Boss AD-10 Acoustic Preamp

Advanced tone tools for serious acoustic players

Anyone who plays an amplified acoustic guitar on stage knows what a challenge it is to get a sound that’s as inspiring as playing the instrument acoustically. The AD-10 is your solution to this age-old problem, offering advanced sound tools that enable you to achieve rich, natural acoustic tones every time you perform. At its core, the AD-10 is a fully featured, dual-channel acoustic preamp/DI pedal with premium audio quality, deep sound-shaping options, and flexible connectivity. On top of that, ambience, chorus, and delay effects are built in, eliminating the need to carry external sound processing.

But the AD-10 takes acoustic preamp design to an all-new level with its standout feature—BOSS’s groundbreaking Acoustic Resonance processing. This advanced tech restores the complex body and string resonances that are lost with most pickup systems, bringing back the expressive, organic vibe that’s so vital to the acoustic experience. And the features keep on coming, with transparent anti-feedback controls, memories for sound setups, an 80-second looper, USB audio, and much more. Hugely powerful yet simple to use, the compact AD-10 is your all-in-one companion for realizing impressive acoustic tones in every performing environment.

Features

• Professional preamp/DI for performing and recording with acoustic-electric guitar
• Acoustic Resonance restores the warm and rich resonance lost with most pickup systems
• Four-band EQ and variable low-cut filter tuned to deliver optimized tone shaping for acoustic guitar
• Multi-band compressor with MDP technology provides transparent dynamics control
• Newly developed anti-feedback functions control feedback while maintaining balanced tone
• Two channels with independent EQ for connecting two instruments or blending multiple pickup sources
• Onboard ambience, delay, and chorus effects with multiple sound types and adjustable parameters
• Boost function with adjustable tone setting
• Memory function for storing 10 sound setups
• Onboard looper with 80 seconds of recording time
• XLR and ¼-inch connectivity for interfacing with PA systems, stage monitors, amps, and external effects
• USB audio interface functionality for computer recording and playback
• Fast and accurate built-in tuner
• Compact and portable design; runs on AC adapter or six AA-size batteries

All the Tools You Need in One Portable Package

With its advanced BOSS technologies and comprehensive design approach, the AD-10 is a dream come true for serious acoustic players who are constantly striving for the very best sound reproduction. Its vast tone-shaping features and intuitive, hands-on controls enable anyone to dial in exceptional sounds quickly and easily. Advanced feedback-fighting capabilities are also on board, making it simple to tackle the sound issues that inevitably come up in different performance venues. And with 10 onboard memories, it’s possible to save favorite setups for different instruments and songs. The AD-10 also supports power via an included AC adapter or batteries, offering great flexibility for any performing situation.

Restore True Acoustic Tone with BOSS’s Acoustic Resonance

By far, the most widely used pickups in acoustic stage guitars are saddle-based piezos. But despite some upsides like great feedback immunity, their noted drawback is a hard, sterile, and “quacky” sound. This is because they only pick up sound from the bridge area, leaving out the body and string resonances that complete the guitar’s rich, complex sound. Magnetic sound hole pickups and other types of systems also provide incomplete sound reproduction, resulting in their own tonal drawbacks. Of course, playing into a microphone can deliver natural results, but using one is impractical in all but the most controlled stage environments.

That’s where the AD-10’s innovative Acoustic Resonance feature comes in. Using sophisticated BOSS technology, Acoustic Resonance analyzes your pickup signal and recreates the missing body and string resonances, restoring the elements that are essential for natural acoustic sound. The AD-10’s Acoustic Resonance implementation has been greatly expanded from previous generations, offering more powerful processing, three different resonance types, and the ability to balance the tonal characteristics to perfectly match your performing needs.

Preserve Your Sound with Multi-Level Feedback Protection

Because of their highly resonant construction, acoustic guitars are prone to problems with low-frequency feedback in stage situations. There are many variables that factor into the severity of feedback issues, including the instrument type, the pickup system, the location of the instrument relative to the speakers, and more. The advanced processing engine in the AD-10 goes well beyond the capabilities other preamps, providing multiple levels of feedback protection that are engineered to produce maximum results with little-to-no tone coloration.

Your first line of defense is the AD-10’s feedback reduction function, which employs newly developed BOSS technology to seek out and gently suppress the offending feedback frequency. At the same time, your overall tone is subtly balanced as needed for transparent sonic results. For those real problem situations, the AD-10 also includes two separate notch filters that can be tuned manually or set for automatic scanning to instantly vanquish feedback in the background as you play. Each filter notches out both the fundamental and first overtone of the feedback frequency, and the depth of the filters can be adjusted as necessary for the smallest possible tonal impact.

Two-Channel Design with Wide-Range EQ and Exceptional Audio Quality

The AD-10 has two input channels, allowing you to set up tones for two different stage guitars, blend two pickup sources from a single instrument, or even use two instruments at once. The signal path is engineered for warm, accurate tone with ultra-low noise, and each input has adjustable sensitivity for fully optimized processing with different pickup types.

Each channel can be adjusted with an EQ section that offers four bands (including parametric midrange) and a widely variable low-cut filter. Unlike standard EQs found in other preamps, adjusting the AD-10’s EQ bands engages multiple interlocking parameters under the hood, allowing for precise tonal shaping with subtle tweaks. It’s also possible to defeat the EQ if desired, and to adjust the phase of each channel independently.

Onboard BOSS Effects, Optimized for Acoustic Guitar

Alongside its powerful abilities to shape and maintain your core acoustic tone, the AD-10 includes a wide-range of built-in effects that sound great and are easy to use. The single-knob compressor delivers much more than meets the eye, employing BOSS’s acclaimed MDP tech to transparently control your dynamics with intelligent processing. Acoustic guitars love reverb, and the AD-10’s Ambience effect offers three types of high-quality reverberation specially tuned for guitar. There’s also a delay with standard, mod, and reverse types, plus three different variations of BOSS’s famous sound-widening stereo chorus effect.

Useful Performance Functions for Acoustic Musicians

The AD-10 also includes many thoughtful elements to enhance your live performances. The soft-touch footswitches are designed for unobtrusive operation in quiet acoustic settings, and can be configured to select memories, turn effects on/off, access the onboard tuner, and more. With the AD-10’s looper, you have a convenient tool that’s always at the ready for practice, jamming, and stage creativity. The on-demand boost function is great for kicking up the volume for solos or reducing the volume for heavy strumming, and it even includes an adjustable tone control for changing the sound when engaged.

Audio Connections and External Control

On the rear panel of the AD-10, stereo XLR jacks provide a DI feed to the front of house, while stereo ¼-inch jacks allow you to connect to your stage amp setup or headphones for monitoring. From the AD-10’s panel, you can choose to send signals to the outputs with or without effects, or assign input channels one and two to independent outputs. There’s also an effects loop for patching in external effects, and a jack for connecting up to two footswitches or an expression pedal for controlling looper functions, volume, tap tempo, anti-feedback scan, and more. In addition, the AD-10 functions as a two-in/two-out USB audio interface, enabling you to record tracks to a DAW and play computer music through the AD-10’s audio outputs.