Getting that "stringy" strummed acoustic guitar sound

[jamie_drum]

I am struggling to get that strummed acoustic sound where you hear lots of strings, and contact with the pick, but the basic guitar the is somewhat muted. Anyone have suggestions? I am assuming it is mostly eq but I can't get it right.

Examples:
Fleet foxes (they use it a lot): sun it rises, someone you'd admire, helplessness blues, white winter hymnal (once the strumming starts). I'm talking about the rhythm guitar sound
Cat Stevens: Changes IV, wild world
Nick Drake: Pink Moon, Place to be
Civil Wars: Falling (strummed part) - perhaps less of a good example

They are all a bit different and the fleet foxes are the closest to what I am looking for, but they all share the quality I have tried to describe.

Thanks

 

[CrowsofFritz]

Getting things bright helps me out a lot.

I usually use my MXL 4000 pointed at the 12th fret and I find I barely have to EQ it. Compression may help with you also.

 

[moresound]

Could be as simple as the guitar one uses.

 

[CrowsofFritz]

Could be as simple as the guitar one uses.

This is a big one. I've always noticed Cat Stevens had a wonderful sound, and I'm willing to bet most of it was the guitar he used.

 

[moresound]

True that and technique would follow that up.

 

[mixsit]

Even going from hard to soft pick and where you strum is big.

 

[Armistice]

HPF at the bottom.... and LPF at the top... depending upon what exact sound you're looking for. In a mix with lots of other bits and bobs or featured voices/harmonies a la Fleet Foxes, I tend to get rid of a lot of the bottom end and some of the top as well.

And a lot depends upon the guitar. I have big boomy guitars so the other thing I do with heavy strumming is get the mic/s a bit further back and put one of them up about the 9th fret...

And a lighter pick.

Which is probably pretty much what everyone else just said...

 

[mixsit]

Interesting dumping some top ..too :>)

 

[jamie_drum]

Thanks for the suggestions; I'll be sure to try them out.

 

[RAMI]

Not an acoustic guitar player, but my guess is that using a very soft pick would get you 80% of the way there.

 

[rustman]

The thickness and material of the pick really does a lot for the sound. Different plastics and even metal and stone give lots of variations on the sound.

 

[moresound]

Being classically trained ... one finds that finger picking on nylon strings with all of the different styles, tempo, and attack - you can get pretty much anything you could desire out of a guitar.

 

[CrowsofFritz]

Being classically trained ... one finds that finger picking on nylon strings with all of the different styles, tempo, and attack - you can get pretty much anything you could desire out of a guitar.

I wish I could grow my nails, but it's hard!

Mine just go a little past the nub. It works for my picado, but anything like tremolo isn't working, and I bet it would probably be easier if I had nails!