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  #1  
Old 11-06-2019, 01:18 AM
hotroad hotroad is offline
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Default Which Electric gives Good Acoustic Tone using ?????

I usually play acoustic guitars but have ventured into the electric world recently and having fun with it. But I find that I want to option of getting a good acoustic sound from an electric guitar, either solid or semi or hollow body.

I have read dozens of posts on lots of forums in researching this. I am curious what anyone uses to get good decent acoustic tone out of an electric guitar.

I am also wondering what guitar you recommend that has some sort of acoustic pickup built in. I prefer to stay away from the piezo quack. My budget for the guitar is under $1.5K.

So far I like semi-hollow electrics over solid bodies. I like a more subdued humbucker over a screamer. I play out solo a lot and need this guitar as my main accompaniment. Thanks for any ideas about acoustic tone or a guitar that has acoustic tone as well as some good electric sound for folk-rock, reggae, pop, blues.

Last edited by hotroad; 11-07-2019 at 06:45 PM.
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  #2  
Old 11-06-2019, 09:09 AM
redir redir is offline
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I've installed some piezo's on electric guitars before and that was about as good as it gets. I've never tried it but that through a modeler like a Fishman Aura might give you a bit more realistic acoustic sound. But I think what you are looking for is piezo and modeling. Don't waste your time with something like the Boss Acoustic pedal, those are just awful.
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Old 11-06-2019, 09:56 AM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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Lot of routes possible, and your short post doesn't dictate which you should take--which may be appropriate as you seem to be in the "I'm thinking about it" stage.

One solution is to just play acoustic guitar to sound and feel like an acoustic guitar and to play an electric guitar to, well sound like an electric. I do that most of the time myself.

Particularly with a thicker set of electric guitar strings (which would be equivalent to light acoustic guitar strings) you can play an electric guitar as if you were playing an acoustic, using the same feel and string response. It won't sound exactly like an acoustic even with a clean amp, but it can get closer in overall sound that you might imagine.

Modeling plus a pickup is another avenue. The Line6/Variax system is a little better than the typical pizeo pickup on an electric guitar's bridge as to sounding like an acoustic guitar. Even new they are cheaper than the Fender Acoustisonic Telecaster which exceeds your budget amount. I like that you can do instant open tunings quite a bit, and the electric guitar models are kind of interesting too. They don't have a current hollow-body/semi-hollow-body model, so if that look is important to you that could be a deal killer. They don't "fool me" as sounding like an acoustic with a mic, but YMMV.

I've used MIDI pickups for various things for years. You can put one on just about anything. For best results you need to play cleanly, and be aware that certain guitaristic playing techniques won't translate. The amount of "Virtual Instruments"* available to play with them is unlimited. I use them to play bowed string instruments or obscure world/folk instruments, but rarely to play acoustic guitar (I use an acoustic guitar for that). The Roland system is sold with a pedalboard that has it's own sounds to be triggered by the MIDI pickup including some acoustic guitar patches.

Be aware that electric guitars are not like acoustic guitars in my experience. Although I often play inexpensive, sub $1000 acoustic guitars I'm willing to believe that the world of above $1000 acoustics has subtleties and sounds I won't get at that price range. On the other hand, inexpensive electric guitars can sound great.

You say you've researched this, but trying out/playing is the kind of research that'll tell you which things work for you.

*Virtual Instruments/VI are software running on computers or tablets/phones. They are wonderful ways to add additional sounds. Of course this adds complexity, which many people (including those attracted to acoustic guitars) wish to eschew. I started with the systems, like the Roland ones, that supplied their own sounds to be triggered by the MIDI pickups, a simpler solution, no worse that a typical muti-effects unit. I've gradually moved over to the Fishman Triple Play and computer-based VIs.
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Last edited by FrankHudson; 11-06-2019 at 10:03 AM.
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  #4  
Old 11-06-2019, 10:27 AM
s2y s2y is offline
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Piezos aside, I have a Taylor T3. It can simulate acoustic strumming if I engage the coil splitter and use both pickups. Normally, I'd expect a Fender-ish sound with 2 split hum buckers.
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  #5  
Old 11-13-2019, 07:39 PM
hotroad hotroad is offline
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Today I bought a Carvin SH575 with piezo, two humbuckers and synth capabilities. It will be fun once it arrives. Its a hollowbody that may fit the bill for my current needs.
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