Advice on pick up and amp...

[Tina]

Hi everyone!! Hope you all enjoyed the wonderful weekend... I need some advice from the group... I am getting ready to purchase a pick and amp for my acoustic guitar... nothing to big.. I just want a little more volume from my guitar.. I jam from time to time with some friends and my acoustic just doesnt quite have the dynamics that the bass and drums have... I would like to even the playing field a little so they do not have to limit their volume levels... What would you guys suggest???

[Jeff Fajans]

hmm not too sure about pickups for acoustic guitars.

I know fishman make pretty good electronics for acoustics, so if they have a pickup, it probably sounds pretty good.

I would ask a guy at guitar center or your music store to help you compare and contrast the different models and the benefits of each.

[Goebwer]

I would suggest buying a 50 watter. It sounds like you want to play and just augment your volume so don't buy anything with a billion effects. A basic 50 watt amp should suffice.

[Rob]

K&K pickups are great, used to use them on my old upright bass. They make some cool pickups for most acoustic instruments. These pickups do NOT require you to drill into your guitar, they are surface mounted pickups.

As far as amps go, well, I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for. Clarus, Acoustic Image, real upper-crust type amps cost a fortune but sound great.

You might look into some of the Roland amps, like a Cube AC-60 or something.

[Tina]

Quick question... If I buy a pick up that is flush mount it probably will not have adjustment dials... Is it going to sound crappy??? Even though I do not want to spend a 1000.00 dollars, I don't want to have to buy a pick up twice because of bad sound.... I am totally inexperienced with pick ups... The tone from my acoustic is awesome!!! I would rather not lose that...

[Rob]

That's a tough question, mostly because its your ears that decide what sounds good and what doesn't. Part of the reason I suggested K&K is because the pickup can be moved around until you find the "sweet spot". I've played guitars with flush-mount pickups, some sounded great, some not so much. Sorry I can't be more help.

[Tina]

Actually your a big help.. Thanks... I've heard pro's and con's for just about every kind of pick up from the sales people at the shop... I wanted some actual advice from people who have used them... Not a pitch from a salesman that hasn't... So any advice you have is great... I am concerned with drilling into my guitar so flush mounts sound like the best route... I am hoping that I can find a easy going salesperson who will let me TRY the merchandise before I purchase it... As for amps... Several of the amps you have mentioned have been suggested before (so it will all come down to sound and cost from that list). Again thanks for your advice....

[Tina]

Thanks for the advice... You have actually touched on another subject I have pondering.. I have thought of buying an electric guitar INSTEAD of modifying my acoustic (I am not sure I would want to drill into my acoustic guitar!!)... What are the differances in an electric and an acoustic guitar??? Bear in mind I have NEVER played an electric guitar.. Never even held on in my hands.. I am mainly about the ability to play one... I have extremely small hands so the neck would be extremely important... I know there is a great differance in sound my concern would be the quality of sound... And one last thing what kind if electric guitars are good brands??? Again thanks for the advice... T

[Rob]

Well, there are lots of answers to your questions. Electric guitars tend to feature lower action (string height) and smaller gauge strings, so playing "feel" is generally regarded as easier. Further, acoustic instruments usually feature somewhat wider and/or larger (fatter) necks, so, again, certain electric guitars might feel easier to play. Some electric guitar also have smaller bodies compared to an acoustic, so your posture would be VERY different while playing. Buying an electric guitar would also mean that you'd need an amplifier, so factor that into your budget.

As far as brands go, everyone has their favorite. I play Gibsons, but Fender, Guild, Gretsch, Ibanez, and many others build fine instruments. You should take an afternoon and go down to the shop to try out as many as you can.

[Anekretia]

there are very nice kits now that do not mod the guitar at all, I recently installed one on a larrivee, it was made by LR baggs and we scored ours on ebay for 140.00 and the sound is pristine, as for an amp, anything with a clean channel will boost your volume, even a simple 10-15 watt mini amp, which you can get anywhere from 50-150 depending on quality.