Fender Acoustasonic Junior

I bought this amp in a pawn shop today. It is virtually unused and appears to be about 2003 vintage. I had wanted one ever since I first tried it out several years ago, but chose the Roland AC-60 because of its size and awesome sound. I play several acoustic/electric guitars from Ovation to Fender steel string and classical, I also have a beautiful Martin that I mic with a Peavey condenser. The acquisition of the Acoustasonic will allow me a much wider variety of sound. I have always loved Fender's analogue reverb and chorus and the Acoustasonic gives me those and Feedback Notch and an amazing String Dynamics control. I play mostly praise and worship in our church's band but I do a variety of Folk, Country, and Latin in solo performances. The features and power are perfect for my purposes. Like some other reviewers, I wish it had a compressor/limiter feature and ideally, 1/4" and XLR outputs.

I find that the best test for an acoustic amp is to run my Ovation through it. I have done this and the range tonal nuances are endless and impressive. The clean, crisp sound of the Ovation is faithfully reproduced through both channels with virtually no distortion. The only distraction is an AC buzz, but I think i can get an external filter for that. All of my A/E guitars have piezo pickups so I expect consistent sound quality will be the norm for each type of guitar.

I have used Fender amps for years (mostly for bass) and have never had a problem. I have the same expectations for the Acoustasonic Junior. Anyway, I don't have the room or energy to carry backup amps.

I've never needed to use Fender's customer service, and since this amp has no warranty, I'm confident I won't need it in the future.

I have been playing for 50 years - many types of music in many venues. In addition to the gear I've already mentioned, I have 2 Yamaha basses (one is fretless), an amazing Godin Solidac solid body with a great Stratocaster sound and an unbelievable acoustic sound, each sound fed through dedicated pickups, preamps, and outputs. I have a Behringer amp for the electric sound, and a Yorkville bass amp, which in addition to being a solid bass amp, acts as a great subwoofer for my Roland AC-60. I recently bought a "silent" electric violin that I'm sure will sound awesome through the Acoustasonic. The Fender is one of those amps with "WOW" factor that you can't wait to use in performance!

2 channel (one also with a microphone input) - eq - reverb - chorus/phase - solid state amp
I play jazz, funk, reggae, blues this amp suite everything!
very versatile - impressive with clean sound - even with distortion
the two channel have completely indipendent control for volume, eq, reverb.

This amp sound very natural! this is the best quality for me! is warm and perfect for jazz. truly inspiring. have also the best reverb I ever heard. I use different guitar during this years (Gibson 335/Strato/Godin ACSnylon and a Yamaha nylon with a piezo) and always it is the best amp I ever heard.

the amp was repaired a couple of time 'cause I use it with a bass.. and it became noisy

the was repaired in a fender authorized center.

Simply the best amp if you want a natural, warm, inspiring, living tone.
I buy it again if stolen. I play also a Politone Mini Brute IV and a Line6 Duoverb but this one seems to be from another planet.

Purchased in March 2000 and used heavily for the first two years, but not very often since. Purchased a new acoustic last month and have begun using it again with both guitar and the mic inputs. No DSP effects, which is fine with me. All I was looking for was a crisp clean acoustic sound. Has the tilt back legs and mine came with a cover. Not overly powerful, but it does the job for small rooms.

Recently rediscovered how good this amp sounds with my new Gibson J-45, and have been using the mic input as well for vocals and harp. Have received many compliments on the sound. Very natural, crisp and clean. Used it mainly with Taylor 310ce and Taylor 514ce guitars early on.

Have had it 6 plus years and never had a problem.

Haven't had a problem.

Impulse buy, it just sounded so good. I've tried many acoustic amps since, and there are a few that come close. I was thinking about the Roland AC-60 just because of it's compact size, and liked the Genz Benz model too. But I'm very happy with this one, so no need to replace it.

Best of knowledge was made in 2004. This amp has just enough adjustments available without getting confusing like some others.I play mostly pop with a jazzy flair. Has 2 channels: 1 guitar and 1 mic/instrument. Has chorus and reverb, basic but just enough.
Using for your typical coffee house gigs where I don't have rome for a full p.a. and amp.

This baby sings! I've been looking for " that " sound for a long time.
This Junior combined with my Yamaha AEX500N, gives me a clean, rich, wonderful sound I've always been looking for. I can play any kind of music and it responds better than any amp I've owned.
Very low noise at any level.

Built like a tank. Typical Fender product.
Never a break down of any kind.
Don't need a backup.

N/A

I've been playing guitar for over 30 years. Play Epiphone Sheraton thru a Roland JC 120 for electric. Yamaha AEX and Gretch Jumbo thru Fender Acoustasonic. For a clean lush acoustic sound you can't beat this amp. Chorus is full and rich. Great Fender reverb.
For an all in one unit, it's wonderful. You owe it to yourself to check this out if your considering buying an acoustic amp.
I'd have to get another if stolen. It's my bread and butter.

Year model - Unsure
Amp is very versatile for my uses. I play gospel for special music at church, newer country, golden oldies from 60's & 70's, and blues in a 3 piece group. Amp is 2 channel at 40 watts/channel. (80 watts RMS)
Classic Fender spring reverb, Classic Fender onboard analog chorus. 2 @ 8" woofers w/piezo horn. The 2 channels have individual controls. Footswitch Jack. No footswitch included. (Hey Fender, watch Crate on this one, and learn) Has effects loop, and wonderful tilt back legs. I wish these units came new with covers, but they don't. Would be neat also for and external jack out to connect to PA, recorder, or soundboard. I take 2 points off for no cover or external out.

O.K. the stront points here are all on the SOUND of this little gem. I bought a new Crate CA6110D Gunnison, and it's a good little amp, but Fender just had the tone I had to have. I love Spring Reverb, and Analog chorus. They're a marriage made in heaven, whereas, DSP effects make me want to puke! I even took my guitar to the music store and played though an Acoustasonic DSP, but that's the closest I came to buying one. Hey, if you need those effects on an acoustic, just get a nice acoustic processor, or the single effects you want. At least you can add/tweak each one separately if you want. I love the sweet, smooth sound of this amp, and it doesn't have the noise I've heard some folks talk of. The sound here is just awesome! My Takamine EF341C Sounds so-o-oo good thru this amp!

I bought this amp used on Ebay and the previous owner took really good cae of it. I'm guessing it to be about4 to 5 yrs old and it still sounds great. Even though it's a Mexico version, it's still a Fender, and still reliable.

Amp is used - no warranty - This category does not apply to my review.

Been playing over 40 yrs, pretty much a pro Fender user & fan. I weould definitely but another Jr., if I had to, but I would definitely look for a PRE DSP Jr model. As stated before, wish they came with covers, footswitch, & External line out. If these came with those 3 items, I would give them a 10 straight across the board.

First of all, let me say that the word "junior" was probably a bad marketing move on Fenders part. There is nothing "junior" about the quality or the sound.

Mine is the pre-DSP version.

Small compact size, but weighs more than most amps its size. Compact like lead! Not comfortable for handle carrying. But you can two-hand it across your chest easily enough.

40-watt two-channel amp with one ten inch speaker per channel, and a shared tweeter.

The two channels have line inputs for guitar, and one channel has a mic input. It is a solid state amp but this thing may as well have tubes in it because it has a great, warm "acoustic" sound--no doubt about it! This coming from a lover and frequent swapper of tubes!

This amp does both guitar AND vocal amplification for small-event gigging, or practice at home. Mic it and put it through the p.a. for anything larger--just like Pete Townsend does!

Phasing switches help to balance out frequencies if the need be.

Both channels have reverb and chorus. The chorus is awesome--very thick, only one knob, but certainly, for the range it has, as good as many upper-end stomp boxes (for example, my Maxon). The spring reverb is also very nice. I think both of these effects are voiced appropriately for acoustic guitar. Both can be used at low settings for very nice nuance adjustments.

Bass, middle, and treble controls as well.

Effects send and return.

I guess the slam on this amp is that there is no direct out so it gets a nine for features. If you don't care about a direct out it's a ten.

I've got a Takamine Jumbo with on-board DSP. It's a $1500 dollar guitar so it's very nice. I've also got a Gibson Chet Atkins job. Before buying this amp, I thought those guitars sounded great through my Boogie--great edge, cool! They were good going through my bass amps as well, but a tad muddied up on the boomy end.

The Acoustic Junior came along and WOW! For me, unimaginable acoustic tone! The other amps sounded great and the sounds were totally useable. But this amp was like putting a beautiful coat of polish on the sound.

The one problem with this amp is in a slight amount of hiss--no problem at all for live performance or practice. Typical system noise type stuff. But if you use it for recording, it's gonna sound like a cassette tape if you've got silence before, during, or after your playing. You can bury it in the mix, or you'll need to have some kind of noise reduction on it a la a Hush pedal.

