Acoustic Guitar Effects Pedals - suggestions / advice sought

CoolCat · December 2021

I have been playing acoustic guitar for many years and thought maybe it might be an idea to try out some effects pedals to compliment my playing. I only have a limited budget so am looking for guidance on what effects pedals I could use.

My musical interests are rock and blues. Your suggestions / advice would be greatly appreciated.

Lewy · December 2021

Depends what you want to hear really! Can you give any examples of “effected” acoustic playing that you like?

Richard Thompson uses a little bit of tremolo now and again to good effect. I tend to keep it to reverb for a bit of ambience and occasionally a delay.

One effect people often gravitate to for acoustic is chorus but as I detest chorus in all its guises I’ve never tried it.

TTony · December 2021

CoolCat said:

I have been playing acoustic guitar for many years and thought maybe it might be an idea to try out some effects pedals to compliment my playing. I only have a limited budget so am looking for guidance on what effects pedals I could use.

With a limited budget, and a desire to try things out rather than having a specific sound/effect in mind, how about looking at one or other of the multi-fx boxes, s/h?

Boss ME range perhaps?

Assuming that your acoustic is an electro-acoustic of course.

ICBM · December 2021

I’d probably get a small multi-FX like a Zoom A1 Four - it’s about £100, but you get pretty much every effect you’re likely to want in one package so it’s cheaper than individual pedals overall.

Disclaimer - I’ve never played this model, but I had one of the older ones which was really good.

CoolCat · January 2022

Thank you for your suggestions. I'll look into them.

EreforGuitarGear · January 2022

I have had quite a lot of fun with the Fender Smolder pedal. I can also recommend using something like a Boss OC-3 in Poly mode to give you a pseudo-bass behind your playing, I also use a POG2 for some organ type sounds that swell behind chords. I’ve just also added a plus pedal to my acoustic board which is great fun too.

CoolCat · January 2022

Thanks EreforGuitarGear - I'll check them out.

ESBlonde · January 2022

For way out fun I've use an EH mel9 on acoustic, it can add strings etc to your playing.
It doesn't stand up to recording and scrutiny but for live work it can be handy. Otherwise reverb and compression are the classics.

CoolCat · January 2022

Thanks for your suggestions, ESBlonde.

lincolnblue · January 2022

I use effects regularly with my acoustics. I have reverb which I have always on. Then I use tremolo, delay and I have a Boss OC-3 set to polyphonic mode so when fingerpicking I can have the bass strings an octave lower - always helps when there's no bass player.

I think in general any effect will work with acoustic. I would never personally use overdrive but chorus, phaser, tremolo etc will all add something to your playing - just go by your budget and you'll find something.

lincolnblue · January 2022

Lewy said:

One effect people often gravitate to for acoustic is chorus but as I detest chorus in all its guises I’ve never tried it.

I have never understood why people always associate chorus with acoustic - acoustic amps, preamps etc tend to favour chorus over others. I like chorus but not always with acoustic

TheBigDipper · January 2022

lincolnblue said:

Lewy said:

One effect people often gravitate to for acoustic is chorus but as I detest chorus in all its guises I’ve never tried it.

I have never understood why people always associate chorus with acoustic - acoustic amps, preamps etc tend to favour chorus over others. I like chorus but not always with acoustic

Faux 12-string, I think.

ICBM · January 2022

lincolnblue said:

I have never understood why people always associate chorus with acoustic - acoustic amps, preamps etc tend to favour chorus over others. I like chorus but not always with acoustic

I *hate* chorus with acoustics - I quite like it on electrics and sometimes on bass.

The most annoying and frustrating one is the Boss AD-3 - it would be a nice little basic preamp pedal with anti-feedback, except that it has chorus, but no tuner. Presumably the idea is that you use the chorus to cover up being out of tune...

I'd also have to ask why almost all acoustic guitar amps and pedals are brown, but presumably that's just something else that designers seem to think acoustic players like.

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Acoustic Guitar Effects Pedals - suggestions / advice sought

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