CHALLENGE - Need a beater with a BIG plugged-in sound

sashua · #1 06-22-2016, 10:16 PM

I am in a band and my acoustic with Fishman pickup just isn't cutting through the mix. It quacks and occasionally bites but that's not what I need

I have listened to Maton guitars plugged in and that is roughly what I am looking for...but for $650 or less if possible.

I don't care about the brand
I don't care about what it sounds like un-amplified
I don't care if it is new or used or if it has a few scars

Let's be creative here....any ideas?

billyg · #2 06-22-2016, 10:34 PM

Used Takamine if you are ok with 1 11/16 nut.

jomaynor · #3 06-22-2016, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sashua

I am in a band and my acoustic with Fishman pickup just isn't cutting through the mix. It quacks and occasionally bites but that's not what I need

I have listened to Maton guitars plugged in and that is roughly what I am looking for...but for $650 or less if possible.

I don't care about the brand
I don't care about what it sounds like un-amplified
I don't care if it is new or used or if it has a few scars

Let's be creative here....any ideas?

You could always simply put a magnetic pickup in your existing guitar, and then get a preamp/EQ - and any number of effects pedals, too.

You can get a VERY big sound this way, or you can dial it back to sound more acoustic-y, but still cut through a mix.

midwinter · #4 06-23-2016, 12:21 AM

+1 for an old Takamine.

Or grab some used dread and stick a K&K in it.

Nick84 · #5 06-23-2016, 02:16 AM

+1 for the mag pick up. Add eq, pedals - perfect for a band setting. Maybe go with a fishman rare earth humbucker you wouldn't even have to permanently install it in your current guitar. It would just pop in for gigs easily.

SBTs like K&K won't do the job at those sorts of volumes.

otavio · #6 06-23-2016, 09:09 AM

Yamaha AC1M

Petty1818 · #7 06-23-2016, 10:46 AM

Takamine all the way. The only thing to watch out for are the G series models. They are the more affordable Takamine line but they do not use the same palathetic pickup system. This might have changed but mine had a normal UST when I pulled out the saddle. The UST still sounds very good but I would go for a used but higher end Tak.

Taylor is also putting the new ES2 in all of their guitars, even the 100 series. That's another option for a beater with a large sound.

chitz · #8 06-23-2016, 11:09 AM

As suggested... I'd try a magnetic pickup before I'd buy another guitar.
Maybe a Lawrence A245c for $45.

fazool · #9 06-23-2016, 11:19 AM

You don't like your pickup, so you're buying a new guitar?

Change the pickup.

hotroad · #10 06-23-2016, 01:24 PM

Grab an old M1 used and you can get all the Big you want. You may also want a good eq pedal. I have the DTar Solstice for my tone shaping and love it. There are cheaper easier ways like a MXR eq pedal with volume and gain on it. Love that too. Its easy to get Big sound without buying another guitar, like others are saying here. Go for it.

Petty1818 · #11 06-23-2016, 02:04 PM

I don't know if a mag would get you what you want. If you like the sound of the Maton pickup then you will probably be let down by something like the M1, which has a much more electric tone to it.

C_Becker · #12 06-23-2016, 02:20 PM

Epiphones Masterbilt DR-500MCE supposedly sounds quite good plugged in.
It certainly plays nice and should be below your price point.

erniecaster · #13 06-25-2016, 03:08 AM

Hi,

check out Yamahas APX 700 and CPX 700. And try a Faith Naked Venus.

These are good starting points but you will need some EQ behind to make it really big. A Boss GE7 will do the job and then find something with a parametric like this little guy http://www.artecsound.com/effect/index.html to get out quack.

cu

erniecaster

RockerDuck · #14 06-25-2016, 09:32 AM

Put a Dunlop Feedback destroyer in your sound hole and buy a Zoom A3 and use the Model of your choice. No more quack and no more feed back.

Irish Pennant · #15 06-25-2016, 09:35 AM

Try out a Para Acoustic DI or a Zoom A3 or a Fishman Loudbox Mini to tame the quack and to clean up the tone of your existing guitar.

I'm no expert but my experience with quack is that it comes from both the pick up and the PA system. A guitar that quacks in one PA system may not quack in another. If your band's PA system is one of the faults, adding a signal conditioner such as what I mentioned up top will help. The Loudbox Mini can also be used as your monitor, makes it easier to hear yourself through the band mix, when I use my Loudbox Mini, I still put the Zoom A3 in front of it for added tone control.

My traveler (beater) guitar is a Takamine GS 330s, I put a Fishman Matrix Infinity in it and it has a good plugged in sound and gives me very little grief.