Roland AC-33 portable amp for acoustics!

aja

What do you think? Seems very interesting... Especially if it is as good as the AC-60 and AC-90...

At 4.7kilograms it is not bad. Keira?

http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=1052

Super Portable, Versatile, Battery-Powered Stereo Acoustic Guitar Amp
Features

Rich, deep, stereo sound to go — introducing the AC-33, the world’s first battery-powered amp made specifically for acoustic guitar. Portable yet powerful, the AC-33 provides true stereo sound, Guitar and Mic/Line channels, custom-tailored effects, anti-feedback, and a Phrase Looper. But this amp was made to go places no amp has gone before. Thanks to its battery-power capability, the AC-33 lets you take your act anywhere: into the backwoods, onto the streets, or wherever your imagination leads you.

* 30 watts (15W+15W) of natural, stereo acoustic sound through twin speakers
* Runs on AC power or eight AA batteries (accepts rechargeable NiMH types)
* Dual-channel configuration: Guitar and Mic/Line channel
* Reverb, chorus, and ambience effects (Ambience adds spatial, 3D-type depth to the sound)
* Phrase Looper with 40 seconds of record time
* Stereo AUX input (connect MP3/CD players, etc), headphone output
* Anti-feedback function
* Built-in tilt-back stand
* Removable battery cartridge for easy battery replacement

Keira-WitherKay

? ha Aja you know me too well ............ and yes actually i have a pic of the AC 33 as my computers desktop background heheheh

theres a few reviews but by roland on you tube. watched em all...... and yeah i think it's long overdue ..........

i recall last year when first met you we discussed the lightweight portable acoustic guitar amp....... and as you know i have the 30 W crate Taxi which is USA made and has a rechargable battery and i been using it even as sole amplification at smaller gigs....... (it's the yellow amp in my profile pic.....which i used on battery power at a wedding ........) bbut the crate amps downfall is it's tiny and dimensions are great and it is extremely natural sounding but weighs in at an incredible 11 kg's for such a small amp...........so yeah the 30 w roland at 4.7 kg's is the answer to my prayers .........

so yeah i do want to try one...... and will prob buy one...... the only prob i had with AC60 was the internal limiter which kicks in way early ....... and i push my percussion including a bass drum which i want to thump so that induced clipping in AC 60 .....

but it has excellent tone........

oh and another thing is did you see the new Roland battery powered PA system ., BA 330 which looks like what i need rather than this but it weighs in at 13.8 kg ........ but offers 4x speakers and tweeters and really push's high db's and full range........... but also battery powered........

The Roland BA330 portable PA system delivers high performance sound that defies it sound whether it is plugged in or battery powered. The portable BA330 PA system features a digital stereo amplifier which drives four 6.5 inch stereo speakers and two tweeters, positioned for wide stereo projection. It’s the ideal, all-in-one portable PA solution for small music venues, worship events, conferences, seminars, business meetings and much more.

Roland BA330 Stereo PA System Features

All-in-one portable digital PA system suitable for use anywhere
Powerful high-quality stereo sound for audiences of up to 80 people
No setup required, just plug in and go!
Powered by AC power or eight AA batteries
Four custom-designed 6.5 inch speakers and two tweeters for wide stereo projection
Built-in effects: EQ, reverb, delay, and wide (on/off per channel)
Four-channel configuration: two channels for mic/instruments plus two channels for stereo inputs
Stereo Aux input with dedicated volume-control knob
Advanced Intelligent Anti-Feedback function
Built-in tilt-back stand enables optimal monitoring angle
Speaker-stand adaptor for mounting on a standard speaker stand
Advanced Anti-Feedback
If you’ve ever encountered embarrassing feedback onstage, and most of us have, you’ll be pleased to know that the BA330 is equipped with Roland’s advanced Anti-Feedback technology. With a simple switch, the BA330 automatically detects the howling point and eliminates feedback.

Onboard FX
Three high-quality effects are built-into the BA330: Reverb, Delay, and Wide. The effects can be turned on/off independently for each channel. In addition, a master 2-band EQ is provided as well as EQ control for each channel.

Versatile Input
A wide range of instruments, microphones, and devices can be plugged into the BA-330 simultaneously. Two mono channels are provided for microphones or line-level instruments (XLR and 1/4 inch jacks), two stereo channels are provided for stereo instruments (1/4 inch L/R jacks), and a stereo Aux input channel is provided for CD players and other devices (RCA and TRS jacks).

Stereo Link
The BA330’s Stereo Link jack lets you cascade two units, giving you twice as many channels and the ability to position the two units on opposing sides of the stage.

