Yeh its okay if you've got a nice respectful audience, but even folk clubs are pretty partisan - they are pretty grudging as to whom they will grant respect.

A couple of years ago I saw a room ful of people cheated out of an evening of listening to Wizz Jones because a few noisy herberts outside decided it wasn't really folk music - not being about vital up to the minute subjects like pretty mill girls being deserted by their soldier laddies, and chasing the fox. Some people had travelled long distances to see Wizz.

I remember my favourite guitarist of all time - the late Gerry Lockran going through an eveing of solid shit like that one night in Sutton Coldfield. And I swear to this day that very few people who claim to worship the ground Martin carthy stands on actually understand what a brilliant musician he is, cos like someone says you can't hear picking all that well unamplified. Its a quiet instrument.

So I say use anything that enhances your hearing of the acoustic sound. For two reasons - first there is a long tradition of complete noisy inattentive arseholes getting in to see the best guitarists. This goes right back to the days of Django Rheinhardt - who was never really an electric guitarist - he was forced to go electric by noisy audiences.

Secondly there are creative possibilties in processing the acoustic sound. Last weekend I saw a guitarist accompanying Vikki Clayton at Belvoir Castle - Chris Conway. he is wonderful. I wonder if he gives lessons.