are about average for Fender (read "Could use some improvement").

Haven't had to use them yet.

Would I buy one again if it were stolen? You bet. If it were lost? I would never lose it. I have been playing consistently for about the last 8 years and on and off for most of my life. Playing a quality guitar like my D35 probably helps makes this amp sound so good. But if it weren't for the amps ability to reproduce the full Martin sound I don't think my friend's and I would have such a high opinion of this amp. Hey all I can say is try one with your own guitar and see how it performs. I think you will like what you hear.