Moss Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 That is a nice looking acoustic, can't go wrong with a good Martin. Enjoy! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bosco Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I just picked up a used Fender Super Champ XD for a pretty good price. Just thought I'd share my awesome new find. That's what I have, I love the amp, it's got balls even at a low volume, for the price you really can't beat it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anthony Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I played a bunch of different brands and models, eventually it came down to the Gibson J-45 and the Martin HD-28V. I loved both, but the Martin just called to me a bit more. It just sounded so good no matter where on the neck I was playing. Unfortunately it was $500 more than the Gibson, but I knew I'd regret it if I didn't grab it so I had no choice. I'm so happy to finally own one of my "dream" acoustics.Congrats and great choice. A fantastic guitar. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 This is my dream acoustic:The Collings 001Wish that I could get one for less than $4500 or so.Sound like no other guitar that I have ever heard. So gorgeous! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Golden Smoghead Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 I'm currently in the final stages of refurbishing (gently) my granddad's 1961 Les Paul (really an SG body type). Had to re-wind one of the humbucker coils and a few other bits of this and that, will re-post when I get some pics ready. I find the toughest thing for me when it comes to gear is really more on the acoustic-guitar side of things. I go back and forth in shows (probably 3/4 electric, 1/4 acoustic) and I always find that my acoustic gear is just so shit-tacular as to sound much worse by comparison. Do you guys have any tips for what are sort of must-have electronics to use for rolling an acoustic through a PA? I have a Fishman setup in the guitar and it sounds OK but everything just always sounds so cold to me when it comes to amplified acoustics. I think straight-piezo is the worst for this, so I blend it with the Fishman Aura sound to a point where it sounds OK. I think ideally I'd have some amazing microphone and play into that, then modify the sound a bit with vocal tools. But for the small places I tend to play, it's always a feedback disaster plus I play standing up and tend to move around a bit too much for regular-miking. So more or less, please help with some tips for acoustic guitar gear that can help unfreeze that sound. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
In a little rowboat Posted March 6, 2011 Share Posted March 6, 2011 Heya man...I have dealt with this issue for years, as generally more of an acoustic player than an electric...how ever this various a lot because I'm in a band, and choices change from song to song... For me to really advise, you d have to remind me of what guitar we are talking about, what kind of gigs you play and whether you are solo. That asked, what I have found the best sounding and most flexible set up is a LR Baggs m1a sound hole pickup (very good)...if you feel youd like more tonal variance, that pick up has a stereo jack with which you can add a second source. I mix my Baggs with a sound board transducer, and run the dual source mix to a PA. some artists that do this kind of set up live are Jeff tweedy, Beck, and Thom yorke. Even Neil young was using a Baggs M1a on an old guild on his last tour, and you know how he is with sound. The baggs is the best sound hole pickup I've ever used ( better than a sunrise even) because it picks up the top and body of the guitar ( not just strings), and is feedback resistant. a lot of people i know swear by the LR Baggs PADI for sound shaping, and I've had good results with the Aphex acoustic exciter and various tube preamps to warm up the sound. I have had good results with fishman in the past, so i m guessing the issues you are having are more subjective to the sound, I hope the above suggestion is what you are looking for... I'm currently in the final stages of refurbishing (gently) my granddad's 1961 Les Paul (really an SG body type). Had to re-wind one of the humbucker coils and a few other bits of this and that, will re-post when I get some pics ready. I find the toughest thing for me when it comes to gear is really more on the acoustic-guitar side of things. I go back and forth in shows (probably 3/4 electric, 1/4 acoustic) and I always find that my acoustic gear is just so shit-tacular as to sound much worse by comparison. Do you guys have any tips for what are sort of must-have electronics to use for rolling an acoustic through a PA? I have a Fishman setup in the guitar and it sounds OK but everything just always sounds so cold to me when it comes to amplified acoustics. I think straight-piezo is the worst for this, so I blend it with the Fishman Aura sound to a point where it sounds OK. I think ideally I'd have some amazing microphone and play into that, then modify the sound a bit with vocal tools. But for the small places I tend to play, it's always a feedback disaster plus I play standing up and tend to move around a bit too much for regular-miking. So more or less, please help with some tips for acoustic guitar gear that can help unfreeze that sound. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Golden Smoghead Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Thanks for the tips, man. I don't play solo very often these days, for that part of the question. I play a Marting D-18 with on-board Fishman Aura pickups (where you can blend Aura with piezo) for the most part. However, my second acoustic guitar is a currently-uninmic'ed Seagull which I like a lot. I'm thinking about playing it as my second guitar and installing the Baggs you mentioned. Mostly with it tuned DADGBD, for about four speciality songs I have in that tuning. So I guess what I'm looking for is mostly what you mentioned / what I saw on your soundboard (xciter / how many lines do you run / etc) for both a new Baggs setup plus my Aura/piezo deal between the cheapo and the Marting. I really doubt I'd be smart enough to configure a setup for each guitar vs. running both into some kind of post-pre-amp environment (thinking of your xciter here). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
