Acoustic Simulator Pedals

[Guest idol_wild]

I have never really considered these as viable for me in any way, but recently I'm considering investing in one. I always felt that if one wants an acoustic guitar sound then one should just use an acoustic guitar. But sometimes that's impractical.

Can you offer any advice/guidance about acoustic simulators?

[Bigsby]

I know what you're saying, and I've never used one in a live setting, but the other guitarist in Crake has one and to be honest they sound pretty much the same as a piezo pickup (ie shit and nothing like a real acoustic). Very difficult to get a decent amplified acoustic sound.

[Guest idol_wild]

I know what you're saying, and I've never used one in a live setting, but the other guitarist in Crake has one and to be honest they sound pretty much the same as a piezo pickup (ie shit and nothing like a real acoustic). Very difficult to get a decent amplified acoustic sound.

I have a feeling most responses will be along these lines...

Thanks though

[Alkaline]

Yeah, the one's i've tried in the past have been very poor and sound very different to an acoustic. I agree with Bigsby, they do sound like Piezo pickups on acoustics. I wouldn't bother getting one if i were you Phill.

[Soda Jerk]

You really can't replicate the dynamics of an acoustic guitar with a digital pedal. Even an acoustic amplifier will do enough to completely shittify the sound of even the nicest acoustic guitar. You really can't go wrong with sticking a microphone infront of an acoustic, as it resonates the WHOLE tone, where as DI'ing it from the a pickup/jack output will only resonate string vibration, and not the natural tone from the friction of the pick, as well as the tone that reverberates out of the guitar as opposed to just the tone that goes inside the guitar.

I wouldn't bother at all. Just find yourself a clean tone you're comfortable with on you current guitar(s)/amp(s).

[Bigsby]

You really can't go wrong with sticking a microphone infront of an acoustic

Pretty difficult to do that in a band situation though, and most sound engineers in Aberdeen wouldn't thank you for asking to do that even if you were playing a solo set I would guess. Then you have to make sure you are sitting right in front of the mic the whole time you are playing as well.

I've had better results with a soundhole pickup, they ten to be less tinny and fizzy sounding than a piezo.

All this said, in my experience your average punter has become so used to hearing crappy piezo sounds that to them, piezo=acoustic and they won't really notice any difference.

[Guest idol_wild]

Pretty difficult to do that in a band situation though, and most sound engineers in Aberdeen wouldn't thank you for asking to do that even if you were playing a solo set I would guess. Then you have to make sure you are sitting right in front of the mic the whole time you are playing as well.

I've had better results with a soundhole pickup, they ten to be less tinny and fizzy sounding than a piezo.

All this said, in my experience your average punter has become so used to hearing crappy piezo sounds that to them, piezo=acoustic and they won't really notice any difference.

Yeah, I like to not only stand-up, but move around the stage area at least a little bit. I tried using a mic placed infront of an acoustic and it just fedback constantly and caused problems. Plus, I have more going on in my live set-up than just one acoustic guitar

Clean tone on my electric it is then!

[Soda Jerk]

Yeah, it is hard to implement in a live set-up. I was mainly just being anal about the dynamics of acoustic guitars rather than putting it forward as an option. Live acoustic guitars are a bit of a hazard unless it's a solo effort. Amplifying them just makes it sound a bit cheap.

It shouldn't feedback using a microphone though. That probably means the mic was a bit pants or it was just far too loud.

[Guest idol_wild]

Yeah, it is hard to implement in a live set-up. I was mainly just being anal about the dynamics of acoustic guitars rather than putting it forward as an option. Live acoustic guitars are a bit of a hazard unless it's a solo effort. Amplifying them just makes it sound a bit cheap.

It shouldn't feedback using a microphone though. That probably means the mic was a bit pants or it was just far too loud.

Don't worry, your advice pretty much made my mind-up, so cheers.

But yeah, when my acoustic was feeding back it was due to several things, but mainly because it had to be loud because I play over the top of looped atmospherics. Plus it's an old, cheap acoustic (but I love it so!).

[Soda Jerk]

You could always opt for an EQ pedal and possibly a chorus pedal to add quite a crisp tone to your clean sound which will sort of give your tone a bit of an acoustic character. Don't ooverload it so it sounds like Peter Frampton, but just make it shimmer a little bit, like the intro to Nirvana's Come As You Are.

[Bigsby]

but just make it shimmer a little bit, like the intro to Nirvana's Come As You Are.

Yes, that's a very subtle use of effect, hardly noticable.

[Guest idol_wild]

You could always opt for an EQ pedal and possibly a chorus pedal to add quite a crisp tone to your clean sound which will sort of give your tone a bit of an acoustic character. Don't ooverload it so it sounds like Peter Frampton, but just make it shimmer a little bit, like the intro to Nirvana's Come As You Are.

I do have a wee EQ pedal that I may dust down.

I will never ever use a chorus pedal though.

[Soda Jerk]

[soundian]

It shouldn't feedback using a microphone though. That probably means the mic was a bit pants or it was just far too loud.

It could also mean an acoustic is too quiet, which is what I've found when I mic up acoustics in a live situation. Even with a solo act it's almost impossible to get a miked acoustic loud enough to overcome the background chatter in most venues. There are a lot of other reasons as well (using the wrong mic comes fairly low in the list) which I'll not bore you with, physics and stuff.