Acoustic or Electro Acoustic?


midsomernorton
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Joined: 05/09/20
Posts: 7
midsomernorton
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Joined: 05/09/20
Posts: 7
01/06/2021 6:08 pm

Hi Everyone,

I have a basic acoustic which I have enjoyed starting learning on. I am thinking, over the next few months, of upgrading. I am unsure if it is worth getting an electro acoustic, or just a regular acoustic. I am not planning on performing, so this is just for home practice, but wondered if it was worth having an electric acoustic so that I can boost certain tones and experiment with effects. Any thoughts?


# 1
William MG
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Joined: 03/08/19
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William MG
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Joined: 03/08/19
Posts: 1,631
01/06/2021 6:31 pm

Hi,

if you are just at home without a drummer and/or friends with amplified equipment, it is going to be hard to get much from the guitar that you don't already hear because most acoustics are quite loud in to begin with. However, if you do plug into an amp and dont mind the volume you can shape the tone a bit from the guitar. We have a Yamaha at home with a couple of tone adjustments at its ok I guess. Another way of looking at it is if you plug an acoustic into a regular guitar amp - add some gain, reverb etc, you get another sound again which you may like, but you have to be playing pretty loud to drown out the natural sound of the acoustic. And another option is just add a pickup to the guitar. On some amps they have an "acoustic" setting which is meant to keep an acoustic natural I guess but provide for higher volumes.

But, experimentation is fun. If you can find one at an agreeable price, it will be your only way to scratch that itch.

Good luck


This year the diet is definitely gonna stick!

# 2
manXcat
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manXcat
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01/06/2021 9:13 pm
Originally Posted by: midsomernorton

snip ...wondered if it was worth having an electric acoustic so that I can boost certain tones and experiment with effects. Any thoughts?

Concise answer. Yes

This short vid will give you some idea of why. I have pretty much the same e-acoustic rig, minus the Fender name on the headstock. Although I also have a 300W PA with mixer, I use my very portable Acoustasonic 15 at home much of the time. It's great.

Features & local effects of the pre-amp in e-acoustics vary from brand and model, but most will have a volume, treble, mid, and bass controls. My Yamaha APX600's System 65 also has an AMF control mid frequency shift EQ slider, whilst the Fishman PreSys Blend I have in another acoustic differentially has a notch, phase and mic blend for its additional mic pickup.

If you go there, you'll want an amp. Buy an acoustic amp not a multi-FX one intended for electric guitar. For home, something like the Fender Acoustasonic 15 demoed above or Blackstar Fly 3 Acoustic are plenty. Purposed for acoustic, but they accept pedals well. Chorus, Reverb, Delay etc, althougth the Acoustasonic has its own onboard Chorus and XLR mic input. Most acoustic amps these days come with some onboard effects, the more you spend, like this NUX Stageman AC-50 the more fully featured they get. (hotlinked demo better than the one linked from NUX's product page IMO)


# 3
laurelbailey198
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Joined: 01/12/21
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laurelbailey198
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Joined: 01/12/21
Posts: 1
01/12/2021 9:59 am

In an acoustic guitar, the body is hollow and the sound hole is deeper so as to produce better Which is the best guitar to learn on, an acoustic or an electric?


# 4

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