Guitar that can do singer/guitarist and jazz guitar

[rpjazzguitar]

I've been trying to do some solo guitar and voice stuff. My Comins GCS-1 sounds fine on the jazz stuff but inadequate on the light rock and pop chording.

I have a Martin LX1E which might work for the pop stuff, but it has something wrong with the electronics. After a minute of good functioning, I hear what I'd describe as low frequency rumble or static. And, the tuner flashes green but doesn't respond to the strings Just keeps flashing. It's Fishman electronics. I have an inquiry into tech support; waiting to hear back.

But, in the minute before the rumbling starts, the guitar sounds terrific for the pop stuff, leading me to believe I need an acoustic of that general type. Not necessarily the short scale of that guitar, but that kind of ringing sound.

With my arthritic hands, I set up my guitars to be easy to play. Small necks, light strings, low action. But, my experience with acoustics is that they're all harder to play.

I don't know enough about that kind of guitar to know what's possible. Thoughts? Recommendations? Are there guitars that can get that acoustic sound and a high level of playability?

Thanks in advance.

[starjasmine]

- Have you tried changing the battery on the Martin? In some cases, a dying battery can fry a preamp** so you might want to do this sooner rather than later. When I change my batteries on active-electronics guitars, I write the date on the battery. I also try to change all my batteries on a memorable date, like July 4th*, so that I remember to do it once a year.
- While not exactly like an acoustic guitar, there are pedals that allow a standard mag-pickup electric guitar to sound pretty close to an acoustic.

* For those outside the US, that's our Independence Day holiday, so it's easy for us Yanks to remember.
** Happened to my Charvel Model 6. Fortunately found a guy selling the exact replacement preamp on eBay, but this issue is so common with Charvel 6s that you find a lot of used ones wired passive, with no preamp.

[AllanAllen]

Telecaster is good for everything.

A clean tele sounds better than any piezo/active acoustic guitar I’ve ever heard.

[Spook410]

A flat top steel string acoustic has a totally different sound envelope than and electric. Even pretty different from an acoustic archtop. You get a lot more overtones and sustain. It can create a pretty solid backdrop for a singer to work over. Which is why so many singer/songwriters use them. The electronics have also gotten a lot better and most sound pretty good with decent EQ and preamp.

That being said.. I have a different suggestion. An inexpensive nylon string, something like a Cordoba Cabaret (under $600 used) works well for singing and pop tunes. And it shouldn't be too hard playing especially with the right strings and set up.

[rpjazzguitar]

- Have you tried changing the battery on the Martin? In some cases, a dying battery can fry a preamp** so you might want to do this sooner rather than later. When I change my batteries on active-electronics guitars, I write the date on the battery. I also try to change all my batteries on a memorable date, like July 4th*, so that I remember to do it once a year.
- While not exactly like an acoustic guitar, there are pedals that allow a standard mag-pickup electric guitar to sound pretty close to an acoustic.

* For those outside the US, that's our Independence Day holiday, so it's easy for us Yanks to remember.
** Happened to my Charvel Model 6. Fortunately found a guy selling the exact replacement preamp on eBay, but this issue is so common with Charvel 6s that you find a lot of used ones wired passive, with no preamp.

Good point. I tried two new batteries. The low battery light stayed off and the guitar played ok except for the low static.

[Cunamara]

Piezo bridge pickup on your Comins, like the GraphTech Ghost system?

[starjasmine]

Good point. I tried two new batteries. The low battery light stayed off and the guitar played ok except for the low static.

Dirty pots? Cold solder joint?
This might sound goofy, but is the problem present in any amp you plug the Martin into?

[rpjazzguitar]

[QUOTE=starjasmine;1459882]Dirty pots? Cold solder joint?
This might sound goofy, but is the problem present in any amp you plug the Martin into?[/QU

Yes. Every amp. Different cables.

There is only one pot which seems to be working normally.

There’s a preamp box which is closed and not easy to remove. It has modular connectors on the outside and I can’t get inside without risking making things worse. I’m guessing Fishman will suggest replacing some or all of the electronics.

[John A.]

With my arthritic hands, I set up my guitars to be easy to play. Small necks, light strings, low action. But, my experience with acoustics is that they're all harder to play.

