Roland

For: Lush chorus sound, the looper
Against: A little underpowered
✮✮✮✮✮
SUMMARY
TG says: Streets ahead for buskers
For: Sparkling tone, plenty of volume
Against: Mind that speaker cloth
✮✮✮✮✮
SUMMARY
TG says: Another Vox that pops
At a glance
TYPE: Acoustic amplifier
OUTPUT: 30watts
SPEAKER: 2x 5”
CONTROLS: Volume, bass,
middle, treble, chorus;
reverb/ambience, anti-
feedback; looper record/
play/overdub, stop/clear
SOCKETS: Guitar, mic/
line inputs, aux in, line out,
headphones, footswitch
W E I G H T: 4.7kg
DIMENSIONS: [HxWxD]
243 x 318 x 223mm
C O N TA C T: Roland UK
01792 702701
WEB: www.roland.co.uk
At a glance
TYPE: Acoustic amplifier
OUTPUT: 70 watts
SPEAKER: 1x 6½”
CONTROLS: Gain low/
high, volume, bass, middle,
treble, reverb, chorus anti-
feedback, phantom power
SOCKETS: Guitar/mic
inputs; line in (L/R), aux in,
headphones, footswitch,
XLR direct out, tuner out
W E I G H T: 10.1kg
DIMENSIONS: [HxWxD] 331
x 323 x 262mm
CO N TAC T: Vox
Amplification 01908 857101
WEB: www.voxamps.com
Roland AC-33
Vox AGA70
126
&
■฀Stand
The built-in tilt back
stand angles the AC-33
towards your eardrums
■฀Build
Yes, the Vox is the
heaviest amp here,
but it’s still portable
■฀Controls
The onboard looper
function is easy to use
and infectious, too
■฀Tube Pre
One of the channels
on the Vox AGA70
has a valve preamp
Build ■
The AC-33 may be
lightweight but it
has a gig-proof,
rugged exterior
Speaker ■
Beware of ripping
the pretty speaker
cloth when you’re
gigging this amp
£369
£317
T
he Roland AC-33 is
billed as the first battery
powered acoustic
amplifier, but it’s
supplied with a power adaptor if
you don’t fancy splashing out on
a load of AAs. It’s also packing
a bunch of useful features
including reverb and chorus, anti-
feedback circuitry and a phrase
looper with a whopping 40
seconds of recording time.
The rugged AC-33 is the only
stereo amp in this Group Test.
The twin speakers pump out 30
watts (15 + 15 watts) when the
amp is connected to the mains
and 20 watts (10 + 10 watts)
when it’s loaded with eight
AA size batteries. The stereo
spec really makes sense when
you switch on the chorus. You
suddenly get this lush sounding
shimmer that the other amps
can’t quite compete with.
The phrase looper is a blast.
You can record yourself playing
a riff or chord sequence for 40
seconds, then overdub some
lead licks. Plug in your vocal
microphone and the AC-33
becomes a seriously useful
performance tool.
Conclusion: Thanks to the
battery power option, the
AC-33 will most likely prove
itself irresistible to buskers. It
handles intimate gigs but the
modest output means you’ll
have to run it into a PA at bigger
shows, although there are 60
and 90-watt models available.
Depending on your playing style,
the looper function will either
open up a new world of exciting
musical possibilities or be
nothing more than an intriguing
novelty. We had a ball with it.
V
ox, purveyor of electric
guitar backline for
The Beatles and
others, has turned its
attention to the needs of the
acoustic player. Like the others
here, the AGA70 is basically a
compact PA system with two
channels designed to handle a
guitar and a mic. That said, it
does have one unique feature…
One of its channels features
a valve preamp. In electric
guitar amps you’d expect
that to add some sizzle to the
overdrive sound. In the case of
the AGA70’s Tube Pre channel,
the little valve is charged with
the task of providing some
warmth. How much difference
that single valve actually makes
is a question only your own
eardrums can answer. All we can
tell you is that the AGA70 pumps
out a gorgeous tone that made
our electro-acoustic sparkle.
Our only reservation about
gigging the AGA70 is the thought
of accidentally ripping that pretty
speaker cloth. Be extra careful.
Conclusion: The Vox AGA70
uses good basic design to
do one important job: make
your guitar sound louder. Bells
and whistles are kept to the
essentials and, while it’s the
heaviest amp here, it’s still no
spine-buster. The amp’s 70-watt
power output should be enough
to accommodate most gigs but
decibel fanatics may prefer the
150-watt AGA150 model, which
still offers good value for money
for its £528 asking price.
Roland AC-33
Sizzlin’ stereo
Vox AGA70
The acoustic sparkle
TGR211.gear_test 126 1/4/11 9:24:38 AM