Pedals/Effects for Acoustic Performance

[robertscott]

Hi guys,

 

So I'm the proud owner of a Hummingbird Rosewood. It's so nice I had to make it very clear to my girlfriend that if we have a house fire then she'll not be getting rescued first.

 

I'm no stranger to live performances, and have played in bands for close to 2 decades now (when did I get so old?). Having said that, I've never done the one man and his acoustic thing, and I think I'd like to give it a try.

 

What pedals/effects are you guys using with your acoustic on live performances? I'm thinking maybe a tiny bit of delay, maybe even a smidge of chorus but probably not. I've heard talk of acoustic imaging pedals but I have no idea what they are for or whether they're necessary.

 

Any and all input is much appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Bob

[EuroAussie]

Just a few bits and bobs. Some room reverb, and then the main ones i use is chorus for a few songs where i want a 12 string effect, volume booster for lead playing and on a couple tracks a bit of delay. Thats about it.

 

When do you expect to break up with you girlfriend after you let know the news ...?

[blindboygrunt]

After hanging around here and reading various things , a fishman spectrum aura di and a fishman aa220 would be my shopping list.

 

But , saying that , i gig and just plug into the local pub board/ small desk and i enjoy myself and havnet got thrown out yet.

[duluthdan]

I used to drag a DeltaFlex digital effects processor along that allowed me to dial in just a hint of delay, and a bit of reverb. The unit itself is a castaway rack unit from a recording studio in Minnesota that was upgrading, and offered it to me for the outstanding price of FREE. Can't beat that. Also used to play through a Fender Acoustisonic in a church band, that also had delay and reverb controls. I'll have to research BBG's suggestion on the Fishman Aura DI - if its smaller than my rack unit, and has delay capability, it would fit the bill better.

[MorrisrownSal]

I use a Fishman SA220 Amp... but you can easily do cheaper. The Fishman Loudbox Artist might be all you need. I also use a Fishman Aura Spectrum DI... And I have downloaded specifi images for Martin D35s and Gibsons. Yuo basically get to dial in a mix of the image and your pickup. Typically I dial in only about 30% of the image. It gets rid of the "quack".

 

Good luck... the "old man and his acoustic thing" is fun. I recently started doing it after a 25 year hiatus from paid gigs.

[Boyd]

I've never done the one man and his acoustic thing, and I think I'd like to give it a try.

 

Wouldn't that be more like "one man and his acoustic and his pickup and his pedals and his effects and his amp thing"?

[58 Relic]

I just use a little twin delay with 8th notes on some songs but normally it's just a little reverb on the amp

[MissouriPicker]

At the very most, I use a little bit of chorus for the guitar. Kind of depends on the room. I've never used "effects pedals" before. I have no idea what I'd do with them. If the "effects" are not on my Yamaha or Roland, then I don't go looking for them. Don't think I've ever used the full effects capability of my Yamaha or Roland amps/mixers. I'm not trying to sound like a guitar wizard or "new country" singer. I just want to sound like me and I want my guitar to sound as close to acoustic as possible.

[BluesKing777]

Wouldn't that be more like "one man and his acoustic and his pickup and his pedals and his effects and his amp thing"?

 

 

 

 

 

And roadie........

 

Effects and gadgets can turn into a quest. Lots of research needed because gadget makers generally fib a bit.

 

I had zip when I used to play, except an awful cheap mic, and now I don't play anywheres, of course have a day job, I have EVERYTHING! Wahoo!

 

I also recently bought the ultimate stage guitar - my new Martin D18e Retro with the full Fishman Aura installed. That's what I would take, except it might get hurt at some joints, so a spare or 2 is needed. :mellow: (And a bag of batteries......)

 

 

BluesKing777.

[robertscott]

When do you expect to break up with you girlfriend after you let know the news ...?

 

I honestly thought she'd leave me when I was buying the thing. I was in the guitar shop for about 6 hours. Eventually she just went and sat in the car.

 

After hanging around here and reading various things , a fishman spectrum aura di and a fishman aa220 would be my shopping list.

 

But , saying that , i gig and just plug into the local pub board/ small desk and i enjoy myself and havnet got thrown out yet.

 

So the fishman aura looks like exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for that! I'm a keep it simple kind of guy so I'm happy enough with that. Might still add the tiniest bit of chorus. Just a smidge.

 

I used to drag a DeltaFlex digital effects processor along that allowed me to dial in just a hint of delay, and a bit of reverb. The unit itself is a castaway rack unit from a recording studio in Minnesota that was upgrading, and offered it to me for the outstanding price of FREE. Can't beat that. Also used to play through a Fender Acoustisonic in a church band, that also had delay and reverb controls. I'll have to research BBG's suggestion on the Fishman Aura DI - if its smaller than my rack unit, and has delay capability, it would fit the bill better.

