The Zoom AC-2 Acoustic Creator is a compact DI box for electro-acoustic guitar that promises a first-class sound experience on stage and in the recording studio. The pedal can be precisely adjusted to the guitar and pickup system used, not only presets for the classics like dreadnought or jumbo models, but also exotics like resonator guitars, 12-strings and upright basses. In addition, a 3-band tone control is available for fine-tuning the sound image, to which the integrated reverb effect lends a natural depth. Another practical detail is the anti-feedback function, which automatically detects critical frequency ranges at the touch of a button and eliminates them. Last but not least, the Zoom AC-2 Acoustic Creator offers a switchable volume boost for solo inserts and a built-in tuner.
I was looking for an acoustic preamp that would help restore some of the resonance of my Taylor guitar for one man performances. I tried a few different pedals including it's predecessor the A3. The A3 was way to complicated for my needs and would take way to much time figuring it out to get the sound you want. So after much consideration I decided on this. I was not disappointed.
I purchased a B-stock item so got an excellent price, thank you Music Store! When it arrived it was very well packaged. Included was the Pedal and the Power supply. Straight out of the box you can plug and play. Zoom seemed to have learned from the mistakes of the earlier A series. Most guitar players require 1 setting at most 2 for their gigs. 1 for strumming and the other for picking &/or slow ballads etc. The other pedals were way to nerdy and only for a certain type of person who loves spending hours figuring out how stuff works. Not me, plug & play with minimal effort. That is what this pedal is!
The pedal is very well laid out and super easy to use. I plugged it straight into my laptop and updated the firmware very easily & quickly. I have deducted 1 star from features as it would be nice to have a couple of preset slots to save your settings. The source guitar sounds are great. You will find more than 1 of them useful but not all will be to your taste. It depends very much on the ear of the beholder.
Features
Reverb: Sounds very nice and will work well for most hard working gigging musicians. However I use Yamaha SPX effects so it is kind of redundant for me.
Tuner: works well and is very easy to see from a standing position although it is difficult see the key of the string you are tuning.
EQ Section: Bass, middle & treble does it's job.
DI: Clean and works well.
Pick-up selector: Works very well I have guitars with both Piezo & Magnetic pick-ups and have tested it. Again works & does it's job.
Anti-Feedback: Again does it's job.
This pedal is so simple, easy to use and does what it claims and restores a bit of that resonant sound that is missing normally with Piezo pick-ups. I have no doubt there are other better pedal out there but they all seem a bit more expensive to get similar options. This will meet most of your needs and not break the bank. The features are quite amazing in a pedal at this price point. I would recommend you give serious consideration to it when thinking of a pedal for your acoustic guitar.