Do Acoustic Guitars NEED Pedals? - My Full Pedalboard Walkthrough

[@markallen381]

I never buy any acoustic without an electronic pickup. I use a mic for singing. Pedals I like the best are ones that sound good with a mix of the original guitar sound.

[@ColmRMcGuinness]

Brilliant video, Fabian. Putting together my first acoustic setup for tour and this was so immensely helpful!

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks so much for the comment!! So glad this video helped you! Hope the tour goes well 😊👍

[@ThePanchomack]

Man that sounds really good. The Combination of Mic and Pick up accompany really well. It Adds a nice texture to the sound which i find really useful, especially in a live situation. great Video !

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video. Yeah I’m quite happy with the mic and pickup combo, works quite well I think! :-)

[@mikkeljulius7313]

Great board! As for delay I simply can't live without MXR Carbon Copy. Such a lush, warm and analogue delay for your acoustic tone (and electric for that matter).

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment!! Ah yeah I’ve seen those MXR delays around a lot. I’d like to try analog delay, those Boss and Ibanez ones look nice as well. Thanks 🙏

[@clayteasouth]

I also use the CC for my acoustic. Works very well.

[@charliealden9355]

Really smart idea with the volume pedal.

[@donready119]

I am a very late bloomer to this art. Been playing for 45 years but just started using reverb. Thank you for this master class.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed the video. It can be lots of fun adding effects to your acoustic 😉👍

[@ShaighJosephson]

Yeah, I've been hooked on finger style playing my 6/12 string acoustic electrics through my pedal effects just like this... Love the natural full sound through the effects, but sometimes you have to compress and tighten the range to get it through some pedal effects without artifacts... Anyway, I liked the feeling and emotion of your playing... 🙂

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Yeah I need to experiment with compression pedals I think!! Glad you enjoyed the video 😊👍

[@stephenlennartz3466]

We can all take a lesson from Tommy Emmanuel... arguably the finest guitarist on our planet. I had the pleasure of seeing TE perform about a month ago. The. Best. Concert of any kind I've ever experienced. This was a birthday gift that included a meet & greet with the artist. What a thrill! Coming full circle, Tommy uses zero pedals... except for an unusual tone color eq and a slight hint of verb from his soundman out front. But other than that... 😎🎸👍

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, Oh yeah Tommy Emmanuel is amazing! He’s a real world class player for sure. I’ve never met him but he was good friends with my old guitar teacher Eric Roche. I think Tommy uses AER amps? They’re really great amps that let you have lots of control over the sound. Thanks for the comment 🙂

[@michaelheath7145]

I play an acoustic-electric on the worship team at my church. I play lead (electric and acoustic lead-Filler riffs and an occasional solo); power chords (fifth chords); and rhythm occasionally on certain parts. I can switch between electric and acoustic by shutting my overdrive pedal on or off (which is set up all the way to electric, no mix). On my pedal board I have: an TC Electronics BODYREZ Acoustic Enhancer pedal; LR BAGGS EQ pedal; Fender Smolder Overdrive (for overdrive distortion); Vigilante Chorus pedal; Mooer Woodverb Reverb pedal. Through the PA it sounds good.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment 😊 sounds like a nice setup 😉👌 what acoustic are you using?

[@justinburnettemusic]

Great rundown of the acoustic setup. Sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing!

[@VincVEVO]

Sweet acoustic tones man. Inspirating. ❤

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks so much 😊🙏

[@gamesbaden1729]

As a flamenco player, i generally combine a mic (Neumann km 184) with the installed pickup (have a fischman Pro) on my flamenco guitar. I use AER Alpha as an Acoustic AMP (AER has a descent EQ and Reverb). This setting is already more then enough for me. Recently i bought a HOF 2 Reverb Pedal but i could live as well without it honestly. Thank you for that video!

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for taking the time to comment. Ah yeah that sounds like a great setup, very similar to mine (just without all the pedals) Those AER amps are lovely, such a great sound. I also had the Alpha at one stage, I also had their battery powered compact 60 for busking back in the days when I was busking lots. Very nice tone and very powerful amps, their onboard EQ and Reverb is great as well.

