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Inconsistent electroacoustic sound?


ChrisF

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I've been recently trying my LG-2 plugged in for the first time, and didn't really like the sound. Unplugged it sounds great, so vibrant, but the sound that comes through the amp is...really inconsistent. At some points you can barely hear it but suddenly the volume goes up. I couldn't spend much time trying it because I had to leave, but to me it seemed like some strings had a very strong sound, while others just sounded much lower in comparison. Like there were a lot of peaks.

 

The amp is the one I use with my LP, a Blackstar HT1R.

 

Any idea of why this could be happenning?

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the first observation is the amp you are using....

 

an acoustic really requires full range amplification. the voicing of an amp designed for an electric guitar is just not going to work well for your acoustic.

 

you'd want to plug that into something that's designed to reproduce the complex tones an acoustic guitar will deliver.

 

it's hard to say if the other observation you have, (some strings seem louder than others) is a side effect of using the amp you are using at the moment, or if there's something going on with the element under the saddle.

 

did you buy this guitar new? how old is it? have you dressed down the saddle to lower the action? (that, if not done right, can definitely impact the pickups over all performance.)

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the first observation is the amp you are using....

 

an acoustic really requires full range amplification. the voicing of an amp designed for an electric guitar is just not going to work well for your acoustic.

 

you'd want to plug that into something that's designed to reproduce the complex tones an acoustic guitar will deliver.

 

it's hard to say if the other observation you have, (some strings seem louder than others) is a side effect of using the amp you are using at the moment, or if there's something going on with the element under the saddle.

 

did you buy this guitar new? how old is it? have you dressed down the saddle to lower the action? (that, if not done right, can definitely impact the pickups over all performance.)

Yes, it was brand new, bought it about 10 days ago.

 

As far as the amp goes, I also thought it could be the problem, but I remember playing a J15 through it a couple of months ago and I think it sounded just fine.

 

I haven't done any adjustment to it yet, unplugged it sounds great. This was the first time I played it plugged though.

 

Thanks kid.

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Hey Chris, yw..

 

then we can assume the saddle wasn't changed, so you can rule that out.

 

I see the new LG2's have a LR Baggs pickup that I'm not quite familiar with. Are there any controls inside the sound hole, like mid cut/boost, etc?

 

you may need to play with the amps EQ to get it dialed in a bit, at least to get it as good as you can, and the EQ as mentioned above could help, but at the end of the day, it's probably still gonna sound a bit "quacky" for you.

 

I have a J200 with an Anthem (also from LR Baggs) and it's a very natural acoustic sounding pickup, don't sound the same at all if I plug it into an electric guitar amp, but into a preamp/sound board, or my acoustic amp, it sounds excellent.

 

Do you have any other sort of source to plug into? like a Mixer and some PA sort of speakers? That will put you more in the ball park of where you can really see how that pickup is working.

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Two points come to mind , firstly although the guitar is new you don't know how long and in what state of charge the internal battery is that powers the LRBaggs system , if it is the factory one try changing for a new good quality one , this happened to my J45 . Secondly you say that this is the first time that you have plugged it in to an amp , try moving the volume and tone controls back and forth to make sure that no static is present . I doubt if it is any thing to do with the saddle as it is new and has been checked by the factory , have you taken all the strings off during a string change , if so with respect was the saddle properly located in the saddle groove in the bridge . Lastly was it sounding ok when you tried it in the store ? If so it. Could be the amp

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... At some points you can barely hear it but suddenly the volume goes up. ...

 

Sounds like a contact issue. Swap the patch cord with one you know works fine to rule out cord problems As it's been suggested - try moving the volume and tone controls back and forth after a strum to check for static or sound differences. Then try rotating the jack plug after a strum to check for static or sound differences.

 

 

.

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Two points come to mind , firstly although the guitar is new you don't know how long and in what state of charge the internal battery is that powers the LRBaggs system , if it is the factory one try changing for a new good quality one , this happened to my J45 . Secondly you say that this is the first time that you have plugged it in to an amp , try moving the volume and tone controls back and forth to make sure that no static is present . I doubt if it is any thing to do with the saddle as it is new and has been checked by the factory , have you taken all the strings off during a string change , if so with respect was the saddle properly located in the saddle groove in the bridge . Lastly was it sounding ok when you tried it in the store ? If so it. Could be the amp

Oh, I didn't think about the battery. It's a 2013-14 model (the one that doesn't come with a pickguard) so I think that might be a reason. I'm just not used to electroacoustics, so I just guessed that if the guitar produces a sound plugged, the battery doesn't need to be replaced.

 

I didn't try it plugged in the store, I didn't even intend to buy any guitar, specially an acoustic one. I just saw it, loved its look, played it, loved its size and playability, and brought it home.

 

I only have one cord but it works great with my Les Paul. Oh, and kidblast, the guitar only comes with a volumen control, but that's all it does. I guess it could be the amp too, but I think this amp was used with a friends J15 and the sound was good.

I tried again today, this time with headphones on so I could ignore its acoustic sound, and yes, the sound is terrible. I tried going note by note and noticed that some notes tend to prolong forever (and I'm not talking about sustain...)and they end up being just a noise/hum which gets really high eventually.

 

If you think it could be the battery, I'll try replacing it. If not, I'll take it to a luthier.

 

 

Thank you all for the answers.

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If this was my guitar I would return to the store and ask the assistant to plug it in and play it and ask for a second opinion, if it is faulty they should either replace or fix under the Gibson warranty. Good luck

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Proper transduction of string vibration from bridge saddle to piezo requires smooth, even surfaces of bridge saddle underside and bridge routing. Any local inconsistency of pressure to the piezo caused by rippled areas may result in annoying level leaps or distortion. I would have that checked by a skilled luthier at the store you bought your LG-2.

 

Like already has been said, true acoustic guitar tones call for a full-range reproduction system.

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Well, I took it to a luthier and he noticed that there's indeed an inconsistency with the sound. The 6th and 5th strings sound much louder, while some of the others are much weaker, and it doesn't seem to have a regular pattern either.

 

He couldn't tell me what it was and told me to bring it next week so he can check it up. He said there might be a problem with the pickup, and that it may had to be replaced. According to him the battery is not the reason.

 

What do you guys think?

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My suggestion would be checking the critical areas with a ruler. Evaluating saddle underside and the pickup's top and bottom is relatively simple, examining the bridge's bearing area may call for removing the pickup and thus unsoldering its connection. This would be of need anyway if a rework is required.

 

I don't think it's the battery, they stay fine for about seven years when not in use. I hope it's just an adverse, unwanted recess on the bridge saddle's bottom, coarsely forming an arc in the area of 4th to 1st strings. Depending on actual string action, dressing it or a new, properly planed bridge saddle will solve the problem.

 

Good luck!

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My suggestion would be checking the critical areas with a ruler. Evaluating saddle underside and the pickup's top and bottom is relatively simple, examining the bridge's bearing area may call for removing the pickup and thus unsoldering its connection. This would be of need anyway if a rework is required.

 

I don't think it's the battery, they stay fine for about seven years when not in use. I hope it's just an adverse, unwanted recess on the bridge saddle's bottom, coarsely forming an arc in the area of 4th to 1st strings. Depending on actual string action, dressing it or a new, properly planed bridge saddle will solve the problem.

 

Good luck!

Thanks for the info. I don't have the experience nor the knowledge though, so I'm going to ask my luthier.

 

What do you guys suggest in case I have to replace the system? I literally have no idea about the different types and prices.

 

Thank you.

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