AER Compact 60 Review – Designed By Professionals For Professionals

Controls:
Features:
Performance:
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AER's Compact 60 series have been around for a while. Their third iteration, which we are going to talk about today, doesn't change much. However, it brings a number of upgrades compared to the previous model. While AER Compact 60 isn't exactly the cheapest amp out there, it is by far one of the best acoustic guitar amps your money can buy at the moment. Let's take a closer look.

Controls

The control layout on the AER Compact 60 is simple and clean. This German brand is well known for their no-nonsense approach to controls and overall amp design. On the left side of the panel, we see Channel 1 with a TRS jack. As you start moving to the right, you will run into a gain knob as well as a three band EQ. Channel 1 is geared towards instruments. On the other hand, the Channel 2 is optimized for vocals, which is immediately apparent from its XLR input and two-band EQ. Finally, there is an EFX cluster with its Pan, Level and Select knobs. Overall, using AER Compact 60 is very intuitive and allows the user to setup a great tone in minutes.

Features

AER designed Compact 60 with performing artists in mind. In other words, they needed something that was powerful yet mobile enough to be useful for gigging. This is why Compact 60 is one of the lighter acoustic amps out there. In terms of power, you are looking at 60 Watts RMS being pushed through a single 8-inch speaker in the front. This setup has more than enough power for smaller or medium sized venues. If you need more juice than available, you can always use one of the extension options in the back of the amp. To be more specific, there is a DI out as well as a standard 1/4 inch TRS line out.

Performance

One of the first questions many acoustic guitar players are going to ask is why this amp? The simple answer is that AER Compact 60 is extremely transparent. Whatever guitar you plug into it, the amp will reproduce incredibly accurate rendition of its natural tone. Those who are playing various Martins or Taylors will love this, however, those who have lower grade guitars probably won't. Thankfully, there is still a lot you can do with the onboard EQs. Speaking of which, even though Channel 2 is more vocal oriented, you can still use it as an instrument channel. The only thing to keep in mind here is that you have a two-band EQ instead of a three-band one like on Channel 1.

Conclusion

When you combine the power, the quality of tone and overall mobility of the AER Compact 60, it becomes clear why many professionals trust this exact amp. It's not something a budget user would be interested in, however those who are willing to invest in top tier quality will find this thing to be pretty grateful. Whether you need a great studio amp or a solid rig for gigging, AER's Compact 60 is always the right answer.

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