Reverb for acoustic

Ray

SOmeone please tell me this. The Boss RV-5 is rated pretty decent from what I read in places. May be stupid question but that's OK so tell me can I plug an acoustic into the thing? I have a little acoustic amp with reverb but it's not good hey! Whe I went to see Tony Coz I wandered over when he was done and saw that he was goign through a Boss DD-3 so I thought then that I should be able to do same with a reverb pedal. Always thought these things were for electric guitars only.

singemonkey

Sure you can use them for acoustics. I wouldn't make the Boss my first choice though. For the kind of reverb I'm guessing you're looking for, the Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail is a cheap contender (especially the micro version). It's also very simple to operate. It's flimsy where the boss is reliable - but much better sounding on the 'hall' setting.

Otherwise the Digitech digiverb is quite highly regarded. This is only looking at the lower priced stomp-boxes. You're looking for plate, and hall reverb I'd guess. Boss has a new pedal that does the best spring reverb (why I was prepared to trade my grail) but I doubt you'll want that for acoustic.

AlanRatcliffe

The RV-5 will be great on acoustic, especially the room, hall and plate reverbs. Definitely better than a cheap spring reverb often found in cheaper amps.

Generally, aside from distortion and wah, most "electric guitar" effects work pretty well on acoustic. Reverb, chorus and delay are probably the most popular (in that order), with a side order of the other modulation effects like phaser, flanger and tremolo.

Bob-Dubery

Ray wrote SOmeone please tell me this. The Boss RV-5 is rated pretty decent from what I read in places. May be stupid question but that's OK so tell me can I plug an acoustic into the thing? I have a little acoustic amp with reverb but it's not good hey! Whe I went to see Tony Coz I wandered over when he was done and saw that he was goign through a Boss DD-3 so I thought then that I should be able to do same with a reverb pedal. Always thought these things were for electric guitars only.

Can't see why you shouldn't use it with an acoustic.

However Cox wasn't using his stompbox for reverb. Any reverb he had going was added either by the amp (AER) or on the desk. He was using the stompbox for an echo effect. Similar but not the same.

Bob-Dubery

Alan Ratcliffe wrote Generally, aside from distortion and wah, most "electric guitar" effects work pretty well on acoustic. Reverb, chorus and delay are probably the most popular (in that order), with a side order of the other modulation effects like phaser, flanger and tremolo.

I'm influenced (if I'm important enough to have influences) by John Martyn and Richard Thompson in this regard. Martyn used a lot of echo (not reverb, echo) and later on used chorus a lot. Thompson uses a lot of slap delay and a univibe turned up fast-ish. I've also tried tremolo and I think that has it's uses as well.

singemonkey

X-rated Bob wrote I'm influenced (if I'm important enough to have influences) by John Martyn and Richard Thompson in this regard. Martyn used a lot of echo (not reverb, echo) and later on used chorus a lot. Thompson uses a lot of slap delay and a univibe turned up fast-ish. I've also tried tremolo and I think that has it's uses as well.

While you're on this note, analogue delay is the way to go for slap-back echo imo. That's, in fact, what I traded my Grail to Canon for. An old Ibanez AD9. When you don't need the long delay times and the loops, go for the warmth of the analogue pedal. It's a beat old brick, but it gives exactly what I was after.

I still think that the hall 'verb on the grail is the dog's bollocks for a cheap unit - and hence great for getting what you want for acoustic. Reliability is an issue though.

racman

Alan Ratcliffe wrote

Generally, aside from distortion and wah, most "electric guitar" effects work pretty well on acoustic.

I found a TS-9 works quite well on acoustic though ?

AlanRatcliffe

Hence "generally"! Most of the time you want clean and pre, but occasionally adding a bit of grit to something - acoustic, vocals, drum overheads, whatever, is the magic dust that makes it work in the context of the track (I love the original Sansamps for that).

Ray

X-rated Bob wrote However Cox wasn't using his stompbox for reverb. Any reverb he had going was added either by the amp (AER) or on the desk. He was using the stompbox for an echo effect. Similar but not the same.

Yes, he was going thru a delay pedal. The one he said he was going to trash and I believed him. When I went and took a look what it was I saw it was pretty much bashed up already so I suppose it's paid it's keep.

Bob-Dubery

racman wrote
Alan Ratcliffe wrote

Generally, aside from distortion and wah, most "electric guitar" effects work pretty well on acoustic.
I found a TS-9 works quite well on acoustic though ?

Martyn occasionally used some kind of distortion effect (possibly a Big Muff). Combine that with the echoplex and there were some fairly rude noises going on. Thompson, in the studio, will sometimes run his acoustic into a guitar amp to dirty things up a little. Given that he runs a stereo setup it's possible that he's taking the pick up into the amp and keeping the mic output clean.

How "acoustic" this actually is debatable. Personally I think FX are under leveraged with acoustic guitar. I hear a fair bit of IMO fairly wimpy chorus to sweeten and thicken the sound a little, but I think there are plenty of stronger yet musical statements to be made with an acoustic guitar and effects. I saw Andy McGibbon (a fine player) on a rare live outing recently and he made great use of a Carl Martin Trem O'Vibe.

I liked the way Tony Cox used his delay on a couple of numbers to get what I thought of as a "cascading" effect. Very musical.

Ray

Thanks everbod. Helps.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote Hence "generally"! Most of the time you want clean and pre, but occasionally adding a bit of grit to something - acoustic, vocals, drum overheads, whatever, is the magic dust that makes it work in the context of the track

I got this sort of instructional DVD of Roy Rogers on slide. Not too much instruction but more like discussion but it's good. He has got an old acoustic guitar that hell I dont know what he's done with it but it's been happier. And then he has one of these soundhole magnetic pickups. (A while back I asked about one one here and noone was that excited but I bought one anyway and it is too grand). And then he plugs this guitar into a Mesa Boogie. And he doesnt do too bad. So monkey see, monkey do (although I dont ahve a Mesa Boogie just a little Cub 10) and yissis it is something I like. I set the gain up a bit and then for good measure just put a blues driver inbetween as well. OK, that might take a bit of tweaking because that's more than a bit of grit. OK, the slide playing leaves a heck of a lot to be desired but getting there.

As for delay, I was thinking along the lines of the DD-7 which models analog delay. And not that expensive.

singemonkey

Ray wrote I got this sort of instructional DVD of Roy Rogers on slide.

The singing cowboy? How did he get over the loss of Trigger the Wonder Horse?

Squonk

racman wrote
Alan Ratcliffe wrote

Generally, aside from distortion and wah, most "electric guitar" effects work pretty well on acoustic.
I found a TS-9 works quite well on acoustic though ?

Monte Montgomery uses a TS-9. You must hear the tone he gets with his acoustic! Awesome stuff.