Looking for an Acoustic-Electric for recording...

  • Thread starter Thread starter dreamache
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My experience is that I also wanted electronics in my acoustic guitars. It seemed so logical. For instance, a nice Yamaha 12-string that played and sounded awesome was passed over for a decent Fender 12-string with electronics (same price). Also, all of my acoustic guitars have electronics. After recording for a while, I never use the electronics and record with mics. It sounds a bazillion times better.

Moral of the story, I really regret passing over the better guitars just to have decent guitars that have electronics. But, that's just my opinion. All I'm saying is to think carefully.
 
David Katauskas said:
My experience is that I also wanted electronics in my acoustic guitars. It seemed so logical. For instance, a nice Yamaha 12-string that played and sounded awesome was passed over for a decent Fender 12-string with electronics (same price). Also, all of my acoustic guitars have electronics. After recording for a while, I never use the electronics and record with mics. It sounds a bazillion times better.

Moral of the story, I really regret passing over the better guitars just to have decent guitars that have electronics. But, that's just my opinion. All I'm saying is to think carefully.
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hmm you raised a point I was wondering myself... I guess it all depends on how good the mic is you're using to record? I already have an acoustic guitar, and it sounds sufficient in and of itself with some good strings, so maybe I should drop the money on a good mic instead?
 
IMHO acoustic electricronics are mainly made for live playing situations. for recording direct-mic'ing sound a ton better on the same guitar. You get a much more organic sound.
 
I don't like Fender acoustic/electrics. They are like Ovations, nicely finished but mediocre sound. The more expensive ones seem to add only cosmetics, not better wood or sound. You are always better off micing acoustic guitar, also, and if you are looking for a recording guitar I would suggest buying a better acoustic/only instrument and then finding good mics to partner with it.
 
Fender obviously figured out how to make a good electric guitar. They didn't, however, really grasp the concept of acoustic guitars. For the price you could pay for an electric acoustic (crappy to record anyway)you could buy a great acoustic and a simple SDC mic. Heck, even a stereo pair of SDC's would be awesome. There's one simple rule.
If it sounds crappy before , it's going to sound crappy afterwards too.
 
I have a Martin D1 I got used for about 5 bills. I put a Fishman in and it sounds incredible. Total cost about 675. Incredible sound for acoustitronics, and ideal for home recording situations.

Takamine makes some very nice models, and I saw a nice Gretch acoustic at GC that never selld, and yo umight be able to get close to 5 with holiday sales.

I'm not a big fan of Fender acoustics. There are also some newer Ibanez acoustics that seem to play and feel really good for the money.

Has apl suggested Cobalts yet? It's on it's way and I'm sure he'll give you a direct link+ :cool:
 
Fender really aren't that great for acoustics - you can definately do better for the price.
Might I suggest trying out a Freshman if you can? For their price you end up with a guitar which could be sold for about twice the price. I think they're a London based company. My local shop gets them in and they go through them like nothing else. Well made, solid top, massive sound. They do sound stunning unplugged. I'd recomend to any guitarist to at least have a try of one.
http://www.aaa-d.co.uk/cedarcreek.htm (Ignore the buzz talk)
A pickup is optional; they seem to use Belcats and Fishman pickups, both supposedly pretty good but I'm no expert. Depending on your situation though a decent mic might be a worthier investment. Pickups are always handy for live situations though.
 
daveyboy37 said:
IMHO acoustic electricronics are mainly made for live playing situations. for recording direct-mic'ing sound a ton better on the same guitar. You get a much more organic sound.
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Yes. And yes.
 
dreamache said:
hmm you raised a point I was wondering myself... I guess it all depends on how good the mic is you're using to record? I already have an acoustic guitar, and it sounds sufficient in and of itself with some good strings, so maybe I should drop the money on a good mic instead?
Click to expand...


Read David's post again. There is much wisdom there. It is the instrument that is the most important. Even a good $100 mic, properly placed, will allow a superior instrument to shine. A $1,000 mic will not polish a mediocre instrument, at least not in my experience.
 
daveyboy37 said:
IMHO acoustic electricronics are mainly made for live playing situations. for recording direct-mic'ing sound a ton better on the same guitar. You get a much more organic sound.
Click to expand...
Hear, hear...

I bought an electro/acoustic assuming that at worst I had an acoustic that I could use microphones on to record, and have electric output I could take from the active/piezo and mix it in.

In the event, I never got a useful sound out of the active and wound up selling the guitar.

Yeah, the active saddle circuit is pretty much a bad compromise for live use.

