Caveman Audio AP1

The Caveman Audio AP1 is an acoustic guitar preamp and DI pedal with a tuner output and a switchable boost. Caveman Audio positions it as "the perfect Acoustic Preamp / D.I. for small gigs and travelling," and describes it as a basic version of the company's flagship, the ACC1 Acoustic Preamp System¹. For a player, that means a floor unit that takes your acoustic pickup signal, conditions it, and hands the front-of-house engineer a balanced XLR feed, with a boost on tap for solos.

The AP1 stands out among acoustic preamp pedals in a couple of practical ways. It has a dedicated transformer-balanced, gold-plated Neutrik XLR radio and wireless input alongside its Hi-Z cable input, so a wireless receiver can plug straight in¹. And rather than running on a DC pedalboard supply, it is designed for full compatibility with worldwide mains voltages spanning 100 to 240VAC¹.

What it is and what it does

The AP1 combines three jobs in one box. As a preamp it conditions the signal from an acoustic guitar pickup, presenting the instrument with a very high 5MΩ input impedance¹, which suits passive pickups such as undersaddle transducers, where a low input impedance can thin out the sound. As a DI it delivers a transformer-balanced, gold-plated Neutrik XLR output designed to drive a mixing desk directly, with a specified output load of 2kΩ or more¹. And as a utility it carries a transformer-balanced tuner output, so a tuner stays connected and reading your signal without sitting in the main audio chain¹.

On top of the preamp and DI duties, Caveman Audio added a switchable boost function. The maker's stated purpose is "for soloing, or if you have a guitar with a lower output"¹. In practice that is a level bump you can hit mid-song: a solo that needs to step forward, or a quieter guitar that needs help reaching the same level as the rest of your rig.

The maker describes the AP1 as a basic version of the ACC1 Acoustic Preamp System, its flagship¹. The ACC1 is an acoustic guitar preamp and DI rack unit, and the AP1 carries the same core preamp, DI and tuner-out concept into a pedal enclosure. Caveman Audio says all of its products come in road-ready, zinc-plated steel enclosures¹, and the AP1's 2 kg weight and 220 x 145 mm footprint reflect that build¹.

Inputs, outputs and power

The AP1's connection set is what separates it from most acoustic DI pedals on the shelf¹.

The wireless input is the unusual one. Where a typical acoustic preamp pedal gives you a single instrument jack, the AP1 accepts a wireless receiver over a balanced XLR connection, so a player running wireless does not need an adapter box between receiver and preamp¹.

Power is the other thing to know before buying. The AP1 is designed for full compatibility with worldwide mains voltages spanning 100-240VAC at 47-63Hz¹. It does not run on a battery or a standard DC pedalboard power supply.

AP1 Compact and the ACC1 system

Caveman Audio sells the AP1 alongside two related products: a smaller pedal and a rack system¹³².

The AP1 Compact is a compact acoustic preamp that Caveman Audio says "sounds exactly like our renowned AP1 Acoustic Preamp"². The maker calls it "the perfect Acoustic Preamp / D.I. for your pedalboard"². The trade-offs against the full AP1 are the connection set and the power: the Compact drops the XLR radio/wireless input, keeping a Hi-Z cable input only, and it runs on 9 to 18V DC at 100mA, center negative², which makes it at home on a conventional pedalboard supply where the AP1 is not. Both pedals share the 5MΩ input impedance and the 2kΩ-or-more DI output load¹², and both carry what the maker calls unique RFI protection, a guard against radio-frequency interference picked up by the signal path².

The ACC1 is the flagship of the line, an acoustic guitar preamp and DI rack unit that Caveman Audio calls the ACC1 Acoustic Channel³. It shares the AP1's mains power specification of 100-240VAC 47-63Hz³¹, its 5MΩ input impedance³ and its transformer-balanced tuner output³. The AP1 is, in the maker's own framing, the basic version of that system¹.

The ACC1 sits behind the AP1 in the Caveman Audio range: the maker describes the AP1 as "a basic version of our flagship, the ACC1 Acoustic Preamp System."³¹ The designer behind the product line is Steen Skrydstrup, who writes of the ACC1: "It took me quite some time to perfect the sound and the playing aspects of the ACC1 Acoustic Preamp System."³ Like the AP1 Compact, the ACC1 carries unique RFI protection³¹.

Warranty and build

All Caveman Audio products, the AP1 included, come with a 10 year warranty¹. The maker fits them in road-ready, zinc-plated steel enclosures¹; the AP1 weighs 2 kg (4 lbs. 7 oz.) and measures 220 x 145 x 40/65 mm (WxDxH)¹. The maker lists the AP1's price as a range of 5.995,00 kr. through 6.745,00 kr. DKK as of June 2025¹; the range reflects the different versions offered rather than a single figure.

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