[@mariodriessen9740]

EQ, reverb and compression, these are important to create a good sound. Even the best pickup systems can’t give you the tone of your guitar, so if you can’t get it anyway, you might as well shape it into something good. A tiny bit of compression, but mostly eq and reverbs will smooth things out. Of course, if you’re going to strum some cowboy chords, you can’t have a sound that’s drenched in reverb, but for quieter parts and finger picking, absolutely! Modulation pedals can be fun, but I hardly ever use them. At this moment my go to reverbs for acoustics are the Neunaber Immerse and for a bit of extra depth when soloing I add the Earthquaker Devices Dispatch Master. 🧡

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Oh yeah for sure! I’d like to experiment with compression, I wonder if it helps more for strumming rather than fingerpicking though? Nice reverbs 😊👍

[@ckrug32]

Really like the idea of using a pickup with a mic. For future videos with this setup, would be cool to hear: A) mic only (like you have here) B) mic & pickup (like you have here) C) pickup only (for comparison) D) and then mic & pickup again (to see what sound each method contributes) Also, would love to see more about parametric EQs. I'm somewhat familiar with plug-in versions, but have never tried a Para EQ in pedal form. Does the mic add back in some of the harsh frequencies that you removed from the pickup signal? Or are harsh frequencies unique to each signal path (mic vs pick-up)? Finally, would be helpful to hear an A/B of your pickup signal here with Para EQ on and then off to hear the difference! As always, thanks for your great content and playing.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the in depth comment, I love it :-) I'll try and think about all those comparisons for next time, thanks! Yeah those Para EQ's are great! I find each pickup has its own unique harsh frequencies and by "harsh" I mean sounds that I don't like that much (which may be different to sounds that you don't like) I find mics tend to have less harsh frequencies, but it's more about just cutting out whatever produces feedback when live on stage (which is usually all the low end frequencies) Yeah I'll have to do and A/B comparison with each pedal on and off for next time. I'm sure i'll be doing lots more on pedals soon. Thanks for the feedback, it really helps a lot!! :-) Cheers

[@slowdawnphmusic]

Got my new setup after experimenting and I’m happy with it so much. Signal chain> Superego>Nux Optima😊

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Nice! That SuperEgo looks wild! 👍 the Nux Optima also looks good. Nice that it has an FX Loop, that’s very useful. Cheers!

[@slowdawnphmusic]

@@FabianHollandGuitar I found that that it sounds better after putting all the other pedals to the fx loop of the nux buddy. Updated signal chain is. Rubberneck Delay>Polara>Superego going to NUX optimas fx loop. Your tone inspires me though to experiment more. rock on buddy..

[@JacobMillerDrums]

Any thoughts on the polara? Thinking of picking up with a stereo memory man unit for my setup but there my first pedals so I've got no idea lmao​@@slowdawnphmusic

[@clayteasouth]

Your playing is very inspiring. The tone and fx are the icing on the cake. Beautiful playing. Well done!

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks so much 🙏 I really appreciate that.

[@isabelllowenherz2213]

I like your impressiv development. Thank you for let us see how you're doing it. How you use your volume pedal is interesting for me. The possibility to let in some effect just for a special moment. Your sound is great.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it. Yeah absolutely, this is something I'm only just exploring but I think it has potential for some very interesting possibilities fo sure! 😊

[@andreylion8140]

Great video! I'd love to see a detailed review of your awesome pedalboard =)

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video ☺️👍 Nice, I’ll have to do a video on that soon!

[@mebaugh1]

Nicely done! Empress ParaEQ pedal, very cool! I might suggest looking at the JHS Colourbox V2 (which I have). Does 4 bands of paraEQ and has XLR DI output as well. Has the legendary LUNAHL transformers on input and outputs stages. Widely used in both recording and live performance fo bass, guitar, drums and more. Transforms acoustic guitar into "near microphone" levels of natural tone! Can even be used on vocals as it has dal instrument/XLR ins and outs. Truly amazing sound!

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the suggestion! The Colourbox looks really great!! Also really nice that it has LUNDAHL transformers as well 👍.

[@MarkArnoldMusic]

"i tend to go through phasers" - i see what you did there ;-)

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

😂 Nice! 👍

[@markkarpinski1460]

Love the setup. If I were to add anything, a Boss OC-3 octave pedal, set to only affect the low E and A strings would be a great finishing touch.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the input. It's funny you say that I used to have the OC-3 a while ago but I sold it 🤦 been thinking of getting it again. Glad you liked the video! 😊

[@markkarpinski1460]

I couldn’t agree more. The OC-3 set only to affect the E and A strings was a game changer for my acoustic pedalboard. I wouldn’t buy the newer models of the Boss OC octave pedals either. They can’t do what the OC-3 does. Check out Mike Dawes demonstrating the OC-3. It’s a must own.