In a little rowboat Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 Happy to help...just want make sure I understand your last post there... That board pic of mine was from over a year ago, and is a little more simplified now. I only run one line for guitar...If I go from one guitar to another, I just unplug and plug the new one in. On gigs where I play electric and acoustic, the electric goes thru the effects on the board to my amp, and I run the acoustic thru the exciter, and sometimes a delay, to the PA. The exciter works well on it's own, off board, as a DI ( as would the LR Baggs PADI I mentioned). The Baggs m1a has a battery and preamplifier built in, so adding an external preamp is simply for sound shaping. yea, try the m1a, it's pretty unique, the website has good info. M1a. Here's a review I found very helpful: Review linky Btw, couple of nice guitars you use. Seagulls=terrific value. J Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Golden Smoghead Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Thanks for those links, very helpful. I didn't realize the M1A was active (duh from the name) hence the confusing DI question. So yeah sounds like you could run the same setup on the post-pre-amp DI since it's just for color. On that note, I am not super-impressed with the Fishman Aura in my Martin as far as sound-shaping goes. I know all electronics are going to sound fake to a degree, but the Aura is just unsatisfactory to my ears, even with all those settings to mess with. I have been wondering if it might be because the Aura is linked into the piezo (and it's really piezos I don't like rather than the Fishman gear itself). So that's why I'm probably going to try out the M1A, see if in general I just like the sound of magnetic acoustic guitar pickups better. Then I'll look at if I want to try out another DI -- basically I'm guessing if the M1A just sounds a ton better to me without other DI, I'll never get the rig in the Martin to sound the way I want. P.S. no idea why i spelled "Martin" "Marting" not once but twice in my last post. And agree on the Seagull. The only guitar I ever miss is a Washburn acoustic I had a couple years ago... Some of these low-end acoustic manufacturers can really have individual gems here and there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Friend of mine is now building Telecasters from various Tele parts and custom-hand-wound pickups.J2K GuitarsI want one so badly! Here's some more:Professionally designed, hand built, rose patterned Telecaster-style guitar, made by J2K Guitars of Berwyn (Chicago), IL. Rose-patterned paper underneath rose burst enamel and polyurethane finish. Maple neck finished in amber and gloss nitrocellulose lacquer, just like the electric guitars of the '50s and '60s! A clear Plexiglas pickguard shows off the lovely patterned finish. Features a vintage '80s Seymour Duncan '59 PAF neck pickup (hand-wound by Maricela Juarez, now head of Duncan Custom Shop), and a Fender Tex/Mex bridge pickup. The '59 sounds particularly awesome for leads (think Jimmy Page), and the lead pickup has lots of trademark Tele snap + sparkle! The middle setting, using both pickups, is really special: jangly, full, and breathtaking! The tone circuit employs premium-quality tone capacitors. The neck sports a comfortable "soft-C" profile for fast, comfortable playing. The poplar body is not too heavy, but not too light, and well-balanced with the neck. The genuine Fender bridge features individually adjustable saddles for perfect intonation, and a string-thru-body configuration for improved sustain and tone. Additionally, the bridge plate has been custom-notched (the "James Burton" mod), for improved ergonomics. The guitar will arrive set-up, with perfect intonation, string action and neck relief, and loaded with Ernie Ball 10-11's. This guitar sounds as gorgeous as it looks, with three beautiful and musically distinct voices. This guitar is one of a kind, and always will be: I never build the same guitar twice! Own a painstakingly crafted, eye-popping, and truly unique guitar for less than the cost of a cookie-cutter, foreign-built, factory-made Genericaster! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KramkonG Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Very cool...any idea on the price tag of the J2K's? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I think the one in the photo is somewhere around $750 - $850.Not bad for what you're getting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 What a bummer. Finally bid on a Tony Bruno Underground 30 amp on ebay that has been up with no action for about 2 months. Somebody shows up in the final seconds and snipes it from me for $50 more. Well played you SOB, whoever you are. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bosco Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 What a bummer. Finally bid on a Tony Bruno Underground 30 amp on ebay that has been up with no action for about 2 months. Somebody shows up in the final seconds and snipes it from me for $50 more. Well played you SOB, whoever you are. Sorry for your loss. That's how I always do it, last second, put in the highest bid I'm willing to go, that way if I get out bid I can't be tempted to increase my bid "just one more time". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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