Gig amplification for acoustic?

I'm playing an acoustic blues gig Saturday; first time playing my J-45 in anything other than a home setting. It should be a fun time, but I'm wondering about amplification.

The place is, as I understand it, a mid-sized bar with typical bar ambiance, noise-wise.

I don't want to buy a dedicated amp for my acoustic until I've figured out whether this kind of gig is going to work for me. If all goes heavenly, then I'll probably get something that doubles as a guitar amp/mini PA. Not sure yet. That's the subject of another post, another day.

Anyhoo... my current options, as I see them, are:

A) Bring my Deluxe Reverb 15 and plug into that: Sound check at home worked out okay, with some minor feedback issues (like, DO NOT TURN AROUND). If I'm careful they can be avoided.

B) Plug directly into the PA: This gives me less time to prepare, as the PA belongs to the guy I'll be playing with (harmonica player). I envision lots of tweaking, which doesn't sound like fun for myself or the patrons.

Anyone who's done this before give me some advice? Maybe some other option I've missed?

Thanks, all.

Oh. Experience indicates that some of you won't be able to provide a truly informed opinion without a photo. So here's that:

http://www.drewsblues.net/pub/img/gear/Photo1.jpg

:mrgreen:

I'd go direct into the PA using a direct box or a pre-amp like a Bagg's Para D.I.

You can go straight into the PA and you may be surprised at how easy it is to get a good sound. And it'd be a lot easier than hauling your amp to the gig.

I usually find nothing beats going straight into the PA. Just needs an EQ tweak (usually cutting some mid range helps acoustic guitars sound sweeter) and getting your monitor level sorted - shouldn't take long.

I'd say just bring your amp since you are familiar with it. You can get a little thing called a feedback buster or something like that to help tame the shrieks when you accidentally point your guitar at the amp (which according to Murphy is inevitable). I've always just gone direct into the PA myself but having a little more character from a nice amp is never a bad thing.

You can either buy a feedback buster or make one out of a CD and tape. You can experiment ahead of time through your guitar amp.

The reference to the Baggs Para D.I. Is that it is your sound in a box: you can do your EQ'ing ahead of time with last minute tweaks in the room. They're great things to have and I got one fairly inexpensively on eBay. They also go a long way towards defeating feedback with frequency notching and phase inversion. They have 1/4" and XLR out.

Well, you probably don't want to rush into it right now!

Greg

You can either buy a feedback buster or make one out of a CD and tape. You can experiment ahead of time through your guitar amp.

The reference to the Baggs Para D.I. Is that it is your sound in a box: you can do your EQ'ing ahead of time with last minute tweaks in the room. They're great things to have and I got one fairly inexpensively on eBay. They also go a long way towards defeating feedback with frequency notching and phase inversion. They have 1/4" and XLR out.

Well, you probably don't want to rush into it right now!

Greg

Anyone who gigs an acoustic should have a para D.I. in the toolbox.

Thanks for the advice, all. Looks like I'm on my way over to GC to pick up a DI.

Anybody ever use the Sansamp Paradrive DI? How does it compare to the Baggs?

Thanks again.

Yep -- DI directly into the PA is your ticket. Should take just a few minutes to EQ your tone the way you like it (both at the board and on your DI box if it has EQ tone controls).

Thanks for the advice, all. Looks like I'm on my way over to GC to pick up a DI.

Anybody ever use the Sansamp Paradrive DI? How does it compare to the Baggs?

Thanks again.


I have no experience with the Baggs, but I love my SansAmp ParaDrive DI box for acoustic guitars. That is what I use with my J-45 that I put a Fishman Rare Earth pickup in. Perfect for going straight to the PA, doing EQ, boost, everything. Love the SansAmp!

Note - My GC did not have them in stock. Order online, save the drive.

I'm just the opposite of the above post--I have no experience with the SansAmp but have a Baggs Para Acoustic DI and cannot recommend it enough. It really improves the sound of my electric/acoustics and works beautifully with a PA.

+1 on Baggs Paracoustic DI box. Built like a tank, great contour ability, great on stage. Many happy years here with one.

You may also want to check out the Behringer ULTRA-G GI100.

Works off of a 9V battery, sounds great!

Tom

Looks like everybody has you pretty covered here. I do probably 50-60% of my gigging acoustically these days. I play at least 200 dates a year, more when I can find them, so 50-60% of that is a lot of acoustic gigs.