[@geej12]

Great video and wonderful playing. I don't have a cue stick guitar, but I do have an electric acoustic, and I use a TC Electronic Hypergravity compressor, Catelinbread Dirty Little Secret for a little dirt and EQ, a DemonFX Mini Chorus and an Earthquaker Devices Dispatch Master for reverb and delay. I highly recommend all of these pedals, after years of research! I use a magnetic soundhole pickup with internal mic and preamp, and under-bridgeplate piezo (JJB, not K&K). Love the idea of a side chain controlled by a volume pedal. Brilliant!

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the input 🙏 some interesting pedals you have! So do you have 3 pickup signals that get further processed then? And do they get blended together at some point in your chain? Cheers!

[@geej12]

@@FabianHollandGuitar The mag pickup and mic are blended in the onboard preamp. The JJB goes to a separate jack. With the pedalboard I mentioned in my comment, I usually use one output or the other. Both sound great (but different). BUT the two separate outputs come into their own when I use my other, much more complicated, pedalboard, which has two separate effects chains which are blended by a Nu-x mini mixer which I have built into the board. The JJB goes into a fairly standard acoustic chain (preamp, compressor, delay, reverb), and the mag/mic feeds some slightly more esoteric pedals. This allows me to do pure acoustic tones and also gets me John Martyn-like sounds (one of my heroes!), as well as ambient acoustic. As you can see, I'm into pedals with acoustics- big time!

[@dougcrowe1226]

I like delay reverb and an eq on my rig- also a preamp is handy- one that had a couple features for cleaning up the piezo tone. Its mainly to add ambience and some spice to the sound if needed. A looper can be fun also but im still looking for the one that suits me most. I prefer a simple setup so i can focus on the song expression

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Loopers can be great! I’ve never gotten on with them unfortunately, but I know a lot of players use and love them!

[@tofromks]

Great video, and as an example, for those arguing over whether the Epiphone Gibson inspired line of acoustic guitars stand up to the $4000 Js200 for instance, using pedals with acoustics is a perfect equalizer.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks so much! Glad you liked the video and thanks for the example 👍

[@fugalibrana]

I've been trying pedals on my acoustic and I think it's more difficult to me to find the right one for some functions (chorus for example). In a live situation I love my rig, cos I can shape the tone as I like, considering I'm not musician full time. What is my rig nowadays: Directly from my guitar (Epiphone EJ200 with LR Baggs Stage pro Element Piezo pickup, Vertech VS-9MV magnetic and mic): Boss Ad-2 acoustic preamp -> Fishman Aura Spectrum DI -> Fender Smolder Acoustic OD -> Boss DD-8 -> Boss RV-6 -> Fender Acoustic Preverb. Maybe I could get an LR Baggs Chorus, but it could be just for vice 😅

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment 😊 I haven't experimented too much with chorus pedals with acoustic, but it's something I'd like to try out more. Nice setup, what's the Vertech like? I've been thinking of getting another sound hole pickup again.

[@pastorhudson]

I have the LR Baaggs chorus and reverb they are fantastic.

[@samueltrebing5247]

Super late to this thread but just curious - isn’t it redundant to have the Boss pre-amp before the spectrum Aura DI? I thought the Spectrum Aura DI was a pre amp ?

[@gregorylangston5485]

Nice tones bro! Very tasteful thanks for sharing 👌

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks so much!! Glad you enjoyed it 😊👍

[@dougcrowe1226]

Great run-through of settings

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks so much 🙏

[@rtchamberlain]

Great tones you got there. Loved the whole video. Interesting and oddly relaxing to watch. Dig your tunes as well. Have you ever thought of doing a purely instrumental album?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks so much! Sorry it always takes me a little while to get reply to my comments. Glad you enjoyed the video! Yeah I’d love to do an instrumental album, I’ve actually done one with a friend of mine who plays violin, it’s on my KZbin channel under the name ARVO.

[@TarkMcCoy]

I'm using a Zoom A1xFour multi effects pedal for a vibrato on the low end paralleled with the Boss SY-200 synthesizer for a high end soft pad. These sandwich in the natural resonance of an electro-acoustic hammered dulcimer for an incredibly rich tone.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment! Really Interesting setup!! I like the idea of having different effects for the different range of frequencies! 😊👍

[@markharwood7573]

Good stuff. For me: MXR Micro Flanger, Strymon Cloudburst, expression pedal. I'm satisfied.

