Electric Guitar for Acoustic Playing

[Reggiedadog]

Yeah I know a bit of an oxymoron

Im a solo singer and acoustic player- and thinking of pulling in a bassist and small drummer (ie small Kit not a small person) to help me add a new dimension to the act for some of the bigger pubs where the punters wanna dance.

Most of this will be strummy songs whilst I singing (example Daydream Believer and Johnny cash etc) and I am thinking it'd be nice to throw in a bit of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker type stuff.

I hate having to change guitars mid set- so thinking of a nice guitar I can use that will sound OK strummed but allow me to play a few lead bits with a boost pedal. Currently looking at Gretsch or maybe an ES125- any suggestions pointers. I've normally only played Teles in the past but don't think that'd work for the sound I'm after. I normally run my guitars into a Fishman Loudbox but may think about a small electric amp as well I guess.

Thanks

Rich

[MikeBmusic]

How about just adding a boost and a TubeScreamer to your acoustic chain?

[BoneDigger]

A fully hollow electric can get you the best of both worlds, but they can be a bit difficult due to feedback. If you go that route, play a variety unplugged and see what their acoustic qualities are. Plugged in, I can get some pretty good sounds from a hollow body. Add in a little chorus for a fuller sound.

If you don't mind spending the money, adding a different pickup can make a difference. There are some that are supposed to have a slightly more acoustic tone.

Strings can also make a difference. I actually use Tony Rice Monel (Martin) acoustic light gauge strings on my hollow body. They give it a much more acoustic tone than do typical electric guitar strings and gauges. I can still get that electric sound, but it's much more acoustic sounding than many I've heard.

[mr. beaumont]

Add a Godin Kingpin to your looking...

If you're going to play with a little dirt, a bridge pickup can be nice...sometimes a dirty neck pickup will get muddy in a stage mix.

Feedback can be controlled a variety of ways, but in general, looking for a guitar that isn't too lively unplugged will help with that.

[ras1500]

Check out the Guild Starfires.

[BoneDigger]

The Guild idea is good, but I'd look at the M75 Aristocrat. It is fully hollow "chambered" and has great acoustic tones.

[blews]

I have got the guitar for you.....

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=483460

Seriously...it's an awesome guitar to play more acoustic style with....Ping me if you would like to learn more! Jim

[Steve DeRosa]

Try one of these - same basic idea as the Taylor T5 at less than half the price:

https://www.epiphone.com/Products/Le...Ultra-III.aspx

- or if you already own a Strat, there's an old NYC "Key Club" studio players' trick that can get it done for you on the cheap:

• Install a 3-way switch
• Drop the middle pickup flush with (or even slightly below) the pickguard - you'll be using this strictly for your "acoustic" tones, neck or bridge for electric
• Add the additional two springs that Leo shipped them with in 1954, and tighten the retaining claw so that the tailpiece lays flush with the body (BTW this is commonly referred to as the "Van Halen mod" - Eddie used to use it before he discovered Floyds - and if it's good enough for him it's good enough for any of us)
• Set it up (again, as Leo shipped them from the factory) with a set of 12's (preferably flatwounds) and the lowest action possible - you're going to need some intrinsic acoustic response from the body for this to work, those additional springs in conjunction with the flush-mounted bridge generate a subtle natural reverb, and IME if your tech is worth his/her salt you may never go back to lighter strings again

While it's not a pure "acoustic" tone, neither is the quacky piezo sound that passes for "acoustic-electric" in many professional performance contexts (can you say Tommy Emmanuel?) - in practice it fills the same sonic space in an arrangement and, truth be told, it actually sounds better on the job than many more high-tech pickup installations; listen to some of the old Four Seasons' cuts ("Dawn," Ronnie," Save It For Me" et al.) to hear it in action - FYI that's nothing but a guitar, cable, and first-run Ampeg Reverberocket (later Gemini II) you're hearing - and see if it's right for you...

[hesson11]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Try one of these - same basic idea as the Taylor T5 at less than half the price:

https://www.epiphone.com/Products/Le...Ultra-III.aspx

- or if you already own a Strat, there's an old NYC "Key Club" studio players' trick that can get it done for you on the cheap:

• Install a 3-way switch
• Drop the middle pickup flush with (or even slightly below) the pickguard - you'll be using this strictly for your "acoustic" tones, neck or bridge for electric
• Add the additional two springs that Leo shipped them with in 1954, and tighten the retaining claw so that the tailpiece lays flush with the body (BTW this is commonly referred to as the "Van Halen mod" - Eddie used to use it before he discovered Floyds - and if it's good enough for him it's good enough for any of us)
• Set it up (again, as Leo shipped them from the factory) with a set of 12's (preferably flatwounds) and the lowest action possible - you're going to need some intrinsic acoustic response from the body for this to work, those additional springs in conjunction with the flush-mounted bridge generate a subtle natural reverb, and IME if your tech is worth his/her salt you may never go back to lighter strings again

While it's not a pure "acoustic" tone, neither is the quacky piezo sound that passes for "acoustic-electric" in many professional performance contexts (can you say Tommy Emmanuel?) - in practice it fills the same sonic space in an arrangement and, truth be told, it actually sounds better on the job than many more high-tech pickup installations; listen to some of the old Four Seasons' cuts ("Dawn," Ronnie," Save It For Me" et al.) to hear it in action - FYI that's nothing but a guitar, cable, and first-run Ampeg Reverberocket (later Gemini II) you're hearing - and see if it's right for you...

