What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Would it feedback a bunch or what if I cranked a tube amp?

I know Kurt Cobain used a DS-1 on the beginning of the Man who sold the world, not a big nirvana fan but it's the only example I know of...


but what if I got an acoustic pickup for my washburn and cranked the pro junior would it sound cool or sound like crap??

 

[trevorus]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

This:

His was basically a gigantic hollowbody electric by that point. He had 3 pickups in the dang thing.

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

:doh:

 

[Hellion]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

Would it feedback a bunch or what if I cranked a tube amp?

I know Kurt Cobain used a DS-1 on the beginning of the Man who sold the world, not a big nirvana fan but it's the only example I know of...


but what if I got an acoustic pickup for my washburn and cranked the pro junior would it sound cool or sound like crap??

It depends on how much gain you're using and where you're standing at the time. I've played with plenty of musicians that thought nothing of plugging in their electrified J-200 or D-28 into a Fender Twin, and it sounded fantastic. I also know musicians that have diligently carted an acoustic amp to every show and sound like crap. The frequency response of an acoustic isn't really any different from that of an electric. Same tuning equals same frequency response. I've always thought that acoustic amps were kind of a waste of money; just another amp to cart around.

 

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

You might want to invest in one of THESE, as long as you're not using a soundhole pickup:

I have one in my Ovation, I can use gain with minimal feedback.

 

[KoreanGuitarMan]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

It depends on how much gain you're using and where you're standing at the time. I've played with plenty of musicians that thought nothing of plugging in their electrified J-200 or D-28 into a Fender Twin, and it sounded fantastic. I also know musicians that have diligently carted an acoustic amp to every show and sound like crap. The frequency response of an acoustic isn't really any different from that of an electric. Same tuning equals same frequency response. I've always thought that acoustic amps were kind of a waste of money; just another amp to cart around.

I have to disagree with the bold portion. Electric and acoustic guitars are very different as far as frequency response goes. Depends on the type of pickup you're using. Magnetic soundhole, soundhole mic, mag/mic combo, piezo bridge, under bridge piezo bar etc. All of 'em send something different down the cable. While an acoustic might sound great through a Twin, it's going to require some tweaking of the tone controls to get it there. Of course, a Twin is a very clean amp so it'll work for that purpose.

I've heard acoustic guitars sound absolutely horrid through electric amps even on clean settings. It just depends on the amp.

Toting around an acoustic amp might be a waste for you depending on your setup. A DI box straight to the PA is another good solution.

 

[jalguitarman]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

Very prone to squealing, ear splitting, feedback.

 

[Brow]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

I played some gigs a few years ago with another band who's singer/guitarist used some kind of electro-acoustic into a Hartke solid state 1/2 stack. Sounded like a pile of mush.

 

[crguti]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

One of my guitars has piezo pickups, which I use with my Mesa Boogie DC-5. It sounds awesome... so, no problem using piezos with electric guitar amps.
But, if you're planning to use an acoustic guitar, I would suggest to cover the hole to avoid feedback.

 

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

All of the above is true. Let me elaborate on my post...

I can plug my Ovation (uses a piezo pickup under the saddle) into an electric amp, even with gain, and play without feedback. The soundhole plug eliminates the feedback issue by letting the pickup do all the work, and taking the movement of air out of the picture. But this doesn't mean it sounds good. It can be used for a cool, messy fuzz sound, but for the most part it's not a practical setup. I would never attempt to play an acoustic song that way. For an acoustic tone you need an acoustic amp or a DI box into the PA.

Also, I believe Cobain was using a magnetic pickup for that song.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

I've never had much luck using an electric guitar amp for an acoustic. Most amps designed for electrics have too much treble emphasis. When using my acoustic, I've had better luck using my Peavey XR-600C head into a pair of full range floor monitors with 12" speakers and either piezos or compression horns. It's clean and loud, and the three-band channel EQ and the 10-band master graphic really help to get a natural tone and minimal feedback.

Bill

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

What about effects? Could I use an electric mistress for a lighter leslie sound on the acoustic?

 

[dominus]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

I used to plug an acoustic into a POD and play death metal using the Rectifier setting.

