Electro Acoustic Guitars

A soundhole pickup, like the Seymour Duncan Woody, slots into the soundhole and acts in the same manner as an electric guitar: that is, it uses passive magnets to pick up the string vibrations. These are handy devices for those who don't necessarily want permanent electronics fitted to their instrument since they are easy to slot in and out in a matter of seconds. A piezo pickup is normally fitted underneath the guitar's saddle in the bridge and captures more of the body's acoustic resonance as well as the string vibration, resulting in a perhaps more realistic interpretation of the guitar's tone. Piezo pickups have to be properly installed within the guitar, preferably by a professional. Fishman are the market leaders here and an extremely popular and effective piezo pickup system is the Fishman Matrix Infinity. Some other pickup systems use microphones and combinations of microphones and piezo pickups for a superlative sound. LR Baggs make a great one called the Anthem SL. All of these pickup systems are available from guitarguitar.

Feedback is less of a problem now than ever before. Occassionally you may suffer some feedback problems but this is usually related to the proximity of the guitar to loud PA speakers. Avoid directly facing any speakers, keep a reasonable distance from them and you will likely be fine. If your guitar has an onboard EQ, this can be helpful in taming potential problems, as can other features on some guitars such as notch filters, which can help you zero in on - and completely remove - those trouble frequencies. Our teams in every guitarguitar store are well versed in guiding you through these issues so don't hesitate to ask for advice!

Yes, absolutely. When an electro acoustic guitar is unplugged, it plays, sounds and functions in exactly the same manner as a standard acoustic guitar. The electronics do not impede or alter the guitar in any real way.

The guitar itself does not: you can happily play it for as long as you want with no need for batteries at all. If, however you want to plug it in and use it at a gig then yes, the onboard electronics are 'active' and therefore require battery power in order to operate. Most electro acoustic guitars have easy access battery compartments. Just remember to take out the guitar cable when you are finished using the pickup: plugging the cable in turns on the power and starts eating up the battery power!

An electro acoustic guitar is an acoustic guitar which has been fitted with a special set of electronics, allowing it to be plugged in and played in a larger live music context. Electro acoustic guitars normally have a set of electronics known as a pickup and preamp: the pickup lies beneath the bridge to pick up the signal from the strings and the preamp turns this into an electronic signal for sending out to an amplifier. Electro acoustic guitars often have onboard control panels featuring controls for EQ, master volume and often a tuner. These all help in a live music context since you have a good degree of control over your sound right at your fingertips. Otherwise, electro acoustics are the same as standard acoustic guitars in almost every way. Think of them as standard acoustics with extra functionality & potential and you'll be on the right track.