This may be a crazy idea, but will it work?

[myname1]

OK, for years I have used various acoustic/electric guitars with mixed results in live church situations.

 

What I would LIKE to do is have some way of micing my acoustic guitar in a live situation WITHOUT having to rely on the sound guy or have to listen to my acoustic guitar through the monitors.

 

In other words, I would like to find a way to run a mic through my guitar amp so that I can control the volume of the acoustic guitar without relying on a inexperienced sound guy who may or may not (usually this is the case) turn me up in the monitors on stage so that I can hear my guitar well enough to play.

 

Why? Because I am not a professional musician and do not have professional sound men micing my guitar out. Therefore, my results have been mixed. Usually when I play or sing with the acoustic guitar miced with the soundmen in control, it simply sometimes is not loud enough or the sound guy is not paying attention, as he is sometimes looking at something else.

 

I also do not just play my acoustic guitar just for specials or an occasional song only, but sometimes I play it along with what the piano is playing as part of the regular service.

 

Up until now, I have always loved the mic'ed sound of an acoustic guitar, but never found a way to mic it live for just regular playing as a part of my rig, unless I just use an acoustic/electric guitar through my amp....but it simply does not have the same sound.

 

What I have come up with is this:

1. use a Neumann KM 184 acoustic guitar mic and go XLR into a small preamp like the ART Tube MP.

 

2. Then go out of the ART tube MP 1/4 inch out (it has both 1/4 inch and XLR inputs and outputs)of the ART Tube MP and into my guitar amp.

 

The ART tube mp also has both input and output volume settings so I can just cut off the input volume on the ART when I am not using the mic! Also, I am going out of my amp and direct into the PA, so I should be able to have both the acoustic miced sound comming out of my amp and also going out to the PA at the same time....just like an acoustic/electric, but hopefully with a much better sound.

 

Is that a workable plan for micing an acoustic guitar live without a sound guy? Any other suggestions?

[Crab_Cake]

Man thats confusing. It would probably be easier to talk to the engineer before the show and make it clear what you want. Thats what a soundcheck is for

And really using a mic live is always going to be tough. I would get a nice pickup installed in your guitar. If you really like a mic sound they pickups that include a built in mic.

here are some examples

Fishman Ellipse Blender

Fishman Rare Earth Blender

There are a lot of choices out there. Plus for any live show follow the KISS principal. Keep it simple stupid.

I mean having a complex system like you want is definetely doable, but how reliable will it be? Could you count on it for every performance?

I would rather have good reliable consistent sound than great sound which may be unreliable, plus a huge headache.

[myname1]

Man thats confusing. It would probably be easier to talk to the engineer before the show and make it clear what you want. Thats what a soundcheck is for And really using a mic live is always going to be tough. I would get a nice pickup installed in your guitar. If you really like a mic sound they pickups that include a built in mic. here are some examples Fishman Ellipse Blender Fishman Rare Earth Blender There are a lot of choices out there. Plus for any live show follow the KISS principal. Keep it simple stupid. I mean having a complex system like you want is definetely doable, but how reliable will it be? Could you count on it for every performance? I would rather have good reliable consistent sound than great sound which may be unreliable, plus a huge headache.

Yeah,I kinda figured it was not a good idea, but I just thought I would ask. LOL!

[Scodiddly]

I don't think you'd be happy with the sound through a regular guitar amp. Maybe a portable powered PA speaker would work. But you'd still have to fight feedback with a mic setup.

[brahmz118]

I'm no pro, but I've done this in a medium-sized auditorium. I have an archtop with no electronics, so I point a dynamic mic at the lower f-hole (which was recommended on this or another forum), and run that directly into a keyboard amp. I was playing with a bass player who was going into the same amp, and I thought we were able to achieve a good balance.

For me it was much more enjoyable than using a pickup, because I usually have to restrict my playing a little to compensate for the piezo attack. However, it was a relatively low volume situation, with just bass and guitar, so it was easy to position the amp to avoid feedback.

[daklander]

Simplest fix is to run a powered monitor on stage and have the board's monitor send for your guitar sent to that powered monitor where you can adjust the feed to suit.

[myname1]

I am going to try the LR Baggs M1A and see if it is as good as they say it is.

 

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/LR-Baggs-M1A-Active-Soundhole-Magnetic-Pickup?sku=307118&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=60203875

 

If some people are willing to record with it, it may sound OK for live situations. Not a perfect solution to micing live, but then again, what is?

 

This probably my best bet without having to make modifactions to my guitar at all. Which I certinaly DON'T want to do under any circumstances.

[bluecollarman]

I agree with Daklander's suggestion if you consider this...

As a former church soundman I can see both sides of your problem. You need to hear yourself clearly, the soundman needs to hear and mix everyone clearly. Often what happens in the quest for you to hear yourself clearly, your monitor overpowers what others are trying to hear - especially if everyone is using wedge or spot monitors. A conflict begins when vocalists & other musicians can only hear you and not themselves - and all involved start looking at the guy running sound who is trying to please everyone on stage PLUS mix excellent sound for the audience's ears. Your sound guys are going to want your instrument to come through the board so they have control of the entire mix - and I agree.

Now all that being said I'd recommend you find an in-ear or headphone-based monitoring solution that allows you to feed your guitar direct and also get a monitor mix from the board. There are several good solutions that allow you to "dial in" a personal mix that suits what you want/need to hear.

Talk to your soundguys, work with them at a time not designated for practice or prior to worship services. They have a tough job, not being professionals and having to often work with less than ideal equipment for the job they are asked to perform.

My 2 cents! Hope it helps.

[mixinstrings]

At our church we rotate musicians and vocalist at the soundboard and our Tuesday night practice includes each one of us taking a turn working on the board. It would be great to have a full time professional sound person but this way at least everyone gets to see what is happening from both perspectives. Its not perfect for sure but it seems to be working. You can see that some people have a natural ear for a good house mix and others need a lot more input from the band. I myself would much rather be the guy asking for more of something in my monitor than the guy in the booth keeping track of everything.