Acoustic Control Corp.
360/361
Pre-Amp & Amplifier Cabinet
SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver: Cerwin Vega 18" M#188
Power: 440Watts(Peak) 200Watts(RMS)
Cabinet: Front Loading Folded Horn
Weight: 150 lbs.
Debuted in 1967 by the Acoustic Control Corporation out of Van Nuys California, the 360/361 was an innovative concept from the minds of Harvey Gerst and Russ Allee, ready to combat the ever-increasing wattage and seemingly endless speaker cabinets being brought to stage by guitarists with greater regularity as the 60s move towards the 70s. The 361 delivers 200 Watts (440W Peak) of solid-state power through a single 18" speaker, making it a formidable opponent to the popular Marshall 100-watt stacks. Paired with the tone-sculpting capabilities of the 360 head, it proved a formidable weapon in the sonic wars prior to proper PA Systems being developed and put into use by companies like SHOWCO out of Dallas, Texas.
The 360/361 combination is unique in that the TOP, or head, is solely a pre-amplifier and not an actual power amplifier as you find on traditional cabinet/head designs. The pre-amp receives its signal from two input jacks located on the front panel and supplies a line level signal to 4 separate outputs, giving you the ability to feed four 361 cabinets with ease. After the Rickenbacker and Marshall amplifiers of the early days, John Paul Jones would famously move onto the Big Blue striped Acoustic 360/361 setup. Utilizing the two inputs on the front, it also serves as a line summing device, as the bass guitar and bass foot pedals are both routed through one pre-amp. By matching the volume of the Bass Guitar with the Bass Foot pedals, no knob fiddling needs to take place when switching between Organ and Fender Bass. In Fall 70, a third 360/361 pops up in use onstage for a brief period, more on that down the road.
The 361 speaker cabinet features a number of innovative concepts as well, most notably the speaker itself. Whereas most people assume a speaker enclosure packed full of drivers such as an 8x10" cabinet, the 361 houses just one massive 18" speaker. Located directly behind the famous Blue Stripe on the front, it is mounted to fire at the rear of the cabinet, into a solid block of triangular shaped wood that directs the frequencies from the speaker into the top and the bottom of the cabinet. This allows the sound of the bass to fully develop and be at it's most impactful from about 15 ft in front of the enclosure, that's why you *feel* it. The amplifier chassis is mounted at the base of the cabinet, visible by a metal panel that is home to two big blue filter caps that can be seen through the grill cloth in photos. For players requiring even more high frequency representation, it also provides an output jack with a High Pass Filter for connection with other horns and drivers.
The Acoustic 360/361's unique sound signature, featuring a strong low-end and aggressive mid-range, quickly earned it a reputation as a powerful bass amplifier. The suggested retail price of the Acoustic 360/361 package for 1967 was $1250.00($11,800/in 2025). A serious price for the most serious musicians.
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