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Just curious if anyone has used an acoustic "modeling" pedal to try to get a more acoustic/woody sound out of an electric archtop? Like for example, and ES-175 type guitar, plugged in, doesn't sound like the big band acoustic tones of the 30s/40s... it sounds like an electric archtop. I wonder if a Boss AC-3 or some other acoustic modeler (I also have a Zoom AC-3, hmm...) would help get those tones?
I'll have to try it with my Gretsch (Filtertrons: no acoustic/woody sound out of it at all)
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05-24-2026 03:47 PM
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This makes a big difference in the tone of my Washburn electric-acoustic flat-top (irritating piezo pickup tone without it).
LR Baggs Para DI Acoustic Guitar Preamp
I haven't tried it with an archtop, Ill do that and report back. Think I paid about $100 for it.
Have used it with this vintage Washburn D-12, which sounds great when not plugged in:
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20-something years ago I was a contributing writer for, among other music/audio rags, the BOSS User's Group Magazine. As part of my gig there, I reviewed a couple of their "acoustic emulator" pedals, stompboxes designed to make solidbody electric guitars sound more like flattop acoustic guitars (e.g., the BOSS AC-2 Acoustic Simulator) and/or to make amplified flattop acoustic guitars sound less "electric" (e.g., the BOSS AD-5 Acoustic Instrument Processor).
Both worked as advertised...somewhat. Barely, at best...but if you closed your eyes and half-closed your ears, you could sort of grok the direction they were pulling your sound.
Neither would fool an astute listener. The former would not transform your Les Paul Custom into a Martin D-28, and the latter wouldn't make your piezo-equipped Ovation Country Artist sound like it was anything other than a plastic guitar with a cheap pickup. But they would definitely get your sound closer to the appropriate sonic neighborhood.
I think the best way to approach those types of pedals is not to attempt to transform one type of guitar into another, but rather to find unique guitar sounds that aren't emulations of anything that exists on this planet.
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I bought one of these as a cheap experiment for the exact same reason. They aren't perfect, but it'll get you closer. Haven't tried the Boss version, but most of the parameters look the same. One thing you should know is that, having a more full range acoustic amp/cab is just as important for mimicking an acoustic archtop sound.
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My impression is that these devices are intended to make electric guitars sound more like flat-top acoustics. I don’t know of any that aim to simulate an acoustic archtop.
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But, when used with an electric archtop, it defintely "acousticizes" its sound. If you have Amzn Prime, you can order one and then return it if you don't like it.
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Now this is the kind of bias and factual error that make an entire post suspect.
Originally Posted by Bob_Ross
An Ovation Country Artist would have the back made of Lyrachord. The same composite used in the manufacturing of helicopter blades. The top would be AA grade Sitka Spruce and the pickup would have individual piezo elements for each string running to a preamp with military grade components....
Nothing cheap about the instrument.....
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The EQ adjustments of the LR Baggs unit were far more advanced than the simpler pedals I tried, I found them to be a waste of money, no better than the tone knob on my guitar.
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Do you want to spoil the sound of your arch-top guitar? Originally Posted by ruger9
These are electronic toys-simulators.
I used this with a Stratocaster a long time ago, but I sold it.
There were moments that I liked it, but there were also moments that I didn't like it.
This is an artificial procedure.
A good EQ makes more sense to use with arch-top. I think so.
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Y'know how I know you've never heard an Ovation Country Artist? Originally Posted by Cavalier
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That's the one I have, and it works well for a rock cover band. It's the only place I'd EVER use it, tho. Makes my tele sounds like a flat top with a decent UST pickup, basically. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
I bought one of these as a cheap experiment for the exact same reason. They aren't perfect, but it'll get you closer. Haven't tried the Boss version, but most of the parameters look the same. One thing you should know is that, having a more full range acoustic amp/cab is just as important for mimicking an acoustic archtop sound.
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I've got a '91 Custom Legend. Great guitar, and the preamp is as good as today's USTs, and even better than some. Originally Posted by Cavalier
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I have a Baggs Para Acoustic DI. It is a great pedal, but like the DTAR Mama Bear, it is designed for use with a Piezo pickup. There are acoustic simulators for electric guitars with magnetic pickups, but I am not aware of one that gets an acoustic archtop sound. They all go for a flattop sound. The DTAR Mama Bear had a 16 inch L-5 emulation. My pal Rick Turner (RIP) lent me a Mama Bear when he and Seymour Duncan were developing the Mama Bear and I was able to get a pretty good acoustic archtop sound with my Piezo equipped Gypsy guitar. But IIRC, I tried that unit with an ES-175 and it did not deliver a good sound. I tried using my Baggs DI unit with a magnetic equipped Gypsy guitar and it did not work as well as it does with a piezo equipped guitar. Originally Posted by Mick-7
The EQ adjustments of the LR Baggs unit were far more advanced than the simpler pedals I tried, I found them to be a waste of money, no better than the tone knob on my guitar.
