TC Helicon Play Acoustic - opinions and alternatives

[nevermore67]

Hi all.

I’ve recently returned to live performing after many, many years of playing to myself at home. I happened to be in Liverpool the other week and had the chance to visit The Cavern which was full of very talented musicians, one of whom was harmonising with himself on stage.

I’m not that up on pedals and other gadgets for acoustic and hadn’t come across anyone doing this before, but I thought it sounded brilliant. I got talking with him after the show and he told me he was using a TC Helicon Play Acoustic for looping his guitar and creating vocal harmonies.

I’ve seen a couple of these units on eBay and I’m considering a purchase, but before I do, I wondered if anyone on the forum had experience using one of these and could let me know their opinion of them, or could recommend a similar unit that does more or less the same job looping guitar and applying vocal harmony effects.

A little research suggests that a Boss Acoustic Singer VE-8 covers the same ground, but it’s a little out of my price range.

Thanks

[nevermore67]

Just seen there are plenty of threads on here already answering the same question so I’ll have a read through, unless anyone has any burning opinions to share.

[CASD57]

I use their Perform-VG...clips onto the mic stand for handy adjustments on the fly if needed

[Chriscom]

I've used both the Boss VE-8 and TC Helicon Harmony Singer 2. Both are very good. I stopped using the VE-8 because I found the buttons required more pressure than I wanted to deall with for a quick tap (I may be the only one with this issue, I'm finicky). The Harmony Singer is a favorite in this space and super simple. I used one for awhile until it started altering the sound of... either my guitar or vocal, I can't recall which. I'd never heard of that issue, either it became defective or some kind of creative user error.

That's just a harmonizer, no looping.

And I was going to add, I haven't seen them sold new on the major sites for awhile, but I just snagged one at Sweetwater in the U.S. Plus they have a couple demo units marked down to $188.

[aschroeder]

I use the TC Helicon Play Acoustic and have had good success with it. The BodyRez didn't appeal to me since I use a Tonedexter for my guitar preamp. I only use the Play Acoustic for the vocal settings and mostly for harmony.

Here is a video I posted that I use the Play Acoustic for harmony. I engage it with a separate switch pedal for only select parts of songs. I switch between the different harmonies for single high, double high or high/low depending on the song.

Here is me using single high harmony through the Play Acoustic:




And here is high/low harmony on an Eagles song:




Here is my pedalboard setup:

1. I use the Boss LS-2 as a preamp for 2 guitars so I can quickly switch between them and have the gain adjusted differently for each guitar
2. Turbo Tuner ST-300 Tuner
3. Tonedexter II
4. TC-Helicon Play Acoustic as an effects loop off the Tonedexter for the vocal harmonies
5. Old Bespeco external footswitch to quickly turn the vocal harmonies on and off

[AeroUSA]

Still one of the best pedals for singer/guitarists there is.

[leew3]

I enjoyed using the pedal for a while and found it to do a great job. You can make it as complex as you wish but I always kept it pretty simple. The rare times I played solo gigs it was a great addition to some of the songs in my sets. I typically play in a duo so have the better option of live harmony, so sold mine.

[nevermore67]

Thanks for sharing - that sounds great man, what a voice! This sounds like what I’m after, though the looper isn’t as long as I would like. That said I have an RC-30 that does the job just fine if I need long loops. The vocal harmonies and acoustic effects in one box would be great.

[Groberts]

Originally Posted by aschroeder

I use the TC Helicon Play Acoustic and have had good success with it. The BodyRez didn't appeal to me since I use a Tonedexter for my guitar preamp. I only use the Play Acoustic for the vocal settings and mostly for harmony.

Here is a video I posted that I use the Play Acoustic for harmony. I engage it with a separate switch pedal for only select parts of songs. I switch between the different harmonies for single high, double high or high/low depending on the song.

Here is me using single high harmony through the Play Acoustic:




And here is high/low harmony on an Eagles song:




Here is my pedalboard setup:

1. I use the Boss LS-2 as a preamp for 2 guitars so I can quickly switch between them and have the gain adjusted differently for each guitar
2. Turbo Tuner ST-300 Tuner
3. Tonedexter II
4. TC-Helicon Play Acoustic as an effects loop off the Tonedexter for the vocal harmonies
5. Old Bespeco external footswitch to quickly turn the vocal harmonies on and off

Alex, you sound excellent! Nice performance, great voice, good blend of guitar and vocals and your guitar tone sounds great. I take it that's the ToneDexter? What guitar are you playing?

[aschroeder]

Originally Posted by Groberts

Alex, you sound excellent! Nice performance, great voice, good blend of guitar and vocals and your guitar tone sounds great. I take it that's the ToneDexter? What guitar are you playing?

Thanks! I have a passive Schatten HFN pickup in the guitar that I run through the new Tonedexter II.

As for the guitar, I took a bit of a risk and ordered a custom guitar from the Chinese luthier Hsienmo. From what I had seen online they were producing very high end guitars so I thought it was worth trying them out. I ordered a custom "MJ" from them with a cedar top and African Blackwood back and sides. It has incredible tone and one of the most responsive guitars I've ever played. They also incorporated laser cut hollow bracing for the top that may contribute to its responsiveness. With an Olson SJ sitting behind me you may wonder why I would buy this, but the truth is I really didn't need another guitar. But at the price point I thought, why not have another guitar I don't need?