Best plugged-in acoustic sound I've heard in a while...

TimmyO

...and it was at an open-mic night locally.

Bloke just plugged his guitar in to the random PA and got on with it - sounded really nice, no ping/quack/woof or feedback.

I complimented him afterwards and took a quick shufty at what it was (he seemed to have zero idea what the system in the guitar was himself - one of those impressively nonchalant types) - the guitar was one of the Martin Performing Artist models, the only external clue to the electronics were 3 discreet, recessed controls in the side of the guitar. 

Very impressive. 

Lewy

Depending on which Performing Artist model it was, it may well have had a Fishman F1 Aura onboard, which would be why it sounded good. The lower level Perf. Artist have the F1 Analog which is basically just a normal piezo. So based on your description, it was one of the former with the built in Aura.

TimmyO

Lewy said:

Depending on which Performing Artist model it was, it may well have had a Fishman F1 Aura onboard, which would be why it sounded good. The lower level Perf. Artist have the F1 Analog which is basically just a normal piezo. So based on your description, it was one of the former with the built in Aura.

Very possibly - it was a noticeably natural sound - and given that the guy doing sound does it from an ipad on a sofa mostly just drinking beer I doubt he'd speedily dialled-in some wonderful EQ lol 

guycp

In my experience great plugged in sound from an acoustic comes from not running it too loud. The more you amplify it the less acoustic it sounds. 

Rocker

At a funeral in a rural church last Monday.  The guy had an acoustic amp mounted on a pole stand.  His acoustic guitar [it might have been a Takamine] sounded really good if a bit loud.  His microphone also went into the acoustic amp.  Vocals too were a bit loud and he sung hymns in a rather inappropriate country 'n western style.  But it was his acoustic tone that grabbed my ears.

imalrightjack

I had a Martin with the Fishman Aura. Always sounded great plugged in. Shouldn't have sold it. I'd very much like another. 

crunchman

You can always get an Aura pedal and use it with a conventional undersaddle pickup.

Or if you want to do it on the cheap, a TC Bodyrez doesn't have all the options of an Aura but can help the sound a lot.  I picked one up for £50 second hand.  It hasn't gone wrong yet - which given my experience of the reliability of TC stuff is quite an achievement.

Namaqua

I have a Rainsong (think it's called a WS1000) that has a beautiful plugged in sound. No idea what the pickup system is but whenever I use it I get sound engineers all over it. I've had some players borrow it after sound checks because it sounds better than their Martins, Taylors, Gibsons etc.
When I bought it in Guitar Centre on the way through Vegas, it stood out among all other acoustics in the shop and I was lucky enough to have a virtually unlimited budget. It had people dribbling for the rest of the tour. Highly recommend them.

TimmyO

Namaqua said:

I have a Rainsong (think it's called a WS1000) that has a beautiful plugged in sound. No idea what the pickup system is but whenever I use it I get sound engineers all over it. I've had some players borrow it after sound checks because it sounds better than their Martins, Taylors, Gibsons etc.
When I bought it in Guitar Centre on the way through Vegas, it stood out among all other acoustics in the shop and I was lucky enough to have a virtually unlimited budget. It had people dribbling for the rest of the tour. Highly recommend them.

<googles>

It looks like that guitar has a lot more than just its pickup system going on 

Never seen anything like it!

http://www.acousticmagazine.com/reviews/gear-reviews/rainsong-ws1000/

mellowsun

@Namaqua agree on the Rainsong, I played one plugged in some years ago and it is still the best amplified acoustic guitar sound I've ever heard.

Namaqua

TimmyO said:

Namaqua said:

I have a Rainsong (think it's called a WS1000) that has a beautiful plugged in sound. No idea what the pickup system is but whenever I use it I get sound engineers all over it. I've had some players borrow it after sound checks because it sounds better than their Martins, Taylors, Gibsons etc.
When I bought it in Guitar Centre on the way through Vegas, it stood out among all other acoustics in the shop and I was lucky enough to have a virtually unlimited budget. It had people dribbling for the rest of the tour. Highly recommend them.

<googles>

It looks like that guitar has a lot more than just its pickup system going on 

Never seen anything like it!

http://www.acousticmagazine.com/reviews/gear-reviews/rainsong-ws1000/

Thanks for that link. Never read anything about them before. I wish mine was only 2k but I bought it in about 2008 for around $5 although it was about 2 bucks to the £ if I remember right.
One night after a show there was a massive downpour and I stood in the rain playing it just for the LOLs. It has been through deserts too and just like that review says, it still plays more perfectly than any of my more expensive known brands.

Lewy

Are there any clips out there of the Rainsong plugged in sound being discussed here? I'm intrigued but googling/youtube so far has just turned up clips that sound like pretty much any piezo equipped acoustic. What am I missing here?