I don't know enough about that kind of guitar to know what's possible. Thoughts? Recommendations? Are there guitars that can get that acoustic sound and a high level of playability?

Thanks in advance.

Acoustics in general have higher action and stiffer strings than electrics which is why they’re often harder to play. You could have the action on one brought down and string it with lighter to get the action closer to an electric. There are also lower tension strings (e.g., silk and steels, or Gypsy jazz strings).

Easier action would come at the cost of some loss of volume, thinner tone, and more potential for string buzz, but if you play plugged in with a light touch, it should be fine. There are so many good cheap flattops that experimenting with this is pretty low risk.

[alltunes]

Fender Acoustasonic might be a good solution. They have several different price levels. I have the least expensive one ($620) and it plays and sounds great. Piezo with the ability to blend in the humbucker.

P.S. the Acoustasonics are under 5lbs and have necks more like an electric than an acoustic. I string mine with 11’s. You can strum on them. The intonation is amazingly good.

[medblues]

Telecaster is good for everything.

A clean tele sounds better than any piezo/active acoustic guitar I’ve ever heard.

This one also has a piezo (search Deluxe Nashville Power) :

The Marketplace for Musicians | Reverb.com

or just change the bridge of your regular tele:
https://fishman.com/electric-pickup-series/powerbridge/

[AllanAllen]

This one also has a piezo (search Deluxe Nashville Power) :

The Marketplace for Musicians | Reverb.com

or just change the bridge of your regular tele:
https://fishman.com/electric-pickup-series/powerbridge/

Thats the opposite of what I meant. Piezo bad, always bad, even bands playing arenas with piezo pickups sound bad.

[Spook410]

Thats the opposite of what I meant. Piezo bad, always bad, even bands playing arenas with piezo pickups sound bad.

This used to be true but not so much any more. With proper DSP a piezo equipped guitar can sound pretty close to mic'd.

[starjasmine]

This used to be true but not so much any more. With proper DSP a piezo equipped guitar can sound pretty close to mic'd.

+1
The Parker Fly Deluxe has a piezo in the bridge that can be blended with the mag pickups + a mid boost/cut for the mags. It is quite the chameleon. You can dial in just a bit of the piezo in on top of the mags to get a nice round humbucker tone with a well-defined top-end presence. With the carbon-fiber body and stainless-steel frets, it has dead-on intonation, as well.

[medblues]

+1
The Parker Fly Deluxe has a piezo in the bridge that can be blended with the mag pickups + a mid boost/cut for the mags. It is quite the chameleon. You can dial in just a bit of the piezo in on top of the mags to get a nice round humbucker tone with a well-defined top-end presence. With the carbon-fiber body and stainless-steel frets, it has dead-on intonation, as well.

In case Parker Flys are hard to find, Godin also has guitars that do this (Solidac etc). Some even have hexaphonic pickups for feeding guitar synths.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I've been trying to do some solo guitar and voice stuff. My Comins GCS-1 sounds fine on the jazz stuff but inadequate on the light rock and pop chording..

I'm a bit surprised at this, since a few GCS-1s came across our stage when I was the house band leader a a local club, and I was impressd with what they could do.. They had KA humbuckers with a push-pull pot to split the coils. This is a pretty versatile combination in a semi that should handle light rock and pop with aplomb. Assuming you have the stock electronics in yours, what specific sound(s) can't you find in it?

[rpjazzguitar]

I'm a bit surprised at this, since a few GCS-1s came across our stage when I was the house band leader a a local club, and I was impressd with what they could do.. They had KA humbuckers with a push-pull pot to split the coils. This is a pretty versatile combination in a semi that should handle light rock and pop with aplomb. Assuming you have the stock electronics in yours, what specific sound(s) can't you find in it?

Mine is stock and as you described.

I also have a Martin LX1E, The Martin rings out with a rich acoustic tone on cowboy chords (ie the open strings really ring) that the GCS-1 can't touch.

The GCS-1 sounds dull by comparison - even though it's fine for combo and big band jazz. On non-cowboy chords the Martin sounds good, but not as brilliant whereas the GCS-1 sounds similar on both sorts. The coil split feature does help a bit. I've tried all kinds of EQ (using the 8 band parametric in the JBL Eon One Compact), but I haven't found that acoustic sound from the GCS-1.

