Whats’ the Best Electro-Acoustic Guitar for Me? |
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If you love the sound of a classical or acoustic guitar and want the best possible sound when you get on the stage, then the obvious solution is getting an electro-acoustic guitar. But how does this instrument actually work and which one should you go for? In this purpose-made Buyer’s Guide, we offer answers to your most frequently asked questions. If you can’t find the answer to your question here, feel free to contact us! What is it? | Features | Amplification | Pickup | Preamp | Controls | Acoustic Amplifiers | Performing | Recording | More 1. What’s an Electro-Acoustic Guitar?The core of an electro-acoustic guitar is just like any normal classical or acoustic guitar. The difference is that an electro-acoustic comes with the built-in ability to be amplified. This is made possible by a pickup that can, for example, be fitted under the saddle. The guitar can be plugged into an acoustic guitar amplifier or straight into a mixing desk for amplified sound. Since they are simply acoustic guitars with added electronics, they also sound just as good unplugged. Electro-acoustic guitars are sometimes confused with semi-acoustic guitars. A semi-acoustic is a an electric-guitar with a hollow-body. A normal acoustic or classical guitar can also be amplified. Here, an extra, external pickup needs to be mounted to the soundhole or on the edge of the soundhole. Other options include placing a microphone near the soundhole or installing a pickup. When compared to an electro-acoustic guitar, however, these are all less straight-forward solutions since with an electro-acoustic, all you need is a standard instrument jack lead to plug it in. Electro-Acoustic Guitars
2. What Does an Electro-Acoustic Guitar Look Like?An electro-acoustic guitar can be recognised by the three features that normal classical or acoustic guitars do not have. On the shoulder of an electro-acoustic, a set of tone controls (EQ) can usually be found. These can be used to tweak the amplified sound. On the base of the guitar, a jack output socket is normally fitted for connecting up an instrument cable. An electro-acoustic model will also almost always have a cutaway. This means that part of one shoulder has been literally cut away so that the highest notes of the fretboard are easier to reach. The body of most standard acoustic guitars won’t include a cutaway so that the resonance box (body) is kept complete so it’s as big as it can be to create an optimal and full acoustic sound. Electro-Acoustic Guitars
3. How is the Sound Amplified?To amplify the sound of any guitar, a pickup is needed. With an electro-acoustic guitar, this is built-in as standard. A pickup detects the sound waves of the guitar and converts them into an electrical signal. This signal is then sent through the fitted 6.3mm jack socket of the guitar and out via a connected jack cable to an acoustic amplifier, or sound installation, where the electrical signal is converted back into sound and comes out of one or more speakers. Electro-Acoustic Guitars
4. What Kind of Pickups Are There?Microphone Pickups: A small microphone inside the body. The sound is directly transferred, maintaining as much of the original tone as possible. A disadvantage of this kind of pickup is that there is an increased chance of feedback when using an amplifier or floor monitor. The microphone may also pick up sound coming from other instruments on the same stage as well as that of the guitar (also known as crosstalk). These problems can be overcome by closing off the soundhole of the guitar with a special ‘cap’ that’s often referred to as a feedback buster. Piezo Pickup: A small plate containing crystals. When there are shifts in air pressure, the piezo sends an electrical current that is then converted into soundwaves. To register the sound produced by the strings, this coin-shaped pickup is fitted inside the resonance box (body) of the guitar, underneath the bridge or under the soundboard as this is the best position for transferring the vibrations. Magnetic Pickup: These pickups are also used by electric guitars and emit an magnetic field that detects the vibration of nickel or steel strings. As such, this kind of pickup does not work for nylon stringed guitars. An advantage of this kind of pickup is that no built-in preamp is required. Electro-Acoustic Guitars
5. What is a Preamp?The preamp of an electro-acoustic guitar is usually fitted in the shoulder or waist. It usually includes a control panel with buttons and/or rotary knobs and sliders that each control a specific function. A preamp makes sure that the electrical signal sent by the pickup is strengthened. This way, the sound is transferred to any audio equipment at the right volume level. A preamp also makes sure that the sound doesn’t ‘clip’ (a peak in the volume level that can distort the sound). A piezo pickup actually has quite a large frequency range that registers the vibration of the strings with large soundwaves – this can result in a distorted sound but is regulated by a preamp. Built-in preamps are normally powered by a 9 Volt block battery.
6. What Do the Controls of a Preamp Do?Most of the time, you’ll find a volume control knob and a number of tone controls (equaliser). The equaliser is a useful tool since it can be used to adjust the sound to your own particular preference. Most preamps will come with controls for the bass, mid-range, and treble. Another very useful detail is that most preamps also come with an integrated tuner complete with a display or LEDs. More expensive electro-acoustic guitars can sometimes also have a phase or notch button which filters out any possible feedback. Sometimes, you’ll also find a blend control knob, which adjusts the mix between two different types of fitted pickups.
7. What Kind of Guitar Amplifier Do I Need?It’s recommended to use an acoustic guitar amplifier to get the most optimal sound possible out of your instrument. These amplifiers are, in comparison with normal electric guitar amplifiers, specially designed for use with an acoustic instrument. Using an acoustic amp guarantees a more stable sound and more volume. These amplifiers also offer other useful features like feedback control, built-in effects, and an XLR input for a microphone. In this way, you essentially have your own all-in-one PA system, which can amplify both your guitar and vocals at the same time. If you don’t plan to use an amplifier at all and prefer to plug your guitar directly into the mixing desk, or if you have a really simple amplifier, then you can also add one or more acoustic guitar effect pedals to your setup. These can be pedals that adjust the sound of your guitar or actually add effects. Acoustic Guitar Amplifiers
8. How Do You Amplify the Guitar On Stage?A powerful acoustic guitar amplifier (see Question 7) produces enough power for gigs on smaller stages. When performing on larger stages, you can usually plug your guitar into the mixing desk of the sound system. So that you can hear yourself, the sound will also be sent through floor monitors (speakers on the stage). There are guitarists who prefer to use their acoustic guitar amplifier as a monitor, so that they have more control over their on-stage sound. The question is: how do you connect your guitar to the mixing desk? Plugging it in directly is not really good idea. Does your amplifier have a DI output? If yes, you can simply plug your guitar into your acoustic amplifier and send a signal to the mixing desk using the DI output. This output makes sure that your guitar sound is sent to the mixing desk without interference, even when using long cables. There are also effects pedals available with a fitted DI output. If neither of these options are available, then the sound engineer at the venue will often connect your guitar to a DI box on the stage. Most of the time, a DI box has two ouputs: one to send the signal to the sound installation and one to send the signal to your amplifier (for example).
9. Can I Also Make Recordings with an Electro-Acoustic Guitar?In short, yes. If you don’t have a microphone, then an electro-acoustic guitar works very well when making recordings. If you want to make recordings using a computer, then you can use an audio interface. In this case, it’s best to choose an audio interface with a fitted Hi-Z input or function. This makes sure that the sound is optimised for instruments.
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