I just plug straight into the PA. I don't even bother with a DI. Sounds killer, and is super easy to dial in. I have one guitar with an EQ on board, and one without, they both sound great plugged straight into my PA head.

If you're going into a big house system with a snake that only has low Z ins, then you need a DI to convert signal. If you're using a portable club PA, like a powered mixer and some decent speakers, like most bar bands have, than you should have some great sounding Hi Z inputs that make a DI unnecessary.

Something like the Baggs is also good for notching out feedback and such, but I can also do that with the PA EQ with little to no trouble at all. I used to haul around all kinds of stuff. At one point I filled an 8 space rack with crap for my acoustic guitar. The whole rack functioned as a massive DI with all the trimmings. Guitar sounds better plugged straight in, to my ears.

See if you can get some time to plug into the PA and mess with getting a tone before the gig comes up. I think you'll be surprised how workable it is. The only thing that goes between the guitar and the PA for me is a tuner pedal. It functions as a mute for when I switch guitars, and as a tuner for my guitar that does not have an onboard EQ and tuner.

My powered mixer has HI Z ins on every channel, and they work just dandy. No DI needed.

you didn't say what kind of pup you had, if it's under the saddle and you go into your electric guitar amp you will have feed back problems if things get loud, use a sound hole plug, but really I don't think you will like the sound. The PA will sound better. Get a good monitor mix though! I use a Boss 7 band with a Fishman transducer and haven't heard anything come close to it. The Baggs DI is good too but like Jake said, you may not need it although most PA's won't pull enough mids out for my taste

+1 for 'no need for a DI unless you are playing a long way from the mixer'.

I played the latest of hundreds of open mics last night - and once again there were no DI's, everyone straight into the mixer (via a pedal tuner), no feedback problems and it took about ten seconds per player to get a great sound.

By all means spend your money how you want, but every night across the world thousands of people are quite happily taking this simple and effective approach.

+1 for 'no need for a DI unless you are playing a long way from the mixer'.

I played the latest of hundreds of open mics last night - and once again there were no DI's, everyone straight into the mixer (via a pedal tuner), no feedback problems and it took about ten seconds per player to get a great sound.

By all means spend your money how you want, but every night across the world thousands of people are quite happily taking this simple and effective approach.


WORD - to your Mutha......

Depending on the situation I go one of three ways.

Small club PA, mixer on stage -- plug straight into the board, HiZ. Twiddle a bit myself, but good sound is easy. First choice a lot of the time.

Bigger Venue, Mixer offstage -- pull out my LR Baggs Paracoustic DI and feed LoZ to the board. I can have some control of tone and feedback prevention without either running to the back of the house or relying on soundman who isn't paying attention to ME and MY GUITAR.

Playing acoustic guitar with a loudish band, I like to have my own amp on stage, just for better monitoring. I've had a few, but now use a Fishman Loudbox Mini (<20lbs.!!!>. Has enough guts for a monitor, I use DI output of amp into PA for FOH.

In your situation, I wouldn't hesitate to plug 1/4" cable right into the board.

P.

An addendum to my earlier post, I should have asked if your pickup was active or passive...

If you have an active system (runs on a 9 volt battery) plugging straight in will not be a problem. If you have a passive pickup, you may need something to substantially boost your input signal level to the board.

Something like the Para DI is good for that, because it will function as a preamp as well, and let you boost the crap outta your signal before it hits the mixer.

If your J45 is a more recent model, with the built in factory pickup,m it should be active, and you should have no troubles with getting a enough signal to the mixer.

First things first....beautiful J-45!!! Apart from my regular 5 piece electric band. I usually play a open mic once a week and a acoustic gig once a month and I have found that plugging straight in to the pa quite painless and the sound is quite pleasing. Like muudcat said you could always use a eq pedal to dial in your sound a bit more.

Like Jake & others said: if passive pup (all I use) then a DI box is a must for in house PAs IME if you want to be heard at all.

I've even used my Baggs DI for vocals & electric guitar for recording. A versatile box. Also used it on stage with a Taylor I had with onboard EQ because it vastly improved the tone.

Depending on the situation I go one of three ways.

Small club PA, mixer on stage -- plug straight into the board, HiZ. Twiddle a bit myself, but good sound is easy. First choice a lot of the time.

Bigger Venue, Mixer offstage -- pull out my LR Baggs Paracoustic DI and feed LoZ to the board. I can have some control of tone and feedback prevention without either running to the back of the house or relying on soundman who isn't paying attention to ME and MY GUITAR.

