Harley Benton AC PRO 60 Bundle

Firstly, just to clarify my "status" as a guitarist, if there is such a thing. I've been playing guitar - acoustic and electric - for over 30 years. Sheezus, I'm old. Anyway... Suffice to say I've played through a gamut of different amps and PA systems over the years and currently own a Marshall AS50D acoustic amplifier (I used to own an AS100D) and a Yamaha Stagepas 500 PA and I bought this little amp for my son to get him gigging.

Well, what can I say. Impressed is not the word. Well, it is, but if you could incorporate impressed and surprised into one word, that would be the word - imprised?

The tone is not really like the AS50D - in some ways it's a better tone, in different ways not. For example, it has a mid on the guitar input which the AS50D does not so you can alter the tone quite a lot there even if you have an EQ on your acoustic. Also, the AS50D just has one reverb setting while this has 2 plus a delay and a chorus. The AS50D wins on the chorus stakes though as it has a dedicated chorus function, however it's handy having a delay - I actually prefer delay over reverb if given the choice of one or the other - although the delay on the amp is not adjustable in any way other than level, it's useful all the same.

Those differences aside, if comparing them side by side I'd say that the Marshall has more of a spectrum to the sound, but the Harley Benton is somehow "clearer", more of a focused sound, especially when finger picking. In isolation they are both excellent and there's not a whole lot between them if you EQ them to sound similar and when in isolation you'd be happy with either.

I've had both the AS50D and the AC Pro 60 on a Thomann amp stand (which is also excellent) cranked up with a guitar and Shure SM58 plugged in and seated within 1.5 metres of the amp and feedback is minimal - in fact it's a lot worst on the Marshall - to the point where they have a "feedback elimination" control, but it's not needed on the Harley Benton at all!

Cranked up they are both clear and distortion free - providing you're careful to turn down the bass at high volume levels of course. I'd be totally happy gigging with this amp with no problems at all, and if my Marshall gave up the ghost I wouldn't hesitate in replacing it with one of these. All you need for a small acoustic pub gig.

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure that this is identical to the Tanglewood T6 amplifier. Certainly looks it, and that's had rave reviews, except this is a third of the price!

Highly recommended. Grab yourself a bargain.

In summary- a seriously good amp at a seriously good price. But without detracting from it, there is I feel a worthy alternative- read on.

To start, I would say that I agree with all the other comments, except that I haven't heard the Roland. So I will limit my comments to mainly new areas.

I bought this amp with the intention of upgrading the speaker to that used in the AER Compact 60. That would not be a cheap option, but it would then still cost less than a Tanglewood T6 or well under half the price of an AER. But now I've got it I don't see the point of upgrading. It sounds different to an AER Compact 60- if I'm picky marginally inferior when doing a simple side by side test and trying to hear differences. But at a noisy gig with the volume turned up, reverb on, and the sound fighting against the rest of the instruments plus the mikes, any differences are just too marginal. And when you bear in mind that it's well under a quarter of the price of the AER.........But sound quality aside, I would have to say it just can't push out the the volume of the AER. I appreciate that AERs have a reputation for producing volume- could be their amp design or simply using a more efficient speaker, but it does lead to the comment already made that although Thomann market this as a 60watt amp and that is the quoted spec in the manual, the output as stamped on the amp itself is 45 watts. So what's going on ?

By design, it's never going to be an electric guitar amplifier. Sure you can run an E guitar through it, but both the amplifier section and the speaker in any acoustic amp are just too clean for an e guitar. But I can suggest an economical way round this.

For 33 euros you can buy a Behringer X V-amp LX1-X. This footswitch can model many classic amps, and can product a gambit of stomp box pedals. You can even set it up 'totally clean' and simply use the foot pedal as a volume control for your electro acoustic- handy when you want to up the volume for a solo ! Be aware that these are superseded, so its at a sell off price, and I presume stocks are limited.

But as the worthy alternative? For a little extra, you can buy a TC Helicon. That is primarily a monitor, but being so clean it is great for an acoustic. It's 150 watts, weighs only 3 kg, and is very small. It can even effectively amplify a bass! I've got both.

Enjoy your playing !

I