[@dougieladd]

Interesting video. Thanks. I've been thinking of doing this... (building an 'acoustic' board). I've never used pedals at all with acoustic... but never had the need until now.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. It’s definitely interesting exploring the many different possibilities you can get with an acoustic with pedals 👍

[@AUSTROSPHAERE]

Very nice video, very nice sound and very nice music! And a cool idea with the volume-pedal simulating an expression pedal! I experiment with two seperated pickup-systems in my acoustic guitars: 1. the onboard-piezo/mic-PU, 2. an soundhole magnetic-PU. The piezo/mic-signal walks into an acoustic-preamp (I use LR Baggs Para Acoustic and Hartke Acoustic Attack) and an Boss OC3 octaver only for the low strings, and the magnetic-signal walks into an Amp-Modeller (I use Line6 HX Stomp and Strymon Iridium). The magnetic-signal also feed an guitar-synthesizer (Boss SY200 or SY300) and i add the synthesizer-signal with approximately 15% to the pure signal (sometimes SY-using, not always). I use the Amp-Modeller with clean or very light overdrive sounding and i experiment with this settings and the volume-relation to the piezo/mic-signal. Both signals where mixed together and then the journey continues to reverb and delay (Strymon Bigsky, Timeline, Bluesky, ElCapistan, on my two boards). The results are amazing! It is a lot of fun to adjust and try out the many parameters and enjoy the sounding! My personal disadvantage is, i lost my mind in a cloud of sound and i forget to make music and play the guitar with seriousness. Then i switch off all the electric stuff and play the naked guitar. ;)

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for letting us know your setup! That sounds pretty crazy 😳 Do you have a video of this setup? I would love to hear it. I had an OC3 at some point as well, it's a great pedal. Yeah I guess it can be very easy to get carried away with making crazy sounds and not actually writing music. Still sounds like lots of fun though 😊

[@joanarling]

What a cool video! I don't take an acoustic on stage for fear of feedback, but my sound experiments go similar to yours (except for rock music, of course). I wonder if you ever thought of going stereo, though. I use the tc HOF-2 reverb after a nux duotime delay, both stereo, into two 40W combos which are set as clean channels. This makes the "room" much more 3D. And one other thing you might want to look into is a /very/ short delay (say, 5..10 ms), which simply makes the tone thicker (I use a Flamma FC03, which can handle such short times). And now I am going to take something from you and find out if reverb before delay makes a difference, and that parametric eq also looks interesting :) Thank you for your input!

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Oh yeah that would be interesting to go true stereo through 2 amps! A pain to carry to a gig though 😅 Yeah look into the parametric EQ, it really helps a lot, thanks ☺️👍

[@JPKalliomusic]

Hey man. Your video just came up on my feed, and I am glad it did. I’ve been bit in the same boat in the sense that I go through faces of having pedals, and faces I don’t. Lately, I have a small board that has stuck with me for few years. It's been a great board playing with a band. But just in the past six months I started to play more solo, so I’ll definitely be experimenting more. And your video was a great inspiration 😊

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed the video! And glad you got some inspiration from it. I quite like the fact we go through these different phases with our gear, it definitely makes it more interesting 😂 Cheers!

[@MikeWh]

Yes, please show how you made the board. Smart thinking that you can tilt the top of the board to gain access underneath. What sort of hinge or pivot do you have there? Thanks for the video, very informative.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi Mike, great thanks for the comment. I'll look into doing a video about how I built it. I just use a simple nut and bolt going through some aluminium that's attached to the shelf. nothing too complicated but It's lasted a fair while which is good. Glad you enjoyed the video! 🙂

[@rogerwerder7251]

⁠@@FabianHollandGuitar Yes please, would like to see in a video, how you made this amazing board. Best board I've seen.

[@scaberouswretch3673]

The DADGAD tuning helps a lot too. Also try DADAAD and BADAAD. 👍🏻

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Oh yeah absolutely!! 👍 nice, thanks for the tunings. I’ll try them out!!

[@paulstuartbuckby5134]

Great video mate. Really enjoyed it. Fantastic acoustic sounds and playing. Tx

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks so much for saying that 🙏 glad you enjoyed the video!

[@dougcrowe1226]

I liked the added mic but that can be tricky on various stages- also that one is pricey i believe for my budget

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks! Yeah the Neumann is definitely a high end mic but there’s lots of other cheaper options out there that would work great for live. You’re right it can be tricky on stage though, especially if there’s other instruments on stage as well.