Because I could.

 

[Bludave]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

Acoustic guitars are not designed to be plugged in. From the ground up they are built as an acoustic instrument. This makes them extremely difficult to amplify. IMHO there is so much more to amplifying an acoustic then electrics. It can be easy in the sense of buying an acoustic/electric and just plugging in to a properly voiced acoustic amp. Another option is to purchase a direct box and go right to the PA, but IMHO these options don't offer a very good tone.

The best way to amplify an acoustic is to start with a really good acoustic guitar. Then look at the amplifying systems that are available. LR Baggs makes some really great systems that simply make an acoustic guitar louder which is really what you want. Fishman also makes some great systems. Its really a matter of spending some time experimenting until you find the right voice you are looking for. The problem with most piezoelectric crystals is they are only amplifying the soundboard. When you add a microphone into the mix you can usually blend how much of the crystal and how much of the mike you want going to the pa or amp. Finding a system that doesn't color the sound too much is very difficult. A few years ago I went to see Kealo Beamer perform. He was playing a nylon string guitar equipped with an LR Baggs system and it sounded wonderful(I think his playing helped also). Even the best sounding systems will color the sound to some degree. IMHO if you are looking for a pure sound of your guitar then invest in a good quality microphone, some stands for the speakers and a comfortable seat so you can sit right in front of the microphone. This is the best choice but it simply doesn't work for everybody. Some people are playing with a full band and the volume that they are playing at will prevent this from working effectively. the soundhole cover thing can work, but many of the mentioned systems have controls mounted in the soundhole of the guitar. So cutting a hole in the side of your guitar to mount the EQ, battery, mix & a few other adjustments may be necessary(this is something I would never even consider). I have a Shenandoah 60 or 80W acoustic amp & it sounds very good, but out of all the acoustic guitars I have I only have one that I can plug in. I usually use a mike when I play acoustic.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

+1 for PA or specialist acoustic guitar amplification. Failing that, try a solid state amplifier with a super clean, super "hard" sound. For example, a keyboard combo or the Roland Jazz Chorus JC-120.

 

[GoldenVulture]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

 

[GoldenVulture]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

Really! You need an acoustic amplifier like this.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

You tell me.

 

[Hellion]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

I have to disagree with the bold portion. Electric and acoustic guitars are very different as far as frequency response goes. Depends on the type of pickup you're using. Magnetic soundhole, soundhole mic, mag/mic combo, piezo bridge, under bridge piezo bar etc. All of 'em send something different down the cable. While an acoustic might sound great through a Twin, it's going to require some tweaking of the tone controls to get it there. Of course, a Twin is a very clean amp so it'll work for that purpose.

I've heard acoustic guitars sound absolutely horrid through electric amps even on clean settings. It just depends on the amp.

Toting around an acoustic amp might be a waste for you depending on your setup. A DI box straight to the PA is another good solution.

Ya know, I probably worded that incorrectly. What I should have said, was that the frequencies AVAILABLE on both acoustic and electric are the same. Provided that they're tuned identically, a low E on acoustic is the same pitch as an electric and so on, which is why I think hauling an acoustic amp around is a waste of time & space. The difference between the two really lies in how they're played, because they don't respond the same, as you pointed out. I know that I play acoustics differently than I do electrics, as I'm sure you do as well. Of course, a clean sounding amp will work better than one that's designed to run hot, but I don't think it has that much to do with the amp, as long as it's clean; although, there are exceptions to that as well; ie, Eric Sardinas, who plugs a dobro into a high gain, distorted amp and sounds incredible. I think it has to do with touch.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: What would happen if I plugged an acoustic guitar into an electric amplifier?

The resident nirvana fanatic speaks:

I don't know if you guys noticed, but in that video when he's got the DS-2 on his guitar is kind of feeding back.

If you have a good quality acoustic-electric going into an electric amp, it's going to sound decent, but not as great as a dedicated acoustic amp.

also: realize that Kurt's guitar in that video kind of sounds like crap when he kicks in the distortion.

modulation effects work great with acoustic guitar. Look at this clip:


sounds damn near what it sounded like with his Jaguar or Mustang.