AER Compact 60 CGP Tommy Emanuel Signature Model

So what does Eric Johnson and Tommy Emanuel have in common? The AER Compact 60 acoustic amplifier! This amp does something that is quite hard to do… It amplifies and sonically reproduces acoustic instruments transparently. Does not add color or modify your guitar’s sound, but just amplifies it beautifully.

The AER Compact 60 is AER “The Acoustic People” flagship model. AER is a German company that has met the goal of creating a super small, light and rugged amp for acoustic players. The black acrylic–covered enclosure is made from solid birch, and the amp feels very roadworthy and capable of taking a beating. Mandolins and violins also sound great as well using this amp. My acoustic steel string and nylon string guitars sound wonderful and noise-free.

AER Compact 60 CGP Tommy Emanuel Signature Model is a special version of the AER Compact 60 to acknowledge one of AER’s most important artists. Tommy Emmanuel still does about 300+ live shows a year and depends on this amp for his stage sound.

This signature version has a few features that are different from the standard Compact 60/3 that makes it worth the additional $100:

  • Aboriginal snake art carved in one side, with TE initials and CGP (Certified Guitar Player) designation carved in the other side
  • Gig Bag with signature strap
  • Effects go thru to the DI-Out (In previous versions of the Compact 60/3, the effects are only audible through the amp’s built-in speaker and not the DI output)
  • A duplicate of Tommy’s Alesis Midiverb II effect (reverb/delay) on board in the effects section.

When the box arrived, my first thought was “man this thing is small.” It is light also. Plugging it in it can get loud and is quite powerful. The onboard effects are awesome, featuring:

1) Reverb with short pre-delay
2) Reverb with long pre-delay
3) Alesis MidiVerb II patch (Tommy’s Favorite)
4) Chorus

Pan control can blend internal and external effects (effect loop is provided on back) between channels 1 and 2, with reverse direction of rotation for the external effects.

Chet Atkins, the late great, legendary fingerpicker and Nashville producer, had a wonderful sense of humor and style equal to his playing. He appointed himself a Certified Guitar Player (CGP), a fitting sobriquet for a man who educated himself in a wide variety of styles and had an undying curiosity about music, conveyed not just in his playing but also in his many years of formal and informal teaching. A discussion of Nashville’s guitar scene isn’t complete without stories of young guitarists’ encounters with Atkins, most of them ending with a variation on the comment, “I didn’t know he could play that.”

Chet played a style of thumb picking similar to the great Merle Travis and Ike Everly (father of the Everly Brothers). Chet added his own flavor and style and was one-of-a-kind. Born in Tennessee, Chet came to Nashville as the guitar player with the Carter Family and was once considered a bit to jazzy for country. As a producer he helped create the Nashville Sound. When asked once what the “Nashville Sound” was, Chet shook his pocket of coins to demonstrate!

Tommy Emmanuel as a young boy living “down-under” in Australia when he first heard a Chet Atkins record and was hooked… Even writing Chet to tell him… Chet wrote back and they became friends!

Chet eventually bestowed the title CGP on a few other players he admired. Tommy Emmanuel, John Knowles, and Steve Wariner share the distinction of being Certified Guitar Players (CGPs), along with the late Jerry Reed and Atkins’ longtime guitar partner Paul Yandell, who was invited into the group by Atkins’ daughter Merle after her father’s death in 2001.

Plugging in one of my archtops with P-90 pickups also showed this amp can do jazz gigs with ease. Amp can easily handle a phantom powered microphone in input two for players that sing (or just want to address their audience). All covered with just ONE ultra small amp!

Being a big fan of Tommy Emmanuel helped in my purchase decision, but playing one of these at Artisan Guitars in Franklin Tennessee confirmed my G.A.S. Love my Fishman amp, but I like this AER quite a lot, although it is quite a bit more expensive.

Even if you are not a player that plays live gigs much, you may want to amplify your acoustic guitars. Watching Tommy Emmanuel play will give you reasons to think about it…

The AER Compact 60/3 amplifier features an unbeatable combination of size, power, and sound quality. Nicknamed “Bingo,” the Compact 60 is only 14.3-lbs, making it is one of the lightest acoustic amps on the market. Don’t be fooled by the power rating as the 60 watts that this amp produces are far more efficient than most other amps. The Compact 60 is louder than some amps rated at 200 watts.

An amp designed to meet the needs of the acoustic guitarist

The preamp section is designed to “soften” the harsher qualities produced by most piezo pickups. In this regard it is a “miracle amp” as it seems to tame even the most unruly pickup systems, making them sound clean and natural. It is a simple to use “plug and play” amp which requires little expertise from the user. Most players find they spend far less time adjusting the tone controls with this amp as it usually sounds perfect when set flat.

The Compact 60 is played by the world’s top professional guitarists
The outstanding performance of the Compact 60 has won it admirers the world over. Great acoustic guitarists such the legendary Tommy Emmanuel and John Renbourn perform with the Compact 60. Among Gypsy jazz guitarists, the Compact 60 has become the choice for amplification. Stochelo Rosenberg, Romane, Bireli Lagrene, Dorado Schmitt, and so many other greats of the style use this amp.

Although marketed as an “acoustic amp,” the Compact 60 is used by many archtop jazz guitarists. Gene Bertoncini, Jack Wilkins, Russell Malone, and Martin Taylor have replaced much larger tube amps with the light weight and great sounding Compact 60!

An acoustic amp loaded with useful features

The Compact 60 has two input channels, one of which is a line input and the other a combination line/mic input. Many utilize these multiple channels to run dual pickup systems and/or microphones or you can even have two individual musicians performing through the same amp!

This amp also features an 8″ twin-cone speaker, 4 digital effects, three band tone controls, and a stand mount. The rear of the amp has the following outputs: tuner out, line out, headphones, XLR DI-out, effects loop, and footswitch. The dynamic control features include a subsonic filter, an aural enhancer, and a limiter.

Tommy Emmanuel Limited Edition 2-Channel Acoustic Amplifier specs:

  • Elaborate TE decorative milling in the housing
  • Built-in effects
  • Power: 60 W
  • Channel 1: 3-Band EQ
  • Voicing switch (Color)
  • Channel 2: 2-Band EQ
  • Phantom power
  • FX loop
  • Tuner out, line out, headphones, DI outputs
  • Weight: approx. 6.5 kg or 14.3-lbs
  • Dimensions: 330 x 260 x 230 mm or 16.85 x 14.15 x 13.5 in
  • Color: Black
  • Gig bag and strap included
  • Fits all 3/8″ microphone stands or on 35 mm speaker stands with adapter