{"id":15588,"date":"2020-10-22T12:57:46","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T19:57:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bossus.com\/blog\/?p=15588"},"modified":"2020-12-16T13:58:33","modified_gmt":"2020-12-16T21:58:33","slug":"how-to-amplify-your-acoustic-to-play-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bossus.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/22\/how-to-amplify-your-acoustic-to-play-live\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Amplify Your Acoustic To Play Live"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So you\u2019ve honed your acoustic guitar chops, and you want to take your playing to the stage!<\/p>\n

Acoustic guitars sound great, but by their very definition they\u2019re, well, acoustic \u2013 so if you want your audience in the club, caf\u00e9 or bar to hear what you\u2019re playing on your acoustic guitar, you have to amplify it.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking to take your live playing to the next level, here are a few different ways to amplify your pickup-equipped acoustic guitar for live performance, and the pros and cons depending on what your needs are. With a bit of research you can determine what works best for you, your sound and your intended audience. Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Contributed by Peter Hodgson for the Roland Blog<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

1. Straight into the PA<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

This is the simplest and most cost-effective way to amplify your sound \u2013 simply plug into the PA system provided by the venue. You don\u2019t require any extra gear beyond your guitar, your cable and your sweet self. But this is also the most sonically fraught and unpredictable method because it leaves you utterly at the mercy of the PA.<\/p>\n

Most acoustic guitars with a pickup\/preamp system these days have, at the very least, a three-band EQ and volume control, to allow you to tweak your sound. However, this still leaves you at the mercy of the PA system \u2013 and not all PA systems are created equal, nor is there going to be a sound engineer at every gig (in fact, odds are that for most smaller performances, you definitely won\u2019t have a sound person!).<\/p>\n

Pros:<\/strong>cheapest solution \u2013 doesn\u2019t directly cost anything
\nCons:<\/strong>inconsistent sound, at the mercy of venue equipment and soundperson (or lack thereof!)<\/p>\n