Acoustic guitar role in being amplified?

EasilyAmused · #1 12-10-2018, 11:12 AM

Hoping for a bit of advice here.

Back in 2003 I bought a Breedlove SC25/MH. I was 20 years old and it was my first (and really only) "good" acoustic guitar. I have, since, spent years working as a professional musician - mostly on electric guitar, but having a "good" acoustic is a need that certainly pops up semi-regularly.

My Breedlove has pretty much consistently let me down. It's somewhat mid-scooped acoustically, and I have often ended up using other guitars in studio applications, and I've ALWAYS had problems with it being amplified. The guitar, itself, as I have learned, has also always had some serious build issues that I wish I understood when I was a younger player... It probably isn't a good representation of what a Breedlove should be, and I probably should never have bought this particular guitar, but I was young and naive...

At any rate, being a VERY lightly built, but also very bass heavy, and acoustically quiet guitar, even with a fishman UST, it had feedback issues, and the really "mid scooped" nature of the guitar just meant the guitar seemed boomy and harsh when amplified. The bass heaviness also made it really prone to feedback. I eventually put a K&K in, which was an improvement in sound, but in this particular guitar, it needs a fair bit of EQ to sound good.

I've played many "lower end" guitars that work better when amplified. I haven't had the experience to play many "good"/"great"/"high end" guitars plugged in.

I've struggled with my Breedlove for far too many years. I don't have the financial means to own more than one "good" guitar, but don't want to go through a bunch of "guitar" flipping to learn lessons others might already know.

My question is: do all "higher end/lighter built" guitars struggle with amplification, or is my guitar more of an anomaly? As far as getting a consistent, reliable plugged in sound, is it worth considering the guitars build - such as body size, heavy/light, etc?

rmp · #2 12-10-2018, 11:57 AM

My question is: do all "higher end/lighter built" guitars struggle with amplification, or is my guitar more of an anomaly? As far as getting a consistent, reliable plugged in sound, is it worth considering the guitars build - such as body size, heavy/light, etc?

no.. I have two high end taylors and a Gibson SJ200, they sound awesome in both my Bose S1 Pro and my Fishman Loudbox Artist as well as right into my sound board (with a touch of EQ'ing from a Boss CE7)

you have not explained how you are amplifying your guitar.

can you tell us about that?

Pnewsom · #3 12-10-2018, 12:01 PM

Have you considered a nice Archtop guitar with a pick up? Easy to get a good amplified sound without too much feedback. They sound good and look cool too. They usually are easy to play, like an electric guitar.

Gordon Currie · #4 12-10-2018, 12:21 PM

Your guitar is an anomaly due to it's pronounced bass response. That and the light build (which generally translates into unusually responsive) basically create a feedback machine.

It has nothing to do with being a high-end guitar.

You need to EQ the excessive bass out if you want to reduce feedback potential.

ljguitar · #5 12-10-2018, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EasilyAmused

…My question is: do all "higher end/lighter built" guitars struggle with amplification, or is my guitar more of an anomaly? As far as getting a consistent, reliable plugged in sound, is it worth considering the guitars build - such as body size, heavy/light, etc?

Hi EA

No, they don't. And I cannot tell you if your guitar is an anomaly.

varmonter · #6 12-10-2018, 06:24 PM

I have a breedlove parlor about 4 yrs old.
it has some sort of active pup in it. fishman i think.
It sounds really good plugged in.
If you like the sound of your guitar acoustically
i would think about replcing the pickup in it

jseth · #7 12-10-2018, 08:29 PM

I don't know where you live, but I would suggest giving Breedlove a call and talking about the guitar... they are incredibly gracious with their customer service, and if there's anything to be done about that particular instrument (talking about build issues, not so much the pickup system), I bet you they'd do whatever they can with it.

No, other acoustic guitars don't have issues with amplifying... not good ones, anyway. I've been gigging for 50 years or so, mostly acoustic guitar and voice, and have used many different pickups for my acoustic guitars. Currently, I play my 6 string and 12 string Mark Angus guitars, each equipped with an LR Baggs Anthem SL system.

I run them through my Bose L1 Model II or my little AER Compact 60 amp, and they sound wonderful. If they didn't, I'd not have them in my guitars...

Certainly, the same old caveats apply to amplified acoustic guitars - I keep them away from the amp as much as I can, and I make sure the body of the guitar is not the nearest point to the sound source... I'll get a little insubordination from the 180-220 hz. range, but not a lot.

Some guitars are a problem to amplify, I guess... I know I had a Martin D-35 in the 70's that was just a huge problem to amplify on stage, especially with what was available at that time... I used a FRAP pickup (the single one) with a 10 band equalizer and the FRAP preamp, and it was always a pain in the butt to get a decent sound from that Martin...

I'm not familiar with the model of Breedlove you have, but I've become very familiar with the Breedlove line since living in Corvallis; the best guitar store in town also happens to be a big Breedlove dealer.

My experience is that they build some very nice instruments, and they take care to have them in great shape when they're shipped to stores. Even the Asian-made guitars are first shipped to Breedlove in Bend, Oregon, and inspected before they get shipped to stores... I'm particularly fond of their Oregon Series instruments.

I think that the guitar's shape and construction has a big impact on how manageable it will be when amplified... as I said, I had major issues with that Martin dreadnought, but both my Angus guitars are more of a "curvy" Guild F-40 size/shape - they both amplify beautifully. The previous pickups I had in them were Fishman Acoustic Matrix Natural USTs, with a small preamp inside the guitar (and a battery), but no tone or volume controls. They sounded wonderful in the Angus guitars, too.

I feel that maple amplifies easier and more stably than rosewood; my 6 string Angus is maple back and sides with a spruce top, and I've always felt that it was very well-mannered on stage, more so than any other guitar I've experienced or heard live.

There are a LOT of nice pickup options nowadays, and I'm of the opinion that finding a GREAT guitar that you'll love and play and keep for years and years - and THEN adding whatever pickup system you choose - is the way to go. That way, you're not a slave to some company's "good idea" for a pickup system.

Find a guitar you love and then deal with the pickup choices and installation... buy once, scream once (at the pain of the price!)... and be happy after that!