Ed Sheeran playing Wee Lowden

[Kalani]

Ed Sheeran used to play a little Martin but I just saw this video of him playing a Wee Lowden and I immediately heard the difference—-sounds so much richer! Of course it’s still a piezo but there’s still a big difference from his old guitar!

https://www.ellentube.com/video/ed-s...rformance.html

[Silly Moustache]

Yeah I saw him playing a Lowden on Jools' new year's eve show.
I bet Chris Martin is fuming !

I wonder if he had a contractual deal with Martin which hasn't been renewed or sump'n.

I'd like to know how such deals work.

Chris Woods told me that he was using his battered old Yamaha at some trade show when a guy from CFM came up to him and gave him a "number" of Martins (0001x) as a gift ....but I don't know what/any strings were attached ....(sic).

I thought that most percussive players used Nick Benjamins ...http://benjaminguitars.co.uk

but what do I know.

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Excellent performance of a beautifully written song. That is a talented guy.
I think the guitar sounds great.
Thanks for sharing.

[Schau_ins_Regal]

Still so much piezo quack. Would be nice if he would use an appropriate pickup.

[Neon Soul]

Looks like hanging out with Irish folkies during the recording of Galway Girl has rubbed off on his taste in instruments.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by Schau_ins_Regal

Still so much piezo quack. Would be nice if he would use an appropriate pickup.

It's a mistake frequently made when artists perform with acoustic guitars in studios. Why on Earth don't they mic the guitar? It's a perfect situation for it - no loud band, no audience noise. Instead they plug it and, with the best will in the world, TV sound-guys aren't always the greatest when it comes to plugged guitars.

Usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.

[Schau_ins_Regal]

So right, JayBee. But I also think many artists unfortunately do not care about their amplified sound.

[open-road-matt]

Originally Posted by Schau_ins_Regal

Still so much piezo quack. Would be nice if he would use an appropriate pickup.

He might be too busy making hit records and selling out stadiums as a solo act to worry about finding a preamp with the right input impedance to match his K&K.

Just joking around of course but given what he does and where he does it one could argue that this is an appropriate pickup.

An under saddle transducer can give a player a very usable tone that is pretty trouble-proof regardless of the venue and the volume especially in the smaller guitars that he plays.

If you watch some of his looping videos he's using the guitar to produce all kinds of different percussion sounds as well as various guitar parts all while running the signal through a crazy mega-looper/control pedal. My guess (just a guess) is that a UST probably gives him the most response from all of the different parts of the guitar with the least amount of trouble with feedback, weird frequencies, etc.

I think often that we (for sure I do) here on the AGF forget just how small the percentage is of people who know or care a lick about plugged in guitar tone. It's so easy to let "perfect" become the enemy of good. I've spent way too much time, energy and money screwing around with guitar tone forgetting that it has little to nothing to do with making music and getting that music to people.

And while it may sound less than perfect to us guitar nerds some people enjoy the attack and response of an under saddle transducer. I know I do. I've tried just about every pickup on the market and I feel like a UST is best suited for what I do. I recently pulled a Trance Audio Amulet M out of a guitar and installed a DTar Multisource and I'm so much happier with the way that guitar responds to my playing. (And I'm using almost no mic) So his choice could just be personal preference.

Sorry if that's too much! Just trying to spread some UST love! And that is a beautiful little guitar!

Matt

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Thank you Matt! Worth multiple readings and deep consideration...
'to let "perfect" become the enemy of good' could almost be the official motto of the Acoustic Amplification sub-forum.

Originally Posted by open-road-matt

...snip...I think often that we (for sure I do) here on the AGF forget just how small the percentage is of people who know or care a lick about plugged in guitar tone. It's so easy to let "perfect" become the enemy of good. I've spent way too much time, energy and money screwing around with guitar tone forgetting that it has little to nothing to do with making music and getting that music to people...snip...Matt

[open-road-matt]

Originally Posted by Ed-in-Ohio

Thank you Matt! Worth multiple readings and deep consideration...
'to let "perfect" become the enemy of good' could almost be the official motto of the Acoustic Amplification sub-forum.

