When most people think of pedalboards, they think of electric guitars and the many heavy distortion, lush reverb, and unique modulation effects that electric players often use, but this is only a part of the picture. Acoustic players can get just as much use out of their boards as anyone else. They just need to know exactly how to utilize a pedal board with their acoustic guitar.
The good news is that if you already have some familiarity with pedalboards, setting up a board for your acoustic is pretty simple. There are just a few specific differences that you should consider when setting up your acoustic guitar pedal board for the first time.
Whether you’re completely new to the world of pedalboards or simply want a few extra acoustic-specific tips, here is everything you need to know about how to set up a pedal board for acoustic guitar.
There aren’t many significant differences between how you should set up a pedalboard for an acoustic guitar and how you should set one up for an electric. Just like always, you’ll need to secure your effects pedal to your pedalboard, connect them to some sort of power source, and then join them all together in a pedal chain with patch cables.
The main difference that you need to think about when setting up a pedal board for an acoustic guitar is which types of pedals you should use. While experimentation is always a great idea for any musician, chances are you aren’t planning on using your acoustic guitar with the many types of distortions, overdrives, fuzzes, and modulation effects that are mainstays on many electric guitar pedalboards. You’ll want to ensure that you use effects pedals that complement and improve the sound of your acoustic guitar instead.
Whether you’re building a board that you plan to play gigs or record with or simply want something to improve your sound while you play at home, here are some of the most popular types of effects pedals that every acoustic guitar pedalboard should include.
When it comes to playing an acoustic guitar on stage, it’s all about preserving the natural tone of the guitar. Unlike electric guitars, acoustic guitar pickups produce a rather weak signal. This means that when the signal gets sent through the amp, PA system, or soundboard, it simply isn’t strong enough to produce the high-quality tone we all associate with acoustic guitars.
Preamps remedy this issue by boosting that weak signal up to the line level that amps, PA systems, and soundboards need to operate with to produce a well-balanced tone and sound. If you like to play gigs with your acoustic guitar, a preamp is essentially a necessity that you’ll absolutely need to ensure that your guitar playing sounds as good as it should.
That being said, many acoustic-electric guitars that you can plug directly into already have built-in preamps, so before you go out and buy one, you should make sure that you are fully aware of what features your acoustic already has.
Another essential pedal that every acoustic guitar player should include on their pedal board is an EQ pedal. EQ, or equalization pedals, allow guitar players to fine-tune their tone by adjusting all the different frequencies present in the audio signal coming from the guitar.
This is particularly important for acoustic guitars because it allows you to have complete control over which frequencies you want to boost and which ones you want to cut. This means that you can limit the high attack of the bassier strings on an acoustic guitar while also reducing any unwanted humming and other noises that can come from an unfiltered signal.
Along the same lines, it’s also a good idea to include a compressor on your acoustic guitar pedal board. Compressors allow you to further adjust and refine your tone by reducing the dynamic range of your signal.
This basically means that when you strum a chord, the compressor will reduce the volume of the louder strings or notes while also making the quieter notes louder, creating a more balanced, high-quality tone in the process.
Now that all of the signal and tone sculpting pedals required to preserve the sound of your acoustic guitar are out of the way, it’s time to get into the effects that you may want to layer on top of your acoustic signal.
Reverb is a great choice for acoustic guitar pedal boards because it takes your acoustic tone and adds a natural sounding reverberation that produces a more atmospheric and echoey sound. If you want to replicate what it might sound like to play your acoustic in a large empty church, then a reverb pedal is the perfect choice for you.
Chorus is another great effect that can improve and expand on your acoustic guitar’s tone. These pedals work by duplicating and detuning or altering the original signal to create a fuller and more dynamic tone that can captivate and draw in any audience.
If you want your six-string acoustic to sound more like a 12-string, or simply want to replicate what it would sound like if multiple guitars were playing the same thing at once, then adding a chorus pedal to your acoustic pedal board is a great option.
Are you an acoustic guitar player looking to upgrade your sound with a new custom pedalboard? Give Pedal Pad a call or contact us on our website.
Here at Pedal Pad, we specialize in designing and building custom pedalboards that are fine-tuned to meet the specific needs of every guitarist. Using only the highest quality materials, our expert board builders can handcraft custom pedalboards with a variety of unique features that allow you to get the most out of your guitar. From the basics of size, color, and finish to built-in audio in/outs, power switches, and more, if you have an idea for a pedalboard, you can trust us to bring it to life.
Don’t settle for some lesser mass-produced pedalboard when you don’t have to. Contact Pedal Pad and start designing your new dream acoustic guitar pedal board today!