An exceptional cheap microphone for guitar is a good (cherry-picked) example of an Oktava MC-012. I've bought these new for as little as US$39 and good ones will give you pro-quality tracks if you use them right. Two are even better.

The best acoustic I own is a Gretsch Historic G3100 "Hawaiian." In every concievable way, it is a better axe than my older Gibsons or Guild. Got it on blow-out at Guitar Center for US$199.99 (MSRP US$600). Gorgeous axe, solid spruce top, flawless build, lovely sound.

With acoustics, sometimes price is no indicator of quality from one unit to the next. You can drop a couple of thousand bucks on a total dud or get a gem for a few hundred.
 
I was of the same mind, looking for an electric acoustic. Read lots here about how the recording was pretty weak direct.

I just picked up a Martin 000-15 Mohagany and I am in LOVE! if I could marry this guitar I would. I'm still working on how to mic it properly with it having such a dark sound. But my search for electrics fell by the wayside real quick.

I'll probaby just pick up a "gasp" Ovation for live shows.
 
Mindcore said:
I just picked up a Martin 000-15 Mohagany and I am in LOVE! if I could marry this guitar I would. I'm still working on how to mic it properly with it having such a dark sound.
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Things to try: phospher bronze strings, a relatively bright mic like the MXL603s, mic angled away from the sound hole toward the neck, back the mic up to 12"-18," record over a hard reflective surface like hard-wood or tile (or even plywood), cut 6 - 15 db of bass as needed.
 
Mindcore said:
I was of the same mind, looking for an electric acoustic. Read lots here about how the recording was pretty weak direct.

I just picked up a Martin 000-15 Mohagany and I am in LOVE! if I could marry this guitar I would. I'm still working on how to mic it properly with it having such a dark sound. But my search for electrics fell by the wayside real quick.

I'll probaby just pick up a "gasp" Ovation for live shows.
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This would be my suggestion also. You could probaly get one used for the price range you're looking at. The D-15 (Dreadnaught size body) sells for $799 new. The main thing to think about, is if possible, you want a solid wood guitar as opposed to a laminate. The 15 series of Martin guitars are the least expensive, solid wood guitar they make. A solid wood guitar will generally open up and sound better as it ages, while a laminated wood guitar will not.
Good luck on the hunt! :)
 
tdukex said:
Things to try: phospher bronze strings, a relatively bright mic like the MXL603s, mic angled away from the sound hole toward the neck, back the mic up to 12"-18," record over a hard reflective surface like hard-wood or tile (or even plywood), cut 6 - 15 db of bass as needed.
Click to expand...
I agree with micing an acoustic for recording rather than using any on-board electronics. For your budget, I also agree with the mxl 603 recommendation. You may also want to try recording with two 603s in x/y config. (I have 2 603s).

As for a guitar within your budget, the Canadian-made "Seagull" is an excellent choice (solid spruce top. lam. cherry back and sides). I play a high-end Taylor -- I bought two of the Seagulls (S6) a couple of years ago for my two teenage sons. They're very good, and often touted in various guitar discussion forums as the best acoustic for under a $1,000. With your budget, you can buy a Seagull (probably around $300) and an mxl 603 (about $100). I don't think you'll do much better for that $.
 
If you look around, you might find something useful. My remarks on Fender acoustic/electrics were based on the experience of recording a guitarist who bought one because it had the "perfect" neck. Not the perfect sound....

He kept trying out axes, and now has a Gretsch Historic Series cutaway small jumbo (is that an oxymoron?) with the triangular sound hole. It sounds, and records, very nicely, and I have gotten into the habit of mic'ing it with an AT4041 and also running the pickup into a direct box and getting him on 2 tracks. Somewhere in there, I can get a very nice sound. If I get ambitious, I can add a Rode NT1000 for the room, but so far I haven't needed to.

For others, I almost always mic only. My LCDs are a hell of a lot nicer sounding than any pickups.
 
Yeah the Martin DX series guitars (Laminates, HPL, whatever) are pretty much going to sound the same today as they will 30 years from now, with the exception of the thing coming apart at the seams... Even the necks are "manufactured" wood.. Not to say they don't sound pretty good... I've got the DXK2 and really like the thing, but a Martin purist would refer to it as a bastard Martin and would rip the sound apart. I've had several Martinistas that thought it to be a great guitar.

Get your hands on as many accoustics as you can in the price range you can afford. Play 'em in quite rooms, play 'em in the open store, play 'em outside if they'll let ya.. If it's got it's own pickup, plug it in.. Plug it into everything in the store, accoustic amps, Marshall stacks, etc... Check out 2 or 3 of the same instrument.. Eventually you'll stumble across YOUR guitar...

--
Rob
 
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