Well, there's an approach I wouldn't have thought of. Another compelling idea, as usual, Steve!
-Bob

[brancher]

Look at a Godin Multiac.

[Pickcity]

An Epiphone Chet Atkins is good for this type of gig. It is a solid body with acoustic tone, but plays like an electric,which it is. Very budget friendly, good acoustic sound, decent electric sound. I don't think they make this model anymore so you would have to buy used. They are not bad at all.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by hesson11

Well, there's an approach I wouldn't have thought of. Another compelling idea, as usual, Steve!
-Bob

Long time/no hear, Bob - good to see you back...

BTW I wouldn't have thought of it myself, either; for those who aren't aware, the "Key Club" - NYC's A-list answer to the Wrecking Crew/Funk Brothers/Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, and so named because Ampeg stocked the premier Manhattan studios with Gemini II/B-12XT/B-15 amps equipped with a tubular key (only issued to members through AFM Local 802) in place of the power switch - was heard on nearly every major hit coming out of the Brill Building/Phil Spector stable between 1958-1966. Oft underrated if not ignored compared to the LA/Motown/Alabama outfits, their guitar lineup was a veritable hall-of-fame of the post-war jazz scene in itself - Al Caiola, Tony Mottola, Artie Ryerson, Don Arnone, and George Barnes were all counted among their numbers at one time or another - and they brought both their spontaneous creativity and a sophisticated sensibility to the then-new medium of rock-&-roll (with the exception of some of the contemporary Motown cuts, I always found the NYC R&R/R&B "classier" than just about anything else on the charts in the early-60's). Although the originator of the "acoustic Strat" has been lost to time (FWIW Guild endorser George Barnes was known to use Fenders for R&R studio work - he's been credited with the solo on Connie Francis' "Lipstick on your Collar" - and may have developed/taught the technique to the Four Seasons' Tommy DeVito in 1963, at the time of the "Dawn" sessions) it remained a staple of the New York scene for the next decade; FYI the Seasons were using it in live performance as late as 1971 - which is in fact where I learned the trick, watching from the fourth row at one of their last concerts with all four original members...

[Reggiedadog]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Try one of these - same basic idea as the Taylor T5 at less than half the price:

https://www.epiphone.com/Products/Le...Ultra-III.aspx

- or if you already own a Strat, there's an old NYC "Key Club" studio players' trick that can get it done for you on the cheap:

• Install a 3-way switch
• Drop the middle pickup flush with (or even slightly below) the pickguard - you'll be using this strictly for your "acoustic" tones, neck or bridge for electric
• Add the additional two springs that Leo shipped them with in 1954, and tighten the retaining claw so that the tailpiece lays flush with the body (BTW this is commonly referred to as the "Van Halen mod" - Eddie used to use it before he discovered Floyds - and if it's good enough for him it's good enough for any of us)
• Set it up (again, as Leo shipped them from the factory) with a set of 12's (preferably flatwounds) and the lowest action possible - you're going to need some intrinsic acoustic response from the body for this to work, those additional springs in conjunction with the flush-mounted bridge generate a subtle natural reverb, and IME if your tech is worth his/her salt you may never go back to lighter strings again

While it's not a pure "acoustic" tone, neither is the quacky piezo sound that passes for "acoustic-electric" in many professional performance contexts (can you say Tommy Emmanuel?) - in practice it fills the same sonic space in an arrangement and, truth be told, it actually sounds better on the job than many more high-tech pickup installations; listen to some of the old Four Seasons' cuts ("Dawn," Ronnie," Save It For Me" et al.) to hear it in action - FYI that's nothing but a guitar, cable, and first-run Ampeg Reverberocket (later Gemini II) you're hearing - and see if it's right for you...

THis is a great idea Steve- just sold a strat as well- bugger.

[moon]

There are a bunch of options for acoustic (-ish) sound from an electric guitar. Epiphone's nanomag was fitted to their Ultra guitars (do they still make them?). The Graph Tech Ghost Acousti-Phonic system can be fitted to any electric guitar.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by moon

There are a bunch of options for acoustic (-ish) sound from an electric guitar. Epiphone's nanomag was fitted to their Ultra guitars (do they still make them?)...

Absolutely:

https://www.epiphone.com/Products/Le...Ultra-III.aspx

You might want to look for a NOS piece that's been around the shop for a while, though - the necks on the older ones more closely resemble the classic Gibson "Slim Taper" and are far more playable than the thick "hard-D" profile Epiphone's using on their solids/semis...