Zoom AC-3

The Essential Acoustic DI

With the AC-3, you have essential DI functions right at your fingertips. Its high-quality preamp boosts your signal and also helps restore your true acoustic tone. Additionally, its 3-band EQ lets you quickly dial in the perfect settings to refine your sound.

To add depth and color to your tone, the AC-3 also offers the best effects we've ever developed for acoustic instruments. Choose from 9 different effects like delay, chorus, and reverb, each equipped with adjustable parameters to fine-tune your sound.

Choose the Source...

With 16 source guitar presets, the AC-3 reproduces the tonal characteristics of a wide range of guitar types and body shapes. You can select from dreadnought, upright bass, nylon strings, 12-string guitar, and more.

Simply pick the source guitar, then piezo or magnetic pickups. After that, the AC-3 is ready to replicate and amplify your guitar’s tone with absolute accuracy.

...and the Target

The AC-3 also comes with 15 additional target guitar presets that let you fine-tune your guitar’s sound more precisely. For example, if you use a Martin D-18 dreadnought, you can select the dreadnought source guitar preset and the D-18 target guitar preset to better capture your instrument’s unique tone. Or if you play a dreadnought guitar, choose the source preset "Dreadnought" and then use the target preset "Humming Bird" to more accurately emulate your tone.

Not all target guitars are available for every source guitar. For instance, if you connect a resonator guitar, you should set the target guitar to "Off."

Stereo Outputs Times Two

The AC-3’s balanced XLR mono/stereo outputs with pre/post control allow connection to any PA mixer or studio console. It also includes two ¼" outputs for simultaneous mono/stereo connection to amps, headphones, or audio interfaces. This lets listeners hear the full character of stereo or delay effects.

Automatic Feedback Suppression

The AC-3 features a feedback suppressor that can also be activated with Zoom’s FS-01 footswitch (sold separately). It automatically detects and eliminates problematic frequencies—a crucial feature for live performances.

Ground/Lift

To eliminate unwanted hum or buzz from microphones or speakers, the AC-3 includes a ground/lift switch that breaks ground loops between devices.

Volume Control

The AC-3’s volume control automatically adjusts both input gain and preamp output level, eliminating the guesswork of balancing your tone’s volume.

Tune to Perfection

The AC-3’s built-in tuner with its large LED display makes it easy to see if your instrument is perfectly in tune.

Up to 9 dB Additional Gain

Plus, with the AC-3’s boost function via footswitch, you can add up to 9 dB of gain, allowing you to switch from strumming to fingerpicking without ever losing volume.

Three Power Options

Two AA batteries provide up to three hours of continuous use. Alternatively, you can use the included Zoom AD-16 AC adapter for wall power or the micro-USB port for bus power from your computer.