Tech: Pedals and accoustic electric guitars

Subject: Tech: Pedals and accoustic electric guitars
From: DonMeixner
Date: 27 Oct 02 - 02:00 AM

I discover that I need to create some distorted sound for the very occaisonal R & R tunes we do in our otherwise semi-trad band. Don't ask for better explaination, there isn't any :-)

I'd like a little "Rattier" sound than my Martin J16 can develope with its onboard pre amp and transducer.

Anyone have experience with overdrives or distortion pedals and accoustic electric guitars?

Don

Subject: RE: Tech: Pedals and accoustic electric guitars
From: C-flat
Date: 27 Oct 02 - 03:04 AM

Any multi-effects pedal will give you access to dozens of sounds quite cheaply. Although aimed at electric guitar users, the parameters of the pre-set tones are all accessible and can easily be altered for use with a hollow body.
Individual "stomp-boxes" can be an expensive way to aquire one new tone and whilst the "tone purists" argue that multi-effects units don't deliver the same quality of sound, for what you're wanting, i.e. tweaking the gain/drive etc. to create a new sound to use accoustically, it will be fine and will also offer many other sonic options to play around with.
I could suggest a brand/model, but as long as you can access it to make your adjustments, let your wallet be your guide.
One word of caution, when creating your new accoustic "Mega-death-killer-dive-bomb" tone, make sure you try it at gigging levels, as the hollow body of your Martin may kick off a howl of feedback enough to empty the room!
Rock On!!
C-flat.

Subject: RE: Tech: Pedals and accoustic electric guitars
From: Eric the Viking
Date: 27 Oct 02 - 06:24 AM

try a Zoom 505 acoustic pedal. gives about 50 different sounds from HM to chorus. Cheap, about 80 UK pounds(Don't know how you'll do the whammy dive bomb though!!)There are loads of pedals about, but the Zoom acoustic is for acoustic guitar. Or try Yamaha-digi-stomp.

Subject: RE: Tech: Pedals and accoustic electric guitars
From: GUEST,van lingle
Date: 27 Oct 02 - 07:11 AM

Hi Don, The old Ibanez Tube Screamer is hard to beat for if your looking for seventies type "blues/rock" distortion: compressed, thick and sustainy. Ibanez has reissued it at a reasonable price and I believe you can find it at Elderly.com. I have a TS-10 version,which I was lucky enough to find in a pawn shop for $50, and I occasionally use it with my OM Larrivee (which is outfitted with a Duncan Perfect Timbre pickup) through a Marshall acoustic amp and I get a sound akin to a 335 through an overdriven tube amp. A soundhole cover is kind of a necessity to discourage feedback.vl

Subject: RE: Tech: Pedals and accoustic electric guitars
From: 53
Date: 27 Oct 02 - 08:55 AM

I've never used distortion with a acoustic guitar.

Subject: RE: Tech: Pedals and accoustic electric guitars
From: Mooh
Date: 27 Oct 02 - 09:23 AM

Many electric guitar effects don't sound real good with a saddle pickup input, but if it's only occassional you could make do with a Boss Blues Driver, or any one of their other units. If you're using a soundhole pickup they'll sound better, imho.

Lately I've been using a Digitech RP200 multi-effects unit. It was cheap, is easy to program, and durable. One of these sort of units will allow you to tinker with the signal more, give you lots of sounds you don't need while being very versatile with delays, reverb, chorus, etc, some of which some acoustic players enjoy.

Caution: Guitar signal quality and source will change the quality of the effect drastically. The factory presets on multi-effects pedals are generic in the extreme and designed for solidbodies (it seems), so you will need to program your own settings.

Zoom, Boss, Digitech...stay with the established names.

Hope this helps.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Tech: Pedals and accoustic electric guitars
From: DonMeixner
Date: 27 Oct 02 - 09:33 AM

Thanks Gang,

Luckily I have a nusic shop locally that will let me try effects pedals at gigs. I start with and Overdrive and go from there.

Thanks

Don

Subject: RE: Tech: Pedals and acoustic electric guitars
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 27 Oct 02 - 11:33 AM

I use an AB-Y connector to send my guitar's signal to either a Fender acoustic amp, a Marshall with an overdrive channel, or both. I can have a very clean acoustic sound coming out of the Fender and anything from mild distortion to sonic vomit coming out of the Marshall at the same time. I have used the same setup for acoustic-electric or straight electric guitars.

Bruce