Roland AC-33 Portable Acoustic Amp (30W Standard) Reviews

4.2/5.0 based on 13 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

Bruce
from Boulder Co
June 11, 2011Music Background:
I've played the radio since I was three years old.

A great sounding amp now travelling all over the world with the street musician

WE looked for a long time and this amp beats them all. WE also think Sweetwater is the best music company we have found to date.

John Warstler
from Boyne City, MI
March 5, 2011Music Background:
Semi-Pro Musician

Great amp

I purchased this amp and love it. I run rechargeable batteries and they last at least eight hours. I play a 1934 Gibson Roy Smeck and use a Schertler pickup that I attach to the top. The sound is nice and natural. The amp has paid for itself as I play Farmer's Markets in my area and sell CD's. It was always difficult for me to sell my product as it is a CD of traditional hymns and I don't do the Christian music thing. This is something that was almost impossible to promote until I got the AC-33. I also have a Schertler Unico and I use the soft case for the Unico to haul the AC-33 and a stash of CD's. So I can easily haul my guitar, amp, CD's w/ display case and a chair in a single trip. Life is good. I would question if the AC-33 would suffice in a small club atmosphere.

Steve Kunkel
from North Mankato, MN.
December 13, 2010Music Background:
Hobbyist:

Excellant Amp:

I've been playing guitar on and off for over 50 years and now that I'm retired I decided to get back into it. I purchased a Takamine EG260C and a Roland AC-33 amp, both from Sweetwater and have been extremely pleased. The Takamine plays like a dream, and the amp is just what I wanted. I love the Roland battery power option, in fact I run it on batteries more than plugged in, it,s just so darn handy to grab and setup any where with plenty of power either way.
I want to thank my service rep, Josh Estock, and Sweetwater for the excellent service. I will definitely be purchasing from Sweetwater again.

Stephen Williams
from Fort Worth, TX
March 8, 2013Music Background:
Enthusiastic hobbyist

AC33 - Roland Portable Acoustic Amp

I love this little amp. I've run my uke and a vocal mic through it for small rooms and it's been a hoot. I've only used it up to 4 hours using just the batteries, but it never let me down. And of course the service at Sweetwater is unmatched!

Rob
from United States
September 19, 2012Music Background:
Gigging Musician, Home Recordist, Singer/Songwriter

Excellent Acoustic Battery-Powered Amp

Recently I was looking for a battery-powered solution for busking and small gigs where I don't want to lug my entire rig. I tried an AC-60 in a store and fell in love with its tone, but that model only runs on AC power. After some research on battery powered amps, I decided to give the AC-33 a try, and I love it.

I am a solo performer and play only acoustically, so this amp was a home run for me. My Taylor 814ce sounds articulate and smooth running through it, even on battery power. The reverb and ambience are rich and detailed. The looper is a great feature for a solo artist, so be sure to pick up a switch pedal.

Would it be nice if they put reinforced corners, a pole mount, and a metal grill on it? Sure. But these aren't deal breakers for me. Tone is king, and this amp does not disappoint.

Some have mentioned it isn't as loud as other battery powered amps, and it may not sound loud when you are standing behind it, but for the people out front it projects well for its size. It's a perfect solution for small gigs or places that have no power available (street performing, weddings, etc.) For its designed purpose, this amp is quality.

Highly recommended.

Bob
from So Cal
September 24, 2010

great little amp

Just arrived today, what a great a little amp. I amazed how it sounds just running on batteries. Even though it doe not come with a case I found the Arriba AC-130 works very well, it is padded fits perfect on tw sides, and with the extra few inches in the third side I put my power supply

Gerald Ross
from Ann Arbor, MI
May 10, 2010

Great amp - could use a few minor changes

I replaced my Roland Cube Street with this amp. Why? This amp is slightly smaller and weighs a bit less than the Street. This matters to me because I pack this amp in my suitcase when I fly to gigs. I am only allowed 50 lbs. per bag and each ounce adds up quickly.

I also chose this amp because it is a dedicated acoustic amp. I use it to amplify my piezo equipped tenor ukulele and lap steel guitar. For the uke the amp is amazing - it sounds acoustic, just louder. For the lap steel (single coil magnetic pickup) it sounds "pretty good". I wish the amp had a gain control on one of the channels to add a bit of dirt to lap steel sound to fatten it up a bit. I don't want heavy-metal distortion, just a touch of beef.

