What amp sounds best???

[BCy2k]

For acoustic work I'm using a Fishman Loudbox amp with a Fishman DC Aura. Can't say enough about Fishman for acoustic. It's also great for jazzy stuff with the humbucker guitars.

macwhisper - please tell me more about these Fishman systems. I'm totally unfamiliar with them and I'm considering putting one in my Tama. It's already got an output jack in the end pin but no pickup. It just has one of those old velcro fastened mini-plug extension things in the body, presumably for a sound hole pickup. I've heard only good things about the Fishman Aura.

My only other experience with them is my Power Tele that has a Fishman setup in it's saddles - which I think is really cool.

[macwhisper]

The system I have is built into My Martin DC Aura guitar but I believe the other systems work on the same theory.

It is an acoustic modeling system that Fishman says is something different from modeling. What they have done is to digitaly imprint the sound of the guitar into circuitry that emmulates the guitar played through 6 of the highest end microphones on the market. You can switch between the mics and it has a slide that mixes the amount of digital modeling with the amount of strait pickup that you prefer.

I'm not that much of a techy but I've got to tell you that it's every bit as good as a micd guitar and you can play as loud as you like without feedback. Fishman claims that the idea is to bring the sound quality you get when recording thru a mic to the stage and it's absolutely true.

I don't use effects and my goal was to achieve the pure  unplugged sound of my guitar
only louder. This system is the only thing I found that actually did that. I liked it so much that I went out and bought the Fishman Loudbox amp to go with it.

[BCy2k]

This sounds absolutely wild - so it's basically a physically modeled collection of mic's in a pickup? Sounds like one or two of these are in my future.

I've also seen this thing called the "Aura" - looks like a stomp box or something. What is that one about?

I've seen that Martin you have - does yours have all the inlay on it too? That's one of the nicest looking Martins I've ever seen.

[macwhisper]

BC

It actually has a circuit board that contains the digital info which is conected to the bridge peizo pickup. Yes, I have the martin with abalone inlays all around the body trim. I believe the stomp box type aura does the same things though I've never tried it out. I kinda wish I had the outboard system so I could use it on my other three acoustics. I don't much like the quaky sound of the peizo bridge pickups. For my other acoustics I use a Fishman Rare Earth sound hole humbucker. It's the next best thing but you may have to deal with some feedback issues at stage volumes.

[BCy2k]

I see - I'd probably be using it exclusively in the studio. Thanks for the info!

[jazzzbo]

HEY YALL, the amp im really diggin now is a 200 watt 1x12 EVANS FET 500 CUSTOM LV, this is a solid state amp that really kicks serious butt and sounds @!## good for a solid state amp, trust me ive owned or played almost every FENDER, marshall amp for over the last 45 years or so,  my intention was to have one really good solid state amp for awesome cleans with out tube hassles and im still on the prowl all the time for new tube amps, but check it out, these EVANS amps were originally made for steele guitar players, now the jazz crowd is pickin up on em, cheers, jazzz

[murasakibren]

Hi Allears,

I have a DG60, DG80 (with update) and a DG100 212.  I have had a 1960 2-10 super, a 1965 50watt Blonde Marshall, and the DG series are by far the best sounding and most important - CONSISTANT amp I have ever used.

All tube amps are finicky and picky and won't give you the sweet spot till you crank them to a certain volume.  I don't know what Yamaha did to that ECM module, but it sure had a mean effect on the sound. 
I did have to change out the speaker in the DG60- it was a really bad emminence farted all the time.  I swapped it out with a Jensen Neo - great sound and lightweight. 
I am 53 bin gigging since I was 15, used a lot of gear but in the end I was really looking for my sound.  I even stopped using pedals since it discovered these amps.   The line6 stuff has great sound but you can't tell a strat from a paul on the same setting..  These DGs are really better.