The hiss takes off two points. But a ten if you don't record with it. So, it gets a nine.

I got mine used so I really can't say how old it is. The serial number is ...00011 so it may be the 11th one made? It probably goes back as far as the series does. But, no problems. Ten.

Don't know, but they have supported me by making such an excellent product!

Me and my playing go back a long way. My first Fender amp was a late 1970's quad reverb (twin reverb times two!) I also have a vintage Boogie Mark II. These amps have always set the standard for everything since then. The Fender Acoustasonic Junior, while not matching those amps in volume, certainly matches the quality of sound. In fact, I have never heard a solid state amp I like as much. Of course, for solid body electric guitars, they've just got to go through tubes for me. But for acoustics, this thing sings. And you can literally sing through it as well.

Great for practice. Great for the coffeehouse-sized gig.

And as I said earlier. Great enough for Pete Townsend. Does the Who's Tommy sound very nicely!

For me, the greatest benefit of this amp is for rehearsal purposes. Hearing your guitar and voice coming out of speakers is great p.a. simulation. By hearing yourself this way, this is an amp that actually makes you work to make yourself better. The ultimate rehearsal amp for the singer-songwriter type.

Thanks for reading. I hope this has helped.

Now let's go out and save the world!

Not sure year of mfg. but this is a USA version and is at least 7 years old. I bought it new. I use this primarily in my studio and have done a few small gigs with it.

It does a fantastic job of reproducing acoustic guitar. I play ballads and acoustic rock guitar parts through it. I find that I like the tonal quality of acoustic rhythm guitar through this amp much better than any electric guitar rhythm part. I do use a little reverb and chorus but hardly ever past 2-3. I'm sure it can do more tricks but I don't use it or need it.

Hasn't had a as much as a hiccup since I bought it. No backup is required.

Never needed to contact Fender for anything. Are they still answering the telephone? I think it had a 5 year warranty and didn't really need one.

I've been playing for 25 years, own a dozen vintage Tweed and Blackface Fender amps, a Gibson Falcon and a Allen Accomplice amp that I built myself and about eighteen guitars, Fender, Taylor, PRS, Guild, Gibson, MusicMan, Rickenbacker, etc. It isn't perfect. Many complain that vocals are washed out but I haven't had any complaints. It sounded great when I bought it and I haven't felt compelled to buy something else.

Price Paid: 315 (Canadian)
My price is for the Mexican made fender Acoustasonic Jnr.
Purchased from a Pawn shop, hence very inexpensive!
Love the Chorus and Reverb
Can't seem to figure out the Feedback Notch yet.

2003 Yamaha Compass CP-10 - built-in pre amp/eq. This is a combination
piezzo and microphone pickup system. I use the Send output with a DI, and out into a PA.

1977 Wiliam "Grit" Laskin with older DOD (1994) pre-amp
Martin Thin-line pickup.

Suits my styles from fingerpicking ragtime to rock accompaniment
Little background noise - just a little hiss.

Reliability: 10
Never been any cause for repair. The jack plugs needed tightening once.

N/A

I've been playing for about 40+ years.
I also play a Fender Tele, and Godin SDXT Canadian solid body electric. I have a Peavey Transtube 112, a Seymour-Duncan 84/40 tube amp. Until recently I had a Roland Jazz Chorus head, and a 1971 Traynor Guitar Mate Reverb.

If stolen or lost, I would get another one - no question.
I love the tone - would like it to be lighter - 43 lbs.
I have played the new Roland Acoustic amp - very nice but I prefer mt Fender.

I wish this amp had specific outputs for PA connection, and for extension speakers.

My son and I love how his Strat and my Tele sound so clean through this amp even though it's meant to be an acoustic amp only!

I think this one has been covered.

This is a fine sounding amp. Very warm an clean. For those commenting on the lack of base, all I can say is garbage in garbage out, check it out! I have a Martin D35 with a fishman pickup, this guitar sounds big, full and loud, HUGE base, hard to belive this amp only has 2x8" speakers. I can get huge percusive base notes very musical, very fun. Obviously with the under saddle pickup, the sound is not as sweet as when not plugged in but it gets heads truning and gets the job done. I also use a Godin LGX, with a LR Baggs in the bridge with this guitar the amp is not as full or loud, that base response is not quite there, sound a little thin to me but still it gets the job done.

So there you have it this amp reproduces what it gets! The EQ in the acoustic stage works great for peizo type pickups.

I use the 2nd channel for my POD. With the POD the amp sound fine, again it is reproducing what it hears. I have plugged in my PC and CD players in to this amp both have returned great results.

I have owned this amp since 1997, never had it in for service.

I do get some odd buzzes here and there. Ouite strange really. Even with nothing plugged in I hear a the odd buzz like insects getting fried by one of those back yard insect lights, strange. I really should open it up and see what is going on.

I should tell you that I gig with this amp regularly, it has held up very well.

7 only because of the odd buzz.

Never used them always use the local guitar shop.

I have used this amp in giging situations regularly since 97, no complaints, everything still works fine. The tolex convering was never done very well on my amp and the kick back legs need to be tightened everyonce in a while but no big issues.

This is a fine amp from Fender. I have no complaints after 5 + years of owner ship. I play this amp loud and often with both my acoustic an the POD, I don't always shut things down in the proper order cousing huge pops and bangs, I have not blow a speaker.

I do not gig with a backup, enough said!

2003, Mexico. Doesn't anything get made in Fullerton anymore??
Extremely Versatile. My bass player used it along with me on lead acoustic, a Seagull s6/CW, Baggs piezo. Flawless!
2-channel--really useful mic channel. I don't really use the effects loop---don't need it. No compressor required--the "String Dynamics"
does the job of removing the quackiness. I will use a MiniFlex in tandem and see how that ventilates the sound!
More than enough power for my restaurant gigs, and probably enough to fill a hall.
I use every feature. See the other reviews. Great feedback killer. Phase switches really work, guys.
A bit heavy to carry, but not abulky in my trunk. Be sure to buy the cover for this--all amps should come with covers provided, don;t you think?

I use a Gisbon 1964 Hummingbird equipped with the Seymour Duncan Sadducer. No battery needed! Hotter than a pistol, no preamp needed either! A bit trebly--so roll that off. But my workhorse is the Seagull s6. You cannot buy a better, cheaper guitar, period. I switched to lighter guage strings since I have a bit of repetitive nerve damge on my left hand fingers. Still a rich bass, stinging highs with the Baggs pickup! This axe has paid for itself many times over...
I play whatever pops in my head. My band follows me...from Jaque Brel to Vivian Stanshall to Lennon, from to Zacherley to the Byrds and Bobby (Boris) Pickett! I get paid to be this way. Having fun and free dinner and money too. What a job!
I like the sound of this amp. The tone gets controlled on the guitar knobs, so I set it and forget it.Clean, warm, sparkling and mellow. No distortion --I cannot get past 2 on the dial! It's ;oud, with its 80 watts. What clinched this for me was going all over hell's half-acre, trying every darn acoustic amp in the SF Bay Area. This just sounded better! Not even the 30 watt model sounded like this. I a/b teseted them, and this thisng opened up the soound with the stereo chorus, and blew the Ultrasound and Roland AC-60 right off the floor. I am still curious why people rave so much about the Ultrasound 50--but have no desire to blow $500 to find out.
There is always the quest for the perfect sound of an acoustic--I surrender, man. I like the color this thing imparts. But I like an "effected" sound, not just the natural sound, only louder! I want it to shine and shimmer, and this amp does it all.
NAMM in Dec. 2003 announced that the digital effects version of this
is on the way, so the spring 'verb and chorus-only model is being phased out. You wouldn't know it from the prices! It still sells for as much as $499. I got mine for $350--so use that info as a barganing tool, and get this model.

Totally dependable.
I have no qualms about depending on this alone.

Never had to deal with them, but they have a great rep.
Guitar Center SF sold me a showroom mark-down model that had no reverb, and San Jose's branch took it away and gave me one in box, brand new! Thanks. 5-year on speakers, 2 years on the rest. Not bad. Yorkville's guarantee is better, but Fender's is good.

I have played guitar since 1965, sometimes pro, nowadadys part-time, but am very dedicated to great sound.
I seem to be collecting acoustic amps. I have the big Acoustasonic mutha with all the effects and never gig with it--it's a spacehog and back breaker! Also Kustom 35th for my girlfiend's rhtym guitar--a lot of bang for the buck, and distinct look.
I use electric and acoustic 12 and 6-strings, and have an acoustic bass (Takoma Thunderchief--the piezo sucks in it--mic it, and you got a good bass).
If stolen, I'd replace. The little Crate amps with 25 watts were almost a choice, but at $279, they just were not such a value!
Oh, and I wish ever amp had true limiting/compression built in--
I am very curious to hear a Behringer UltraCoustic in action--but having hefted one, well, you get a workout!

new amp, 2 channels, chorus, reverb, 3 band EQ, on instrument side, has a notch EQ which controlls feedback for certain frequencies and string dynamics which acts as a type of compression (at least to my ears) make the sound tighter/looser, Phase reverse switch for when your playin though one ch. and singin through the other. FX loop
Simple and effective

I use a celebrity CK-o57 and also a Ibanez performance. For the "New" acoustic electric sound, (ritchie Sambora etc) it works great. for ampifieing a regualt acoustic a soundhole p/u also nice, Fender reverb great as usual, chorus is also nice.

