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Location: Fort Worth, TX | I'm curious as to how many of you are into this as much as I am. When I went back to guitar after a 14 year stint playing electric bass in an orchestra I decided acoustic was all I was interested in. Awhile back I posted how a guy who bought an acoustic luthier made guitar from me learned I had a new to me Ovation with a cedar top and onboard electronics. He asked me what kind of amp I used for it and I said on a disability income I couldn't afford an amp. He had my address from the shipping box I sent his guitar in. A few days later a new Acoustic brand top of their line amp arrived at my house. He said it made up the difference to him between what I charged him for the guitar and what he thought it was actually worth. Suddenly I was playing my new O amplified. In my quest to learn fingerstyle I found I was able to hear nuances in my paying much more clearly. Also, the amp has an input for an MP3 player. So now I can plug in my iPod and strum along with my music collection. Since downloading an almost 200 page collection of 70's song book guaranteed to be in the same key and using the same chords as the artists I am learning many of my favorite songs for the first time and playing along with them in a volume mix that blends me right in with the recording. I'm having a blast. I rarely reach for the acoustic only 12 fretter slope dred that is only a few months old anymore. The old Ovation acoustic/electric occupies all my playing time. I know the lighter touch when playing electric is eventually going to affect my playing when playing acoustic only, but I don't care. It's plugged in all the time for me now when I play. Am I alone or do you play amped as well most of the time? |
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Posts: 12754
Location: Boise, Idaho | I'm playing mostly amplified, but also mostly with an electric Ovation (Ultra GS). All the rest are in their cases pending a move, so I just keep out the GS and one amp for practice. Not having the guitars all out is a real disincentive for me to play. I'm just too lazy to go to the storeroom and get one out of the case. Hanging them on a wall or putting them on stands made it so easy to pick one up and start playing, which usually led to picking several more up and playing them. When that was happening, I rarely plugged the acoustics into an amp. I only used the inputs for MP3 or CD players a couple times, because I had a separate player right there and it had a built in looper. It was great for learning one part of a song at a time. |
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Posts: 185
Location: Long Island, N.Y. | I use a crate RFX 15 for my ovation plug in and it really grabs that ovation tone even better than most pa systems and most acoustic amps I guess it could be the amp is a transistor amp w/an 8 inch speaker-going to upgrade the speaker quality and wattage handeling but keep it an 8. |
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Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | What I realised when I first started playing amplified was how bad my playing actually was. Every mistake was, dare I say it, amplified. But I soldiered on and it has improved my playing more than anything else I'd previously tried. (Except actually PRACTICING!) |
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Location: Flahdaw | muzza - 2014-10-09 8:17 PM
What I realised when I first started playing amplified was how bad my playing actually was. Every mistake was, dare I say it, amplified.
Ditto!!! |
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Posts: 741
Location: Fort Worth, TX | dnc4eva - 2014-10-09 6:17 PM
I use a crate RFX 15 for my ovation plug in and it really grabs that ovation tone even better than most pa systems and most acoustic amps I guess it could be the amp is a transistor amp w/an 8 inch speaker-going to upgrade the speaker quality and wattage handeling but keep it an 8.
The amp this new customer of mine bought me has two 10" speakers and a tweeter. 120 watts, four inputs, PA input/output and levels on a rear panel (I know nothing about this), and two channels with a 16 effect selector on two channels with its own Level control. The pro quality of the amp was waaaay beyond my capability or needs, but it will be nice to have when I have someone else to jam with. Ditto on the amplified mistakes. I think they're great to have for that reason alone... well, that and to emulate your fav rocker from the 70's back when they all used O's in concert. Biggest problem with this amp is it vastly exceeds my weight limit of a full gallon of milk as all I'm allowed to lift after 18 gut surgeries. Gonna put heavy duty caster on it soon as I can figure out how without affecting the tilt back monitor position I leave it in most of the time.
