Author Topic: "Changing" the tone of an acoustic (Read 12387 times)

_tom_ · « **on:** October 19, 2005, 05:50:53 PM »

So I thought I really liked the tone of my acoustic, but on the bus to school today I listened to "The Moor" by Opeth, and realised how good the acoustic tone is! In comparison my acoustic sounds dull. I am just wondering if there is anything else I can do to try and make it a bit brighter other than obviously changing the strings which I will do soon anyway. Any string brands youd recommend, to match whatever materials are on a Crafter D6? All I know it has a solid top but no idea which materials are used!

Cheers!

Elliot · « **Reply #1 on:** October 19, 2005, 07:16:04 PM »

Could be the mixing or the miking more than anything - acoustics are often very different when recorded.

As to slightly raising an acoustic tone - a tusq saddle can increase sustain a bit and and brass bridge pins can add a bit of brightness and sustain - however, that's your lot im afraid. The differences are often not very dramatic.

_tom_ · « **Reply #2 on:** October 19, 2005, 08:09:41 PM »

Ah right. shitee! I really want that tone! I guess a new set of strings might help though, I dunno how old these ones are, they are the ones that it came with :lol:

HJM · « **Reply #3 on:** October 19, 2005, 08:21:38 PM »

Light strings usually sound brighter too 8)

_tom_ · « **Reply #4 on:** October 19, 2005, 08:33:57 PM »

Ah I thought they might, I dont wanna lose any depth or fullness though :? Any type of material that will give me the brightness, even in medium guage strings?

nuntius · « **Reply #5 on:** October 19, 2005, 08:58:48 PM »

Great album...

Opeth always use a lot of reverb on their acoustic tracks, you won't get that kind of ambience on your own. I'd imagine a bit of EQing goes on too.

_tom_ · « **Reply #6 on:** October 19, 2005, 09:16:07 PM »

ah right, this isnt fair! I also like Jimmy Pages acoustic tone if it makes a difference :lol:

I dont actually like Still Life that much, I have a few songs off of Blackwater Park and its so much better!

nuntius · « **Reply #7 on:** October 19, 2005, 10:00:43 PM »

Quote from: _tom_

ah right, this isnt fair! I also like Jimmy Pages acoustic tone if it makes a difference :lol:

I dont actually like Still Life that much, I have a few songs off of Blackwater Park and its so much better!

Blackwater Park is great too!

Still Life is a mood CD.. I can only listen to it if I'm 100% in Still Life mood. Apart from Benighted.. I could listen to that all day long.

Elliot · « **Reply #8 on:** October 19, 2005, 10:19:36 PM »

I just want to point this out - Jimmy Page is a shameless plagiarist who stole the genius song Blackwaterside from the now almost unknown Bert Jansch and deserves a severe telling off for crediting the so called 'Blackmountainside' to himself!!!!!

- right, that's that out of the way :D .

I dunno what strings you are using on your acoustic - if you want a mix of bass and bright D'Addario Bluegrass EJ19s give you a very good mix of both, either fingerstyle or flatpick.

[By the way two of the greatest British acoustic guitarists: Bert Jansch and Davey Graham are playing together in Oxford in December - what a treat!]

BTW I love Pagey's Blackmountainside - and his other acoustic stuff - really good!

Peterku · « **Reply #9 on:** October 19, 2005, 11:05:36 PM »

If your guitar has plastic parts, you can have the nut and saddle changed for bone, and the bridge pins for ebony. I did that to my acoustic and it made a HUGE difference.
Also, removing the pickguard (if there's any) will add some harmonic detail to the sound. My acoustic didn't have a pickguard, so I put one on it. The sound became slightly softer and less detailed so I removed it.
Different picks can also make large differences in sound.
Finally, I'd recommend you Newtone strings. They have a round core which is said to be a smaller tension-to-pitch ratio, so the strings can vibrate more freely. They also don't let dirt accumulate under the winding, which helps maintain the sparkle of the sound. I use them and they're great.

Searcher · « **Reply #10 on:** October 20, 2005, 01:45:26 AM »

I like phosphor-bronze strings for acoustic guitars. They're pretty bright. DR are a reasonably good brand.

It sounds like your guitar is due for a string change anyways and that will definitely effect how it sounds. I hear a difference in my strings after only 3 hours of heavy playing. I can't afford to change them that frequently, but I do change them after about 24 hours of use.

Elliot · « **Reply #11 on:** October 20, 2005, 08:11:23 AM »

Tom I had a couple of thoughts about this - Page often uses alternative tunings like DADgad (Kashmir, Blackmountainside) and DADgbd (or double drop D) (Going to California). I dunno about Opeth, but by retuning to these tunings you get a different resonance and tone from the guitar that often allows a more celticy/medieval/arabic type of tone. Also because open strings are allowed to ring on you can get a brighter sound too.

Have a go with DADgad - its an open Dsus4 chord tuning so you can get some really good sounds from it just mucking around - try hitting the DAD as an open chord and noodling on the gad for instant fun!

Another thing is do you rest you palm/fingers on the top - this can cut down the brightness as an acoustic works by top vibrating and anything that impedes top movement is going to dull the sound.

carlaz · « **Reply #12 on:** October 20, 2005, 10:39:02 AM »

Quote from: Elliot

I just want to point this out - Jimmy Page is a shameless plagiarist who stole the genius song Blackwaterside from the now almost unknown Bert Jansch and deserves a severe telling off for crediting the so called 'Blackmountainside' to himself!!!!!
BTW I love Pagey's Blackmountainside - and his other acoustic stuff - really good!

I dig Pages acoustic sounds, too -- they've prejudiced me against capturing acoustic strings with anything but mics! Most piezos and such seem to sound so thin and artificial in comparision. I've got to get a semi-decent condensor mic to do vocals and record my little mandolins ....

I oughta get an acoustic guitar sometime, though I'm torn between the vibe of something D-28ish (though a real D-28 is outrageously expensive!) or going a flamenco kinda route (which would mean I'd have to learn to play ;). I think a relatively cheap D-28 copy might be the way for me to go ....

Speaking of Jansh, don't the modern releases of Zep recordings now credit all the artists from whom inspiration was, ah, borrowed? I remember seeing a big pile of credits on some of the tracks on the How the West Was Won releases (though admittedly, Blackthingyside isn't on that album).

Elliot · « **Reply #13 on:** October 20, 2005, 11:20:48 AM »

Yep I think Pagey and others from Led Z acknowledge their vast and wide wholesale theeving of other peoples work (and its not just Bert Jansch).

Apparently Robert Plant said that they couldn't write material quick enough for demand so they 'borrowed' obscure stuff they thought they would get away with - and often did!.

What a change the 60s/70s were to todays litigation filled environment - now everyone seems to be sued for plagiarism.

Bird · « **Reply #14 on:** October 20, 2005, 03:00:19 PM »

It can be tough to get those great acoustic sounds in a home studio. Without the expensive British preamps and Neumann U87 mics it's a bit more difficult to capture those sounds. :(