After a year and a half of non-stop use of the Carvin AG-100D Acoustic Amp, I feel very confident in writing this review. I have used this amp literally every weekend since receiving it, in fact I have to fight with my keyboard player for its time share. He loves to use it as a keyboard monitoring amp, as well as a full range separate powered monitor mix. Again, based upon consistent use under sometimes grueling conditions, the AG-100 is a kick ass, very versatile do-all amplifier, but it also gets my "working class hero" award as well. Hereıs the down and dirty on the little green guy...

First Look Funky color. Different, but really kind of cool. Upon lifting the AG-100 out of the box, I was very impressed by its light weight (43 lbs.). This comes as a very welcome surprise for those of us who have paid their dues for years hauling around amp racks and B-3 organs. It has a clean, modern, ergonomical design. Complete with black metal hardware, a black steel grill front, mini gray knobs, and a black speaker and horn. It provides a tidy package for this do-all and go-all combo. Three channels, digital effects and a master five band graphic EQ and power switch with LED, complete the look of the front panel.

Fire It Up! CH I

Since the main claim to fame of the AG-100 is an acoustic amp, I thought I would start there. The first thing I plugged in was my Ibanez Six String Acoustic equipped with the Fishman pre-amp. I used Channel 1, since this is the channel with a parametric mid sweep, to help dial out problem feedback frequencies. Two band rotary EQ (high & low) effects, and channel volume complete the channel. With setting the mid sweep to aid in dialing out the low mid rumble (around 250-350Hz), my acoustic sparked with tone. Utilizing the parametric, I would have sworn I was playing thru a big PA. It has a punchy low end, pristine highs and a full mid range. Plenty of power! The AG-100 sports 100w at 8ohms of clean, punchy solid state power. My next step was to define the master five band eq and to dial in some reverb. Utilizing a basic smiley faced eq with a small dip at 250Hz, I found the graphic to be very responsive. Exactly what you need a graphic to do. The AG-100 has a master digital effects section providing 16 different effects from four basic groups. Reverb, delays, flange & chorus. The reverb I dialed up was as spacious and clean as I've ever heard from an on board processor and I am a pretty picky reverb critic. I'm happy to report that I found the same response from all the effects. Rich chorus, true flanges, and pristine delays, itıs the real deal!

CH II

I utilized Channel II by testing a drum machine and a CD player. This channel features a two band EQ with a bass and mid boost switch, effects level and channel volume with a 1/4" input jack. The CD sounded incredible, I was able to dial in enough thump and the horn produced warm and not too brittle high frequencies. The AG-100 includes a heavy duty 200w 12" speaker and the horn tweeter has an L-Pad on the rear panel. The L-Pad is very useful to ensure the highs arenıt over bearing, yet crisp. The drum machine also sounded great. The key is that Carvin has supplied ample power to ensure the retaining of head room, which is very important in any system regardless of its size.

CH III

Channel three has the same basic features as channel two, but with the addition of an XLR mic input. So that's exactly what I used this channel for; vocals. First adjusting my sound dry, then plugging in a SM-58, I was amazed of the vocal sound I got. Punchy and a surprising amount of volume. Setting the five band eq just so, I was able to dial out feed back and dial in great sounding vocals. Adding a slap-back echo (around 250ms) to my voice added warmth and space. Like I said the effects are very clean and the convenience of having an on board processor saves time and space, I LIKE IT!

All Together Now

I guess the real test is when you actually utilize the AG-100 exactly to its potential. So Channel I was my acoustic, Channel II was a cassette player with some pre-recorded backing music, and Channel III of course was my vocal. I found the green guy to deliver the goods. I had more than adequate separation between channels, and plenty of punch vocally. I was able to retain headroom even when turned up to a descent level. You know I like to make the amp work a bit, to me it performs better. In using the AG-100 at a solo gig, I utilized two Community CSX-35 for extension speakers. Using two speaker stands about 15 feet apart, the AG-100 provided enough power to more than adequately cover this medium sized room. Now donıt get me wrong, youıre not going to play Madison Square Garden, but thatıs not what this amp was designed for anyway. I recently loaned my green guy to a buddy who used it for music playback at his wedding reception. I have also used the green guy for company speaking engagements and it has surpassed my expectations in all of these settings.

