louwd123
As I've been reading some posts it seemed to me some people really have hectic acoustic setups. I most probably am just asking this question due to the lack of exposure as I'm not living even close to a music scene. Even though I play a lot with other people in a band context, it is mostly in a church context. i've been playing the acoustic much longer than I've been playing my electric, but my electric gear have exponentially grown over the years where my acoustic gear just exists out of my "nice'ish" Parkwood Cort which is all solid woods and to my opinion, and to the opinion of a respectet luthier in CT, that it is a relatively nice guitar. So I like the tone and the playability, even before the luthier's comments. hehe, but as to effects I've always just played it either directly to the PA or through my GT-8. Now with my pedalboard replacing the GT-8 I've developed an effects chain that can patch the amp completely out and I can run my acoustic through the same effects chain and send it then directly to the PA. Even though I just use the delay, tremolo(in live settings sometimes) and a brush of chorus here and there and I am very happy with the sound.
I don't know if this is a "normal" way of FX'ing an acoustic or a "less smart" way of doing it. Would like to hear how you guys FX-up your acoustics
singemonkey
No no no! That's not allowed! ???
?
Bob-Dubery
I don't do it - or don't do it at present - but I don't see any real problem with it. I got caught out a couple of times with what turned out to be a "true bypass" pedal. I was running straight into the desk (low impedance, balanced line) and the change in impedance when I kicked the effect in caused problems in that situation but wouldn't have if I were running into a guitar amp. A DI box would have solved that - I know that now.
No rules really. It's what is appropriate for the music that you are trying to make. Personally I think that modulation type effects - chorus, phase, uniVibe - can work really well with acoustic guitars. Even a little slap delay, sort of a rock-a-billy sound, if you playing something fast and rhythmic.
Try checking out John Martyn - he used effects with an acoustic extensively, even adding distortion and running into a guitar amp. It was appropriate for what he did. Also made very effective use of echo (predating The Edge).
I've read of players in the studio running their guitar pickup's output into a guitar amp (a Fender twin, say) in order to add some "dirt".
My own inclination, when I've used effects, is not to use a 'touch'. I don't care for the slight chorus that I hear on acoustics quite often. I've used - at different times - chorus, tremolo and the uniVibe emulation on my Line 6 MM4 - and I've tended to give the depth knob a good crank because I want that effect, not just a little sweetening of the sound.
That's me, it might not be you. I'm just saying that it's worth trying to add a lot of effect at least as an experiment. You can always turn the depth down again.
Bob-Dubery
singemonkey wrote
No no no! That's not allowed! ???
Perfectly valid in beard music. See John Martyn.
Squonk
Depends what tone you want?
I have been too scared to try it live yet, well especially with the ZOOM pedal!
Monte Montgomery (Check him out on YouTube) uses a tubescreamer! It suits his playing.(you will get what I am saying when you hear what he does)
But a bit of reverb, delay etc does go a long way.
Will be watching this thread
MIKA-the-better-one
I saw a guy once hook his acoustic up to a overdrive, and a bigg muff, and an EQ pedal....
Then into a twin.... it sounded great...... but then again most engineers in this country would run for the hills of this happened
racman
I use this quite often ?.
Strangely enough it is also a "True Bypass" and I have no issues at all.
PeteM
MIKA the better one wrote
I saw a guy once hook his acoustic up to a overdrive, and a bigg muff, and an EQ pedal....
Then into a twin.... it sounded great...... but then again most engineers in this country would run for the hills of this happened
I plug my nylon string guitar into my Cube 60 and use all the models and FXs... Sacrilege, i know, but I reckon I get a great sound and it's uniquely mine. 8)
Jack-Flash-Jr
You have to ask youself, would Bootsy do it?
Bob-Dubery
An old GFSA competition entry
This is a Mervyn Davis Smoothtalker via a Line 6 MM4 in Univibe emulation and then into the sound card of my PC. The pickup on that guitar is fairly hot and was overdriving the sound card a little - but I left it like that to add a bit of grit and warmth.
I wanted some depth on the 'vibe effect to give that throbbing effect.
http://www.box.net/shared/fzub1kvdip
PeteM
In the latest challenge I used my nylon guitar into my Cube through the black panel with 50% drive/gain and a touch of chorus. Reverb was added in the mix.
http://www.box.net/shared/xylgvxbmg7
louwd123
Wow, a big thanks to X-Bob and Pete for sharing their pieces and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I actually played it to my wife as well. hehe. So you guys have two fans at least. I think my greatest worry was getting rediculed for using my electric rig, in the way that people who use "red sharkfins" gets slapped. hahaha, but anyway, I suppose the rule of thumb of, what sounds good to your ear, goes. I have played on some acoustic amps and i can't really say that any of them sounded natural to me. There's definitely a voicing and in some cases, a relatively sharp to even brittle string attack in the sound. *sigh* or could it be that I'm just so used to the non-amped sound that the amp sound, sounds strange.
Bob-Dubery
louwd123 wrote
Wow, a big thanks to X-Bob and Pete for sharing their pieces and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I actually played it to my wife as well. hehe. So you guys have two fans at least. I think my greatest worry was getting rediculed for using my electric rig, in the way that people who use "red sharkfins" gets slapped. hahaha, but anyway, I suppose the rule of thumb of, what sounds good to your ear, goes. I have played on some acoustic amps and i can't really say that any of them sounded natural to me. There's definitely a voicing and in some cases, a relatively sharp to even brittle string attack in the sound. *sigh* or could it be that I'm just so used to the non-amped sound that the amp sound, sounds strange.
Some of what you're describing here seems to me to be more to do with a piezo pickup (typical under saddle pickup) than an amplifier.
Some well respected players have used stomp boxes with an acoustic - I'm not just talking about loop stations and mild chorus. It's a perfectly valid thing to do, the questions are what sound you are trying to achieve and wether or not the stompboxes are helping you get there.
AlanRatcliffe
He, he, I'm using a GT-8 for piezo'd acoustic (and electric) guitars. You can turn off the amp, speaker and mic simulation and it gives you pretty much a flat response when you stick to the "meat and potatoes" effects you would usually use on acoustic (chorus, delay, reverb, EQ). I often use the "Warm clean" and "JC-120" amps (without speaker sim and at low gain setting) for extra tone control too. Plus when I want to get silly and add fuzz, slicer or even make a synth-like pad sound I can.
jonotem
louwd123 wrote
I don't know if this is a "normal" way of FX'ing an acoustic or a "less smart" way of doing it. Would like to hear how you guys FX-up your acoustics
I remember the first time I watched one of Josh Wilsons videos and it blew my mind what he does...
Have a look at this video, he does an acoustic amazing grace... flippen awesome!
And look at the pedals he uses... no shame... ?
louwd123
Hi Jono,
Thanks for the share. Except for the pedals I am a looper too and you couldn't have given a better example. I was simply ecstatic to see how good his sound is, through laptop speakers and youtube compression, hehe, but yes, very nice presentation of his instrument and in the moment creativity. I think he sleeps with his looper under his pillow every night. Seems like a boss RC-20 that he is using. Also a Boss DD-20 as delay pedal.
