effects processor advice please

[DD Bluz]

I have a brand new 312ce, nicest acoustic guitar (to me) I've ever played (30 years). Wife bought it for me as a "30 years of playing guitar Chanukah gift". How cool is that?

When some of you play out, what effects processor do you use? I have a Digitech rp100 that is great for electrics... but noisy with the Taylor (totally unacceptable!!).

Anybody have experience regarding the Yamaha ag stomp? How about the Zoom 504II? Boss AG3? I'm gonna buy one of these but want expert advice from the forum gurus. Thanks in advance for your help.

DD

[cotten]

AG Stomp for me. Very capable unit with lots of tone variations, nearly every one useful and realistic. The manual is weak, but I've found some great sounds through this unit, for both live playing and recording.

I also have the Boss AG-3. Much more limited tonally, but nice chorus and reverb for the $68 sale price I paid. Don't think I'd pay the $180 or so I've seen it for in some places.

cotten

[stratokatsu]

Happy Hanukkah DD... I bought my own Hanukkah present yesterday, a new 410CE...

Personally, I play it straight with my acoustics, but with my electrics, I've got a Johnson J-Station I've very pleased with. Whether through an amp for fun or as a tonal shaper into the recorder, it gives me loads of options and programable sets. It's easy to learn and cheap to buy. I love it when I'm home alone, set the J on some ridiculous setting an old fart like me shouldn't be allowed to use and I can play Foxy Lady, make faces, and act half my age. Ahhh... life is wonderful !

[neelekke]

Originally posted by cotten

I also have the Boss AG-3.

Surely you guys mean the Boss AD-3. I've never heard of an AG-3, but then again I've noticed that some brands have different model numbers for the same thing in the USA. I have an AD-3 as well and I must say that I'm very pleased with it. It's certainly a lot of pedal for your money (Chorus, Reverb, Amp simulator, Auto Anti feedback, EQ, Notch filter for around $100!) and suits my needs very well. I don't think I'll ever need much more. If I do I'll just get one of the smaller pedals and plug it into my signal chain. I have to add that the AD-3 doesn't quite give me the punch I like to cut through heavy stage noise, but in conjunction with a LRBaggs PADI, which BTW in my opinion should be standard equipment for any electro-acoustic guitarist, it works magic. A PADI and AD-3 together (Boss first, PADI second) sounds like overkill, but it really sounds great!

[rhinollc]

Originally posted by DD Bluz

How about the Zoom 504II?

DD

I have one of these, I use it with my 614ce. It's pretty sweet, man. Especially given the price! All you need (and, actually, probably a little too much) for an acoustic effects processor. Zoom makes pretty OK and very well-priced stuff. Plastic construction is the only negative...effects themselves (especially the chorus) are very good. Twelve-string emulation is shaky...but I've yet to hear an electronic simulation of twelve strings that sounds 'right.'

[DD Bluz]

Thanks for the replies.
You are correct, the Boss is the AD3, not AG3. Money wise, it's not 100., it's 179. at MF and AMS. The Yamaha is 399. and the zoom is 69. Is the price differential between the three worth it? I need good tone and no noise (picky picky picky....).

DD

[Roy]

I'm not familiar with effects added to an acoustic guitar. I can understand chorus, although a 12-string does a better job of that. What other effects do you use? What am I missing out on here? (Oh, I did try my J-Station with my acoustic, but it sounds pretty bad on everything).

[DD Bluz]

Effects can do a lot for your tone, but acoustic amplification is more tricky, as you want to preserve you natural tone. In my case, my Fender Cyber Twin amp does that really well, but my portable rig, which is an rp100 and a Crate portable battery amp, is noisy. The noise is clearly the rp100. I have an rp7 which sounds awesome (I use it with a Fender Blues Junior for live electric bar gigs), but it's portable tone what I'm after.

DD

[rhinollc]

DD,

Can't talk about the others...no experience. As far as the Zoom goes, there's a noise filter/suppressor so that you can control it pretty well. As far as the built-ins go, some are noisier than others. But the basic tones are all pretty clean.

My main purpose in getting the thing was to have an all-in-one pedal for performing acoustic (didn't want separate chorus/tuners/etc stomp box rig anymore.) I have to report that it does the job well. I wind up mostly switching between only two or three of the stock settings, one of which is slightly juiced (but that's just me being picky about tone!)

For $69, just to get a really nice chorus pedal with a built in (and good) tuner, it's worth it. My $.02.

[rhinollc]

And oh yeah...

Don't forget the $20 for an AC adapter...

[Dennis]

For acoustic amplification, I highly recommend the Fender Acoustasonic Jr. I bought one from Steve314 here on our forum, and I love it. Great sounds w/a Taylor.

Reasonable price and it sounds great.

d

[DD Bluz]

Thanks for your help. Acoustisonics are great, particularly the larger one. However...I need another amp like I need another buttock...
I've settled on the Zoom 504 II. I'll get it today, review it and report back to the forum.

DD

[DD Bluz]

OK,

Played a gig at a friend's party with the Zoom 504 II yesterday. It went well. The pedal does what it is supposed to do, and has met the DD tone "seal of approval". It's very quiet, and the reverbs, chorus and other effects are really nice. I paid 55 bucks for the demo model, which was virtually new. I would recommend this pedal for any gig. You folks gave great advice that really paid off! Thanks!

DD

[rhinollc]

DD,

Glad it worked out! Have you funked around with the "acoustic wah" effect yet??? That thing is pretty hilarious...

Dave

[DD Bluz]

No acoustic wah as yet...probably will try it but will never use it.

DD