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Well, now I'm confused. You ask if one would work, but you say you have one? Do you have an electric archtop? Why don't you just try it? I haven't used mine in a while, maybe I'll hook it up again to remember the settings I used. Originally Posted by ruger9
Last edited by Woody Sound; 05-25-2026 at 10:34 AM.
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I have 2, the Mooer and the Zoom I mentioned. The Mooer is on my band pedalboard at the rehearsal space, and the Zoom is buried in a closet somewhere LOL. I will try them ... I was just wondering if anyone else had. For a specific purpose: to take an electric archtop and get a more acoustic sound out of it. Meaning, as examples, take an ES-125 or ES-175, and see if you could get them to sound like an ACOUSTIC archtop. Freddie Green's four-on-the-floor style is a good example of that. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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Things you might try other than a pedal: Originally Posted by ruger9
- roundwound strings
- acoustic amp or pa
- lighter pick
- eq for less bass, more treble
- strum closer to fingerboard
- single coil pickup
- lower volume
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Try an acoustic style preamp like a Baggs Para DI or something. Surprising what those things can do to a magnetic pickup signal.
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OK, that's what I thought. I'll get mine out this week and try it again, both with a laminated top and carved top, both single humbuckers. I should do it anyway to get familiar with it again. IIRC, the "Jumbo" setting sounded most natural in my setup, but I can't remember for sure. We could compare notes. Originally Posted by ruger9
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I suppose we shouldn't be surprised? If we could really approximate the sound of an expensive archtop, we'd stop buying 'em - hope springs eternal though. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
We're relieved that you didn't include "a better guitar." Originally Posted by pcjazz
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With an ES-175, one could try the Joe Pass "Virtuoso" approach and to stick a mic in front of it. But through an amp, it's going to sound like an ES 175. I don't think there is really any way around that, based on my ES 175. If I want to sound more acoustic-ish then I put the pick up selector in the middle, but it's only a vague impression of acoustic archtop guitar at best.
It took me years searching for a solution in the opposite direction: a nice acoustic archtop but finding a pickup that made it sound nice amplified was an enormous challenge and required at least six different pickups over the years. I finally settled on a Pete Biltoft PAF floating pickup that I bought here on the forum. Prior to that I had one of Pete's Charlie Christian style pickups which was great but the noise was too problematic. I have an old house with crappy wiring. The CC was a bit more acoustic sounding.
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I’ve never tried the Baggs with my ES175, but I swear by it for a Krivo Djangobucker since I plugged one into the other on a whim. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
It shouldn’t work but it does. It seems to add a bit of top end. It’s also obviously a powerful parametric EQ. It makes the guitar sound more acoustic somehow. Which sounds dumb.
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The acoustic modeller pedals do a good job of emulating a flattop strumming sound and not a huge amount else. Originally Posted by ruger9
Tbh I can’t think of a solution for this. A 175 doesn’t really make that noise. And I have thought about it a lot haha. It’s a bit of a niche thing really.
My go to for getting a good big band rhythm sound is roll off the bass on the amp, turn down on the guitar and hit the strings harder. But these days I’m playing a 335 mostly.
The old school acoustic guitar thing doesn’t work with modern big bands anyway, they all play far too loud. So you have to fake it a bit.
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I tried it with a Krivo Nuevo and it just made it somewhat harsh on the unwound strings. I have a Djangobucker, I will give that a try. I think the Nuevo is a very electric sounding pickup while the Djangobucker actually sounds more acoustic (which is counter-intuitive) Originally Posted by Christian Miller
With my 175, it also made the E and B strings sound a bit "edgy". YMMV (Maybe, I don't like that extra top end?)
It does work exceptionally well with a piezo pickup.
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Sorry sport, I have one of the first ones made. Originally Posted by Bob_Ross
You don't have to ask how I know you're full of it.
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I've tried the Mooer acoustic guitar Impulse Response (IR)'s. Fun. But not quite.
If you're willing to install a Fishman piezo bridge you can get a very acoustic sound running through something like a Tonedexter. You could also install a K&K pickup inside the guitar under the bridge. A magnetic pickup, even a broader range one, won't work well with this tech. Need the full range. Something a piezo offers. Would not sound 30's.. would sound more like your guitar with a mic. Mixed with the humbuckers would probably sound good, but not like a different guitar.
From what I've seen the tech isn't there yet in the amp modeling / speaker IR world. But it's hard to know with everything going on. Everyone wants to get closer to their favorite Marshall and acoustic doesn't seem to be a common pursuit. Still, I do think we'll get closer pretty soon.
This is just my personal experience. If you want to inquire over on the dark side of the force, ask ChatGPT "what guitar devices are available to make an archtop guitar sound more acoustic?"
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