Had the reverb tank die on me, (at a show of course) could have been worse. Not a big deal was covered under warranty but its just the hassle of having to take it in (was over july 4th too)so gotta knock a couple points off.

Never dealt w/ them

Great working mans amps, sounds good. other than the reverb no probs, plenty loud, only run it on 2 or 3, wish it had direct line out, I use the send on the Effects loop to the PA, its pre effects so I need to add reverb from PA.

This amp is GREAT! I fell in love with it the first time
I played it.It delivers a warm tone and as well as keeping
a very accurate deliverance of your guitar character.
I teach guitar for a living, coupled with performance
of many different venues.This amp has done it all as far as my
acoustic playing.As far as power I use the amp as a monitor and mic it
sending it through the mains. Especially in bigger venues.

I use an Taylor 414 ,as well as an Ibanez Performance.
The Taylor has a Fishman and it is my guitar of choice.
I use the string dynamic feature and it is set at 8.
I love the chorus and reverb.

YES!

Yes.

Around 1998. I play fingerpicking (6 & 12 string guitar). I used it as a back-up amp for my Trace Elliot TA100R. The power is good enough (2 x 40 W). No feedback !!! Stereo, solid state. A very warm sounding amp. Al ot better that my acoustic Laneys or Marshalls.

I use all kind of pickups. Pickups/EQ on the Cort (Fishman) or Seagull (LR Baggs), or later built-in B Band of Fishman Stage. A bit noisy. At higher volumes it kinds of loses its clearness.

Built like a tank. Never broken down in two years.

Never dealt with them.

I play for over 25 years. My other gear: http://www.xs4all.nl/~ervanel/. I loved because the price was good for the quality. I'm looking for anther Trace Elliot TA100R though. Apart from the Fishman Performer Pro, they are the best.

Bought in 2002 used. Fits the bill for sure. Better with just guitars though. The vocals can't be pushed hard however you can run both a guitar and a vocal (more as a nice preamp monitor) and then out of the send and into a PA (or just keep the volume tame). The overall preamp of this amp is exceptional for both channels.

SOUND...This is what makes an amp for me (first and foremost as long as it holds up). Bottom line, the best sounding acoustic amp out there for the money. We play originals (Coldplay meets America kind of sound) and Modern worship stuff. Running Godin (Simon & Patrick) acoustics and a Washburn Jumbo (all w/ B-Band). I bought an SWR Strawberry Blonde (liked is crispness) but could not achieve the Vox like warmth this amp produces. Played the Blonde and the Acoustasonic (stereo) for several gigs but went back to using soley the Acoustasonic and sold the SWR.

I gig with it and even record with it!!! It is works like a Toyota!!! Just keeps going. Service has never been required.

Not bad. I called them about an Acoustasonic 30 issue and they gave decent advice. A little hard to reach by phone though.

Have to call it a ten because there is nothing else out there in my opinion that can match this sound. Again, it's got an almost tube Vox like quality. I don't like a traditional acoustic guitar sound (opting for more of a modern rock type sound) and this fits the bill. I'd like to see this amp with 2 x 10" speakers (I may try some Jensen speakers to see what it sounds like). Like it better than the SWR Blonde (for my taste). Peace to all !!! <><

amazing features out of this little beast. effects loop, great sounding noise-free chorus. eliminates the need for an outboard or onboard EQ. bass, treble, and mid knobs are very responsive, as well as the reverb. you can go from sounding like you're in a theater to sounding like you're in a large room. the reverb is great. i also like how it has a whole separate channel for a vocal mic or a guitar with a piezo/mic combination.

the amp sounds amazing. bottom line. it's the best sounding acoustic amp you can get without spending 1200 bucks on a shoe box sized trace elliot. sometimes it can sound a bit "fake". not really sure how to describe it. over all a great sounding amp.

well, i can only speak for my amp but im not sure how reliable this thing really is. i've owned 2 of these things and the first one i had got a blown speaker after just 4 months. the volume never went above 7 so i wasnt sure how that happened. i've taken this thing everywhere though, and it still looks as good as new.

AMAZING! after the first ones speaker blew i called fender to see how i should go about fixing it. i told them it had just been 4 months so i was really puzzled by this. amazingly enough, they worked in conjuction with the guitar center i bought it from to get me an all new one free of charge! fender sent the new on to guitar center, but it took a while so to be nice guitar center let me take home the floor model that they had there until the new one came in! i was very pleased with the way they handled this instead of just saying "go get it fixed or something"

there have always been problems with acoustic ampification simply because of the fact that the acoustic was made to have a built in amplifier. these days, most acoustic guitarists just use a DI box in to a PA or something. i've never done this so i really can't compare the sounds. but for jamming, gigging, playing at home, and just playing your acoustic LOUD, this thing is great.

My AJR is a USA made one - probably '97-98. This amp can easily handle any of my acoustic/electric needs as well as my jazz archtop with nice, warm sound, decent SS reverb, and excellent chorus as well as some nice EQ-based features to allow you to dial out piezo graininess and feedback, if any.

Dual 8" speakers, piezo for high frequency, 40 watts per side (80WRMS stereo), dual channel, XLR/mic and instrument inputs, efects loop, chorus rate/depth, reverb, styled after a '62-63 Vibroverb with wheat grill cloth/tan tolex, tilt-back legs, 38lbs light - just an excellent amount of features in a small transportable package.

This is the 3rd one of these I've owned, having also owned 2 Acoustasonic Pros in the past as well. I didn't care for the MIM versions as they seemed to have changed the chorus circuit at the very least.

THe US-made AJR's just sound better.

I use a Yamaha CPX-8 with piezo/internal mic combo preamp as well as an Epihpen Broadway with Gibson '57 CLassic humbuckers - both of which sound excellent through this amp for acoustic and jazz genres. This amp is not a rock/blues amp for high volume play, though in a pinch...

For what acoustic and jazz, this amp gets an easy 10. KIck in that chorus and whew! Again, I only say this about the US amde ones, which were last produced in 98-99.

THis is my 3rd - never had a problem with any of them.

Excellent amp for acoustic and jazz genres. Enough volume to play in small venues or larger ones if mic'd.

If it needed one more feature, it would be a dedicated balanced line out for a direct to PA Connection. THe sEND port of the effects loop can be used for that as is.

When I originally bought one, I tried it out against several others - cRate, Peavey. Honestly, I'm a FEnder bigot and prefer that brand to any other amp, plus it sounded better to my ears.

I have another review or two down below for the other times I've owned this amp.

I bought this new in 1997-8. It is in my studio and I don't do gigs. It has an input for a guitar, a mike and a line/instrument input for say a drum machine. It has lush reverb and chorus. If I did do gigs with it, i'd mike it through the PA. It has a couple of 8" speakers and a pizeo driver.

I have a Taylor 412-CE tuned in an open G and a Taylor 714-CED that I play through this amp. I think this amp produces the best rhythm guitar sound I've ever heard with these guitars. I use this setup for recording.

Hasn't as much as hiccupped, yet!

Never had to call Fender for anything. When you think about it, that IS awesome customer service.

I've never heard a better amp for acoustic guitar. I'd buy another one immediately. It would be interesting to hear this type of amp with 12" speakers.

Bought this amp neww in 2001 from Musicians Friend. The amp is equipped with true stereo chorus and reverb. Has two eight inch speakers and a piezo horn. Two seperate channels, one can be used with a high or low z mike, the other for guitar. Played mostly my Washburn EA36 through it.

The amp is very clean, does not have enough bass response. Would sound much better with twelve inch speakers. Chorus is fair along with reverb.

Never had any problems with this amp. I've owned Fender products in the past and have always received good customer service.

Would rate Fender customer service very good from past experiences.

I would rate the amp average.

I've owned this amp for about two years now (bought it new). I play several acoustic instruments and love this amp.

I use pretty much all the features on the amp except the footswitch. Maybe I should get one as I read below that you can turn the chorus on and off.

The amp's features are described by others. I can't think of others I need. I do use a couple of "stomp boxes" -- a Zoom delay box and a Boss overdrive. These are pretty inexpensive & add to the variety of acoustic colours -- but I use them for that, to fit with the instruments & amp not to make it sound like something its not.

It would be nice if it had another instrument input jack but I also use a 6 channel mixer for other reasons so that's not a big issue.

