Roland AC-60 Combo

I just purchased a 2006 model of Roland's AC-60 natural stereo chorus amp. I believe it has 6 1/2 inch speakers in it, runninh 30 watts per side. Comes with the 2 channel> 3 type of choruses /reverb/delay. Also has a nice anti-feedback control that really works nice. Comes with its own carrying case and shoulder strap--great idea!

the sound of this small unit was exactly why I spent more than my buget of $350. It is worth the $450 I bought it for at Guitar center in Austin, Tx. The sound just cuts through with no problem, standing next to my drummer, who is sheilded abit. I was using my Crate stereo 2x10 Gx-60C which is also 30 watts per side, though its mainly an electric guitar amp. The Roland with smaller speakers just is so much clearer, more natural with my Taylor and Guild acoustics. Plugging in to the direct out>mono output to the main mixer also cleaned up my house sound, the guitars were very full with as much bottom end as I wanted. Beleieve it or not I had to turn down from master at 7 to 5 and gain to 7, it was plenty loud, staning on the floor 5 ft. from me with the build-in kick bar to prop it up.

So far so good. Only time will tell, I believe Roland is quality, look at their track record.

If this amp was stolen I would definitly get another one

Roland AC-60 purchased 7 months ago to replace a Behringer ACX-1000. After a year or so with that amp, the weight and noise finally got to me.

This amp's features are documented here already. Also on the www.rolandus.com site. Suffice it to say that the amp is loaded with input/output options, 2 independent channels, useable effects (delay, reverb, and 3 styles of chorus), footswitchable options, etc., etc., etc.,

To be honest, when I first heard the AC-60 in the music store, I was not too impressed. Had a bit of a ?honk? to it. Salesman was letting me use a nice Taylor to try it out, so no problem there. I sat with the amp for five minutes or so, fiddling with the eq and various settings on both guitar and amp. Finally found a beautiful, flat, clean sound that was exactly what I was looking for.

I am using the amp for a variety of acoustic styles and jazz solo work. Aux in drives the drum/bass machine and occasionally plug in a mic. The amp handles it all in a small gig situation. Has been plenty loud and clean for my needs. Haven't opened it all the way, but pretty close.

This amp will not go to 11. However, it does have stereo outs to patch to your board or aux amp. Also has a sub-woofer out, which I have not needed to use.

This amp sounds great.

Only had it about 7 months. No problems at all. I?ve owned other Roland amps, recorders, guitar synths, etc. Never had an issue with their reliability.

Never needed them. Hope I won?t.

Been playing since I was 9. I'm 52 now. Own a nice assortment of guitars, about 9 or so. Electrics (ES335, Strat, ES135), Acoustics (Tak, Ibanez, Ovation, Samick), Guitar synth, lots of stuff.

Needed something easily moved, powerful, and versatile. OK. So, here are the different scenarios I?ve used this little workhorse on:

1. Playing solo Christmas tunes in church on nylon string guitar.
2. Ran my DR-880 drum machine into the aux input. Variax acoustic and ES-135 into the two channels for a solo instrumental jazz wedding reception.
3. Variax alone with sax, percussion & guitar trio. Used the AC-60 just to amplify the acoustic. Used another PA for all vocals.
4. Variax and nylon string for jazz sets with a quartet with guitar, bass, sax and drums.
5. Performance as guest artist at local university. Played classical guitar with the symphony.
6. DR-880 into aux input, Strat into channel 1 via MagicStomp. Vocal into channel 2 for small (about 100) person reception.

In all these scenarios, the amp exceeded expectations. Especially with the symphony gig because the question was whether or not the amp would be loud enough to solo on nylon over a 60 piece ensemble. No problem at all. Most amazed was the conductor, who marveled at the clean, clear sound at that volume level out of an amp the size of a big boom box. Amazing.

If I was doing a full rock & roll gig with the Variax, I?d probably have to direct it out to the board. But so far, the amp kicks plenty so far. Still, if it could go to 11, that'd be great.

Haven?t played much rock or blues thru it. Got a Tech-21 TM60 and a Roland Cube 60 for that.

But for a fantastic acoustic sound and options galore, this amp is exactly what I needed.

Add the gig bag (which has room to store footswitches and cables) and you?re set. I would buy this amp again, even though it is a little pricey. I would also check out the new Fishman Loudbox, which costs about 50% more than the AC-60.

This is perhaps the best purchase I?ve made in a while.

Made in 2006. Lots of features-- two channels, phantom power on the mic/line channel, reverb, chorus, delay, input for cd or drum machine. headphone out etc.

I use this wiith my Taylor t5 and it is amazing. I play jazz, blues, country and just about any other thing that comes along with this setup.
No noise, no distortion, unless you want it.

Seems very dependable, even has a padded gig bag, which is also awesome. Solid state, no tubes.

Roland needs to get their act in shape. They are not customer oriented. Their website is both obnoxiously loud and overbearing and short on real information. Their customer service people must be living in the dark ages.