Specifications and additional product information
Roland BA330 Stereo PA System Specifications

Speakers: 16 cm (6.5 inches) x 4, Tweeter x 2
Input/Output Level
Nominal Input Level (1 kHz):
CH 1, CH 2 MIC: -50 dBu
CH 1,CH 2 INST: -20 dBu, CH 3/CH 4, CH 5/CH 6: -20 dBu
AUX IN: -10 dBu
STEREO LINK IN: -10 dBu
Nominal Output Level (1 kHz):
LINE OUT: -10 dBu
STEREO LINK OUT: -10 dBu
Controls
Channel Controls:
CH1,CH2: MIC/INSTRUMENT Switch, EFFECT Switch, TONE Knob, VOLUME Knob
CH3/CH4, CH5/CH6: EFFECT Switch, TONE Knob, VOLUME Knob
Master Controls
Equalizer (LOW Knob, HIGH Knob)
VOLUME Knob
ANTI FEEDBACK Switch
EFFECT Knob
BATTERY CHECK/MUTE Switch
OUTPUT POWER Switch
AUX IN Control: LEVEL Knob
Indicators
LED: BATTERY, BATTERY CHECK/MUTE, POWER
Connectors

CH 1, CH 2: Input Jacks (XLR type, 1/4 inch TRS phone type)
CH 3/CH 4, CH 5/CH 6:
Input Jack L/MONO (1/4 inch phone type)
Input Jack R (1/4 inch phone type)
AUX IN: Input Jacks (Stereo miniature phone type, RCA phono type)
Output:
LINE OUT Jack L/MONO (1/4 inch phone type)
LINE OUT Jack R (1/4 inch phone type)
STEREO LINK:
STEREO LINK OUT Jacks L/MONO, R (1/4 inch phone type)
STEREO LINK IN Jack (1/4 inch phone type)
FOOT SWITCH: FOOT SWITCH Jack (1/4 inch phone type)
DC IN: DC IN Jack
Power Supply
Power Supply:
DC 12 V
Dry battery LR6 (AA) type (alkaline) x 8,
Rechargeable battery HR6 (AA) type (nickel metal hydride) x 8
AC Adaptor
Current Draw: 410 mA
Expected Battery Life: Continuous Us
Alkaline: approx. 8 hours (MAX), approx. 12 hours (ECO)
Nickel-metal hydride: approx. 10 hours (MAX), approx. 15 hours (ECO)
Battery Life will vary depending on the actual conditions of use

Accessories
Options:
Carrying Bag (CB-BA330)
Speaker Stand (ST-A95)
Foot Switch: BOSS FS-5L (MUTE)
BOSS FS-5U (EFFECT)
BOSS FS-6
Connection Cable: PCS-31, PCS-33
Included: AC Cord, AC Adaptor, Owner’s Manual
Size and Weight

Dimensions
Width: 415 mm16-3/8 inches
Depth: 323 mm12-3/4 inches
Height: 509 mm20-1/16 inches
Weight: 13.8 kg30 lbs. 7 oz.
* 0 dBu= 0.775 Vrms
Recommended Accessories

Monster Cable Standard 100 Microphone Cable

$21.95 - $59.95
Click for Options

Monster Cable Standard 100 Guitar Instrument Cable

$12.95 - $24.95
Click for Options

Monster Cable DJ Cable Dual RCA

$14.95
Click for Options

Boss FS5U Unlatching Footswitch

$24.95
Click for Options

Manufacturer Info
Helpful Info about the Manufacturer
Phone: (323) 890-3700
Warranty: M.I. Products: 1 year parts, 90 days labor
Instrument Amps: 3 years (1 year on speakers) parts, 3 years labor
Rackmount Power Amps & EQs: 3 years parts & labor
BOSS Compact Pedals: 5 years parts, 90 days labor
BOSS (other): 1 year parts, 90 days. labor
ep, MT, TL, E-Series: 1 year parts, 90 days labor
CPM-300 Powered Mixer: 3 years parts, 3 years labor
AC Adapters, Mech, Footswitches, Headsets: 90 days parts, 90 days labor
Customer Discussion
Currently there are no discussions available for this item.
Click here to add a discussion for this item

so i doubt i can afford both........unless i will use em both ........cos roland tends to have pretty pricy gear ......... but definitely wanna check em out ..........

i'm sure they not available in this country yet ...nor even in the world cos i tried to spot prices but no joy from any stores.......... so we wait

AlanRatcliffe

Interestingly enough, I was trying a few acoustic amps on Friday, spoke to Matt about it on Saturday and was looking at the specs of the AC-90 and -60 earlier today with a view to trying them ou. I noticed the AC-33, but didn't look closely. The whole AC range has neodymium magnet speakers, which makes them all lightweight. The built-in tophat for pole mounting and the stand to tilt the amp back makes them very nicely thought out.

