16 Mar Acoustic Guitar Pedals
There are some great pedals out there for acoustics
You may think that the sound you hear is the sound you get with an acoustic, but plug it in and that all changes.
As well as using a great pickup or microphone the choice of acoustic dedicated pedals and preamps is getting bigger and better all the time.
Okay, you might have a tuner, basic chorus and reverb pedal connected to your guitar and acoustic amp, as well as a looper, but you can do so much more to enhance your tone!
LR Baggs and Fishman (who produce some great pickups for acoustics), also make a great range of pedals and pre-amps; thankfully, other makers are now seeing the possibilities and adding dedicated acoustic pedals to their ranges – Boss, Fender, Zoom, Orange and TC to name a few.
Here is our pick of dedicated acoustic guitar pedals you should check out:
LR Baggs
Their Voiceprint DI has got to be the cleverest pedal in the world! Sync it with your smartphone, record your acoustic unplugged and then plug your guitar and amp into the pedal and hey presto! everything you play will sound just like your unplugged tone. Cool!
“The product of nearly 3 years of intensive research and collaboration with a team of PhDs, LR Baggs is thrilled to introduce Voiceprint DI, the next breakthrough chapter in acoustic amplification. Voiceprint DI measures the acoustic response of your guitar by leveraging the processing power of your smartphone to accurately capture your guitar’s one-of-a-kind voice. A Voiceprint is created, transforming your pickup into the most authentic sound we have engineered in our 40+ years.”
Their Align Series of six pedals includes Delay, Active DI, Reverb and Chorus but the two we like are the Equalizer and Session.
Equalizer – Acoustic Preamplifier with 6-band EQ and Anti-feedback Notch Filter
Session – Acoustic Pedal Featuring Saturation and Compression
More info at LR Baggs
Fender
Fender have added two great acoustic pedals to their range – the Acoustic Preverb and the Smolder OD
The Acoustic Preverb features three distinctly voiced-for-Acoustic-guitar reverb settings and a high-fidelity preamp, this pedal is the ultimate ambience machine. The Notch filter and polarity switch are designed to eliminate feedback while the Tilt knob allows you to control your overall EQ balance.
It is never easy to use an OD pedal with an acoustic as the resultant sound can be awful but the Smolder Acoustic OD is just the job.
Designed specifically for use with acoustic instruments, this all-analog pedal helps you shape your sound with overdrive.
More info at Fender Pedals
TC Electronic
If your under-saddle pickup sounds terrible when plugged in then you need the TC Electronic Bodyrez.
It is designed to restore the natural acoustic resonance of your instrument when using under-saddle pickups, giving you a more pristine sound. It features built-in feedback suppression and is easy to use with just one control.
More info at TC Electronic
Preamps
If you are looking for a pedal that does it all and that you can plug into the PA (or your amp) on stage then there is a great choice of preamps out there including:
LR Baggs Venue DI
Boss AD-10
Fishman Aura Spectrum DI
Trace Elliot Transit A
Orange Acoustic Preamp
Zoom AC-2 Acoustic Creator
Links to other pages
Effects Pedal Makers
Pedals you need on your board
