It amazes me at the advances in electronics for guitar players.  Adding effects to your sound not only adds color but also can inspire you to play different, as well as come up with new ideas.  While many of today’s traditional f/x units are geared for electric guitar, don’t be afraid to try these devices with your acoustic guitar. If you’re going to delve into adding these to your sound I would first recommend buying a compressor pedal.  It’s great for controlling the dynamics of your playing and can be used to smooth out your sound.  It can also be used as a volume boost to make your solo’s jump out a bit.  Time-based effects such as delay, chorus and reverb pedals add color and dimension to the sound.  There’s no rule-of-thumb that if it’s “designed for electric it won’t work on acoustic”.  USE YOUR EARS!  If it sounds good, use it!

Distortion pedals are great for electric guitar but are somewhat problematic when trying to use them on acoustic guitars, depending on what type of pickup you use.  If you wish to try one, it will work best with a magnetic sound hole pickup or an under-the-saddle piezo type pickup.  You’ll have to experiment!  If you have a microphone in the guitar, forget it.

Get out there and try as much of these as you can.  Chances are you’ll find something that sparks your interest! Continue reading →