UrbanJesus Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 Any suggestions to make Acoustic Shows more interesting without going too overboard? To give me more versatility with my acoustic guitar... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Artifex Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Vocals...dynamics...soul....good arrangments... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
UrbanJesus Posted April 26, 2006 Author Share Posted April 26, 2006 Vocals...dynamics...soul....good arrangments... Haha good point... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Artifex Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 I suppose it also depends on what you do...some aucostic solo artists ( Phil Keagy comes to mind) have a looper, and they will felesh out the songs using it. Phil Keagy even sings background vocals into a mic inside his guitar sometimes. Personally, im not a big fan of other effects, besides mabye reverb or looping, on an aucostic. I figure it kinda defeats the purpose of playing an aucostic. But that's just my opinion. It's worked for me so far, playing live solo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 I really like Tweedy's setup with the reverb and volume pedal. Once I get some kind of splitter I'm ripping it off. If someone doesn't know what I'm talking about there are a few threads that deal with this already. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 I don't think there's anything that irritates me more than a solo performer looping and sounding like a band. It reeks of unconfidence and kitsch, but that's just me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 I don't think there's anything that irritates me more than a solo performer looping and sounding like a band. It reeks of unconfidence and kitsch, but that's just me.Definitely. Might as well get a band and do it right. But this guy knows what he's doing: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Artifex Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 "I don't think there's anything that irritates me more than a solo performer looping and sounding like a band. It reeks of unconfidence and kitsch, but that's just me." I don't think you've heard Phil Keagy then. He truly creates something new and unique. Seeing him live is an experience. Nels does some pretty snazzy stuff with looping as well. It's all just a tool. You can use it to do cheezy, kitschie things, or you can make art with it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aricandover Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 I don't think there's anything that irritates me more than a solo performer looping and sounding like a band. It reeks of unconfidence and kitsch, but that's just me. this is what Richard Buckner was trying to pull when I saw him, and it sucked. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
H to the ickle Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 I don't really have a problem with looping as long as it isn't too crazy, sometimes it can just be downright cool. As for acoustic effects some delay never hurts if you do it right and even distortion or overdrive can add an unexpected twist to an acoustic show. Just make sure you get the levels right, no one likes squealing feedback when it isn't a part of the song. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gobias Industries Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Andrew Bird is the only one who can pull looping off, and that's because he has to switch between violin, guitar, vocals, and whistling like every 15 seconds. in my opinion. i prefer ultimate unplugged. it shows how manly you are. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pecan_Pie Posted April 29, 2006 Share Posted April 29, 2006 It's always awesome to have some reverb and a phase shifter... basically any effect that doesn't boost the signal (distortion, etc.) is pretty good for the acoustic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kaysettes Posted April 29, 2006 Share Posted April 29, 2006 Stephen Malkmus used a distortion pedal when he was solo the other week. As much as I enjoyed it, I wouldn't recommend using it; it was mostly for novelty value. That being said, I would go with a volume pedal and reverb, you should be able to get some nice sounds of those and it shouldn't be too overboard. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ginandcigarettes Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 I saw Marc Olson and Gary Louris from the Jayhawks play an acoustic set last night at the Troubadour in LA. Gary had a couple of multi-effects pedals or something (I was in the balcony and I really couldn't see) and he added some chorus on a few songs and a Leslie sim for leads on several songs (he really, really liked the Leslie apparently). I think he also switched in some reverb and boost a couple of times. He sounded pretty cool and, with the possible exception of the almost omnipresent Leslie sim, it wasn't over the top. I'm going again tonight and I'll try to get a better look at his pedals and report back. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ginandcigarettes Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 I saw Marc Olson and Gary Louris from the Jayhawks play an acoustic set last night at the Troubadour in LA. Gary had a couple of multi-effects pedals or something (I was in the balcony and I really couldn't see) and he added some chorus on a few songs and a Leslie sim for leads on several songs (he really, really liked the Leslie apparently). I think he also switched in some reverb and boost a couple of times. He sounded pretty cool and, with the possible exception of the almost omnipresent Leslie sim, it wasn't over the top. I'm going again tonight and I'll try to get a better look at his pedals and report back. Well, I was about 20% right. Gary had a Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere (three swithces for bypass, stop, and fast/slow -- hence, from where I was sitting last night, I thought it was a multi-effects unit) for Leslie effects (a slow Leslie has a chorusing effect), a Boss TU-2 Tuner, and some green MXR-sixed pedal I did not recognize that acted as a boost. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anodyne Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 a little chorus and delay go a long way. i have a danelectro cool cat chorus (big pedal) and a digitech digital delay. they're both cheap and easy to find, and they both get the job done and then some. i strongly recommend the dano cool cat. it's a great chorus pedal. the only thing that i think i like better is the line 6 mm4 for chorus options, but it's a hell of a lot more $$. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AWOL Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 I don't think there's anything that irritates me more than a solo performer looping and sounding like a band. It reeks of unconfidence and kitsch, but that's just me. J Mascis does a nice job solo acoustic with looping effects. He is a big user of ZVEX pedals. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BolivarBaLues Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Well, I was about 20% right. Gary had a Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere (three swithces for bypass, stop, and fast/slow -- hence, from where I was sitting last night, I thought it was a multi-effects unit) for Leslie effects (a slow Leslie has a chorusing effect), a Boss TU-2 Tuner, and some green MXR-sixed pedal I did not recognize that acted as a boost. I don't know about using effects on an acoustic, unless you're in the studio, and in that case compression and reverb is about all you need. I guess it's personal taste, but to me the sound of a good acoustic doesn't need effects. Owning a Boss TU-2 tuner pedal should be required of any guitar player that plays live, regardless of the size of the venue. There's nothing more annoying and unprofessional to me than hearing someone tune onstage (the TU-2 will mute your signal when you stomp on it). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.