The Perfect Tonal Enhancement for Any Acoustic Guitar
Before you hit the stage for your acoustic gig, don't forget your Zoom AC-3 Acoustic Creator. This enhanced direct box takes your sound to the next level by restoring the tone that's lost through your acoustic guitar's pickup. Choose from 16 Source Guitar presets tailored to your specific instrument, then refine your sound further with 15 Target Guitar presets matched to your guitar's exact model. Finalize your sound with a 3-band EQ and single-knob compressor, then polish it to perfection with nine reverb, delay, and chorus effects. Complete with a 9dB boost, anti-feedback control, stereo outputs, and a built-in tuner, the AC-3 is everything its little brother, the AC-2, is and more.
Tonal enhancement that's tailored to your exact guitar
Adapting the AC-3 to your specific instrument is easy. First, select one of 16 Source Guitar presets like Dreadnought, Jumbo, or Parlor, then choose whether you have a piezo or magnetic pickup. After that, select one of the 15 Target Guitar presets like D-Eighteen, Humming Bird, or J-Forty Five. That's it — you're dialed in! You're ready to experience a lush, resonant sound that's faithful to your guitar's original tone. Beyond that, the AC-3 takes all of the guesswork out of gain-staging — its Volume control affects input gain and output level simultaneously.
Source Guitar Presets:
- Round Shoulder
- Square Shoulder
- Jumbo
- Parlor
- Single Cutaway
- Resonator
- Upright Bass
- Mold
- Dreadnought
- Orchestra
- Triple 0
- Double 0
- YMH
- Silent
- 12 Strings
- Nylon Strings
Target Guitar Presets:
- J-Forty Five
- Humming Bird
- Dove
- F-Fifty Five
- Super Jumbo
- 00-Eighteen
- 00-Twenty One
- LG-Two
- 000-Eighteen
- 000-Twenty Eight
- OM-Eighteen
- OM-Twenty Eight
- D-Forty Five
- D-Eighteen
- D-Twenty Eight
Enhance your sound with ultra-smooth compression
The guitar is a dynamic instrument. That's why the AC-3 comes with a compressor. It smooths out your playing, resulting in a full, balanced sound. On top of that, by virtue of its one-knob design and LED indicator, it's easy to adjust your dynamics parameters — even during a live set. And if you really need a volume bump, you can hit the Boost footswitch for an additional 9dB of gain — it makes switching between strumming and fingerpicking virtually seamless.
Polish your sound with onboard effects
The AC-3 comes loaded with nine different effects, such as delay, chorus, and reverb. These algorithms were developed by Zoom specifically for acoustic instruments, and they add a beautiful depth and color to your sound. At Sweetwater, we've found that the AC-3's effect algorithms rank among Zoom's best.
Effects:
- Chorus 1
- Chorus 2
- Tape Echo
- Analog Delay
- Delay
- Hall Reverb
- Mod Reverb
- Tremolo
- Pad
Zoom AC-3 Acoustic Creator Features:
- High-quality preamp restores the tone that's lost through your acoustic pickups
- 16 Source Guitar presets are tailored to your specific instrument
- 15 Target Guitar presets match your guitar's exact model
- Volume control affects input gain and output level simultaneously
- Single-knob compressor smooths out your playing
- 3-band EQ for sculpting your tone
- 9 onboard effects including delay, chorus, and reverb
- Stereo outputs enhance your guitar tone and effects
- Eliminate feedback with the anti-feedback button
- Ground/lift switch removes unwanted hum and buzz
- 9dB boost allows you to switch from strumming to fingerpicking seamlessly
- Built-in tuner with easy-to-read LED meter
