Acoustic Guitar Processor?

[mikeh]

Has anyone ever used one of the following?

Zoom A2
Zoom A2.1U
Korg AX10A
Behringer AD121

No stores anywhere in my immedaite area have any of these in stock - they can order them, but I want to have an idea before I commit. I've looked at Harmony Central, etc. - but I often question most of the reviews I read.

Naturally, I will have a much higher level of respect for any reviews offered by members of this site

With the exception of the Zoom A2.1U these are all rless than $100 with various simulations and effects. I am looking for something to use live (running an acoustic/electric through) - but if it could help with recorded sound, so much the better (maybe layered with a mic'd sound).

I've never heard an acoustic simulator that works very good (although the Line 6 Variax has some very decent sounds). However, the last acoustic simulation pedal I bought was a Zoom 504 (which had to be mid 90's) - so I have no idea what the more modern technology can or can't do.

 

[guitar junkie]

really unless you are looking for effects and such, there is nothing like a really good pickup being run through a nice clean DI with maybe an EQ on the chain somewhere....

If you really need reverb and delay and chorus and the like, then I guess you could go for something like the Zoom...

For good acoustic tone, the L&R Baggs DI boxes sound really nice, Fishman also has a nice unit as well. I guess it is a matter of how "acoustic" do you want to sound?

The bomb so far as I can tell these days though is the D-Tar Momma Bear unit which does some freaky cool stuff, if you do some checking around you might find some rather interesting things on the web about them.

 

[Treeline]

The bomb so far as I can tell these days though is the D-Tar Momma Bear unit ...

Beat me to it.

Low end acoustic pedals might be fun at a live gig, but you want nothing to do with them in a real acoustic signal chain for recording. Try 'em out and see what you like for a gig though. I've had fun on stage with a danelectro octave box before - talk about lo fi!

 

[mixsit]

I have the Korg. All I can say is the experience is weird. On one hand it has some very nice and at least in some contexts convincing emulations off of the pezio p/u. The frustrating thing is that in almost every live configuration I've tried, the tone seems to fall apart. By itself, (once through a powered main (jbl eon), and now a Rolland AC60, with the other instruments it seems to have holes in the tone. With all the 'types to chose from it is very hit and miss. Example- the last time I tried it (two elect/acoustic guitars and bass) I ended up dumping it for the straight pu send (and I hate piezo ) -just to get my midrange voice' back. As you go farther up the style' selection knob they get farther into weird' (as to holes in the sound). I'm beginning to suspect it's just a set of very radical eq's, which might explain how it falls apart. (Plug in an electric- it sound nothing like 'acoustic.)
Or... could it be that the nature of 'acoustic guitar sound' just doesn't work like an electric does in loud'ish/dense settings?

 

[acidrock]

To me any box is the $100 range is going to sound about the same and the results will depend on your ability to tweak it.I have a cheapie Korg I use just for kicks and it's amazing what you get for the money compared to twenty years ago or so.
For recording acoustic use a microphone,it's not even close.

 

[mikeh]

Thanks for the replys - I guess you told me what I already knew and I will likely pass on buying yet another piece of gear that would not get much use!