[@SamHortonMusic]

The strymon big sky sounds amazing

[@FastRedPonyCar]

I agree and I loved mine BUT…you really have to be buying it to get those very unique big ethereal/shimmery reverb sounds. Otherwise a reverb pedal half its price will do just as well, which is the situation I found myself in.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Yeah it’s a really nice reverb, did you mean to say Big Sky? The one I have is a Blue Sky, it’s smaller than the Big Sky.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Oh yeah for sure! I only use my Strymon to get these big sounds, otherwise I just use a simpler more natural reverb

[@roylarkey9904]

My board currently: boss ve8, pigtronics infinity 3 looper, digitec trio band creator, fender pinwheel (Leslie rotary) , tonex1 , donner/third man eng, triple threat, and the UA volt 275 for the 1173 and of course the interface. For my vocals I’m using the TC mic mechanic, which is much better for reverb echo hall and chorus than the boss ve 8 …

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the input 😊 that’s some nice pedals! I gotta try that TC mic mechanic for the vocals 👍

[@roylarkey9904]

@@FabianHollandGuitar you’ll want the mic mechanic 2 as tithe original, which is the one i have, does not have phantom power

[@TheDeadRabbit44]

Sounds incredible. Can you tell. Me what tuning you're in?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks! I'm playing in DADGAD 🙂

[@oliviermauhin6912]

Hey Fabian! Thanks for this insightful pedals review ! I love the way you play, it sounds like being alone in a camper van in Utah! Would you mind about create a tutorial on the tuning and the way you're playing? Thanks for everything 🙏🔥

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks, glad you enjoyed the video! Yeah absolutely I can do a guitar tutorial. I plan to do some in the future! I'm playing in DADGAD here. I have a few small guitar tutorials on my channel but I'd like to do a lot more focused on my particular technique! Thanks! ☺

[@robertobon2938]

Hi Fabian, good sound. I'm in the effect pedal phase, so i use them, mainly Strymon. Big Sky for rev, DIG for delay and Compadre for comp and boost. I find Strymom better on acoustic then other analogic effect i have. As preamp i use an old Frantone acoustic pedal. I would like to add an Eq to more customize the sound. I see you use Empress and seems really good. I'm in doubt between Empress and the Source audio Eq2. What's your suggestion?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the question. I haven't tried the source audio personally, cool that you can program different EQ settings with it, I like that. Although it doesn't look like it's a parametric EQ but a graphic right? So you're going to get more control with the empress and be able to really fine tune your sound. That's what I like about parametric EQ's. But if you're gonna need lots of different eq settings then maybe the source audio would be better? Guess it depends on your needs? Cheers

[@vitamindminormusicalwander6630]

I’m about to get one . I have the empress Reverb and I’ve always wanted to try the all the different strymoN …delays ! They sound AMAZING

[@aaronrodriguez4449]

Thank you for breaking down this set up, it’s really helpful. Would you be willing to help explain how you mix the “expression” channel back into the main line out? Thank you again, super inspiring

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, yeah no problem, thanks for your question! So once the second (expression) signal is created from the tuner output of the preamp (or whatever you happen to have that doubles up the signal, you could even do this with a second pickup) it then stays as a second signal and never gets mixed back into the original mono signal. So I have 2 signals one “dry” (EQ and simple reverb) and the other “wet” (all the other effects) and I then mix them in the main mixer or Interface that I’m using. Hope that makes sense? What is also interesting is where you put the volume pedal on the expression (“wet”) side, this can have a massive impact on the sound, maybe that’s something for another video? Let me know if you have any more questions!

[@YanniMassi]

Hey Fabian ! You have an amazing feel just noodling around. You're explaining the circuit very well, but I'm new to expression pedals and preamps. I was wondering what you where doing with the 2 outputs you get. Do you connect those on 2 différent channels on the PA console when you play live ?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for your question! Sorry for my late reply, it takes me a little while to get back to everyone. Yes, exactly! I plug therm into the PA or give them to the sound engineer as 2 separate signals. Glad you liked the video 👍

[@PrakashBahadurShah]

Great sound arrangement ❤❤❤❤

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks ☺️

[@rudals1281]

I too have K&K Pure Mini which requires a preamp when I'm playing thru a PA system. I have the Grace Design Alix and a tuner. That's all I need.😂😂😂

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Oh yeah those Grace Design ones look great! It looks like it has a kind of parametric eq onboard the preamp, is that right?