Thanks Ed!
I wrote that more as a personal reminder than anything else!

I have learned a lot fooling with guitars, pickups, preamps and other gear but I am also very guilty of "wasting" a lot of time on this stuff that could have and should have been spent on more meaningful musical pursuits. Writing new songs, finding new venues, promoting shows, etc has often sadly taken a backseat to trying out a new pickup or preamp all the while erroneously convincing myself that I'm "working on my music!"

I think all of the tone chasing is fine if a person can keep it in proper perspective but I haven't been able to do that and I'm hoping to turn over a new leaf!

Some Ed Sheeran questions I'll ponder:

Has his current guitar tone cost him any fans or had any negative impact on his career?

(There probably isn't anyone on the planet right now playing an acoustic guitar and reaching more people with their music.)

What if tone chasing had used up some of the time he took to write one or more of his hit songs?

Again, just things I'll try to remember when I'm tempted by the next pickup or preamp.

I might need a support group!

Matt

[AeroUSA]

Matt you’re right! Let’s shut down the forum and all use a Fishman Matrix! Once we are millionaires we can come back and try all the pickups out from our LA mansions!

[open-road-matt]

Originally Posted by AeroUSA

Matt you’re right! Let’s shut down the forum and all use a Fishman Matrix! Once we are millionaires we can come back and try all the pickups out from our LA mansions!

I'm picturing in my head the smiley face or wink emoji you left out of your post.

[fazool]

Man that sounds great - I hate piezo and that sounds awesome - nicely setup pickup chain!

Love Lowdens too!

[stevecuss]

Yes!! What Matt said below.

I spend my hours snooping around AGF forever hunting the ultimate acoustic sound. Ed Sheeran spends his working his craft and making incredible catchy, fun music with his subpar acoustic equipment.

It reminds me of the SNL Cowbell skit. "I put my pants on one leg at a time just like every body else. The difference is, once my pants are on, I make gold records!"

A piezo pickup sure makes sense for a guy like Ed - I can't imagine the variety he faces in venues, time to dial in tone etc.

All the same, I'm glad to see him playing the Lowden. I think George built it with him in mind when he saw that little Martin a few years ago.

Originally Posted by open-road-matt

He might be too busy making hit records and selling out stadiums as a solo act to worry about finding a preamp with the right input impedance to match his K&K.

Just joking around of course but given what he does and where he does it one could argue that this is an appropriate pickup.

An under saddle transducer can give a player a very usable tone that is pretty trouble-proof regardless of the venue and the volume especially in the smaller guitars that he plays.

If you watch some of his looping videos he's using the guitar to produce all kinds of different percussion sounds as well as various guitar parts all while running the signal through a crazy mega-looper/control pedal. My guess (just a guess) is that a UST probably gives him the most response from all of the different parts of the guitar with the least amount of trouble with feedback, weird frequencies, etc.

I think often that we (for sure I do) here on the AGF forget just how small the percentage is of people who know or care a lick about plugged in guitar tone. It's so easy to let "perfect" become the enemy of good. I've spent way too much time, energy and money screwing around with guitar tone forgetting that it has little to nothing to do with making music and getting that music to people.

And while it may sound less than perfect to us guitar nerds some people enjoy the attack and response of an under saddle transducer. I know I do. I've tried just about every pickup on the market and I feel like a UST is best suited for what I do. I recently pulled a Trance Audio Amulet M out of a guitar and installed a DTar Multisource and I'm so much happier with the way that guitar responds to my playing. (And I'm using almost no mic) So his choice could just be personal preference.

Sorry if that's too much! Just trying to spread some UST love! And that is a beautiful little guitar!

Matt

[fazool]

Originally Posted by Schau_ins_Regal

Still so much piezo quack. Would be nice if he would use an appropriate pickup.

I'm hyper over sensitive to quack and thought this sounded great