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Acoustic Guitar Question

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(@douglasa)
Estimable Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 75
Topic starter  

How can I get the best sound out of my electric acoustic guitar? I plug straight into the PA but I just cant seem to get that good full sound. My guitar is a Cort withat a fishman classic 4 in it.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace (Jimi Hendrix)


   
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(@danlasley)
Noble Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 2118
 

Get a guitar amp. A PA is designed to add as little color as possible, and you want to add some warmth and body. Usually, a guitar amp has tone controls and reverb/EFX more suited to the guitar. There are some very nice amps designed for acoustics, but any guitar amp will probably sound pretty good. And you'll be able to fiddle with the knobs at home. 8)


   
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(@diceman)
Reputable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 407
 

Another option would be to add an acoustic preamp such as the Fishman Pro EQ Platinum Acoustic Guitar Preamp ($179 @ Musiciansfriend.com) or the Fishman Aura Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Imaging Pedal ($199 @ Musiciansfriend.com) . I have the former and it makes a big difference in the on-stage gain and with the EQ and compressor you can dial in the sound you want . The phantom power is also a huge plus - no dead batteries to deal with .

If I claim to be a wise man , it surely means that I don't know .


   
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(@nicktorres)
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Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 5381
 

Baggs Para DI box works wonders


   
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(@slejhamer)
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Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 3221
 

I have a Fishman Classic IV in my Breed and it gets great, full sound through the church PA. EQ is reasonably sensitive, brilliance control works well, and I haven't had to turn volume up more than 1/3rd.

What kind of PA are you running through? Are you using a monitor on stage? It can be very hard to hear yourself in the house system if you're standing behind it.

"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."


   
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(@diceman)
Reputable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 407
 

Another little device that can really help with feedback onstage is the Kaman Feedback Buster . It's a rubber plug that covers your soundhole so that your guitar doesn't resonate like a monster . If you've ever had it happen you know it's pretty bad . It works only on round soundholes . At around $8 it's a cheap fix for a big problem .

If I claim to be a wise man , it surely means that I don't know .


   
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(@douglasa)
Estimable Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 75
Topic starter  

Its an Alen&Heath 32 ch. 2600 I think. The problem is not with feedback unless I use a affects box. I just dont get a good full sound that I want. Might need to run through an amp.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace (Jimi Hendrix)


   
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(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

I think most pros mic their acoustics. Pickups on the guitar pick up the sound inside, but they do not pick up the tone outside the guitar. This is where a lot of the warmth and fullness comes from.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
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(@douglasa)
Estimable Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 75
Topic starter  

I would really like to mic it but, I move around way to much for that. I think that I might loose alot of sound, or with my luck bang the mic into the guitar......

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace (Jimi Hendrix)


   
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(@raystrack)
Estimable Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 123
 

I think most pros mic their acoustics. Pickups on the guitar pick up the sound inside, but they do not pick up the tone outside the guitar. This is where a lot of the warmth and fullness comes from.

In the days when said ace had hair there wasn't much choice but to use a mike. For a really accurate acoustic sound you can't beat one but to get very y close try an LR Baggs iBeam or even a Fishman Rare Earth soundhole - the latter will certainly save feedback problems - I've used one live for years and always get compliments on the sound - straight into a PA without any need for EQ.

To fatten a sound I mix in a little bit of flange - delicately done you get halfway to a 12 string sound for strumming.

Good luck

http://www.raystroud.com
http://www.myspace.com/raystroud


   
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(@nicktorres)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 5381
 

http://www.lrbaggs.com/html/products/preamps_paradi.shtml

http://www.music123.com/LR-Baggs-Para-Acoustic-DI-307160-i1128134.Music123

They are $159 retail and you can get them for as little as $100 used on ebay


   
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(@bennettp)
Eminent Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 19
 

For my Alvarez Acoustic-Electric I use a Crate Bass amp, we had it laying around, so I tried it out, and wow, it sounds really nice! Sure it takes some adjustment with the equalizations, but after that, it can sound really good.
I asked someone one time why I liked the sound through a bass amp compared to through a regular guitar amp, and he said it was because electric guitar amps have a lot of mid, but a bass amp has really low, and really high? I'm not sure if that's completely true, but I love the full sound a bass amp gives to my AF60CK.

-Bennett


   
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(@misanthrope)
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Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 2261
 

I don't know if you have a multi-fx unit, or plan on getting one etc., and it's probably not worth getting one just for this purpose, but... my Zoom G2.1 has an 'acoustic simulator' setting as a distortion setting. It's supposedly for making an electric sound more like an acoustic (which never really works that well), but I find it does a good job of colouring my acoustic just right for a PA.

ChordsAndScales.co.uk - Guitar Chord/Scale Finder/Viewer


   
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(@jersey-jack)
Estimable Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 189
 

I had the same problem, and I solved it with a direct box. This Radial direct box positively transformed my sound:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Radial-J48-MK2-48V-Phantom-Power-Active-Direct-Box?sku=153904

Putting a mic on an acoustic will certainly preserve the tone, but such a solution is only workable in limited circumstances. I don't recommend putting the acoustic through a guitar amp--especially one designed for electrics, as they will alter the tone. An amp specifically designed for acoustics may work well, but most people run acoustics directly into the PA.

Try the Radial--awesome!

Jersey Jack


   
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