GuitarPlayer Verdict
The ToneWoodAmp2 builds on the groundbreaking original with a long-lasting rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the ability to run up to four programmable effects at once with parallel or serial routing, and the companion ToneWoodAmp Remote app, which simplifies editing and preset management, making tonal sculpting more intuitive. With enhanced EQ, dynamic effects, and improved playability, the TWA2 inspires creativity and redefines acoustic performance, reaffirming its status as the most innovative acoustic accessory on the market.
Pros
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Fantastic upgrade to the best acoustic-electric accessory of the past decade
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DSP effects sounds super natural coming through sound hole
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App offers expanded control
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Works with most acoustic-electric guitars, so you can use your favorites
Cons
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None, but note that strong magnets like the one that holds the TWA2 to your guitar may interfere with medical implants, credit cards, electronic devices, and recording media, including hard drives and tape electronic devices
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My mind was blown a decade ago by the original ToneWoodAmp, the trailblazing device that sparked a resonance-based effects revolution in the acoustic-electric arena. The homegrown multi-effects unit, D.I. and iOS interface concocted and kickstarted from an Arizona garage influenced everything from Yamaha’s TransAcoustic to Lâg’s HyVibe series to Lava Music’s ME models. All put their own spin on advanced technology resulting in effects pumping through the sound hole.
Yet the ToneWoodAmp remains unique. Unlike all the others that come installed in their guitar or require permanent installation, the TWA allows players to use their favorite instruments. Mike Dawes, Andy McKee and this reviewer were early adopters and remain enthusiasts.
The eagerly anticipated ToneWoodAmp2 is now available, and it’s packed with a bevy of next-level updates that improve upon everything from sound and functionality to size and power. There’s even a free companion app, the ToneWoodAmp Remote for Apple and Android products.
Like its discontinued predecessor, the TWA2 magnetically attaches to practically any acoustic guitar and transforms the body into its own amplifier with effects. The TWA2 clamps onto the back magnetically once you’ve installed its magnetic X-Brace counterpart inside the instrument.
The TWA2 accepts the signal from practically any type of acoustic guitar pickup (except microphones). It digitally processes the signal with effects and uses an actuator, which is similar to a transducer in reverse, to vibrate the back of the guitar, generating effects that emanate through the sound hole.
The original TWA was downright transformational in my world, and the device still functions pretty well for having been used a ton. But it’s not quite as reliable as it once was and the technology has advanced, so I was itching to get my hands on the TWA2.
While the original ran on three AAA batteries, the TWA2 runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. While that might not be the sexiest feature to highlight, it may be the most important. The AAA batteries ran down quickly with frequent use, and clunky and a pain to manage — not to mention a constant expense.
The TWA2 is slightly lighter, significantly sleeker and sturdier than its predecessor, and its battery lasts about 10 hours per charge, saving a ton of cash over the long haul. I’d upgrade to the new unit for this reason alone, even if it does cost significantly more at first than it did years ago (what doesn’t?).
The most immediately noticeable sonic development is the new unit's sheer power and volume. You can hear it much better right out of the box. When the original TWA debuted, everyone was knocked out to hear effects, such as delay and reverb, emanating from the sound hole of an acoustic guitar. But unless you were in a rather quiet environment, they might not have been overtly noticeable. The effects from the TWA2 come blaring out by comparison and can be heard from much further away.
The programmable effects include delay, reverb, tremolo, chorus, flanger and vibrato. Variations abound. You can run up to four effects simultaneously (compared to one previously) and now there are parallel and serial routing options. Parallel offers greater individual control of each, while serial serves them up one into the other for greater effects interaction.
There are also new dynamic effects, including compression, which is super handy for increased sustain on an acoustic. Lead playing can approach David Gilmour territory, and fingerpicking becomes more pronounced.
The new unit is about the same size as an iPhone and about twice as deep. It fit nice and snugly on the back of a Taylor Grand Auditorium. One handy new physical attribute is the lift kit, a.k.a. LifKit, that pops out almost like a little kick stand and can accommodate for the curvature of most arch-back acoustics. I needed it on the 3/4-sized instrument I took to Burning Man, a KLOS Grand Cutaway Mini. If you use the TWA2 on multiple guitars, you can purchase extra X-Braces for each and simply swap the TWA2 from one onto another guitar.
The TWA2’s functionality is more intuitive than the original’s, but there’s also more underneath the hood. Without first checking the manual, I found my way around easily enough to get the basic effects going, but there are plenty of hidden functions that require the manual to understand.
