A beautiful acoustic guitar can sound thin, harsh, or unnatural when amplified poorly. Here's how to get your acoustic to the PA without losing its character.
Pickup Types
Undersaddle Piezo: The most common factory-installed pickup. Located under the saddle, senses string vibration directly. Bright, consistent, great feedback rejection. Can sound slightly 'quacky' or artificial at high volumes.
Soundboard Transducer: Adheres to the inside of the top, sensing body vibration. Warmer, more natural sound. More prone to feedback.
Magnetic Soundhole Pickup: Looks like a humbucker in the soundhole. Rich, warm tone. Easy to install/remove. Not as acoustic-sounding as body sensors.
Internal Microphone: Captures the true acoustic sound. Incredible natural tone but extreme feedback sensitivity. Rarely suitable for loud live environments.
Hybrid Systems: Combine piezo and microphone or piezo and transducer, blendable for optimal tone per environment. Taylor's Expression System and similar.
Preamp Options
Onboard Preamp: Built into the guitar. Most production instruments include these. Convenient. Quality varies.
External DI Box: Between guitar and PA. Can significantly improve the signal quality even with a basic onboard preamp.
Acoustic Preamp Pedal: Dedicated boxes (Fishman Aura, LR Baggs Venue) that add EQ, effects, and often imaging to restore the acoustic sound digitally.
Cable to PA
Run a quality instrument cable (PGL Nylon Braided) from your guitar to the DI or preamp, then XLR to the board. Keep cable runs short where possible.
Feedback Management
Feedback happens when the PA output re-enters the pickup. Prevention: notch EQ the problem frequencies, use a feedback suppressor, angle away from monitors, manage stage volume.
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