Muff pedal - dreadnought accoustic - soundhole pickup - Champion 50 amp

[Warris32]

What will happen if I pull off this dirty combination?

Will it work or will it not? 

[Dad3353]

7 minutes ago, Warris32 said:

What will happen if I pull off this dirty combination?

Will it work or will it not? 

 

Will it work..? Yes.

Will it sound nice..? I doubt it.

The clue, really, is the 'Muff' pedal. Acoustic guitars are not ideal candidates for Fx of the sort. I'd ask why you'd want such a sound, but am a bit afraid of what you might reply. 

[ezbass]

Monty Montgomery puts his acoustic guitar through a tubescreamer to rather good effect, albeit using the onboard piezo. A fuzz pedal may be a distortion step too far though. The only way to find out is try.

[Warris32]

Indeed, the only way foward is too try...

If I do not return, then my house will have collapsed due to the sheer power of this dirty combo.

Thanks for the advice !!!

[EdwardMarlowe]

Give it a go! If memory serves, that's not a million miles away from what Kim Deal did in the Breeders. 

FWIW, waaaaaayyy back in the early mid 90s, height of grunge days, I once plugged a Tanglewood bowlback (a TM-07NC, as memory serves) into a Fender Performer 1000 via a Sovtek-EH Big Muff. The result was.... brutal. It is a sound that will very much appeal to a particular mindset, but the hardest bit was getting the feedback under control. It really HOWLED. 

[randythoades]

Although I don't use distortion much, I do use a soundhole pickup and often run my acoustic through my effects pedals into either the front of my acoustic amp or into my active speaker with no problem at all. I particularly like the soundhole pickup as it gives me the acoustic 'visual' that the venue and public expect, but I can still change the tone and provide different amp models / EQ / boosts / reverb and delay effects etc for different songs when we play. I also use electric strings on my acoustic to lower the volume of it's natural acoustic tone and aid in it's compatibility with effects.

I think it works well overall, but unless you want it for a particular reason (I want an electric sound but like the acoustic aesthetic), just pick up the electric if you need that sort of tone.

[EdwardMarlowe]

I think if I was going to get seriously into that sort of vibe, I'd be tempted by something like the ESP LTD TL6: 



Comes in a range of colours. The natural looks a lot more acousticy; the colours, especially solids, start to take it more in a Gretsch sort of direction. The left handed option comes in black alone; I'd be tempted to get one of those and have it pinstriped. Course, if the point is to have the visual of an acoustic for the incongruity with a brutal rock sound, that's not the way to go. 

Something with a piezo would likely be easier to manage from a feedback perspective, as you could get one of those foam soundhole inserts. Not sure anything similar exists for fitting round a soundhole pup... 

[randythoades]

16 hours ago, EdwardMarlowe said:

I think if I was going to get seriously into that sort of vibe, I'd be tempted by something like the ESP LTD TL6: 



Comes in a range of colours. The natural looks a lot more acousticy; the colours, especially solids, start to take it more in a Gretsch sort of direction. The left handed option comes in black alone; I'd be tempted to get one of those and have it pinstriped. Course, if the point is to have the visual of an acoustic for the incongruity with a brutal rock sound, that's not the way to go. 

Something with a piezo would likely be easier to manage from a feedback perspective, as you could get one of those foam soundhole inserts. Not sure anything similar exists for fitting round a soundhole pup... 

I agree, very nice, and practical... but not sure what benefit a solid colour version offers over electric guitar? Why not just use solid body and solve all the potential issues.

There is a Fishman Neo soundbuster pickup which is a magnetic pickup built into a soundhole plug:

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Fishman-Neo-Buster-Humbucking-Soundhole-Pickup/2H2L?origin=product-ads&gclid=CjwKCAjwvpCkBhB4EiwAujULMjYCxOzAyfdm1bOGgwKz1QVIH_tusb2qokIj4P5SwFTvNUSLvAdIVBoC6qcQAvD_BwE

 

But, as you say, if the aim is to look acoustic, whilst sounding aggressive and heavy, then the natural seems to be the only colour choice!
My own situation is to look acoustic, but sound more like an archtop hollow body Gibson for rockabilly and blues. I don't have the skill to sound different enough on songs with technique alone so rely somewhat on amp sims and subtle effects to give variety to the set. Whether the audience ever notices the difference I don't know, but it certainly helps me.

[EdwardMarlowe]

22 minutes ago, randythoades said:

I agree, very nice, and practical... but not sure what benefit a solid colour version offers over electric guitar? Why not just use solid body and solve all the potential issues.

There is a Fishman Neo soundbuster pickup which is a magnetic pickup built into a soundhole plug:

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Fishman-Neo-Buster-Humbucking-Soundhole-Pickup/2H2L?origin=product-ads&gclid=CjwKCAjwvpCkBhB4EiwAujULMjYCxOzAyfdm1bOGgwKz1QVIH_tusb2qokIj4P5SwFTvNUSLvAdIVBoC6qcQAvD_BwE

 

But, as you say, if the aim is to look acoustic, whilst sounding aggressive and heavy, then the natural seems to be the only colour choice!
My own situation is to look acoustic, but sound more like an archtop hollow body Gibson for rockabilly and blues. I don't have the skill to sound different enough on songs with technique alone so rely somewhat on amp sims and subtle effects to give variety to the set. Whether the audience ever notices the difference I don't know, but it certainly helps me.

That Fishman operation looks the business! 

In terms of one of these over an electric, for me the appeal is purely the combination of that vaguely Gretschy look (well, if you squint at it....), and the acoustic sound, which will be different than you'll get from magnetic pups in a regular electric guitar. Course, past a certain point, in a live context few in the average audience will notice the sound difference or care, but...