[@rudals1281]

@@FabianHollandGuitar yes, that's the one.

[@YourLifejacketFirst]

Doesn't this guy use something in addition to the k&k or is that just the mic we see?

[@fabiencourtoistapping]

great sound fabian !!!

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Cheers 🙂. Thanks for coming along to the live stream!

[@wjcoe]

Wow great tone. I was surprised you didn’t have any compression on your board- is that something you would use when playing with a full band?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks! ☺️ I’m a solo musician so I pretty much always play on my own on stage. I haven’t really looked at compression too much but it’s something I’d like to experiment with for sure! 👍

[@JamesW225]

Reverb , chorus and maybe delay

[@mythimusic]

Very nice sound I've used reverb and delay, also tried phase and stereo chorus and for very odd sounds a Boss synth pedal.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment! Nice yeah I’ve never gotten into phase and chorus effects, I can imagine you can get some interesting sounds with them. Also Boss synth Pedal sounds wild!! 👍

[@theguywithabow]

Great vid. I recently introduced a splitter pedal...through a volume pedal....it really let's you introduce something special at the tilt of a toe :)

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks! Glad you liked the video! Yeah splitter pedals are great, very useful for lots of different applications. Thanks for the comment 🙂

[@David_Friberg]

Thanks for the instructive video Fabian, and for your beautiful alt-tuning playing! I have my own pedal board for my acoustic guitars (Tuner->EQ->Compressor->Octave->Delay->Reverb->AER Compact 60) and I've always been curious about the preamp, as it's always highly recommended for acoustics but I haven't felt the need for it with my own setting yet. I play with a Yamaha AC5R with a "built-in preamp (mic modelling) pickup system". Could this be the reason I'm so far fine without a preamp on my board, meaning such a pickup system mostly replaces a preamp pedal (given that I have a standalone EQ pedal)? I haven't had the chance to try a guitar without Yamaha's pickup system, so I don't know what to expect with a more bare-bones pickup.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Ah nice yes I've used AER amps in the past and they're great! Yeah you should be fine with just using your onboard preamp. There are things that you get with external preamps that you don't often find on built-in preamps. Things like DI and tuner outputs, phase switches and mute and boost switches. Yours may have some of these though? I don't know your particular model. Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video! 😊

[@rodossaenz]

Amazing video. Thanks for sharing. What's about guitar strumming? How is it sound like?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks so much!! Glad you enjoyed it. Yeah I’m not really a strummer but I’ll think about that next time and I’ll try and do some strumming demos for those that strum more 😊👍

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Oh and as to how it sounds, to me strumming is definitely louder than picking so i tend to turn down all the effects a bit more otherwise it can get a little muddy sounding.

[@Peters518]

Hi Fabian and Thanks! Worth getting a Strymon in stead of the rev in my Fishm Artist ampl ? Peters, again

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Not sure what the reverb is like on the Fishman Amps but I really like the Acoustiverb Reverb pedal by Fishman, what you get with the Strymon is the option to have these huge sounding reverbs, plus the ability to control the frequency of the reverb (High Cut & Low Cut) Hope that helps!

[@terryfitzpatrick5602]

I have the strymon blue sky. Great pedal, had it for years now. It doesn't get as much play because my primary effects for vocals and guitar are through the TC Helicon Play Acoustic.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Ah that's interesting, is the Helicon like a vocal harmonizer? It seems way more than that!

[@terryfitzpatrick5602]

@FabianHollandGuitar, yes it is much more than just vocals for sure. Looper, effects, DI and much more.

[@dividedbytimestudios]

Do acoustic guitar players need pedals…. Yes, yes you do… Hey maybe you already do this, but I love playing my acoustic with one headphone on, so I can hear the pedals, and one off, so I can hear the guitar unplugged, makes for a nice balance of both worlds

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

😂thanks! I actually find the one ear on and one ear off thing quite disorientating for some reason? I quite like hearing the mic in the headphones so I can still hear the acoustic element.

[@danielkalson2663]

Love the video. Learned alot. I have a Taylor e/acoustic, which I love when it's on a mic, but the internal pickup makes it sound VERY tinnie. Hate it! Any suggestions for eliminating the tinnie sounds?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the question. Do you have an EQ pedal? That's the best way to shape the tone of a pickup. If you cut some of those high frequencies then it should loose a lot of that tinnie sound.