[jim777]

In case Parker Flys are hard to find, Godin also has guitars that do this (Solidac etc). Some even have hexaphonic pickups for feeding guitar synths.

Ernie Ball Music Man JP6 has the same setup, with two outputs so you can send the piezo to an acoustic amp if you wish. And they are great, easy to play guitars. There are a few John Petrucci models from EBMM at different price points with piezos as well.

[Woody Sound]

How about built-in mics for singing.

[SierraTango]

+1
The Parker Fly Deluxe has a piezo in the bridge that can be blended with the mag pickups + a mid boost/cut for the mags. It is quite the chameleon. You can dial in just a bit of the piezo in on top of the mags to get a nice round humbucker tone with a well-defined top-end presence. With the carbon-fiber body and stainless-steel frets, it has dead-on intonation, as well.

As a former Parker Fly (circa mid 1990's) I would wholly endorse a Parker Fly. Of that era. I was introduced to them by Fred Walecki at Westwood Music. He was pals with Ken Parker. I bought one and it was a beautiful, versatile instrument. My situation at the time was in a house band that played a broad spectrum of music from the B-52's to Patsy Cline. Before the Fly I carried two guitars to the gig-one was a electric acoustic and the other a Les Paul. I ran the Fly in stereo between a Evans for the Piezo clean and a Rivera M55 for electric.
Light weight (especially after the Lester) perfect intonation, superb playability.
Just a fantastic guitar!!

[Alter]

I kind of have two incarnations of playing duets, either with singers, or with singers that also play an instrument. Either an acoustic or a Telecaster. Both work. The Tele is worry free, never gives me sound problems, don't care if i play close to pools, kids around or whatever, works great with effects for pop and electric stuff. The acoustic is more intimate, so i only use it sometimes since it is more specialized. Basic reason i prefer a Tele to say a 335 is that i don't like the Gibson scale and humbuckers for strumming funky style, much prefer a Fender scale and single coils.

When not a hotel gig but a more elaborate one like a concert that has less pop and more jazz/blues i might carry the Aer, an acoustic and an archtop. Also works, but i don't like either of them with effects.

I kind of caved in this year and really got into looping and building loops live, using sounds etc. Right now it's a pedalboard with analog pedals and still using the pro junior, but waiting for a Fractal Am4 to lighten things up a bit, and a PA speaker for better bass. Still undecided between an RCF 708 and a Yamaha Dbr10, trying an RCF 310 this Saturday's gig. Mentioning all that cause if you're doing pop, rock etc, you never know where you'll end up with gear, sounds, so on, and an electric (Tele) can cover everything whereas archtops and acoustics cannot.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I haven't found that acoustic sound from the GCS-1.

I must have missed it, but I don't recall seeing that you specifically wanted an acoustic sound. You just said initially that the Comins was "inadequate on light rock and pop". Your GCS-1 has a TOM style bridge, so you could add Ghost piezo pickups and their tiny preamp (about the size of a matchbox). Their system works very well and sounds fantastic. Blend it with your HBs and you'd have a pretty versatile setup.

[starjasmine]

Mine is stock and as you described.

The GCS-1 sounds dull by comparison - even though it's fine for combo and big band jazz. ... I haven't found that acoustic sound from the GCS-1.

Any chance you've got flats on the GCS and roundwounds - even specifically acoustic strings - on the Martin?

[Zigracer]

I use both an acoustic and an electric in my solo shows and occasionally add a 7 string jazz guitar to cover something where that really shines. I personally get a little bored when I see a solo artist playing acoustic on everything. Each song ends up sounding about the same after a while. I'll use the acoustic to strum an Eagles song or Harvest Moon or fingerpick Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. I'll then switch to electric with some nebula reverb for a song like Wichita Lineman in the spirit of Johnny A's version and use the electric on other songs where I can get the tone I want and maybe want to rock. I'll also live loop some songs with the electric, so I can add a bass part, a rhythm part and then play and sing over the top of that; I can play single note solos as well. It's extra gear, but I always get compliments on how varied my material is.

[rpjazzguitar]

Any chance you've got flats on the GCS and roundwounds - even specifically acoustic strings - on the Martin?

Martin has new silk and steel acoustic strings 11.5.