In short, there are three main menus: Effects Editor, Output Editor and Settings, and the Home button toggles between them. Use the three number buttons next door to it to turn an effect or function on or off. Hold it to make parameter adjustments, and click the +/- toggles at far right to adjust values up or down. As before, the onboard display is text-based and contains four lines of visible text: a title, and three lines below indicating which effects are engaged and at what level.
For expanded programmability, the free ToneWoodAmp Remote app is a significant upgrade that offers a straightforward graphic display. While I wasn’t super enthusiastic about using my phone any more than I already do, the app truly does make a huge difference for editing parameters and saving presets.
After a simple download and pairing process, I found it was easy to embrace the app. Instead of going back and forth between playing and flipping the guitar over to adjust presets and parameters on the TWA2, I could simply set my phone next to me on the couch and find my favorite settings with it on the fly. Then I went deeper, and wow. Having tap tempo on the delay with options such as a dotted quarter note is powerful.
I used to spend lots of time getting the timing just right. Ditto with reverb types and tremolo rates. Tremolo even offers the option to choose between a sine wave or a triangular one, and the difference is clear to hear. I’ve never enjoyed the sound of effects on an acoustic guitar as much as I do with the ToneWoodAmp2. Its combination of organic sound with full digital sculpture is the best of both worlds. As it turns out, the Remote app is a game changer
And here's a hip tip! Guitars with ’90s-era preamp controls embedded in the top side are also great when using the ToneWoodAmp2. Having all those old-school sliders and dials right at your fingertips is handy for on-the-fly adjustments. I like to use the volume control on my old Taylor’s Fishman Prefix unit as the wet/dry mixer when playing acoustically, and on occasion I’ll even blend in some mic signal to produce amp-like feedback!
You can also use the TWA2 as a D.I. and send the signal to outside amplification, and the mixer on this v2 offers expanded stage tools, including a wet/dry mixer. The effects sound much more pronounced through amplification, so dial them back or decrease the wet signal for that application. The new EQ tools are powerful and make profound tonal differences, both acoustically and when amplified.
When using it as a D.I., the effects sound similar but come at the obvious sacrifice of the gloriously holistically tone resulting from organic interaction with the guitar. What’s so cool about the acoustic application is that you primarily hear the natural guitar tone, which is then enhanced by the processing. It’s almost like running a dry signal and mixing in a wet one signal except in this instance the former is truly pure acoustic guitar tone.
I’ve been eagerly anticipating a v2 of the ToneWoodAmp for years, and it does not disappoint! I’d recommend the TWA2 to any player interested in expanding their acoustic-electric horizons. It changes your entire relationship to the instrument in a most positive way.
The TWA2 inspires you to play more often but using less notes, giving the effects time to decay. All that adds up to increased creativity. I can honestly say that there are oodles of songs I never would have written, at least in that way, if it weren’t for the original TWA, including “WhiteOut” from my band Spirit Hustler's album.
It’s a fab studio tool too. We tried to re-create the ToneWoodAmp’s sound by recording a pure acoustic track and adding effects on later, but it wasn’t the same, so we simply cut it live with the TWA, using a mic on the sound hole. I took the TWA2 to Yosemite and it was an incredible addition to the campfire jam.
The coolest acoustic-electric guitar gadget of the past decade is now better than ever. I hope for increasingly fabulous incarnations in the future, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be good with the TWA2 until around 2035!
SPECIFICATIONS
CONTACT tonewoodamp.com
PRICE $310 street
CONTROLS Home/Back button, Page Up, Page Down, Mute, level up and down
EFFECTS Reverb (Hall, Plate and Room), Delay (five subdivisions), Modulation (Chorus, Phaser, Flanger, Vibrato), Tremolo (Sine and Wave); up to four simultaneous effects can be routed parallel or series
FEATURES Feedback Assassin, Three-band EQ, compression, boost, wet-dry mixer, notch filters, phase inversion, adjustable gain, onboard presets, integrated LiftKit for fitting to curved back acoustics, left-handed mode
EXTRAS Companion app for iOS and Android,
CONNECTIONS 1/4" input, 1/4" output, Bluetooth for Remote app, USB-C (battery charge connection)
POWER Rechargeable lithium-ion battery lasts 10+ hours
SIZE 14.9 cm long x 7cm wide x 2.65 cm deep
WEIGHT 10oz
BUILT U.S.A.
PROS Fantastic upgrade to the best acoustic-electric accessory of the past decade. DSP effects sounds super natural coming through sound hole, while the app offers expanded control. Works with most acoustic-electric guitars, so you can use your favorites
CONS None, but note that strong magnets like the one that holds the TWA2 to your guitar may interfere with medical implants, credit cards, electronic devices, and recording media, including hard drives and tape electronic devices
