[marinoFret]

I've been playing guitar for 6 months and I want to buy an amp. I play Stagg's acoustic-electric guitar. The problem is that I don't know a lot about it. I would use an amp only for my practicing.

Can you suggest me anything?

[allthumbs]

You want something with a lot of headroom. In other words, volume without distortion.

[allthumbs]

There is some discussion about them in this thread.
Acoustic Amps

[John Burr]

An acoustic amp is also a mini PA usually as you will be singing along with your playing often on acoustic. I like the Roland AC60 for it's light weight and great sounding reverb and chorus on both channels. It has way more inputs/outputs than most stuff in a 20 pound package and it will let you straight out to the Front of House on a big stage later, using the amp as your stage monitor, or direct into your recording interface or DAW. It's around $500 though and that's pretty pricey for something with little speakers.

Same functionality and a much bigger speaker which to me is way easier to listen too at lower volumes at home is the Crate CA6110DG Gunnison. It also has some great sound and lots of I/O plus an auto feedback that really works. This is really a great deal on an amp that you can use in your bedroom and next year do coffee shops and then plug it into a PA for that next big concert you do. At $350 it's a great deal and except for the weight and size I like it as well as I like the Roland, actually sounds better to me as I like big speakers better than little ones.

Now to what I actually use every day. It's a Kustom Sienna 65, a really nice sounding and durable amp, it weighs almost 50 pounds, has great reverb for the vocal channel but I use a Zoom A2 for the guitar sound shaping. The feedback notch filter is usable and the line out is how I've done all the recordings I have on line. Kustom isn't really a well known name for most folks but they really do make decent amps and speakers at a great price point. You get them delivered to Con US for $265 normally and they work great, sound great and will get you used to playing plugged in and singing plugged in. Way better to learn on one of these that try it the first time at that open mic.

I also have the Kustom Profile System One PA in a roller bag. Between them i can make enough noise to annoy 50 people outside for hours and only need one power strip. I saw the little Kustom Sienna 35, a smaller model of this amp for only $180 in the local music store. I tried it but the mic preamp wasn't at all the same in the little unit. It was usable and handy to carry and cheap enough though. Might be fine for what you want.

Most of the online pics of the Siennas look orange but they are really much more subdued than that. My wife says the color is "Camel" but I would call it light brown.

I bought mine a week after I bought my first guitar and didn't have any idea what i needed but it has been great. If I was buying again I would get the Crate instead, just the better effects and the XLR output plus being able to use it to power a small monitor while the main speaker is still sending stuff to the audience and or the PA would make it worth the extra bucks to me.

BSR

[marinoFret]

Is 35 Watt enough? Can I buy a feedback eliminator separately if I don't get it with the amp?