Edited by DaveKell 2014-10-10 6:54 AM
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Posts: 565
Location: Denmark | darkbarguitar - 2014-10-10 6:35 AM
muzza - 2014-10-09 8:17 PM
What I realised when I first started playing amplified was how bad my playing actually was. Every mistake was, dare I say it, amplified.
Ditto!!!
Ditto++
When I dare plug in I use my Peavey Bandit through which the sound seems a bit harsh. When I grow up I want an acoustic amplifier.
Edited by tpa 2014-10-10 10:43 AM
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Posts: 7
| I, too, play amplified almost exclusively. The better I hear my sloppiness and mistakes, the better I'm able to work on eliminating them. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I play outside, so I use a Roland CubeStreet.
I use the guitar/instrument side, with the "mic" setting and a touch of reverb.
Yeah... it is really an "electric amp" but I am going for a "PA" sound.
It works pretty well.
I never have to turn the Volume up over half, and it still came be heard for a block.
And it sounds clear acoustic.
Oh... and if you stand the CubeStreet on end, you can sit on it. 
Edited by Old Man Arthur 2014-10-10 9:15 PM
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Posts: 565
Location: Denmark | Nice photo, OMA. Really - You should submit this to the calender.
Edited by tpa 2014-10-11 5:03 AM
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Location: Connersville, Indiana | Arthur, I have the exact same amp and love it. I also have a Kustom PA to plug into. I write music unplugged but play plugged in.
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Posts: 4042
Location: Utah | tpa - 2014-10-11 4:01 AM
Nice photo, OMA. Really - You should submit this to the calender.
I agree. |
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Posts: 51
Location: Halifax, nova scotia | tpa - 2014-10-11 7:01 AM
Nice photo, OMA. Really - You should submit this to the calender.
seconded.
nice snap. |
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April 2013
Posts: 101
Location: NW Indiana | I play almost 95% acoustic (Martin, Gibson and Ovation...all A/E equipped), but when I want to 'electrify', I only plug in my Elite with the Op Pro. You can't beat the sound of an Ovation running through an amp. |
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Posts: 741
Location: Fort Worth, TX | rhansen - 2014-10-11 8:34 PM
I play almost 95% acoustic (Martin, Gibson and Ovation...all A/E equipped), but when I want to 'electrify', I only plug in my Elite with the Op Pro. You can't beat the sound of an Ovation running through an amp.
The last acoustic I ran thru an amp before the current Ovation was my 150th anniv Martin custom D28. I had one of those wood soap bar soundhole pickups in it. I think they were Dean Markleys. Nothing remotely resembling the sound of the Martin was amplified. I don't have a clue what kind of pickup technology is in my Balladeer Special and was wondering if it is the one with a separate crystal for each string? I do know however the amplified sound is the sound of my guitar played acoustically with a much more audible edginess and sparkling clarity I have a hard time stopping playing. |
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October 2005
Posts: 4042
Location: Utah | The Ovation pickups have 6 piezo elements, one under each string. The pickup construction is surprising to me, with an RTV looking material (like silicone caulking) on top of the piezo, then the plastic cap which the strings sit on. The plastic cap is partially segmented, so each saddle is decoupled mechanically from the adjacent ones, but the segments sufficiently attached for structural integrity.
So the vibration from each string is somewhat isolated to only the piezo element directly below it.
