Re: Acoustic guitar pickups
The only thing I can add to this, is if the muso is singing whilst playing, I will always try to add something like an AT3031 or similar pencil condenser, on a claw, attached to their vocal mic stand. Then the D.I. goes to the wedges, and both get used out front, with the mic filling in a bit of the body that gets lost in the direct translation.
I personally play a small body maple Taylor, with an active LR-Baggs Undersaddle model pickup (no controls onboard at all). Even though this pickup sounds pretty great, the guitar still sounds 100% different from using a mic, and with such a small body guitar, any change in the tone that I hear, dramatically changes how I play.
I think this is a function more of being a percussive (finger) style player, but either way, if the low end gets changed from what I am used to... it totally changes everything about my approach. Dynamics, attack, sustain (on the low end especially) are all suddenly responding differently then what I am used to... and it can be very difficult to adjust to on the fly with quicker more intricate finger pickin' tunes.
I would suggest carrying at very least, a feedback buster to try if the artist doesn't carry one... they can be a life saver. I have also seen a countryman lav used (with fantastic results) in a pinch.. being gaffed just out of the way near the bridge and pick-guard, pointed toward the sound-hole... although I think your mileage with that trick may vary depending on the SPL situation you are dealing with on various gigs.
The only thing I can add to this, is if the muso is singing whilst playing, I will always try to add something like an AT3031 or similar pencil condenser, on a claw, attached to their vocal mic stand. Then the D.I. goes to the wedges, and both get used out front, with the mic filling in a bit of the body that gets lost in the direct translation.
I personally play a small body maple Taylor, with an active LR-Baggs Undersaddle model pickup (no controls onboard at all). Even though this pickup sounds pretty great, the guitar still sounds 100% different from using a mic, and with such a small body guitar, any change in the tone that I hear, dramatically changes how I play.
I think this is a function more of being a percussive (finger) style player, but either way, if the low end gets changed from what I am used to... it totally changes everything about my approach. Dynamics, attack, sustain (on the low end especially) are all suddenly responding differently then what I am used to... and it can be very difficult to adjust to on the fly with quicker more intricate finger pickin' tunes.
I would suggest carrying at very least, a feedback buster to try if the artist doesn't carry one... they can be a life saver. I have also seen a countryman lav used (with fantastic results) in a pinch.. being gaffed just out of the way near the bridge and pick-guard, pointed toward the sound-hole... although I think your mileage with that trick may vary depending on the SPL situation you are dealing with on various gigs.
