Here's another folder. If you have questions about guitars, guitar recording, tuning, equipment, whatever, this is the place.

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@aol.com), February 09, 1998

Answers

I tried to submit this yesterday, hope it doesn't appear twice.

Trying to amplify a Takamine Acoustic/Electric. Running direct into an amp or the "house" system at a church, it sure doesn't sound "warm" or "acoustic". Any ideas?

-- J Patrick Altes (JPAltes@aol.com), February 17, 1998.

>>trying to amplify an acoustic<<

If you're attempting to amplify an acoustic using it's internal pick-ups, you probably won't ever achieve the "warmth" or traditional tone of an acoustic guitar as you hear it played, or as you hear it recorded using a nice mic. There's a particular and specific sound to an amplified acoustic, (I might add here that alot of people really dig the sound of an acoustic using a pick-up) and the quality of the sound is greatly reliant on the quality of the electronics within the guitar; even so, a plugged-in acoustic/electric will never sound like a miked up D-45. The other thing is that you are at the mercy of whoever is running the mixing console in a house PA situation. If you really want to maintain the integrity of the traditional acoustic "sound" (the way your guitar sounds when you play it as an acoustic) you might want to look into a condenser and mike it up. There are mics available that are small and easily hidden, you don't need to shove a big one in front of the sound hole... I believe that Countryman makes a nice clip-on condenser for acoustics, mandolins, etc.. Short of that, using the guitar's internal pickups and electronics, it will always sound like an acoustic/electric that's plugged in.

Just a thought

Donny

-- Donny Thompson (Donny269@aol.com), March 02, 1998.

Piezo pickup acoustics have a characteristic "quack" that seems darn near impossible to get rid of. The previous post about a good small condensor is a very good suggestion. I've had good luck in that regard with an Audio Technica ATM 35. The flip side is, especially in a church, which can be a pretty reverberant place, is feedback susceptibility. Just a thought. If you need to stick with the pickup only, start by taking that midrange slider on the guitar and pushing it all the way down. If your electronics let you sweep the mid frequencies, try to find a spot around 800Hz, usually toward the bottom of the range of the sweep control on most onboard guitar preamps. Also, If you have the luxury of some outboard channel EQ, try to find this same spot, or a little lower, and cut some more. Add treble and bass on the guitar preamp to taste. It ain't acoustic, it can be a little less harsh this way, and passable in a large venue situation. I wrestle with this a couple of times a month on coffeehouse and outdoor gigs.

-- Tom Armbruster (pcctomtrf@aol.com), March 04, 1998.

"The flip side is, especially in a church, which can be a pretty reverberant place, is feedback susceptibility. "

One thing I have had success with, is using a lavalier mic inside the guitar. I have done this in the studio when I had to mic an acoustic and it was either too close to the drums or piano. It is far from ideal, but you can achieve very acceptable results. Usually I just tape the cord right below the sound hole and drop the mic into the hole. Make sure it doesn't touch the wood, and let it rest right in the middle of the body. There's lots of low end you'll have to dial out, but we use this trick in the studio frequently. Try it and see. Any small lavalier-style condenser should work.

Let me know what you think.

Lynn

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@mindspring.com), March 05, 1998.

"The flip side is, especially in a church, which can be a pretty reverberant place, is feedback susceptibility. "

I've never understood why churches, ostensibly designed for people to listen to speech, sound great great for pipe organ and absolutely terrible for spoken word. Whatever. Joe

-- Joe Egan (GT12ax7@aol.com), March 09, 1998.

Just as an FYI...

The March issue of Guitar Player has a sizeable article on recording guitar, mostly of a tips 'n' tricks nature. I didn't see anything that I hadn't thought of or used at one time or another, but it sure is handy to keep around when you're wondering what kind of an approach to try and those high cholesterol digital fries have clogged your cranial arteries.....

-- Tom Armbruster (pcctomtrf@aol.com), March 27, 1998.

Hey !! How about that new studio guitar preamp/amp from Lexicon? Anybody get a chance to check it out? I'm getting pretty tired of my GSP 2101 and tubescreamer/Fender deville sound. Going direct with 2101 is okay but the cabinet simulator really lacks the dynamics of a miked cab in a room... you know where you crank it up to activate the acoustic space your in. And while the Fender Hot Rod Deville (the name sounds like a adult film star!!) makes me feel like I'm 14 again it lacks character. I would be thrilled to get a great sound (and willing to pay for it!!) with the convenience of going direct and without the high volume scenario. Besides I don't want the cops showing up at my apartment door and the neighbors getting pissed.

Any ideas?

Robert

-- Robert Frank (RndmAxess@aol.com), April 29, 1998.

< Going direct with 2101 is okay but the cabinet simulator really lacks the dynamics of a miked cab in a room... you know where you crank it up to activate the acoustic space your in.>

Agreed. I have a 2101 also, and I've found that plugging it in direct just doesn't cut it. Really thin. Unfortunately, I don't have much better quality out of my amp (a Crate -- in every sense) since I elected to put my money into the 2101 early on, instead of an amp. I've had my eye on an AC-30 for awhile now, being the old fart that I am, but I also have the same dilemma of blowing my neighbor's bedroom windows out!

As far as I know, there just hasn't been a real good amp simulator...maybe Lexicon's on to something? I'd be anxious to hear!

Mike M.

-- Mike Moncilovich (mrm917@aol.com), April 30, 1998.

I need to replace a pair of 12" speakers in my '66 Fender Pro-Reverb. The originals are blue labeled Fender speakers built by Utah. I am looking to come as close as possible to the original sound. The amp is rated at 40 watts output, but I havn't a clue what the original speakers are rated at or what the magnet weight is. Does anybody know of a suitable replacement for the originals?

-- Harold Fay (CWProd@aol.com), May 30, 1998.