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By Rod Brakes published 1 July 22

Half as heavy but with all the tone of its predecessor, Steve Stevens calls it "a great piece of gear!"

Founded by tone expert Steen Skrydstrup, Denmark’s Caveman Audio boasts over 25 years’ experience in designing and building custom gear for some of the most respected musicians in the industry, such as David Gilmour, the Edge, Scorpions and many more.

If you haven’t come across the brand before, a quick browse through Caveman’s website (opens in new tab) reveals a substantial range of pro-quality gear for guitarists, including tube amps, cabs, pedals, MIDI foot controllers and loop systems.

They also offer a selection of highly acclaimed acoustic guitar preamps.

Promising “studio quality at your feet,” the new AP1 Compact Acoustic Preamp unit sounds exactly like its predeccesor, the AP1 Acoustic Preamp, though it measures 90mm narrower and weighs half as much.

“In order to arrive at such a small footprint compared to the original AP1 Acoustic Preamp, we removed the optional wireless input and went for an external power supply,” says Skrydstrup.

“But the core functionality such as Amp Out, Tuner Out and Mute for silent tuning remains.

“And most important of all, the internal circuit delivers the exact same tonal bliss that so many acoustic players have already become addicted to.

“I am extremely pleased that we succeeded with shrinking our acoustic preamp design without introducing any sonic compromises whatsoever. In fact, more than anything AP1 Compact is all about tone.”

While Caveman has focused on enhancing the natural tone of the acoustic guitar as much as possible, they have also taken care to ensure the signal remains intact while avoiding unwanted noise and impedance mismatch issues.

Thus, a transformer-balanced DI output and unique RFI protection have been built into the unit – all of it housed in a road-worthy, zinc-plated steel enclosure.

“The AP1 Compact makes my acoustic guitar sound just as good when I play live as when I record in the studio,” says Billy Idol guitarist and songwriting partner Steve Stevens.

“Great piece of gear!”

Visit Caveman Audio (opens in new tab) for more information.

Rod Brakes is a music writer with an expertise in all things guitar-related. Having spent many years at the coalface as a guitar dealer and tech, Rod's more recent work as a journalist covering artists, industry pros and gear includes writing hundreds of articles and features for the likes of Guitarist, Total Guitar, Guitar World, Guitar Player and MusicRadar, as well as contributions for specialist books, blogs and social media. He is also a lifelong musician.

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