Lovely woods and sleek shapes have lengthy been a part of the enchantment of high quality acoustic guitars, however that aesthetic sense is just not all the time current in different gear, particularly electronics. We might proudly show our acoustic guitars in the lounge, however most amplifiers can look misplaced there. Taylor is getting down to change this by making its first acoustic amp as enticing as its guitars. This new providing, dubbed the Circa 74, is clearly meant to carry the amp out of the storage or basement and into a major spot in your front room, den, or dwelling studio. I examined the amp utilizing a wide range of acoustic pickups and located its efficiency each bit nearly as good as its seems. 

Magnificence and Operate

With its minimalist mid-century fashionable styling and strong mahogany cupboard, the Circa 74 makes a fantastic impression even earlier than it’s turned on. The matching mahogany stand locations the amp able that makes it look much more like a high quality piece of furnishings, whereas additionally supporting easy accessibility to all controls. 

The cupboard itself is comparatively compact, measuring 9 inches deep, 14 inches excessive, and 16.5 inches extensive, whereas the stand raises the amp by a further 16 inches. Given the hardwood cupboard, the amp is surprisingly gentle, weighing in at 24 kilos. Whereas the amp is an ideal alternative for dwelling or studio, the dimensions and weight make it fairly sensible to take to a gig as nicely.

Past its attractiveness, the Circa 74 gives a well-thought-out characteristic set that comes with all of the necessities with out being overcomplicated. The solid-state amp offers 150 watts of RMS energy by a ten-inch speaker, and will be plugged into 110–240 volts at 50 or 60Hz, making it appropriate with energy sources all through the world. 

The controls are mounted on the highest of the amp, offering easy accessibility for a performer whereas sustaining the amp’s clear look for the viewers. There are two separate channels: Enter A encompasses a mixture XLR and quarter-inch jack that can be utilized for both an ordinary guitar cable or a dynamic mic. (The amp doesn’t supply phantom energy, ruling out condenser mics.) Enter B is quarter-inch solely and is meant for guitars. In any other case, each channels supply the identical controls: quantity, bass, mid, treble, and reverb. A grasp quantity controls the general stage.

The highest panel offers an eighth-inch auxiliary enter, in addition to a button for activating Bluetooth to wirelessly join an exterior music supply—excellent for backing tracks or background music throughout breaks. There are not any quantity controls for these inputs, however they’re affected by the grasp quantity management. Nice for silent observe, the ultimate characteristic on the highest panel is an eighth-inch headphone jack, which mutes the speaker when used.

The again panel has a fuse, energy change, and each XLR DI and quarter-inch line outputs. Each outputs are unbiased of the grasp quantity management. When linked to a PA system, this permits a performer to make use of the grasp quantity to manage the stage quantity with out altering the degrees being despatched to the sound system. These outputs is also used for recording or despatched to a powered speaker for much more quantity.

You may count on a Taylor-designed amplifier to be optimized for Taylor’s personal ES (Expression System) pickup system, however the firm has gone out of its strategy to emphasize that the amp will work nicely with any pickup, even offering steered beginning EQ settings for a couple of fashionable fashions. It’s value noting that the amp’s enter impedance is 110kΩ, considerably low for an acoustic amp. This might trigger some concern for individuals who use passive pickups that normally suggest the next impedance, though Taylor contains settings for the passive Okay&Okay Pure Mini. 

Sound Examine

Plugging in reveals an enormous and nice sound from a comparatively compact field. Taylor has voiced the Circa 74 for a heat sound, intentionally rolling off the acute excessive finish, and the tone is pure and unhyped. The tonal high quality appears to emphasise the midrange by default, though the sound will be modified dramatically with the very efficient EQ controls. I most popular a little bit of bass enhance mixed with a midrange reduce to dial in a smoother sound for fingerstyle with most pickups. The default setting’s barely extra current midrange is perhaps efficient in making the guitar stand out amongst different devices.

Not having ES electronics out there, I examined Taylor’s promise that the amp was appropriate for all electronics and was simply capable of dial in pleasing tones with three pickup methods, together with each passive (Schoenberg 000-12c with Okay&Okay Pure Mini and Hamblin GC with Barbera) and energetic (Charis SJ with Trance Audio Amulet system). The EQ controls have well-chosen frequencies for acoustic guitar, with the midrange management centered at 500Hz being particularly efficient at high quality tuning. The reverb, described by Taylor as a room-style impact, provides a nice sense of atmosphere when utilized in moderation.

The amp has loads of energy, way over will probably be wanted in a house setting, and sufficient to play espresso outlets or different small venues. After all, for louder conditions, you need to use the DI out to ship the sound to a PA system.

The Backside Line

The Circa 74’s attractiveness will understandably appeal to most individuals’s preliminary consideration. However even ignoring the visible enchantment, it’s a good-sounding, no-nonsense amp, with easy-to-use controls, and tuned for pure acoustic guitar sounds. At $1,199 avenue, it’s not the most affordable strategy to amplify your guitar, however if you mix good sound, a superb characteristic set, and strong development with a phenomenal furniture-inspired design, the Circa 74 is a really enticing package deal, to say the least.

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This text initially appeared within the July/August 2024 subject of Acoustic Guitar journal.