The amp could have a bit more power too. I'm not a power crazy, and what it has is fine for many situations, but not all. But I use the "send" in the back as a line out to my PA and it works great -- all the juice I need in performances to date. I get a bit of a buzz and might try micing it, but its not really a problem. (I'm in a 3 peice band and we've played at indoor and outdoor gigs up to 100. Its an acoustic band).

The chorus, reverb and stereo sound features are fabulous. And the tilt-back legs are great for monitoring and ease of adjustments. I also like the look of the amp & its easy to carry. The mic jack in the 2nd channel is a pretty handy item too. For playing a number of instruments (see below)on my own and with others, this is a very versatile amp.

Here's the most important part -- sound -- if you are an acoustic musician you owe it to yourself to check this amp out. My musical friends have commented on the great sound: it is full, clean, rich and textured. It compliments the sounds of my instruments. And as I said, the chorus and reverb are great.

I'm playing a Martin Jumbo (Fishman pickups), an Ovation mandolin (their pickups)and a Paesold cello (with Fishman contact pick-up that slides into the bridge) through this amp. We play a wide variety of music/styles in our part-time band (folk/pop/jazz/celtic). And despite having accumulated a few gadgets, I really don't like to have to play around with the electronics. It's enough to play the instruments.

Volume wise I have it set on 3 or 4. It'll go louder but I like to have the amp close to me and don't want possible feedback -- any additional volume is PA work. The chorus/rate and reverb are left on at about 5. I've set the tone the way I like it & use my little six channel mixer to adjust tone differences for the guitar/mandolin. I then adjust the controls on the guitar and mandolin to suit the song.

The guitar sounds just great through this amp. And the mandolin is quite the surprise -- bright, punchy, lots of presence. (While I use a mixer, these instruments soung great straight in the amp. It's just I don't want to be plugging in/out, adjusting etc. when performing).

The cello doesn't sound good plugged right into the amp. I thought it would because the bass I have (on the side) soungs good (not great but good). But the cello doesn't sound good plugged directly into the PA or other amps I've tried either. The Fishman preamp didn't help much and now sits in my closet. I accidently solved this problem with a guitar Zoom box (that I didn't like much for acoustic guitar, though for the $ the delay Zoom box is great)and was surprised that it allowed me to correct the tone problems(and add a few interesting effects to boot). Problem pretty much solved.

Because the cello is bowed and goes lower than the bass guitar the amp can't handle it at a much higher volume. But its OK at about 3 or 4, and again the PA does the rest. I plug the cello into the 2nd channel and adjust the tone volume accordingly.I have used the mic jack in this amp for vocals when practicing, and may try micing the cello through this as well through the instrument jack. Lot's of flexibility here in one little amp.

So check this out if you have a violin, the mandolin sounds great. But with my cello experience, while you won't have the problems with the "lows", you may have to have some mediating device in between to do something about the tone. I don't know.

I found that this amp will provide unwanted distortion at higher volumes. But I don't expect it too do everything, again there is a PA. I guess the question of distortion here is for when its wanted (ie electric guitar amps). Like I said, I use a little overdrive pedal occasionally for a bit of a bluesy/dirty sound. I don't overdo it though.

Well it is still only a couple years old but seems solidly built and I haven't had any problems. It hasn't had a hard life, but it hasn't sat idle in the corner either.

It has a good warranty and name and comes from a reputable store -- what else can I say?

Guitar about 25 yrs, cello 8, mandolin 2. If lost I'd replace. This is a lot of amp for the money and great for acoustic enthusiasts. The next step up was pretty expensive, and I look at this amp as being part of a system, so put the money saved elsewhere. Overall, and for my kind of music, I love this amp.

I usually play at church through the house PA. But I bought this amp for the occasional solo or duet gig. I bought it new in January 2002. It was manufactured in 2001.

Two channels. Second one is ideal for a mic (which is what I use it for). I'm usually playing fingerstyle when using this amp. Also a little strumming thrown in.

Each channel has chorus and reverb available. There's also phase switching, Low, Mid, High, Volume and String Dynamics controls on the instrument channel. The mic channel has volume, low, mid, and high.

Has an effects loop on the back, as well as a footswitch jack for turning the chorus off and on.

It doesn't have a line-out, <i>per se</i>. But you can use the Effects Send jack to run the preamp's output to a PA while using the Acoustasonic Jr. as a monitor. This is workable, but it means the amp's chorus and reverb, if you're using them, don't get sent to the PA; they'll only appear on the Acoustasonic Jr. itself.

Also has a feedback notch for the instrument channel.

The String Dynamics control is nice. It doesn't have a huge impact on the sound. But it does let you cut out some of the harshness from the upper frequencies without cutting all the upper frequencies.

Also has tough tilt-back legs for aiming the amp in the right direction -- people's ears.

I'd rate it higher in this category if it had a real line out.

I've used this amp in small- and medium-sized room solo and haven't had any trouble getting enough sound out of it. I usually don't need to run the volume on the instrument channel any higher than 3 or 4 (with my guitar's preamp set about 1/3 of the way up from 0). I know others have complained about distortion at high volume levels (e.g., 8 or higher) but I've never need to turn it up that high.

I've even used this in a gymnasium playing along with a keyboard, a bass, and two vocalists. Had no trouble getting the right sound at that right level.

The guitar I usually use with this has a piezo pickup in the bridge.

Haven't had any problems with it. My two-year-old tipped it over onto a carpeted floor a couple of times with no apparent harm done.

I haven't had to deal with Fender regarding this amp. So'll punt on providing a rating here.

If this amp were lost or stolen, I would replace it. My favorite features include the tilt-back legs and the fact that I can gig with my guitar, a microphone and this amp -- that's all I need.

I purchased my first Acoustasonic JR in 1998. The second one later that year. I was at the music store looking for a small bass amp. Nothing met my size and quality requirements As usual, I was sidetracked by a nice looking Fender 12 string guitar. What sold the guitar was the amp I tried it in. I later traded the guitar but kept the amp and bought another (I'm seriously considering getting a third) This is a lightweight, 2 channel amp made to suit any serious musician. If you only play an acoustic through it, which I don't, you'll be surprised by the rich sounds which eminate from this little gem. The chorusing is satisfactory and the reverb nice. Since the second channel has a balanced input (for a microphone) it's the perfect amp to do solo venues. This amp really cranks. I rarely have the volume above 4 because my drummer complains about the volume. The only features I would like to see is a speaker out and direct out.

Ok, here is the amazing part. This amp is so pound for pound the best bass amp I have found. It is the only amp it's size that can nicely handle the B string on my five string bass. Now for bass, I don't really crank it up. We mike our amps and I prefer to let our PA provide the power. I play an Ibanez SR885 5 string, a Ken Smith BSRB 5 string and a Peavy Foundation fretless 4 string through it. It also is a very sweet sounding Electric guitar amp. My Stratocaster and Peavey T-60 solid bodies sound great also. By the way my Strat is a Roland read Strat which I play through a Gr-33 Guitar synth and I haven't found any of the 300 plus sounds that this amp cant handle. My main acoustic guitar (oh yeah! this IS an acoustic amp) is a 1983 Ovation Deluxe Baladeer, which I think the Acoustisonic JR was made for. Anybody who plays an Ovation know about feedback and the feedback notch feature is wonderful. My current 12 string is a Yamaha and it sings. I have been musical director for my church for the last 8 years. We play contemporary worship music, which covers a broad array of musical styles. Before that I played in several secular groups. If I need a certain sound I just dail it up on the synth or guitar through my RP-7. This amp can handle it!

My church just broke ground on our first building. We've been meeting in a JR High School auditorium from the beginning. My amps have been dragged in and out every weekend since I purchased them. I'm embarrased to say they've taken more than their share of spills and even survived a pretty bad car accident. They are more than durable.

I've never had to deal with Fender's customer support. I've never neeeded them. I have been having difficulty finding replacement parts, like knobs.

I've been playing over 35 years, I listed my axes. These are the only amps I own. Either these amps are the result of incredible design engineering, or one incredible accident. (don't tell the bass amp makers)

This is a two channel amp. It has 40 watts running into 2 8" speakers. Plenty of eq. It has feedback notch, string dynamics, a mic input and chorus. FX loop Contains a line out via the send output in the fx loop Solid state but still very good

I use my Ibanez 7-string through it and it handles great with a low B I was suprised. The amp has a great sound to it. There are many more high dollar amps but I really like this one. The chorus is very good on it and the straight up clean is good.

This amp is pretty reliable. Thumbs up to fender

This is just a great amp. Invest in one if you havnt already.

I bought my Fender amp in 2000 from Musicians Friend. I mostly use it in church worship and special music events at the church. It has more than enought power, for I use it as a monitor and plug it in the main sound system.