Keira WitherKay wrote so yeah i do want to try one...... and will prob buy one...... the only prob i had with AC60 was the internal limiter which kicks in way early ....... and i push my percussion including a bass drum which i want to thump so that induced clipping in AC 60 .....

It doesn't look like the AC-60 has built-in limiting, so that's probably all down to running out of headroom - 60W isn't a lot when you have low frequency kick-like sounds.

One amp that does have more than enough headroom for thumping is the SWR Strawberry blonde (I was rattling windows with one on Friday) - but aside from being mains only, it's also far from being a very sounding amp IMO (probably works well in a rock band context though, which I guess is why they are so popular), and the onboard effects are, in a word, nasty. Hefty price tag too.

Keira-WitherKay

+1 Alan ........ yeah i solved my kick drum prob by using a powered 12 inch full range PA speaker for my amp (linked to DI box and mini mixer ) cos the 150W rms of the powered speaker allowed a solid thump and even at low levels....... and i use it on most gigs these days except real small venues where the crate does the job.........

a question to alan ..... if i compress/limit my kick drum will it need less power from amp??? cos i just need the thump kicking thru cos i do lots of latin/flamenco type groove music where it's almost a solid dance type bass drum under the mix ..... very prominant not just a subtle bass brum like when i play the jazz set .......

Gearhead

Keira, rather than making this thump electronically, had you not better look for an acoustic way of getting there? I'm sure the right kick instrument is out there and it probably is lighter than enough batteries to do the work amplified. This would free up your amp to do all the easier stuff, like a guitar also being used as a snare...

Keira-WitherKay

Gearhead wrote Keira, rather than making this thump electronically, had you not better look for an acoustic way of getting there? I'm sure the right kick instrument is out there and it probably is lighter than enough batteries to do the work amplified. This would free up your amp to do all the easier stuff, like a guitar also being used as a snare...

yeah gearhead for smaller gigs i could use something acoustic. but these days i'm actually mostly playing in venues where i need a powerful thump........ and my "electronic " bass drum sounds cool to me ..it's the sound i want ..... just wondered if it was compressed i would save some amp headroom......and again using the 150 W setup i have no problem with headroom. but love to get a nice thump outa a smaller amp too....... i've even thought of getting a 100W bass amp and doing a bi amp split with the guitar and crash going to the guitar amp and the bass drum to the bass amp.......... but then it's more gear again grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ........

AlanRatcliffe

Compression will work Keira. It'll let you keep levels in the upper range of the amp and get more apparent volume without running the risk of clipping. Compression's not something you want if you are doing jazz "feathering" techniques on the kick, but to keep a solid and even thump for latin, pop or dancier stuff, it's almost essential. Also helps iron out any inconsistencies in performance, which are always a problem if you are handling more than one instrument at a time (unless you have perfect limb-to-limb independence).

Another often overlooked essential for kick (and bass guitar) is a high pass filter (low frequency shelving EQ), to filter out the very low stuff that the speakers cannot reproduce. If your speakers only go down to 80Hz, it's pointless having the frequencies lower than that - all they do is drink up most of the amp's headroom for no audible gain. Electronic drums (meaning Roland Yamaha type stuff, not wooden boxes with mics ?) already have most of the unusable frequencies removed though, so if you use those you'll not have to worry too much about that.

Keira-WitherKay

thanks Alan and gearhead ...... ? yeah alan my bassdrum is a "self converted" microphone which as you mentioned might need some low bass cut off..... although i run it through a parametric to shape the tone....and think i do slice off some extreme lows but thanks good input re the compressor

damn alan how could you even think with me on my "natural sounds ONLY" trip would i use samples?????........ ? but jokes aside yes thats a route i might get to experiment with if i can get my 'stubborn " brain to accept a sample as still being 'real " silly i know.... but we all need some principles however misguided ?

AlanRatcliffe

Keira WitherKay wrote damn alan how could you even think with me on my "natural sounds ONLY" trip would i use samples?????........ ? but jokes aside yes thats a route i might get to experiment with if i can get my 'stubborn " brain to accept a sample as still being 'real "

I get you, but I tend to think of a sample as a recorded sound I can use on demand. The music is the important thing, the tech is just a tool - as long as using it doesn't get in the way of the playing.

The added advantage is you can add second pedal for any other sound - from a hi-hat to a snare drum (or clave for the Latin stuff). Visually you can use one of the "mini kick drum" triggers so the audience knows where the drum sounds are coming from (I tried out an acoustic amp for my electric's piezos the other day and as I came out of the demo room, someone asked me what drum machine I was using ?).