[@danielkalson2663]

I just got the Fishman Platinum EQ PreAmp in the mail. Trying it out in a few minutes.

[@jaguarsunburst1570]

Awesome Video ❤❤❤

[@blackforestbeamer]

amazing Guitar sound!

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks :-)

[@randphillipsmusic]

Very helpful. Well done!

[@maxmoss-o8v]

I’d love to have some plans on that pedalboard build if you’ve shared it.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, I keep getting this question so I’ll probably do a how to video on this very soon. I don’t have any plans for it as yet but that’s something I can add to the description of this video very soon. Thanks for the interest 😊👍

[@petermckernanmusic757]

Hey man, great video. I was wondering have you experimented with any other Strymon pedals with your acoustic? Dig, brigadeer? At the minute I'm using the pz delux with my lowden and its great. I was thinking of going for the El Capistan. What are your thoughts on that pedal with an acoustic? thanks, great content.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hey, thanks! Glad you liked the video! I haven't actually experimented with any other Strymon pedals, but I'd really like to! I've heard great things about the El Capistan. Never heard it on an acoustic though.

[@darrencindy6177]

Good video. very helpful. Currently trying to figure out a small solo acoustic setup and thinking of a blackstar polar 2 interface and fishman acoutiverb but after hearing that echo harmonic it sounds ideal to go with as well. Would go through a pa speaker. What do you think? Mic as well or no mic?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed the video! Yeah that sounds good. I really like having a mic, a pickup on its own with acoustic doesn’t sound very good to me so I always try to add a mic somewhere, either internal or external.

[@paulheartsongs]

Hi Fabian, nice pedal ideas for your board.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@paulheartsongs]

I really prefer digital pedals for the acoustic. They seem to maintain the ‘air’ in the sound. Interesting cedar top Lowden as well! I have tried a couple and will again when I’m next in the market.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

@@paulheartsongs thanks! oh yeah I really like the cedar top Lowdens. 🙂👍

[@KingofKekw]

how would you go about adding a mic on stage to a K&K mini style pickup (got an alternative but its similar) I do have an aanthem but using it in something else atm and trying to make a new pickup system as an experiment.

[@Peters518]

Hi Fabian and Thanks for Your demo! I mostly play on my Martin HD28 with or without a Fiahman ampl. A fine reverb .. which one do You recommend? Am out for a big clear acoustic sound! And a looper possible for 4-5 layers .. Thankful for an answer! Peters

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi Peters, thanks for the question! I like my Strymon Blue Sky but the Fishman Acoustiverb is also great especially for acoustic instruments. I don’t really use loopers so I’m not sure about that but I’ve tried some of the Boss ones which are always pretty good 😊👍

[@danielkalson2663]

Oh, have you tried the Fishman Platinum PRO EQ?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, no I haven't but it looks nice! It's also a preamp as well as an EQ. With this you could definitely make your pickup sound nicer! I would also recommend something like the K&K Pure mini pickup what I use, it really manages to capture a lot of the low end and richness of an acoustic.

[@danielkalson2663]

Thanks. I'll look into that pickup.

[@thalesalmeida7491]

Cool video, man. By the way, will electric guitar iconic pedals/effects (Chorus, Distortion, Overdrive, Tremolo, etc) sounds good on acoustic?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks man! Yeah absolutely! I wouldn't put them through any kind of microphone though. So if you have a blend pickup system that blends a mic with a pickup just make sure it's going through the pickup not the mic. I also find sound hole pickups sound the best through these kind of pedals because it's basically the same technology as an electric guitar pickup. But any kind of acoustic pickup would still work! Bear in mind all of this is very subjective, I quite like the sound of different effects through acoustic but some other people think it sounds horrible. If you have a setup that blends dry sounds with wet sounds a bit like I'm doing in the video then that can sound really good and also give you lots of control as to how much of the other effects you want to use.

[@thalesalmeida7491]

@@FabianHollandGuitar Got it. Thanks

[@davidcthomasmusic]

What guitar is that? Sounds beautiful

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the question! It’s a Lowden O10 acoustic jumbo with Mahogany back and sides and Cedar top made in 1994 😊

[@DabillaMusic]

Thanks for this! I'm running a wet and dry signal also but I'm finding that my delay doesn't cut through as i need it to sometimes...

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Ah that’s interesting, I’ve never found that a problem, although I have my delay very low anyway.