I play a Ovation Legend and a Takamine guitar with a wide range of styles. My amp is very quiet, the other post have mention noise but I never had a problem. With the chorus I can add a lot of color in the music I'm playing on certain songs. The string dynamics features makes some differents but not a whole lot in the sound. I don't set the volume level more than 3, more than enought volume in a Church that holds 1500 people.

I had the reverb pot go out but the warranty took care of it and had it back in one week working great.

I had very good customer support on my amp, and as mention had warranty work done with no problems. Fender is a name that can be trusted to do the right thing and build quaility products.

I been playing around 19 years, mostly in church. I would get the higher model that Fender makes if I needed to replace it, just to have something a little different. I choose this amp after reading many reviews on the web, this amp got a good rating. You can't go wrong with Fender anyway. The amp has a nice look to it too, and the kick back legs make it easier to point the amp at your ears.

Dual stereo amps, spring reverb, stereo chorus, feed back filter, dynamic control, two channels, etc,,,,

Have no idea how people could give this amp a bad plug, it sounds great!

Some people complain about the hiss, this is a fact of life with a Fender and spring reverb, get use to it. The chorus is huge and lush, I own a Small Clone (in many peoples opinions an industry standard along with the CE2) I put it in front of the AJ, it sounded great but not as good as the stereo chorus in the amp. The reverb is fine also, yes there is some hiss, but this is a spring reverb, the only type I would use, go digital is you don't like it,and sound over processed!

One reviewer complained about feed back, and the lack of control of the aforementioned feedback. By its very nature an accoustic guitar is prone to feed back, the better the quality of the guitar the more likely it will feed back. It makes sound when the top vibrates, so it stands to reason that if you have a good quality accoustic guitar pluged into an amp and are in the proximity of the amp the sound coming from the amp will cause the top of the guitar to vibrate putting presure on the transducer (bridge pickup) which will generate a voltage which gets sent to the amp which in turn will,,,,,well you get the idea,,,it called feed back. One way around this is to put some very expensive electronics in the amp, or between you and the amp. Fender chose to put a notch filter in, this is a relatively low cost alternative. It works OK but not great. Depending on how it was done, and you must realize that it is the resonate frequency of the instrument that is feeding back, and there for each guitar will be different, the goal is to prevent feed back with out adversely affecting tone. This is difficult to do on an amp with out driving up the cost significantly, so a notch filter is a good low cost compromise, is it perfect? No! Another low cost solution is to put a sound plug in you sound hole, this is what I have done on my D35 and it works great!

No problems in 3+ years. Use it all the time!

I like this amp, yes it has some weaknesses but don't they all? I have been playing for over 20 years. I love the look and size of this amp, with the kick back legs I have it pointing directly back at me when I'm on stage, at home it sites on a box, the volume is never past 7. BTW if you are playing in a loud band this amp will not be loud enough to hear over the drums and bass, you will have to elevate it up a bit. However I do not consider this a weakness of the amp, if you requrie more power get the next model up. They sound about the same but its louder with more features.

1999 Acoustasonic Jr. This was the First Acoustic amp I purchased. The amp was versatile at th time I purchased it. It had effects, and 2 channels. I play fingerstyle acoustic music. It was fine for small gigs, and practice. The other reviews will describe the features and construction.

At the time I purchased the amp in 1999, I was using a Martin 000-M with a Martin Gold+ saddle transductor pickup. The sound is difficult to manipulate, and a LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI, helped mellow-out the crunch of the pickup. To get a true acoustic sound is difficult. However, it is dynamic and the volume holds well for small rooms. The EQ settings could not go over 4, and the volume must be kept low to avoid distortion and a crackling tinny sound. even at a low volume thre is a strong hiss. In playing in different locations the hiss would vary, and I can't figure out how to eliminate the hiss.

The amp is reliable: no failure in 3 years. As long as I play small gigs, there is no need for a back up. I purchased a cover for it a couple of weeks after I purchased the amp. This helped keep safe during transportation, and from fading.

N/A
The warranty is 5 years.

I have been playing on and off for over 25 years. Played acoustic seriously for the last 4 years. I play a Marting 000-28, and a Martin 000M, and do some home recording. If this amp were to get stolen or broken I would not get another one. I would prefer to shop around for some other new gadget amp, with less effects, and more power. I would also shop around and test the SWRs, I heard they sound great. This amp is good for realy small gigs. After trying some othr amps withn the last 3 years, I seem to feel that the Fender Acoustasonic Jr. does not sound good as it did 3 years ago. The cost for a used Jr. is about $225, this is a pretty good deal. I think I will sell mine.

OK folks. this is my 3rd review of this amp and the second time I've owned it, having just bought a brand new one - again...

First off, this is an acoustic/electric amp, but certainly usable for jazz with a humbucker-equipped archtop.

As I said above, this is my second new AJR. I bought one back in 1998 (see all reviews with "Greg") and 2 years later upgraded to an Acoustasonic Pro (also reviewed under "Greg" here on HC). In my APro review, I said how much better the APro was than the AJR, but what I should have said was, How many mroe features the APro had than the AJR. Both amps use the same form factor - cab, 2x8 speaks, single tweeter. The AJR costs over half as much as the APro.

Quick recount of features - solid state, 2x8" speakers, tweeter, reverb, stereo chorus, effects loop, primitive direct out (use of send port of effects loop), guitar input, mix XLR input, tilt-back legs, 2x40 watts = 80 watts stereo, 43lbs, styled like a '63 Vibroverb styling (really, look it up at http://www.ampwares.com/ffg), and all metal input connectors (versus plastic on the Acoustasonic Pro).

The amp has a foot switch jack for toggling chorus. Any generic, single button switch works.

My new AJR is made in Mexico and is very quiet.

After owning the APro, I'll downgrade the feature list to a "9" from my previous appraisal of "10". This is not a bad thing as i thought the APro had too many features. In this case, the AJR is an example of less is more.

I'll stick with my previous assessment of this amp - great A/E tone and excellent jazz tone with an archtop.

These amps are well-built and rock solid. the 5 year transferrable warranty is nice, too. This is my second one and I love it.

5 year warranty with original receipt.

OK, here's where it gets weird... since buying my original AJR in 1998, I have been through about 2 dozen amps, including but not limited to a Super Reverb, Princeton Reverb II, Rivera Sedona (expensive all-tube a/e & rock amp), APro, Ultrasound AG100DS a/e amp, SF and BF Champs, Crate VC's, Polytone, and many more.

Depending on my mood, I was looking either for the best A/E amp, the best rock amp, the best jazz amp, one amp to do it all, etc, etc.

What I found was that no one amp can do it all and that I was more likely to find an A/E amp that can handle jazz and leave the rock/blues thing to yet another amp. That's how I arrived - again - at the AJR. I really enjoy this amp and remember being bummed out about selling the first one I bought.

The only reason I sold the first one was that I thought I needed more volume and the AJR's teweeter squawked at volume of 5 or higher. My new one doesn't seem to do that.

The lower end Acoustasonic line has gotten more expensive with the A30 rising from $279 street to $314 and the AJR going from $399 to $433. Still, the AJR is a great A/E and jazz amp as long as you don't play at concert hall volumes. With a full band, you may have to mic it, but if you're playing an A/E with a full band, you'll feedback before you reach the limits of this amp.

Keep in mind that I am only a hobbyist, bit for a good all-around A/E + jazz amp, you won't be able to do much better for $400 new.

As for rock/blues, do I like I do and use a BF Champ (or amp of your choice) and a multi-FX pedal.

made in 2000, I nought tis amp for my Yamaha something acoustic Guitar, I've had my Guitar for about 20 years and it sounds great un-plugged. I tried ots of amps first and bought this because it seemed to capture the accoustic spund of my Guitar and make t sound just like I heard it un-plugged, just louder...that was excellent. What I don't like about it is the effects loop, but then I am a bit of a bonehead as you'll read later on. But it is a great amp for what is is designed for

I like it for my acoustic Guitar, but here's the kicker......... I have an electric guitar that I haven't played for years. I bought this amp becuase I was playing my acoustic in a band,,,, one thing lead to another and now I've dusted off my Electric and am using it throught here...not the "A" plan that I had. But I have no idea what to get for an amp for my Electric so........ if someone know of something not too expensive that sounds great (line 6 spider??) then let me know I mike the amp anyways or go directly from line out into the board......

not had a problem with it in over a year... and hey 5 year warranty so they (Fender) must hafe made it good.

lame, the tech I talked to couldn't answer my question, said he'd get back to me and never did,,,, I hate that

if you want a good acoustic amp and have a good guitar (better have or it will sound crappy no matter what amp you use) then this is the amp for you. I looked at bigger and looked at smaller, this seemed to have a good sound and adjustment for the price....I've been playing acoustic for 20+ years, and electric for on and off too many times..remeber I welcome some comments for an Electric amp, I use a Fury (Hand built) guitar,,wicked sound.....

