Amp for AE Guitar - playing alone and with 3-5 other guys

[OldManGuitarNewbie 0]

I've only played by myself with usually a staight acoustic guitar. Then I got an AE and bought a small, inexpensive amp, a Washburn WA20, that I use very infrequently. I stum and finger-pick without picks (weird, I know), so too much volume on the guitar totally drawns out my voice. I'm currently using a Martin and Segull, both dreads, and the volume for just me singing to myself is fine.

I am thinking about joining a few guys who have occasionally "sing-alongs". While all use acoustic or AE guitars (no straight electrics), about 3/4th of them use an amp; no idea what they are, but they look a little bigger than mine. Some guys also use a regular mike on a stand for their voice. But some don't. Some use a mike that I think picks up both their singing and their playing on a non-AE guitar.

Is there a link somewhere that might educate me on what options are available? Things I ought to know about an amp for instance? Somewhere along the line I heard that amps for AE guitars are very different from electric guitars, which makes sense as the electrics have all that weird sound (!) that doesn't interest me.

Thanks!

[GotDeeBlues 3]

A 20 watt amp should be sufficient for casual jamming like that unless the other players really like to crank things up. I use a 20 Watt Roland Cube with 2-4 others on guitars and bass with no problem. Might want some extra if you have a drummer. Wattage is one of the least concerns( you need almost 10X the wattage to double the actual volume anyway), but an efficient speaker of about 8-10" in a 20 watter should be more than enough. Use the one you have for now since you like the sound of it with your guitar, and see how you fit in with the others. You all can easily find a level you're all happy with.

,

[OldManGuitarNewbie 0]

Thanks, Grand. I'll stick with the Washburn for the time being. There are no drums, and they keep the volume very low. Still not sure if I can project my voice enough without any amplification, but that's the subject for another thread...............

[GotDeeBlues 3]

Down the road you might want to look into an acoustic amp. Different speaker type, usually dual cone type with a horn tweeter, and a separate input for a mike. Fender has a nice 30 watter, Roland and Fishman, too for reasonable $$$, and don'y ignore the used market, either.

[mset3 158]

OldManGuitarNewbie,

I believe this amp puts out 12 watts which should be good for small venues.

Mike