This amp weighs about 20 pounds and outplays amps that weigh three times as much and that cost three times as much also. Fenders and Marshalls, Ultrasounds and Genz Benz -- I've played them, tried lifting them, looked for a gig bag and found none. Result of tests: they all weigh more than the AC30, their effects are less impressive, some cost more and have weird construction features. The AC30 beats them all. As far as the Roland company is concerned, they're sort of like Barry Bonds -- they can hit home runs with their products; it's just too bad that they act like jerks.

If you have researched this amp already then you know about most of the features already. I got theis amp to play my acoustic through in a small church setting and the 60 watts it puts out is way more than enough. I have tried several amps to get my thin bodied Ovation to sound good, even the overpriced Trace-Elliot stuff, and this is the forst amp to make it sound like an acoustic.

This amp as I said already makes my ovation sound really better than I ever thought it could, I played it in church 2 nights ago as a solo and I forgot to turn the chorus on and it just sounded so natural. I have to say that some of the effects on it don't sound as good as they could, but without the effects this thing sounds absolutely amazing!!!

I have only used this amp twice for worship, and I have only had it for a month so I hope nothing goes wrong with it. Roland seems to make very solid equipment, I was so impressed with this that I went and got the Cube 60 for my electric.

Never dealt eith customer support.

I have been playing for about 18 years now. I own a Roland Cube 60(AMAZING!!!), an Ovation Celebrity Deluxe, a Samick Greg Bennett Avion AV-7, and a Peavey Ultra 410 combo tube amp. If this thing is ever lost or stolen I would absolutely get another if my wife will let me. I love almost everything about this acoustic amp. Some of the effects like the reverb and delay could be better but still not bad. This amp is ultra portable and has enough power for playing in a small church setting as that is wnat I got it for. I chose this based on all of the great reviews it got, but more importantly because of the way it sounded when I tried it at the local music store. This amp may not be right for every person or for every situation, but it was nothing short of perfect for what I wanted it for,to play acoustically in a small church setting.

Features have pretty much been covered. Chorus is very un-natural sounding. I owned a Jap made 1980's JC-120 and the later US made jc-120. These had great chorus's. This amp's chours sounds nothing like it. If you are holding a chord when changing the setting, he chorus makes a digital skips, kinda annoying.

I own a 2005 taylor 810ce. I am sorry to say that this amp makes this great guitar sound like tinsle laiden poo poo. Shame on me, I should have looked where it was made, in china. Funny, I can't name a amp that is worth its salt from china. If you want good chineese food, go to china, but don't buy their guitar amps. Again, the chorus is very fake sounding. reverb is a bit digital sounding. delay is ok, but acts un-natural. overall tone is tin-ie, high end. there is no bottom end whatsoever (hence the output jack for a powered sub).

Can't speak about it. Returned it to guitar center for my $450 refund. I then bought a used fender acoustasonic jr. for 200 from my guitarist (this amp is incredible compared to the roland). i highly recommend the jr., highly

No opinion. But i don't know how to speak chineese, so i can't imagine they would be much help.

I wrote this opinion because there are many good sounding amps out there for acoustic players. My taylor sounds better through my rivera clubster tube amp than it did through the ac-60. if i could afford the california blonde II, i would buy it. it is a fantasic sounding amp, better than the fender acoustic amp. I hear rivera makes a good sounding amp for acoustics (if you go taylor's web site you can download a video about the t5 guitar which features the rivera amp). anyway, this roland ac-60 is a joke. not even a funny one. mine was brand new sealed in the box when i bought it. roland certainly does not make amps like they used to when they were made in the good old island of japan. take care, rich.

New 2005 made. Stereo chorus, reverb etc. 60 watts in total, plenty of volume for most things

Bought this as an on stage monitor as I am sick of relying on sound people to gewt my foldback right!
Looked at this and the AER model as well. There is an idea that the AER is purer but I'm not sure. I wanted the chorus so I could do away with my pedals and keep a simple rig. Having come from a Yamaha AG stomp, this is good, very good at chorus and reverb, keep it low and simple and it sounds great.
There were a few reviews concerned about the volume of the line out, and it is a bit hot, if you have a very high output pre amp it will need to be set lower to get a suitable line level output but my Ovation Elite is just OK on full. As this unit is so silent it is not a problem to roll back the output vol a bit anyway.
Sound is crisp and clear, with no speaker problems or clipping.
Realy well thought out package with great connectivity giving loads of options. I love it!

looks well made..........

Nopt tried............

Love it, used it live for the first time today, connected well with the desk and had spare line outs for foldbacks. Clear as a bell with great onboard effects.
Best for the money as far as I can see. The only other option is the AER compact but you will need to add on a lot for a good chorus if you are going to match the one in this, and you will have more wiring to do every gig.
I just love it!

I'm sure you have seen them all in other reviews. The great thing about this amp is how light and small it is but sounds like a PA system for your acoustic guitar.

I have been playing for 30+ years both professionally and just for fun and this is the best value I have found for any style of acoustic music or vocal.