2000 Model Acoustasonic

Blues/Accoustic
Probably the best all around practice amp you can buy for accoustic.
VERY, VERY clean. Don't know what others on this thread are doing with this amp, but as long as your pickups are all good you got "quality-in-a-box." I'm using an Applause (Ovation). It makes this guitar stand right up and sing. This is a first rate amp. Not a lot of variety, but who needs it with an accoustic amp. It's got what you need and a few extras. Nothing fancy though- just all-around quality sound.

Very, very reliable. Built like a brick "sh!t house."

Never had to deal with them. N/A

A+. Nobody is selling this amp as a performance model. This is really a practice amp and it lives up to that as one of the best for the money. GET IT!

Made in 2000 in Mexico. Two channels, notch filter, reverb, chorus.
40 watts. Piezo tweeter

I play a Taylor 814 with LR Baggs Duel source with ribbon pickup/microphone/preamp. Style is mostly figer-picking, some strumming. This amp hisses a lot, even at low volume. I cannot get a good clean bass response out of this amp, not sure why. It booms quite a bit, even at low volume. Other acoustic amps did not boom so much as this one does. Mid and treble sound ok, but not much volume, even with amp amd preamp cranked. Sounds funky (yes funky!) with the on board blender's mike.

I would gig it without a backup, if some one actually paid me to play. Just kidding, it seems reliable.

Never had to deal.

Been playing 30 years. Own the Taylor, strat. I've owned most major brand guitars. If it were lost or stolen, I wouldn't replace it. Since I have onboard mic/ribbon/mixer/preamp why bother? I have since played through a Marshall acsoustic amp, and some SWR weird-looking thing that sounded awesome. I don't really need an amp, so I am selling the acoustasonic, it is useless to me. Not a bad amp, but not a great one either.

2 independent channels reverb, chours, notch filter,tilt back legs,

After reading the review that gave a rating of 2 I felt compelled to inform the guy that IT'S YOUR PICKUP MAN NOT THE AMP! pizoes just do that. If you put a magnetic pickup in you connot make it feedback. However if anyone is truly serious about there acoustic sound I will share with you the answer. PUT A FISHMAN PREFIX ON BOARD BLENDER IN YOUR GUITAR!! these come standard in Taylor guitars. By blending the built in microphone and the undersaddle pickup through this fender amp It will sound better plugged in than it does unplugged. I never thought It would ever be the case but hearing it for myself knocked me down! And the other thing, this amp has one the lushest sounding vocal channels I've ever heard.

Three years and no trouble/has five year warranty

With the right pickup this amp is heaven. And with an electric guitar you have a poor man's VOX amp (sounds just like it)If you only use a undersaddle pickup it will sound like Hell. You know garbage in garbage out

By now you know all the features. 40 watts, 2 channels, yada, yada, yada. 2 x 8" speakers with very small magnets and small voice coils and a piezo-electric tweeter that can be purchased at Radio Shack for about $5.00. Made in Mexico in 2000. No external speaker output or headphone jack.

I use a Martin acoustic/electric which sounds ok at low volume and a Takamine which sounds horible at any volume. Gets way too much feedback. It is noisy with both guitars, hisses very noticable. Very little variety in sound due to speakers, which seam very cheap. Reverb and chorus have very little depth at maximum settings. Feedback notch control had no effect at any setting on either guitar.
String dynamics is simply an attenuation of 6.4khz (reverse treble control) which did almost nothing. Very little bass, when set at max bass, it boomed loudly on certain notes as if the cabinet were experiencing serious intonation. Not a "tuned" cabinet, no bass port.
No external speaker jack. Not much power. Anything past 3 got feedback no matter where I stood or sat.

Been playing a long time. Also own a Hartke bass amp, Fender Hot Rod,
yada, yada, yada. I would glady replace this amp - I am returning it!
My bass amp actually sounds better with the above mentioned guitars than this. This amp isn't worth half of what they charge for it. It is nothing more than an overpriced monitor! Especially since it is made with the cheapest speakers I have ever seen in an amp and assembled in Mexico. This amp is worth maybe $200 max, brand new. The feedback was ever-present from any angle and the controls did nothing to help. The Fender Acoustasonic SFX is a much better (still overpriced) amp than this. I will be exchanging it for an SWR soon. Even more expensive, but it has twice the power, gets less feedback and gets a ton of bass.

This a 2000 model acoustic guitar amp. I am thrilled with the versatility of this amp. It has 2 channels: one for your main acoustic instrument input, and the other for a line signal instrument, voice, or whatever. It also has the good-ole spring reverb box and since it is a twin speaker cabinet, it has an excellent chorus. With the phase switch and the feedback notch filter, i have no worries about feeding back. Very controlled. They also have something called "string dynamics control" which took me a bit to figure out. It is nice though - basically takes the noise, rattle and distortion out of your strum.. My guess is it's just a compressor although they have supposedly pattened it. I use this amp at church, we are set up in a gym. I've gotten nothing but compliments about how I sound now. Great Amp. I'm giving it an 8. It's plenty versatile for me, although there are other amps out there with more features. I wouldn't have minded a 5 band or more EQ instead of the bass, treble, mid knobs.

I play a taylor with a thinline under-saddle pickup. No preamp! I needed a solution that would allow me to hear myself (monitor) and allow me to direct out to the house system. Like I said, i play at church. Everything from soft finger picked stuff to loud strumming. This amp holds up perfectly under both conditions. I have yet to have any problem with distortion, but i have no reason to crank it up much past 4 or 5. It's not a tube amp after all :) All in all, the sound is excellent. It reproduces the sound of my guitar fairly accurately.

I've had nothing but fender amps. Never had problems. Although my tweed/tube amp for my electric is much sturdier feeling than this. At least in the knob dept. I'm worried i'm going to snap off a knob putting the thing in my trunk.. may not happen, but it's the kind of thing where you wiggle on eknob and the whole row wiggles with it. That could have been better. I'll knock 3 points off for that one.

dunno. I just deal with the store where I bought it. It has a 5 year warranty, that's not bad.

I've been laying for 15 years.. i play a Taylor 615 Jumbo, also play a heavily modified Fender Strat thru a Fender Pro Jr. amp. Who knows what i would do if it were stolen. It's an amp. I don't get that attached to amps. Now my guitars... I bought this amp because i needed one that day! Impulse buying is the way to go :) I researched it online though before i went to the store. You could get it 20 bucks cheaper mail order and not have to pay tax, but i like to support my local music stores, as long as it's just a reasonable amount of extra support :) Bang for the buck though, i think this is one of the best ways to go. Especially considering you get 2 8 inch speakers and a tweeter in a sealed cabinet. Beates the Crate and Marshall out in price consideration. I knock an overall piont off though for the knobs.

You can read all the features on the Fender site...Suffice it to say that even their site doesn't reflect the abundance of features available on this amp bearing in mind its marketplace.

I'm playing a Martin D-15 with a Fishman Plus EQ pickup and a Tanglewood (Cort for those of you stateside) single cutaway jumbo SJ-5 through this amp 3 or 4 times a week. It's clean and sweet when I want it to be, can really handle the bass from the Martin and really reflects the acoustic tones I can achieve unplugged. Hardly any colouration at moderate volumes, and to be honest, I rarely push 11 on the volume knob!

I've only had it for about 6 weeks. It gets a measurable amount of misuse when its dumped in and out of a car boot (trunk) and smacked into stages and so on by the venue monkeys here in Ireland. I've no problems with it so far and I'd say it'll take a little more than a few knocks to stop it doing what it does.

No idea and I'm hoping I'll never need to find out.

I'm a happy little leprechaun!

This amp some very well thought out features, better that most other amps. Dual channel, with a standard instrument channel and the other channel for mic (with balanced input and phantom power). The second channel has a 'reverb send' knob and a chorus on/off switch, so you don't have to use those effects if the mic is for vocals. (I just use it as a PA, to chat with the crowd, etc.) I play jazz on a Washburn J6 arch top, and I also play a Fernandez classical with a stick on piezo. I was looking for one amp that could do both, and this was the best solution. I don't use the feedback control, and the string dynamics knob seems to do nothing. I love the stereo chorus. The amp has a really cool retro look with chrome tilt-back legs. It's compact and light (big issues with me). I use the effects loop to send the signal into the house PA if one is available. I found the line out too noisy for recording. I have now owned this amp for over a year and there are some MAJOR issues that I will explain below.

I gave this a high rating because at lower volumes, this amp really sounds beautiful. A very clean, rich 'hi-fi' sound with full bass. There are some problems that I will explain below.

So far, perfect after 18 months.

I had some question for Fender about the problems, and I was pretty much ignored.

