I promise this is not a troll post

[Jambi]

Is there anyone here who at times PREFERS tone/sound of an acoustic with mic and pickup? I'm not implying that natural acoustic tone isn't wondrous when coming from a well made guitar built with fine woods, but just that there's a beauty it some sounds created by technology blended into tradition.

Case in point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfQ409djfF4 Erik Mongrain's 'Fates'. Now this a Carbon Fiber with mic and pickup and the sound from it is enchanting, in my opinion. Now I've spoken to Erik online and he's said that he prefers his modern sound better but I guess it all comes down to individual taste.

Does anyone else seek an elusive amp'd sound as much as a natural one?

[mr. beaumont]

Well, think of your favorite acoustic guitar recording.

There's a microphone involved.

[Jambi]

Very good point.

[Fret-O'File]

I do know what you are talking about. In my opinion, it wouldn't include the tone in that video but that's just my preference.
Since finding a natural sounding pickup/mic and really being able to hear my guitar only louder through my amp, adding fx like reverb & delay gives me a sound that I sometimes like as much as my guitars acoustically.

[fazool]

The whole purpose of a good microphone pickup is to capture the acoustic sound authentically.

I cannot stand, piezo pickup quack so not all pickups are good to my ears.

Bluntly speaking, I hated the tone in that video. I thought it sounded awful.

[Irish Pennant]

After about a year of playing I decided I would forego the search for a good guitar and settle for a decent one until I learned how to play and what I wanted. In the interim I started down the path of putting together a good sound system. My playing has improved since then and I've added a couple of decent good playing and plugged in guitars to the stable. I still don't know what I want from a good/great guitar.

"Does anyone else seek an elusive amp'd sound as much as a natural one? "

At times I've pursued a sound and at other times I pursued an idea. I've added and subtracted pedals, pickups, mics, mixers, speakers, amps and monitors. This weekend I'm buying a subwoofer. There are times when the tone is so annoying I want to destroy my guitars and there are other times when it's so magical I don't want to put them down. When I setup for a gig, I usually get complements about the sound quality from other musicians. When I plug into other systems, very few are inspiring.

One aspect of plugging in that I find desirable is that I can change the tone so that every song doesn't sound the same. I can use loopers in moderation and tone coloring pedals to add diversity to the sound.

I've listened to soloist that have great technique and high end guitars with perfect acoustic tone that gets boring after the third song because the tone doesn't change. I've also listened to looper musicians that are great at their art but also get boring after the third song because technique doesn't change, same for finger style instrumentalist.

EDIT: This is why I spend most of my AGF time on the amplified sub-forum.

[Racerbob]

Interesting but if there was no video, just audio, I'd figure it was a synth. Not like an electric guitar nor an acoustic.

[midwinter]

To my ears is sounds like there's some other processing going on. Not just reverb, but some kind of other effects (could be built into the reverb decay, though)

Originally Posted by Jambi

Case in point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfQ409djfF4 Erik Mongrain's 'Fates'. Now this a Carbon Fiber with mic and pickup and the sound from it is enchanting, in my opinion.

[RustyAxe]

When recording an acoustic guitarist I always record one channel on a DI (if the guitar has a pickup) and use two mics (sometimes in mid-side configuration) ... then blend them at mix down.

That recording has a lot of FX and EQ going on.

[KevWind]

Personally I like all kinds of guitar music as opposed to just one...... Acoustic , Electric, Slide , Resonator, etc.

Here is my favorite song off an album that features a pic up style sound .
Love or hate the sound the artistry is unmistakable.

[gfsark]

I have to agree with Fazool. To my ears this recording was almost painful to listen to, harsh, thin, metallic sound; a rythmic but unmelodic song, and tapping that seems to have replaced melody line, as it does for most who try to follow in Michael Hedges footsteps.

On Youtube the responses were gushing with praise which just shows, there's no accounting for taste. By comparison, last night I listened to and recorded a classical guitar concert. Now you are taking about rich full tones, but perhaps music that's not too exciting. Tonight I'm playing in an electric guitar ensemble, which will be a blast. And of course, that sound is totally artificial, with amps, and overdrive and effects,etc. So it's not the technology behind the sound that gets me going, it's the sound itself. And the music.

[myersbw]

I agree with many of you for many reasons. I do love a vast tonal palette. And, the tonal palette affects "how" I play, what I play, and how emotional I'll play.

Sometimes I love a simpler more natural acoustic tone, but I'll rarely stay there for more than one tune. I'm a huge fan of spatial tone and harmonic done well.

BradM

[ricdoug]

Craig's guitars are a hybrid semi acoustic style. He's a gifted artist. I've seen him live locally and his signature guitars are incredibly playable (I live very close to the Carvin factory showroom). Ric

Originally Posted by KevWind

Personally I like all kinds of guitar music as opposed to just one...... Acoustic , Electric, Slide , Resonator, etc.

Here is my favorite song off an album that features a pic up style sound .
Love or hate the sound the artistry is unmistakable.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Jambi

Is there anyone here who at times PREFERS tone/sound of an acoustic with mic and pickup? I'm not implying that natural acoustic tone isn't wondrous when coming from a well made guitar built with fine woods, but just that there's a beauty it some sounds created by technology blended into tradition.

Case in point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfQ409djfF4 Erik Mongrain's 'Fates'. Now this a Carbon Fiber with mic and pickup and the sound from it is enchanting, in my opinion. Now I've spoken to Erik online and he's said that he prefers his modern sound better but I guess it all comes down to individual taste.

Does anyone else seek an elusive amp'd sound as much as a natural one?

Just to take the example - you have given - my first thought was of an artificial sounding bass, and a tinny electrical treble. I don't know whether tyhis is amplification realistically transmitting the sound of a CF guitar, or whether it is just the inevitable inaccuracy of amplification.

Because of venue limitations (i.e. we can have people talking at a bar, I have had to resport to amplification at my club.

The pub has a good Mackie system (obviously I don't use the bass unit) and I use one , simple large condenser microphone - no "plugging in, no sperate mics for vocals and guitars etc. I place the performers about two feet away from the mic, and position is about half way between mouth and soundhole (depending on whether they are quiet singers, or players). I use my old Rode NT1 through a cheap mixer with no Eq or fx.

Cheap guitars sound cheap, good guitars sound wonderful, poor singers are heard, and good singers sound great.

Every single night I get compliments about the sound quality.

The point being that everyone who wants to hears the vocals and instruments pretty much as they would acoustically - but at a slightly higher volume.

In fact, if there was not the issue of non club members talking at the bar, a good guitar and singer could fill the room anyway.

Everybody

[ukejon]

Jambi, pluggin in is a blast and all part of the expanded experience of playing acoustic. In particular, the added sustain and reverb, and even sometimes a touch of delay, adds entirely new tools to affect the song being played. As with you, I very much enjoy playing amplified.