A Good Acoustic Sound

[shartom]

I've been pulling my hair out trying to get a good amplified sound from my acoustic. I have a Martin pickup in the bridge with no onboard electronics and am running into a Genz Benz Shanendoah acoustic amp.

I tried a Fishman Pro preamp and wasn't too pleased. Next came an ART tube preamp. It sounded better but still not the sound I wanted.

I went over to my pedal shelf and grabbed an old DOD fet preamp, and a BBE Sonic Maximizer. Bingo. I just about fell off my stool. I was actually hearing the acoustic sound of my guitar coming through the speaker. I cranked it up, and the tone didn't change, it just got louder.

I've been miking the guitar with an SM57 for quite some time with good results. Since I use the BBE in my electric rig, a second one will be coming home very soon.

[taxman]

Strange what works for the electrified/acoutic sound. I am always trying out all these fancy acoustic guitar amps in stores, reading online how such and such makes the best acoustic amp and yet I always go back to what I use at home - a Fender 25 watt Rumble bass amp. It is uncanny how this amp just amplifies my acoustic guitar sound. And that's all I want from an acoustic guitar amp - just make the sound coming out of my acoustic guitar louder.

 

A cheap 25 Watt Rumble Bass Amp - the best acoustic guitar amplifier on the market.

Who would have thought?

[bluezguy]

If you go to the LR Baggs website, they have a video clip of a Nashville heavyweight in a very high end studio putting the I-Beam against mics that you and I could probably never afford. Give a listen and judge for yourself.

It made me buy both the I-Beam and M1. The video didn't deceive... these two products are incredible.

I can only speak to those who go PA direct... (since I don't use an outboard amp).