I have been playing blues and jazz for about 25 years. I have the Washburn J6, the classical, and a 1933 Gibson L50 archtop acoustic. I own 2 other amps, a Roland Jazz Chorus 77, and a Peavey Classic 30. Here is the big issue with this amp, don't try and turn it up past 3 or 4, it will poop out really quick and distort. I have found that I have to use the Peavey or the Roland if I play with any group larger than a duo, or if the room is larger than 25 people. This amp is advertised at 40+40 watts, but I have very serious doupts about that rating. It's really more like 20+20. The high notes seem to go first. Another issue I have found really annoying is the second channel is only good for using the mic. The instrument input on that channel has very low gain, and the tone of this channel sounds really bad with a guitar. It's really a shame about the power, otherwise this could be the perfect amp. I guess Fender wants people like me to buy the Acoustasonic Pro (80+80w)at $950, more than 2x what I paid. I now use this amp pretty much for solo gigs in small rooms.

I have only had this amplifier for use as a contemporary Christian artist for approximately 2 months at this point. When I bought this fine amplifier I had been looking for one with an exceptional stereo chorus feature that I used to enjoy with my former Peavey T212. I was surprised to find such an outstanding acoustic guitar amplifier in this price-range ($410) since I had purchased a Crate CA30 amplifier some 18 months before. I use the Fender amp at church and play through an older Epiphone 12-string with a bolt-on neck from the late 70's. This guitar has a Fishman Acoustic Matrix I pre-amp system which produces some awesome volume and overcomes the criticism of the less-than-desirable volume feature of the Acoustasonic JR. Therefore, I have to admit that since I have the best of both worlds in the capabilities of the Acoustasonic JR and this awesome Fishman pre-amp system, there just is no equal that I have been able to find anywhere with more expensive amplifiers or guitars. The send-return jack can be used as a line-out to any PA system for surround effects. I have even used the XLR mic for voice accompaniment and find no reason to discount its quality in view of the low price for this amplifier.

I use this amplifier for mostly contemporary Christian music (such as Hillsongs Australia, etc.) and find this unit to perform extremely well in replicating the original sounds from CD releases. There is a buzz, however, once the reverb is set past 4, which cannot be eliminated without a crossover effects device. This is the only drawback that I see. Sounds are clean with little or no distortion at high volumes.

I have no report to give on the reliability of this unit since it is so new.

I have not had an opportunity to deal with te company, so I cannot give an honest opinion here.

I would gladly replace the Fender Accoustasonic with another if stolen. Compared to other choices in this price range, Fender reigns supreme!

I play in a contemporary praise band at church. I wanted an amp that
was light (<60 lbs.), simple to use, and had effects - but not to many
that it would be difficult to adjust while performing. This amp fits
the bill for me. The amp has reverb and chorus, an instrument channel with low, mid and high EQs, and a mic channel with XLR input with Low and High EQ pots. I run my Shure 57 through this input occasionally on small gigs like church camp. Another big seller for this amp was the fact that it DOES have a line out on the back, so I can send my sound to the board and use my amp as my guitar monior. The pots are firmly attached to the amp - they don't wiggle around like some equipment I've tried in this price range. At 2x40 watts, it
is personally enough power for me. Again, if I need more clean amplification, I'll send it through a PA. It also has tilt back legs which I use to make my amp a monitor. The string dynamics control
is a wonderful addition to this amp, taking away the harshness of the piezo sound when I use a pick. You just have to learn how to use this feature. It also has a notch filter for feedback control.

I play a Yamaha APX 6 through this amp. My style of music (besides leading praise and worship) is Christian Ballads. I play a lot of music in the style of Michael Card. I wanted an extremely clean sound, and did not want a harsh bright sound. To me, too many acoustic amps out there are too harsh. This amp has a very nice mellow tone to it. It does sound quite different with different pickups, so go to the music store with your guitar to try out this amp. The one thing that I do not like about the amp is that when you turn the master reverb up past 4, there is a "buzz" that becomes quite apparent. I'm going to have this checked out - it shouldn't do that. It is a solid state amp, so there is some background hiss. I have tried many, many, many amps out there on the market. This amp is the only one I've found that satisfies my musical tastes. I give it an 8 because of the buzz on the reverb. If there was no buzz, I'd give it a 9.

Only had the amp for a month. No problems to this date. As I said above, it is built much better than other amps in this price range. Everything on my amp feels solid, including the pots. I owned a Peavey and the pots would wiggle around on that amp. I'd go out without a backup, but then again, I'd just use my DI box.

5 year warrenty. Had no dealings with the company.

Been playing for 10 years. I own some Mackie gear. I'd buy this amp again if it were stolen or lost. I compared this to Peavey Ecoustic, Fishman, AR, Roland, Marshall, Crate. I just has a better sound than the rest of these amps - save for the Fishman. It does sound better, but is cost prohibitive for me.

I have been playing acoustic guitar for 19 years and currently play in a contemporary Christian worship band as well as lead worship in my church in a sanctuary that will seat 1200 (it's a big venue)! I play a Takamine EF261SAN that just growls out the lows and dances with the highs. I have built my setup strictly focused on getting the best acoustic sound I can. I have owned a Trace Elliot and used Peavey amps but nothing (absolutely nothing)has touched this amp! Prior to owning this amp I purchased the Marshall AS80R ($1000 Can.) and returned it after 2 weeks of trying to get some reasonably clean sound out of it. I paid $599 Can. for the Acoustasonic and would buy another in a heartbeat. If you are looking for a good solid piece of acoustic equipment - you will be surprized and never disappointed with the Acoustasonic Jr..
My only regret with this amp is that it does not have a line out feature. I also replaced the yellow grillcloth with an expanded metal mesh front - looks catchy and speakers are more protected.

Very clean sound right out of the box! - great Chorus - deep reverb - very versatile and easy to shape the sound to your preference and tastes. I have cranked the thing in our sanctuary and i did not experience any distortion at all. This amp controls feedback very well and I have had no problem in this area.

No need for a backup here.
Very reliable.

I have not had a need to inquire yet.
The amp would be serviced through my local dealer which is a very dependable dealer.

I have looked at and listened to just about every significant manufacturer that makes an acoustic amp out there and I can say that the acoustasonic Jr. is the best value for your dollar out there right now (my opinion). I run my Takamine through a Samson wireless system into the amp. I run my vocals through a Telex wireless system into an Alesis Microverb 4 directly into a P.A.
Simply put - Buy this amp.

I picked up this little amp about 2 weeks ago for $310 out the door! I was really amazed at all of the features it had for the money. Two channels, reverb, chorus, Balanced XLR input for vox or anything else, a feedback notch that works GREAT for eliminating that 1 runaway htz, a string dynamics knob that seems too subtle to matter, as well as that great Fender tilt-back leg feature. Effects loops as well as one loop doubling as a line out, are nice.

This amp is perfect for acoustic guitar tone but lacks enough power to play with the big boys. I play regularly, mostly rock, jazz, and blues, and the amp just can't reach the volume without distorting.

This is an excellant amp for entertaining a small crowd. (1 - 40 people)

I bought this amp at the same time i picked up a new Epiphone PR7E acoustic with the Electar integrated e.q. using piezo pickup. I play mostly folk and jazz in a trio at small venues around town and with my ever quiet band mates, this amp is as clean as my old Roland JazzChorus but warmer. For this gig, as well as playing at home, I couldn't be more pleased.

DO NOT attempt to play Led Zeppelin through this amp! It's simply not built for it.

I've only had it 2 weeks, for cryin' out loud! We shall see.

I've been playing guitar for about 23 years, and in addition to the Fender Acoustasonic Jr. I currently own a Crate Vintage Club 5o Watt 2 x 10, a 1990 Mesa/Boogie Mark IV combo(cane face), A'72 Gibson SG Standard, a '79 Fender Strat, and the new Epiphone PR7E Birdseye maple acoustic.

I looked at other acoustic amps and none of them had the bang for the buck that this one has. It's a niche market, but I think acoustic players will understand and appreciate this amplifier.

I read the 14 reviews prior to this one I am writing, and 13 of them rated this amp at 8 or better. Cypher was the only one who gave it a 3. This is perfect example of someone buying the wrong tool for the job. Cypher, Marshall makes just what you need, man.

I'm a bass player who occasionally doubles on rhythm guitar. The amp is very versatile- it makes a surprisingly good bass (!!!) or keyboard monitor, at least at low volume levels. It also sounds OK w/my Dad's Yamaha archtop.

This is a feature-laden little guy. Two channels, one for guitar and the other for mic or line inputs. Phantom power on the mic input. Independent control of reverb and chorus on each channel. Phase reverse switches for feedback control. A built in (undefeatable) feedback filter, and a "String Dynamics" control (a frequency-selective compressor that minimizes "piezo quack").

It has two effects loops: a mono insert on the guitar channel before the chorus and reverb, and a stereo loop just before the power amp.

Tilt-back legs have always been a great idea. Flop it back for a big, diffuse, room-filling sound that doesn't give individual audience members a haircut.

I vaguely wish it had a headphone amp for late-night practice.

