Difficult (?) acoustic question

  • Thread starter Thread starter noisedude
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noisedude

noisedude

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This may be an easy question, I'm sure someone must have considered it.

You know that tone you get when you press your ear to the body of your acoustic while you play it? That's the sound I want. It sounds a lot like that limited edition Burns Billy Bragg plays. Try it with an acoustic of your own if you're not before.

Can I do this with a mic placement? Is there something I could press against the body of the guitar that would in some way 'record' the resonance of it? Or is there summat else that might produce a similar effect?
 
I've never pressed my ear onto an acoustic guitar before... but may be try taping something like a PZM to it and see if that works for you.
 
A Pressure Zone Microphone, made by Crown and Radio Shack.

But I would advise you to try a C-Ducer.
 
If your really looking for the sound of the Burns, I think new ones are available in both the US and UK (Burnsguitars.com). I saw one on Musician's Friend marked down to less than $400US. A special mic or pickup would be cheaper, but mics (unlike the Burns Steer) don't have horns or green paint (stain)!

Billy Bragg! I haven't heard that name for a while!
 
You might try an acoustic guitar sound board pickup. It picks up the vibes of the top of the guitar and turns it into a signal for an amp or you can DI it into your equipment. Generaly they dont sound as nice as a simple miced guitar, but if your looking for that sound go for it.
 
Han said:
A Pressure Zone Microphone, made by Crown and Radio Shack.

But I would advise you to try a C-Ducer.
Click to expand...
Good call on the C-Ducer... and well worth trying.
 
OMG i hadn't realised they'd re-issued the Steer!! i love burns, if i had long fingers i'd get a brian may but my green burst marquee is so much better than the mexican and highway strats and so much less boring!!

i'll be saving for a matching steer as of now i think. i love the sound of an acoustic with an "electric's" pickup i think it's craazy.

i've done a search on a couple of shop sites and i can't find anything called a c-ducer. what is it and how much might it be?
 
I was expecting that question. :D

A C-ducer is a contact microphone, a strip you can put on acoustic instruments.

There used to be a number of different types, bigger and smaller ones back in the eighties/nineties.

Anybody?
 
noisedude said:
sounds good. were they good at what they did?
Click to expand...

I've never used them, but I've read some great reviews about them, although that was many moons ago.

Is there anything on Google?
 
one of the more expensive retailers has them, they start around £75. quite a bit to pay for a toy when i need so much other stuff.:(
 
noisedude said:
This may be an easy question, I'm sure someone must have considered it.

You know that tone you get when you press your ear to the body of your acoustic while you play it? That's the sound I want. It sounds a lot like that limited edition Burns Billy Bragg plays. Try it with an acoustic of your own if you're not before.

Can I do this with a mic placement? Is there something I could press against the body of the guitar that would in some way 'record' the resonance of it? Or is there summat else that might produce a similar effect?
Click to expand...

... i wouldn't use this idea as my only track, but we once got a surprisingly cool tone from using a set of headphones as a mic, and placing them over the body of the guitar. we were also simultaneously tracking a tlm 103 on the guitar, and when we blended a bit of the headphone track underneath it, it sounded huge... wood and air. give it a try, you have nothing to lose, and it's free if you have a set of headphones.
peace - jv
 
how do i connect the phones i.e. do i get an adaptor to make an xlr connection and is the stereo trs jack gonna get confused?
 
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