I like a little bit of compression when amplifying my Ovations. The Op Pro Studio has an excellent compressor built in with a simple one slider control. The Studio also has an aural exciter built in which is to die for in a wood topped Ovation. In an Adamas the Studio didn't seem to do much, but the VIP in an Adamas is orgasmic. They don't make it any more but the orange colored Aphex Punch Factory is on my pedalboard. Super simple and sounds great with all my guitars. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/aphex-punch-facto... |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I play 99.9% pugged in. Several Fender Acoustasonic Jr/DSP amps for small to medium venues and practice, Genz Acoustic Pro for bigger venues, the clear channel on a Fender Machete 4x12 stack for the biggest outdoor gigs. All through a series of pedals for the acoustic signal chain. |
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Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | I rarely plug in at home - my guitars are loud enough by themselves. I often play along with my iPad running through a wireless Bose sound dock. At church I run XLR directly into the PA. Because the volume controls are locked away in a cupboard, I run 30dB of attenuator to give me a bit of movement on the guitar's volume control. With that, I go close to half volume for finger picking, less for strumming. |
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Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | FlySig - 2014-10-14 1:48 AM They don't make it any more but the orange colored Aphex Punch Factory is on my pedalboard. Super simple and sounds great with all my guitars +1 I also have the orange punch factory and mainly use it with my bass, but since I've 'acquired' AJ's VXT I'm using it with that too. A friend heard my bass through it and he liked it so much he started scouring the Internet for one. Within 2 weeks he'd found one online for himself, so they're still out there. |
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Location: Fort Worth, TX | |
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Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | I like plugging in fro the different sound it gives you. Even the best electronics never sound exactly 'like your guitar only louder'(especially my applause with magnetic pickup!) |
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Posts: 7
| For sure AMPED UP! OK in acoustic circles it's no secret Ovation has a bit of a black cloud to it. But if you follow your ears and not some "purist" we know the answer. My 2nd Ovation is minty, works great -plugged it in to my Traynor stack it's fantastic. I also have a PA but the amp sounds great.
So this past few weeks, for charity, I took my gig outdoors, here in Vancouver. Traynor TVM10 $100, Dano Chorus and an Echohead $100. Blew my mind the guitar, the sound off the buildings is insane!! Mixed with the sound of the street I'm addicted now. Getting better at it, I made $20 in a 1/2 hour. Pix at:
https://twitter.com/automationX_ca
PS - I have a shot of an Ultra model there- Saw it in a window of a shop. Must have washed up from somewhere, thing was in rough shape and cheaper version of the regular guitars.
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November 2011
Posts: 741
Location: Fort Worth, TX | I often used compression when I played elec bass in an orchestra. I'm well aware of the way it evened out the occasional loud thump of a bass string. I'm not quite certain of what it would do for an acoustic? Can someone enlighten me while I still have a shot at an orange punch factory compressor? |
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October 2005
Posts: 4042
Location: Utah | For an acoustic it levels out the loudness. There is still dynamic range but it sounds smoother. When strumming chords without compression, there is a loud initial segment followed by a long sustained section. The compressor reduces the difference between those segments, making for a more pleasing effect. Especially when playing in an ensemble the effect is noticeable. Guitar has such a large dynamic range depending on how hard you strum, whereas the other instruments (and vocalists) don't. A little bit of compression makes it much easier to fit into the mix when playing live. I suspect the sound board guy likes to pull back the gain from seeing red led flashes, but then on softer parts does not push the gain back up. The compressor keeps that red led from flashing on his board too much. |
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November 2011
Posts: 741
Location: Fort Worth, TX | FlySig - 2014-10-26 9:45 AM
For an acoustic it levels out the loudness. There is still dynamic range but it sounds smoother. When strumming chords without compression, there is a loud initial segment followed by a long sustained section. The compressor reduces the difference between those segments, making for a more pleasing effect. Especially when playing in an ensemble the effect is noticeable. Guitar has such a large dynamic range depending on how hard you strum, whereas the other instruments (and vocalists) don't. A little bit of compression makes it much easier to fit into the mix when playing live. I suspect the sound board guy likes to pull back the gain from seeing red led flashes, but then on softer parts does not push the gain back up. The compressor keeps that red led from flashing on his board too much.
Thanks for the explanation. I'm considering an opp to play this O in a big ensemble where everyone has their amps on stage but they all run thru a soundboard. I think I'm going to snag one of the Orange comps off eBay. Now all I'm gonna have to do is figure out how to get my big heavy Acoustic amp there since it far exceed the nothing heavier than a gallon of milk weight lifting limit I have to live with. |
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Playing Amplified Only...