Negatives. Since I travel with this amp I wish it had a metal speaker grille and protective corners - like the Cube Street. I wish it had a carrying case like the street (rip off price but a good case none the less). Besides those few minor negatives I am very impressed with the sound and power of this amp.

David Knightly
from Connecticut
April 10, 2010Music Background:
Hobbyist

Roland AC-33

Plain and simple. A great amp with incredible rich acoustic sound and features for such a small amp. I absolutely love this amp. Buy it ...you will not be dissapointed!

"Flamenco Chuck"
from Santa Barbara CA, USA
February 2, 2010Music Background:
Flamenco Guitarist

Excellent Acoustic Amp (nylon string Flamenco)

All of the following is a first impression, but I think it will be substantiated over time, YMMV...

I've had this amp for 5 days now, and it is one of the best I have heard for my application. (I also have a Fishman SoloAmp and an LR Baggs A-ref, which are also excellent.) This amp has as good sound quality as either of these, but in a smaller power range/ configuration....

The sound is rich and detailed, and the Reverb / Ambience and Chorus are excellent. The Anti-Feedback works as expected, for the one test I did..

There are only two minor gripes (neither of them deal-breakers for me, considering all the features this amp has...)

1. There is no pole mount (what were they thinking? The KC-110 has one). That this amp is only for street husking. I'll have to make one out of a piece of plywood and a mount....

2. The Reverb cannot be controlled independently for each channel. Sheesh - it would have been so easy....

If it hadn't been for these factors, I would have given it a 10...

Michael K Harvey
from New Orleans, LA
December 21, 2011Music Background:
Pro Musician (Violin, Guitar), Recording Engineer

Useful amp, where's the bag & extra battery pack?

As a user of the AC-60 for several years, I purchased this little brother AC-33 to handle gigs that require battery power, like weddings in parks. I like the amp. The sound is good and loud enough for my needs when running battery powered. The looper is cool, although I don't use it. However, I do miss some of the features that came with my AC-60. Can't Roland make a gig bag for this, even if it's sold separately? In New Orleans, transportability is everything, we're the land of the mobile musician, walking several blocks to gigs often; the bag on my AC-60 has served me well for this, and I use it with the AC-33 too, although it's not a perfect fit. And the battery pack design seems well set up to handle quick convenient replacement by simply switching out cartridges- only problem- Why can't I buy an extra cartridge? Also, I miss phantom power and a mic/line switch for the gain on the mic channel. As is, with a Beta58 mic for vocals, it seems like the only useable gain range is between 8 and 10, everything else is barely audible. If you need a compact battery powered amp, this is great, but if battery power is not necessary, I would highly recommend getting an AC-60 instead. Or get both, like me!

Paul
from LA, CA
August 7, 2011Music Background:
Classical Guitar, Worship Leader, Guitar Instructor, Live Sound

Roland AC-33

I just got this amp because it was on a special blowout and I've been looking at getting one of these little rolands for a while. I play classical and worship style acoustic, sounds amazing with my Martin, only wish it had +48V for my Rode NT-5 to use with the classical guitar.

I'll be using this amp mostly to add a little boost to my worship leading (guitar and vox) in intimate settings and when i have classical gigs to give a little more presence to my playing, granted I get a phantom power box. Just using it with my steel string and singing into a 1960's dynamic vocal mic and I dont want to put my gear down. for the weight, the power, and the portability this amp is a MUST have for anyone that does solo gigs in smaller places.

Speakers are nice since they are full range though if you run a direct input you will notice that they favor the high's, somewhere around 1KHz and up could use a little less gain, but what else can you expect from a small amp. It's loud, and clear, and will be a real life saver in natural settings that need more volume!

Doug Wendt
from Concord, CA
February 24, 2012Music Background:
Guitarist

EXPENSIVE, GOOD QUALITY

Apparently you have to have batteries installed in order for it to work. I didn't see that in the instructions.
It sounds good.

Tom Foxe
from Norwich U.K.
April 3, 2010Music Background:
semi-pro folk & rock rhythm/fingerstyle guitarist/singer

roland ac-33

I'm not a busker and I don't play loops. Just to say that if it runs on AAbatteries, it cannot be a 30 watt amp, maybe 10...? So, very over-rated power-wise, I'd prefer it to have a beefy 12 volt rechargeable battery. It looks & sounds good, and it is small and light, though the strap handle is too small. My Crate Limo at 2/3 the price is easily twice as loud. but the Crate IS big and heavy, and doesn't have the looper...