I use the amp a few different ways:
1. Backline guitar amp at church (no drummer, folk/light rock vein).
2. Personal monitor (tilt it back facing the performer, plug in guitar and mic, then run a stereo send out to the PA. Dial in EQ, reverb and chorus to taste).
3. Mini-PA for "troubadour" gigs. Stick a mic in your guitar case, and you can get everything out to the car in one trip!

I find it plenty loud enough for my aging ears (40W RMS per side stereo, solid-state), but you'd need more juice for authentic rock levels.

I mainly use it with my Godin Acousticaster. I REALLY like the tone. It somehow manages to blend a suitably hi-fi acoustic sound with my favourite Fender combo characteristics (tight, warm low end, singing mids, spanking reverb tones).

I find the amp impressively quiet, unless I crank the reverb and introduce some hiss. Since I run the reverb at fairly low settings, this is not a problem.

My Acousticaster benefits from the String Dynamics control, which smooths things out a little on single-note lines...

I could wish for a little more sound output before distortion, but what can you expect from a lightweight, compact amp in this price range? BTW, it plays louder and nicer than any of the Trace Elliots I've tried, for a lot less $$$...

Overdrive sounds are not on the menu- if that's what you're after, you'd be better off with an AC-30, or something...

Too soon to tell.

Exellent 5-year warranty. I have personally found Fender amps to be absolutely bulletproof, although customer feedback suggests that some dogs occasionally slip through.

I'll let you know in a few years...

I've been playing for over 30 years. I also own:
- Custom 5-string bass guitar and 5-string upright.
- Godin Acousticaster, cheap acoustic guitar, Appalachian dulcimer.
- Roland digital stage piano (RD-100).
- SWR Studio 220 and Carver PM 1.5 amps, Flite and Electro-Voice cabs.
- Mackie 1202 VLZ-Pro mixer.
- Assorted mics, pedals, Behringer compressor, etc.
- Tascam 4-strack cassette and Sony minidisc recorders.

I love this thing. Definitely a "desert island" piece of equipment. It even looks nice...

I compared it to the Crate, the Fishman, the big Marshall (no longer in production?), SWR, Roland and Trace. I chose the Fender because it was the only one I could afford that didn't suck. Happily, it would have been #3 or #4 on my list, even if price wasn't a factor.

Fender makes me nuts. Some of their solid-state amps are so good, they almost make you forget about tubes. Yet some of their stuff sounds so bad, it ought to be wearing a Peavey label or worse.

There doesn't seem to be much of a correlation between size, sound quality or price, for that matter.

It seems like all you can do is watch out for the good ones. The Acoustasonic Junior is definitely one of them.

Don't know the year of manufacture. So far the Amp is versitile enough for me. I play mainly Contemp Christain and try some blues sounds. The Amp has two channels, with chorus and reverb. Seperate volume. The chorus is very nice. This is my first Amp so I think it sounds great. One of the submissions said there is no line out, but the reference and owners manual cleary states you can use the send on the back panel as a line out. I use the Amp at home now. Will use it in small group worship. Seems like the ideal Amp for coffee shop type setting. Has plenty of power for me. The stereo chorus is nice. Would rate it a 10 but nothing man made is perfect.

I use a Fender DG20S with a Dean Markley Pro-Mag pickup. This combination is very nice. I do detect a low hum when I am not playing and am plugged in to the same wall that has my TV and Stereo going. When on different wall all is quite until I turn the treble, mid, bass and volume up over 8. My power source in my home is not the cleanest. The Amp reproduces my acoutic very nicely. Bright highs and surprising lows. I have had some fun tuning in and out the treble, mid and bass to get slightly different sounds. The 1st channel does not distort. I love the sound. For Vineyard Worship music this is great.

I have had no experience in this department. Guitar Center where I bought it has always been very customer focused.

I've been playing for about 14 months. I own a Fender DG20-2 and a Epiphone PR-250S and a Dean Markley Pro-Mag pickup. I would buy it again if lost or stolen. I love the sound. I compared on Harmony Central by reading the reviews for this and other acoustic amps. I choose this Amp for the price, features and low impedence mic input. It is all I need for small group worship which was my goal in picking up the guitar.

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.

The above rating covers it all pretty completely. The independent reverb and chorus are nice. A footswitch with independent reverb and chorus on/off would be nice though as well as line outs that do not kill the siganl (like a slave out or recording out) but for the price you can't have it all.

Sounds real nice on my Parker Classic Fly. (see above review)

Its o.k. so far, yes without a backup. Seems pretty sturdy 5 year warranty

unknown

My other amps are a Peavy stereo chorus which I now use as a slave (with added chorus on clean channel) from a Mesa Boogie DC3. I put the Accoustisonic between them and play a Parker Fly. The DC3 has 2 Channels and with the chorus on the Fender and Peavy I do not use any outboard effects anymore and it all sounds very nice. I would buy all 3 amps again. One last thing is compact discs sound very very good through this amp, better than a lot of stereos with a very tight bottom. I did not try any others out. I could not really afford the Fishman or the justify the $800 for the Trace Elliot so in this price range I chose the Fender for the features. The sealed cabinet works great and the XLR is a nice touch. For the price it could makes a nice little PA system. In fact if your short of cash consider this amp to use a for a stereo or a second stereo (Especially compared to a boom box thing). Classical music sounds well also enough that I used it on my wife as to the versatility of the amp! And it worked. I give it a 9 only because there is no 10.

The Acoustasonic Jr. is a 40w x 40w stereo amp, with two individual pre and power amps. The second channel has an XLR (LO-Z) input as well as the standard 1/4" input. Both channels have EQ, the second channel has a phase switch, while the phase on the first channel is controlled by the master phase. The first channel adds a feedback notch filter control. The amp includes a very rich and acoustically tuned stereo chorus with a cool blinking red/green light to indicate intensity and speed. The amp has a master reverb which is also acoustically rich, and both of these FX are assignable. The second channel has a control for the reverb/FX send level. This amp includes TWO FX loops! The first is a mono FX send for the first channel only, and the second FX loop is stereo and is a mater FX loop. The level for this loop can be controlled via the second channel. The amp includes two specially "voiced" 8" speakers, and a high-frequency piezo horn tweeter. The amp comes in a cool retro brown tolex covering with a tan grillecloth. It also has neat-o kick-back legs which is a feature that most all acoustic amps lack. As you can tell, this amp is just PACKED with features! Another feature that Fender includes and is marketing heavily is the "String Dynamics" control. This is simply a knob that rolls off the extremely high-frequencies to help eliminate piezo distortion and string noise. Overall effect on the sound with this control appears to be very minimal.

Overall sound is incredible. I dare say that this amp rivals $1000-$1500 Trace Elliot amps that I tried. The only amp that I thought sounded better was the Fishman acoustic amp system. One great thing about this amp is the fact that you can use a lot of different guitars thru it and it always sounds superb. So far, the guitars I've tested thru this amp are two Godin acoustics, one Godin Acousticaster, a Godin LGX (Solid-body guitar with L.R. Baggs saddle transducer and acoustic pre-amp), Taylor 410CE, Takamine, Epiphone acoustic, and a classical guitar equiped with a soundhole pickup. All of these guitars sounded beautiful thru the Acoustasonic Jr. If any of them didn't initially suit my tastes, I could easily adjust the EQ on either the amp or the acoustic to make it sound good. Overall, I was very surprised at the bass response of this amp. I thought that it would be limited with only 8" speakers, but the bass is clean and tight even at high volume. This makes the Acoustasonic Jr. a performance-worthy amp. My only small gripe about the sound is the ever-present solid state "hiss" when you're not playing. I've found this to be a characteristic of most solid state amps. Overall sound of this amp is very tight, and the amp does not rattle even at higher volumes. This is a gripe that I've had about other Fender amps, but not this one! This amp is a closed-back amp which may have helped elimitate rattles and other unwanted noises or resonances. One surprising thing that I discovered about this amp is that it works GREAT as a clean-amp for electric guitar, especially a hollow-body. A Gibson ES-335 or ES-135 would sound incredible thru this amp! I played several strats thru this amp and the sparkling sound is incredible! Try it for yourself, and see what you think.

I've only had this amp a week so I can't be sure. Fender gives you a five-year warranty, though, so they must have confidence in it's reliability.

This is Fender's very first entry into the acoustic guitar amplification market, and they're definitely bound to make a splash. Fender has obviously done a lot of research of the other acoustic amp offerings before developing this beautiful amp. It is feature-rich and easily rivals amps costing 2-3 times it's price. Other amps I compared it to were: Trace Acoustic, Crate, Peavey, Marshall, Roland, AR, and Fishman. The Fender had tons of features and great sound. Plus, the list price is only $549 which makes it affordable for just about everyone. If you play acoustic guitar, I highly suggest this amp.
BTW: Don't e-mail me and ask me where I got the amp for $369. I'll answer ANY question EXCEPT that one! $369 is not even that great of a discount.