To process or not to process? it’s up to you, but when it comes to effects on the acoustic side of the guitar equation, there are essentially three schools of thought.
THE PURIST
Purists feel
To process or not to process? it’s up to you, but when it comes to effects on the acoustic side of the guitar equation, there are essentially three schools of thought.
THE PURIST
Purists feel that effects have no place in the acoustic realm. Period. It is true the majority of acoustic giants have eschewed effects. Can you imagine Segovia using a chorus, or Paco De Lucia with a giant echo, or Maybelle Carter’s impeccable archtop tone slathered in reverb? If you choose traditional acoustic tone, you’re in good company.
THE DABBLER
The attitude here is that acoustic effects should be a slight enhancement—subtle and tasteful bits of reverb, modulation, compression, overdrive, and so on. The key to being an adept dabbler lies in the ratio of dry-to-wet signal in the mix. The processing should stand out to the listener, yet it should be palpable. Lots of modern pedals offer a Mix control, but that’s not essential if you employ good judgment at each step in your signal chain. Think like a vocalist wanting effects to make his or her voice sound a bit more vibey, but not to alter or overwhelm their natural sound.
THE PROCESSOR
This lot wonders, “Why should electric-guitar players have all the fun?” Consider what the late Michael Hedges accomplished via heavenly reverb. The late New Age icon is enjoying a huge wave of renewed interest among percussive fingerstylists, and pedals such as the L.R. Baggs Align Series Reverb (reviewed on p. XX) are helping players pay worthy, cathedral-esque tribute. A tap-tempo delay is an essential ingredient for any Processor. In his MAY 2018 Frets feature, Tim Reynolds detailed how he relies on the reverse and pitch-shifting capabilities of the BOSS-DD5 Digital Delay to create trippy sounds when he does acoustic duo gigs