# How do you prefer to set your acoustic guitar pickup and amp equalizers?



## waljbt (Jan 6, 2008)

Hi there, I use a Tak eg128sc with a Yorkville Stage100K amp. I personally like the following config: 

Guitar pickup:

-Gain to halfway (exactly in the middle between min and max).
-Bass to max (+12db) 
-Trebble to min (-12db) 
-Mid to 0db 

Amp (which has no middle knob) : 

-Gain to 5 on a scale from 0 to 10
-Bass to 0db
-Trebble to 0db
-Reverb to 5 on a scale from 0 to 10.

What about you guys, how do you like your sound to be set? Do you prefer to set the amp's knobs to different values and keep the guitar's ones on 0db or do you prefer to set both to certain values? Maybe I should try some other configs... Thanks. :smile:


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Your full bass and minimum treble seems extreme to me, but ymmv.

Anyway, every guitar, room, song/tune, string, pick, ear, pre-amp, effect, amp, cord, mood, atmospheric condition, band, arrangement, etc is different, so there are few consistencies in this regard for me, and just as few generalities. 

I tend to start with a flat EQ and work from there.

Peace, Mooh.


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## waljbt (Jan 6, 2008)

Thanks Mooh and you're absolutely right that's why I specified the guitar and amp brands and models. I usually play for practice in my living room so the atmospheric conditions are fully controlled. As for the settings I use, I found that they give a nice warm yet mellow tone. They seem extreme to me too (that's the main reason why I posted the thread :smile In fact I wanted to know if someone else has the same taste or is there something wrong with my perception of the sound . Thanks again for your reply.


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

Well your environment has alot to do with it. Maybe your guitar is brighter by nature as well.

In a louder live venue chances are you'd have to start dialing that bass out to stop feedback. My K&K preamps have the bass dialed back to pretty much nothing for both my Taylor and my Martin.

I don't plug in at home or I'd probably bring the bass up a bit more on my amp to help warm it up as well.


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## Blue Apple (Feb 8, 2006)

Jeff Flowerday said:


> My K&K preamps have the bass dialed back to pretty much nothing for both my Taylor and my Martin.


Just curious... what K&K preamps are you using Jeff?


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

Blue Apple said:


> Just curious... what K&K preamps are you using Jeff?


I've got the complete Trinities in both guitars.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

For me eq on acoustic is first about feedback control and 2nd about tone. I don't have a very good acoustic pickup any more. I'm using a Schatten Dually in my Flattop on the rare occasions when I play amplified. 

The one nice piece of acoustic gear I kept is my LR Baggs para Acoustic DI. When setting up I set it flat, then turn the notch filter gain up until there is feedback. i turn the notch's sweepable eq until it gets worse and then pull back the gain until the "Whoot' stops. I then use the rest of the eq to make the guitar sound as acoustic as possible. I try to listen rather than look when setting the knobs.

I do all this with the eq flat on the PA mixer. After setting the Baggs I use the PA's mixer eq to further sweeten the sound and fight any residual feedback.

I chose the Dually b/c I can't fit a magnetic pickup in my tiny soundhole. I hate piezo quack and the general brittleness of piezo undersaddle pickups. The dually does a nice job of retaining the acoustic quality of my guitar and does not alter the tone when unplugged. The K&K pickups look pretty cool too!


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