Acoustic amps - why?
Fairly basic questions
- why should I buy an acoustic amp rather than plug the guitar into a non acoustic tube or tranny amp?
- recommendations for cheap acoustic amp best suited for B-band pickups (Ibanez EW20)
Gracias
1. regular guitar amps tend not to have full range speakers which is what you want when plugging in an acoustic to give the best sound representation ,Acoustic amps will have hi and lo gain inputs (for if you have an onboard pre-amp or not) and the gain structures of regular amps may also not be ideal to prevent feedback from your hollow box of air , with a lot of electric guitar amps being quite mid heavy .Originally Posted by U696783
2. There are loads of acoustic amps out now and you can get a lot of featues for not a lot of money - best thing is to try a few out with your guitar to see what you think sounds best .
Last edited by sticker; 5th October 2008 at 12:37 PM.
Also...generally speaking, acoustic instrument pickups require a high input impedance...actually that may have been what sticker meant when he said 'hi/lo gain inputs' but it's not the same thing.
If you're in a PA situation, you could go straight in via something like the LR Baggs Para DI.
yup 'tis what i meant .
You don't need a DI box at all to plug an electro-acoustic guitar into a PA. It's a myth that it's necessary. It's only needed really because the output of the guitar is likely to be 1/4" jack, and the input of the multicore or whatever is onstage is XLR. But an adapter would be fine. If the PA/mixer is close to the stage, or even onstage as it often is for pub gigs, etc, you can plug straight in. The output level of a preamp-equppied guitar is fine.
The hum reffered to in the post above is not true with 99% of off-the-peg electro-acoustics - they have onboard preamps so the impedance issue is solved without need of an EQ pedal or a DI.
If you are unsure, here's a simple rule: if your guitar requires a battery in order to work, you can plug it straight into the PA.
Personally I find acoustic combo amps to be boxy and unpleasant sounding, and I have tried a lot of different types. And the expensive ones are as expensive as a very small PA. I'd rather buy a small PA!!
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could != need
Good to have chaps like you dropping in on this kind of thread Jon as you've obviously got the acoustic gigging thing down. Personally, I'm not fond of sticking a kilogram of electronics inside my nice acoustic geetar (thinks back to a long gone Yamaha APX)...so I've always had passives: Baggs M1...PUTW UST...K&K UST. Those pickups *do* benefit from getting into a sympathetic preamp asap.
I thought I was answering the general question of a PASSIVE electromagnetic pickup into a PA line in.
If you need feed the above to a mic input then you need a DI box.
In the case of actives obviously they are at a generally higher level/ lower Z.
Apologies for any confusion.
Dave.
FYI: The Baggs M1 is available as active, and it is no bigger or have any more wires than the passive AFAIK.could != need
Personally, I'm not fond of sticking a kilogram of electronics inside my nice acoustic geetar (thinks back to a long gone Yamaha APX)...so I've always had passives: Baggs M1...PUTW UST...K&K UST. Those pickups *do* benefit from getting into a sympathetic preamp asap.
The others though, they do make internal preamps but they do involve sticking more stuff in your gitbox.
I just got given a K&K Quantum blender, which is a sooper dooper preamp thingy. It is clean as a whistle, not decided whether to gig it yet though. My current EQ is more flexible, but not as clean. Hmmmm
I have a website on the internet, it is pure awesome. www.jongomm.com Only available on the internet.
There is no substitute for direct experience. Try it. It will feedback like a bitch and sound awful you will then have learned first hand.
is it always necessary to have a DI box between the guitar and PA or can the jack be plugged directly in
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