I play a Tayor GA 414Kce, a Tayor GAMC, a Martin HD 28 and occasionally my Gibson ES175. I play Jazz, oldies rock, contemporary christian, and fingerstyle, as well as blues guitar styles. This amp has never let me down and just sounds fabulous no matter which guitar I use whether onboard pickup or useing a mic. Vocals sound great through the amp as well. As far as the onboard effects what can I say, they are Roland and just plain sound Roland "GREAT". I have used this amp in coffee houses, church to do fingerstyle as well as strum and sing through. The amp sounds like a small PA system not how small it is. It has the punch that you loose with most small amps. It also does not color your guitar's sound if you don't want it to, but you can use the eq and onboard effects for any sound you may want. I tried the Ultrasound AG30-too weak, no punch, I tried the SWR Strawberry Blond which had enough punch but not many effects and only one channel as well as being big and HEAVY. The Ultrasound AG50 was better than the 30 but still sounded flat without punch and both the Ultrasounds distorted at moderate volume and up. I have a Fender Acoustisonic Jr wich is also great but colors the sound and is heavy, the Acoustisonic 30 could not compete.

I have had the amp for several months now with no problems. It seems to be well made; only problem I could see is with the thin grill cloth. Comes with a real neat gig bag to carry it in; now is this amp small or what if you can carry it in a bag. I only gave an 8 because I have not had it that long, so far so good.

Roland charges you to call them for help. Only delt with them once for a Boss pedal, they fixed it quickly and got it back to me fast with no charge and it was years out of warranty.

This is bar none, the best acoustic amp on the market for the price. You can get one that sounds as good or better but you will pay more and it will be alot bigger and heavier. If weight and size are your concern this the the best on the market. Check out www.bpmmusic.com you can't beat the price or service.

Nice basic reverb and chorus but reverb adjustment s/b channel specific. other than that this little box is awesome. The feedback control works great and with it's automatic function engaged is cool.

I play mostly Taylors. I have an 814-ce, a 410-ce which both sings brightly and clearly through this amp. I also have a new T5S1 and it was like this box was made for it. Quite a range of tones indded.

My Baby Taylor as well as my mandolins sound very good mic'd through it but not as good as instruments with a pickup.

Lastly and suprisingly, my Martin acoustic bass is loud and clear with a lot of bottom end for such small speakers.

I just bought it so don't know yet but my history with Roland product quality is excellent (except for the plastic on their TDE-7 electronic drum kit clamps which ages and breaks)

TBD

I've been playing electric and acoustioc guitar and various other sringed instruments for 25+ years. This is the best small acoustic amp I have heard...bar none. Add in the low price and you can't lose!

I'd buy another one tomorrow if anything happened to mine.

This little amp (and I do mean little) is absolutely loaded with features, such as dual 30 watt power amps, Roland's famous stereo chorus, Digital stereo reverb, Guitar and Mic inputs, Stereo outputs, Footswitching outs, and so much more.
The best part is that it only weighs about 22lbs, and comes with a really cool carrying bag. The only drawback is no effects loop, so it gets a nine.

I tried every acoustic amp at Guitar Center, Marshall, Fender, Fishman, etc... The AC-60 is the most natural sounding out of the lot. Plus, none of the competition boasts that lush stereo chorus like a Roland. This little amp has the same great chorus sounds as the JC-120, and then some. But what really surprised me was the vocal sounds. I demo'ed with a regular SM-58 and could handle hearing my voice through it. It actually sounded quite full considering it has 6.5" speakers.

So far so good!

Have never had a roland product need service.

Prior to buying an AC-60 I viewed singing and playing as chore, but the tones of this amp has rejuvinated my enthusiasm. In fact this might be the tone I have been searching for my whole life.
In fact I just ordered a JBL 150watt subwoofer to conect to it even more layers, Can't wait to hear that!
Perhaps in six months I will be back down to earth, but right now I am a mile high... baby, and the Roland AC-60 put me there.

This is my preliminary assessment of the AC-60. I will give no Ten's on this review but will check back after I've had time to evaluate it further. I just ordered on line after playing with one at Guitar Center.
As far as features go, it has pretty much everything that I need it to have, 2 channels, effects, small, portable package, BIG SOUND!!

OK, here's the story. One of the things I do is pit work for musicals. There is never enough space in pits so small is the key. I have a '62 reissue strat with lace sensors and I installed a L.R. Baggs X-bridge Vintage Tremelo for acoustic sounds. It's wired in stereo.
So I walk into G.C. with a strat, my Boss GT-6 processor and head straight for the acoustic room and ask to see an AC-60. They look at me strange, shrug, direct me to the Taylor, Martin, etc. glass room where I plug the GT-6 into the mic channel, take a stereo cable from the strat to the GT-6 and the AC-60 Guitar channel. I can go from acoustic sound to full blown screamin' leads with a flick of a mini switch. The Gt-6 amp models sounded authentic through the 60 and the Baggs acoustic bridge sounded shimmering. I think I may have reached nirvana. I was worried that it wouldn't be loud enough but the people two glass walls away , in the middle of the store,with the strange looks on their faces, thought otherwise. This little bugger is LOUD! Plenty loud for my needs....and tiny. Leave it to Roland

MOst of the Roland and Boss stuff I've ever had has been pretty reliable.

Roland support is notoriously mediocre.