Circle 'Round the Sun

Acoustic Archtop Pickups

Acoustic instruments are hard to amplify, acoustic archtops more so than others. To demonstrate some options I recorded a short version of Autumn Leaves into a couple of mics and using a pickup. These WAV files are sample accurate synchronized, so you can download them and do A/B listening using Audacity or a similar program.

Trenier Excel:

Track 1 An AKG C391 approximately over the bridge, about one foot away. No EQ, dynamics, or ambience. Even a mic doesn't capture the real sound you hear next to the instrument, but this is one of my favorite setups. Recorded April 14, 2012. (8.8MB)

Track 3 A McIntyre Acoustic Feather GF-30 direct into my workstation.

Track 4 Track 3 with EQ. I am not trying to sound like Wes Montgomery, just to get a little closer to the acoustic sound of the instrument. EQ is +3 dB at 125 Hz, -3 dB at 7.5kHz.

Track 5 Track 3 re-amped through my Fender Deluxe Reverb, mic'd with an SM57. Guitar amps famously boost the bass and the treble to compensate for the characteristics of a magnetic pickup and a cable. Normal channel, treble at 2, bass at 3.

Trenier Magnolia Classic:

Track 1 An AKG C391 approximately over the bridge, about one foot away. Same as the above track, no EQ, dynamics, or ambience. (9.1MB)

Track 3 A Pick-Up-the-World under the bridge pickup direct into my workstation. Unlike the McIntyre, this guy really pumps out the bass, which is a bit of a mixed blessing since that's near the resonant frequency of the guitar and feeds back at low volume. It also has pretty mellow highs.

Track 4 Track 3 with a little EQ. In this case -3 dB at 80 Hz, +2 dB at 600 Hz, -2 dB at 7 kHz.

Track 5 Track 3 re-amped throught the Deluxe again.

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Last updated: April 14, 2012