[@gabrielsoaresprodutor]

Thank You Fabian! Could you tell me what guitar you play?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi there, you're welcome! Glad you enjoyed the video. The guitar is a Lowden O10, Mahogany back and sides with a Cedar top. And the pickup is a K&K pure mini. Thanks 👍

[@OlliesSpace]

Hey thanks for the rundown Fabian. Ive just got into trying pedals with my acoustic just a HOF and a MXR delay so far. Just wondered what sort of interface/mixer so you use? I'm at capacity with two and considering a third. Cheers Ollie

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi Ollie, glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the question. I actually record mainly into my Zoom H4N Pro. And If I need more channels then I just use my analog mixer and blend all the channels together into a stereo channel and then into the Zoom. It's not ideal but I really enjoy recording onto external recorders. I've used the Zoom F8 in the past which is 8 channels. I've been thinking of getting something like the Tascam Model 12, it's a digital mixer which you can either hook up to a DAW or record directly onto it with an SD card. Hope that helps? Cheers

[@OlliesSpace]

@@FabianHollandGuitar Ye some good ideas there Fabian cheers. I can definitely see the appeal of going into the Zoom records direct.

[@UnderTheNeedle]

Hey Brother... nice set up! Do you have any problems needing 15v to that Tomebone and the MXR Brick only doin 9/18v ?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hey, thanks! The Tonebone comes with its own power supply so I don’t need to connect it to the MXR brick. 😊👍

[@TheREZMobile]

Cool channel keep going

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Thanks so much! ☺️

[@jasper_north]

Do you never play with plectrum? I don’t

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

No I don't use plectrums. Not even thumb picks, I don't like the way they sound especially on acoustics.

[@jasper_north]

@@FabianHollandGuitar same. Thank you

[@guitarvirtuoso167]

Hi! Watch your video and I liked it! Was wondering if you can teach me how to build your pedal board? Thank you

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment, glad you enjoyed the video! Yeah absolutely, it’s really quite simple, the only complicated thing is the upper step that moves. I just used two bolts either side as hinges but there’s probably a better way to do it. I’ll probably be doing a video on how to build this very soon but if you sign up to my mailing list then I can send you an email with all the dimensions, the links in the description of this video.

[@colincannings7946]

Can I ssk, What are you plugging your pedal board into?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, for this video I was going just directly into an audio interface. I was using a Neumann MT48 interface which is a high end interface and a bit of an overkill if I was just recording the pickup.

[@alexmusic2387]

Badass!

[@AlbertoMons]

No compressor ? Thanks for video

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, no Compressor. I haven’t done too much exploring with compressors to be honest, although I’d like to experiment with them for sure! 👍

[@groovydy]

have you ever tried the noble preamp for acoustic guitar?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, no I haven’t, is it good?

[@roylarkey9904]

Do you use any pedals for your vocals?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hey Roy, no I don’t actually.. I usually use whatever reverb the sound tech has when I’m playing live.

[@alenlenia]

you didnt actually say where are you sending your pedal board, is it going into a DAW, or cabinet, i mean what are you even micing.. :D

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the comment. Oh did I not? I was going into an interface and then into my DAW (Reaper) I don’t use any amps at the moment although it’s something I’ve been experimenting with. Thanks 😊

[@singingflowers3418]

Super!!!!!!!!!!!

[@therayn0]

I build a pedal board for over a year now. Today was the first time I thought: what would happen if I plug in my acoustic guitar... And I was blown away, especially by chorus, w3t reverb and overdrive!

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, sorry I think I missed this comment. That's great! Yeah electric guitar effects can work really well with acoustic! 😊👍

[@Turtlpwr]

A cue stick

[@randallhaney7909]

"Do Acoustic Guitars NEED Pedals?" .. What? I don't know? .. Uh .. Have you asked yourself?.. Do electric guitars "Need" pedals? I think the answer is about the same. Just Say'n.

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

😂 that is true! Maybe I should have said something like “do acoustic guitars need pickups?” Electric guitars definitely do! Maybe that’s something for another video! Thanks

[@steelhead197]

lol….i love how folks think they need 12 pedals to make themselves sound “good”….stop the insanity! A blue Sky!($600) Lmao

[@ivoleary6332]

Hey Fabian. Big fan of your tone. You mentioned that you use a Lehle after the whole chain of effects, but, is your dry sound separated from the processing? Via XLR or etc?

[@FabianHollandGuitar]

Hi, thanks for the question. The dry sound is processed via a separate jack signal, so the dry signal never goes through the volume pedal l, only the wet signal. Hope that makes sense?