Playing acoustic guitar with a loudish band, I like to have my own amp on stage, just for better monitoring. I've had a few, but now use a Fishman Loudbox Mini (<20lbs.!!!>. Has enough guts for a monitor, I use DI output of amp into PA for FOH.

In your situation, I wouldn't hesitate to plug 1/4" cable right into the board.

P.


Yeah. What he said...

Of course if there is an in-house PA where DI boxes are essential, usually they would have DI boxes on stage for people to plug into. I've never turned up to a place where DI boxes were essential AND not already there.

Of course if there is an in-house PA where DI boxes are essential, usually they would have DI boxes on stage for people to plug into. I've never turned up to a place where DI boxes were essential AND not already there.

Yes, but it is nice to have a box with some controls for tone and feedback on an acoustic instrument (guitar, upright bass, etc.). That's why I pull the Paracoustic out.

P.

Just to follow up, the gig went just fine last night. I used the Baggs Para Acoustic DI, and it sounded very nice. Helped my sweeten up the dead strings on my old box. :mrgreen:

The gig itself was interesting. We played an outdoor shopping center in a small amphitheater (Terra Bella in Huntington Beach, if anyone is local). Swarming with screaming ankle-biters! O' the running! The screeching! The playing "kick the can" with our tip jar! I can honestly say I have now played to a frenzy of screaming girls. And boys. It just happens that they were all between the ages of two and five.

Thing is, after the first set, one of the little buggers came up with a fiver his mom gave him and stuck it in the tip jar. What a fun game! Now all the other little kids got the hint. Monkey see, monkey do.

That's right little Lucy. Go ask mom for some money to stuff in the bucket. We'll even play "Mary Had A Little Lamb" to grease the skids a bit.

My playing, on the other hand, was spotty. Not having a bass player or drummer behind me was a big challenge. Like many, I found myself speeding up the tempo as the song progressed. Especially in numbers where I played any kind of lead.

Anyway, I'd call it a success. The parents got a couple of hours to eat cupcakes and let the kids burn off steam. The kids stayed (mostly) out of trouble. And we took home $80 in tips. Not sure if I'll do that gig again, though...

I'm off to my metronome now for practice. Thanks again for the advice, all!

:grin:

https://p.twimg.com/AnKVSxgCMAAf-jP.jpg

Just to follow up, the gig went just fine last night. I used the Baggs Para Acoustic DI, and it sounded very nice. Helped my sweeten up the dead strings on my old box. :mrgreen:

The gig itself was interesting. We played an outdoor shopping center in a small amphitheater (Terra Bella in Huntington Beach, if anyone is local). Swarming with screaming ankle-biters! O' the running! The screeching! The playing "kick the can" with our tip jar! I can honestly say I have now played a to a frenzy of screaming girls. And boys. It just happens that they were all between the ages of two and five.

Thing is, after the first set, one of the little buggers came up with a fiver his mom gave him and stuck it in the tip jar. What a fun game! Now all the other little kids got the hint. Monkey see, monkey do.

That's right little Lucy. Go ask mom for some money to stuff in the bucket. We'll even play "Mary Had A Little Lamb" to grease the skids a bit.

My playing, on the other hand, was spotty. Not having a bass player or drummer behind me was a big challenge. Like many, I found myself speeding up the tempo as the song progressed. Especially in numbers where I played any kind of lead.

Anyway, I'd call it a success. The parents got a couple of hours to eat cupcakes and let the kids burn off steam. The kids stayed (mostly) out of trouble. And we took home $80 in tips. Not sure if I'll do that gig again, though...

I'm off to my metronome now for practice. Thanks again for the advice, all!

:grin:

https://p.twimg.com/AnKVSxgCMAAf-jP.jpg

Glad the technical stuff went well.

We've all found ourselves in weird gig situations, it goes with the territory. Sounds like you came through it all fine.

p.

Thanks for the follow up!

Nice to have those young fans for your fan club twenty years down the road.

Kids are great. No one dances like a four-year-old. What I mean is: They have no agenda. No one truly feels music like a little kid. It was fun. If a little dizzying at times. Mosh pits got nothing on a grip of post-toddlers, off the leash. :mrgreen:

I am using an "Acoustic 30" which is a great little amp and inexpensive at GC with built in effects and plugging right into the PA. Since we use monitors on stage, I just plug a 1/4" jack into the earphone input when I've got the effects where I want them and that kills the sound from the amp.
This way I get the best of both worlds. I get the tone I want and the sound man is happy.