 

Another vote for the fishman aura!

 

 

I use a Fishman SA220 Amp... but you can easily do cheaper. The Fishman Loudbox Artist might be all you need. I also use a Fishman Aura Spectrum DI... And I have downloaded specifi images for Martin D35s and Gibsons. Yuo basically get to dial in a mix of the image and your pickup. Typically I dial in only about 30% of the image. It gets rid of the "quack".

 

Good luck... the "old man and his acoustic thing" is fun. I recently started doing it after a 25 year hiatus from paid gigs.

 

Haha, well I'm only 30 so not that old yet! Yet another fishman vote which is cool

 

 

Wouldn't that be more like "one man and his acoustic and his pickup and his pedals and his effects and his amp thing"?

 

And his hundreds of adoring fans!

 

I just use a little twin delay with 8th notes on some songs but normally it's just a little reverb on the amp

 

Yeah I'd always use a tiny bit of reverb but I would expect whatever rig I was using would have that already

 

At the very most, I use a little bit of chorus for the guitar. Kind of depends on the room. I've never used "effects pedals" before. I have no idea what I'd do with them. If the "effects" are not on my Yamaha or Roland, then I don't go looking for them. Don't think I've ever used the full effects capability of my Yamaha or Roland amps/mixers. I'm not trying to sound like a guitar wizard or "new country" singer. I just want to sound like me and I want my guitar to sound as close to acoustic as possible.

 

I hear ya, I definitely don't want to overcomplicate things. Just want a way to standardise my tone, if that makes sense.

 

 

 

 

 

And roadie........

 

Effects and gadgets can turn into a quest. Lots of research needed because gadget makers generally fib a bit.

 

I had zip when I used to play, except an awful cheap mic, and now I don't play anywheres, of course have a day job, I have EVERYTHING! Wahoo!

 

I also recently bought the ultimate stage guitar - my new Martin D18e Retro with the full Fishman Aura installed. That's what I would take, except it might get hurt at some joints, so a spare or 2 is needed. :mellow: (And a bag of batteries......)

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

Niiiice sounding guitar!

[Bartimaeus]

Depends on the room.

 

Usually, I want as close to actual sound as possible. However in some (bigger) rooms or outside, certain effects really enhance the listener experience. My favorite amp is a Fender Acoustisonic Pro-- very wide controls for string dynamics, etc. and 100 presets that make pretty good sense. But at the end of the day -- to me it's not a reverb issue, it's a 'presence' issue. This amp, like any other I'd use -- has an xlr out for PA. If I'm connecting to PA - I try to play mostly from the amp and have whoever is doing sound use the PA to balance the mix. I think an acoustic sound should come from a point on stage. Just me.

 

If its a big outside venue ... it's all PA and the acoustic sound gets muddy almost no matter what. Especially if the board is digital with compression and all those trix. For instance in most churches -- every guitar plugged into the PA almost sounds the same, except for quality of tuning / intonation.

 

In smaller rooms I use this rig:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8qlTh8s3BRINDQtdFFtUk04eW8/view?usp=sharing

 

No PA. Basically, what I want is something like 'double the volume of the guitar" or a shade more. If listeners can't tell I'm amped, that's good. I adjust the Amp to centers on it's knobs (including reverb) but barely crack the volume. Using the pre-amp (very clean) I balance tones and bring up the gain until it just feeds back -- then notch out those frequencies. For a given instrument, those frequencies don't usually change ... but some rooms are better acoustically and I've been surprised.

 

Bear in mind, test set up in an empty room is one thing. Anticipating how the room 'plays' while full of people - especially in a small venue - is an art. I try to preset to be partway there, and then dial it in a little during the perf. Usually just adding volume on the amp until risking feedback. Sometimes I'll add teeny bits of bass on the pre-amp.

 

With my small room gear -- it's one trip to get it inside, Guitar, amp, stands, music. 5 minutes to set up. I leave the guitar on it's stand at least 30 minutes to reach temp and then check final tuning. Good to go.

[kidblast]

you can't go wrong with the Fishman Aura, I've been using a Yamaha AG Stomp that I've had for a while now.

 

you can find these on the Bay for dirt, (they were pricey back in the day,, they sound really good tho, very easy to use, and have most of what you'd need, compressor, reverb, delay, chorus, multi-presets etc.)

 

 

just thought I could add that you may want to consider a looper, I use a Ditto X2. it's nice to be able to record a quick chord pattern loop to play some solos over when you're going to just do an acoustic/solo thing. Once you get the hang of it, you'd be surprised how easily you can incorporate it into your playing.