How to Tame an Acoustic Electric Guitar with just too much lows - for FREE
Updated: Feb 14, 2019
If a guitar is designed as an acoustic-only model, the equalization of its sound, with rich bottoms and crisp highs are derived through the design guitar, it's wood, bracing, shape and workmanship all combined, resulting in a pleasant sounding guitar that everyone wants to buy.
In an electric-only guitar the design, wood, bracing, the shape is not so much an issue as the quality of the electronics installed in the guitar that is ultimately connected to an amplifier or sound man's mixer.
The Issue:
Then there is the acoustic-electric guitar which can be the worst kind of animal a sound man would need to deal with from time to time. Why? Because in a worst case scenario the acoustic design of the guitar was created to enhance the low frequencies that emit from the guitar directly to your ears. However, this enhanced lows suddenly are overwhelming the guitar is connected to the mixer.
Unfortunately, the lows can be so pronounced that no matter what amount of EQ cut you apply via the mixer, its still is an issue. Stage monitors can't be tamed down and on a worse case basis, the low string will resonate loudly between songs if the guitarist doesn't keep the string from vibrating.
Not Every Fix Requires Money
The Fix:
If after everything you have tried to Equalizing the System had failed. Consider changing, momentarily, the acoustic resonance of the guitar itself. Remember that this guitar is first an acoustic one with enhanced lower frequency response then secondarily it is an electric guitar.
Changing the acoustic qualities of the inside of the guitar will dampen its resonance to the lower frequencies. So much so that now the equalizers on the guitar (if available) and mixer will now be able to control the guitars equalization.
How do we do this? Are you ready? Here goes, remove your shoes and take off your socks. Now place one of your socks into your guitar through the hole under the strings, and play a few bars. You will notice that the lows have been subdued... Add more socks or what ever you got handy.
How can this be? Haven't you seen a drummer tame his booming bass drum with pillows, cloth and tape? Or tame a room that seems to amplify certain frequencies by hanging heavy drapes. All this is done to change the resonance frequency of a space being affected.
Most acoustic electric guitars will use a microphone for it's electrical pickup, however, I've seen this issue with guitars using string pickups as well.
This BTW is the reason I'd don't ever believe a good sound mix will be used as set during a quick rehearsal before the public arrives. Once they arrive, the acoustics of the room has changes. Usually low frequencies will be improved and higher frequencies may need to be pushed a little more.
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