Bottom Line

When anyone of us contemplates an equipment purchase, sure we consider the price, but more importantly we consider the value. This is where the AG100D really shines. It's a GREAT value. At a list price of $895, but direct from Carvin at $429.95, the AG100D delivers all the value you expect from such a do-all amplifier. Whether your bag is a solo acoustic act, DJ, or utilizing the AG100D for a separate powered monitored mix, it provides flexibility in what it delivers. In an age of "less is more", the AG100D is light on your back but heavy on performance.

AG-100 Specs

• 100w @8ohms • 200w 12" PS-12 speaker with horn tweeter • Tuned Bass Reflex enclosure • 3 Channel • Effects Loop • 16 Digital Effect Processor w/master effects level • Master 5 Band Graphic EQ • Built in bottom bracket for stand mount • Forest Green Lavant Covering • 43lbs, 17W x 12D x 22H

For Information

Carvin 12340 World Trade Drive San Diego, CA 92128 800-854-2235 Fax: 858-487-8160 www.carvin.com

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"When I first received my AG100D for review I thought I would simply be field testing an acoustic guitar amp. Very quickly I became aware of Carvin's claims that this amp is in fact designed for PA, bass guitar, and acoustic guitar use. In other words, I would have to test all aspects of this amplifier if I expected to do a thorough review.

The AG100D is a relatively small and light amp. It's about two feet tall, a foot and a half wide and only weighs 40 pounds. There are 100 watts (at 8 ohms) of solid-state power available, which is routed into a 200 watt, 12" speaker and horn tweeter. The enclosure itself is self ported and has a nice bass response.

The amp features three independent channels, phantom power, a five band EQ and digital effects processor. Each of the three channels is a little different. The first channel is best suited for acoustic guitar. It incorporates one 1/4" input, a separate volume and effects send, hi boost and mid cut buttons plus, bass EQ, sweepable mid and treble EQ. Channel 2 has one 1/4" input, separate volume and effects send, bass boost and mid cut buttons and hi and low EQ.

This would serve as the best channel for bass guitar. Channel 3 sports XLR and 1/4" inputs, also has volume and effects, hi and low EQ and would generally be considered best for vocals or keyboards. The whole package is wrapped in a very cool, forest green-vinyl. I totally loved this color. It's a need break from the standard black or beige coverings.

My first outing with the AG100D was at a typical club date with my four-piece rock band. I plugged my 12-string acoustic guitar into channel 1 and in a few minutes I had an excellent guitar sound...Carvin dialed in 16 of the finest delays, reverbs, choruses, and flanges I've heard from an all-in-one system...My next challenge was to try out a bass guitar...with the help of the five-band graphic EQ, we found a very good bass sound...

I offered to play at a small local bar...I showed up with my 12-string in one hand and the AG100D in the other...within minutes I had a great vocal and guitar sound happening...All in all the AG100D fulfills all of Carvin's claims excellently and is very competitively priced".

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as featured in the March, 1997 Acoustic Guitar Magazine.	The Carvin represents a great bargain for a full-featured compact PA system
The Carvin AG100-12 is the largest amplifier reviewed, and also one of the loudest and fullest sounding. It is essentially a three-channel compact PA system as opposed to a dedicated guitar amp. Channel one includes a quarter-inch input and is designed for instruments. The active EQ set includes high and low controls and an "acoustic sweep" (a modified midrange parametric EQ that is tailored to gradually lower gain in the harsher frequency ranges). An acoustic/electric switch provides presence boost for a bright, crisp sound. A reverb/effects loop blend control is also included. Channel two is designed for instrument input or line-level inputs such as drum machines. It includes only two bands of EQ and no reverb or effects. Channel three is designed for an XLR mic input and has two bands of EQ and reverb/effects control. The AG100-12 also includes a very useful five-band graphic equalizer that affects the overall mix. It has 100 watts of power with a 12-inch speaker and a tweeter. The back of the amp includes an effects loop, headphone jack, external speaker jack , quarter-inch line out, and on/off switch for the tweeter. The Carvin represents a great bargain for a full-featured compact PA system. (A note on Carvin's prices: All of the other manufacturers in this article publish the suggested retail price of their amps. In reality, dealers usually offer the amps for significantly less than the list price. Carvin amps are only available through mail order from Carvin or from its factory outlets...) This amp has a deep, rich sound and plenty of low-end power. Singer-songwriters could easily pull off a small- to medium-sized gig with just the AG100-12. Unfortunately, since your local music store won't have Carvin products in stock, you won't be able to try it out before you buy, unless you live near one of the few Carvin factory outlets. (You do, however, have a 10 day trial for anything you order.) - Dylan Schorer, Acoustic Guitar Magazine