Carvin AE185 / Taylor T5 / ovation VXT /Fender Telecoustic

[Indianrock]

I would love to get an answer from anyone using a hybrid -- or anyone using some method of splitting one signal into two. Do you run two guitar cords or one? Any problems with noise/hum etc when running the acoustic and electric pickups separately through separate effects? Do you like the blended sound ( one guitar cord ) or prefer to use two PA channels ( two guitar cords )? If you use a commercial pedal board do you try to run everything into the patch bay on the board to avoid ground loops?

 

[Pietro]

I've been doing this for YEARS with two-voice Godins, a US Masters Strat with a PowerBridge, A PRS with a Ghost, and a Anderson Crowdster Plus.

Here's what I've discovered is the best thing I've found to do. Assuming you have two outputs, and not a stereo output... wrap two cables together and twist tie them together, or find a real stereo guitar cable (NOT a 2-channel balanced snake. You'll get noise). Some of my guitars have a TRS stereo output. A send/receive cable works great with those.

Now, here's my suggestions for getting the absolute most out of a stereo guitar such as this.

Run the electric through your rig or modeling amp or whatever. If it's a modeling pedal run the output to a little mackie mixer, if it's an amp, mic the amp and connect that amp to that little mixer, moving the speaker to a spot where you CAN'T hear it well. Run the acoustic side through another channel on the mixer, or even better, through something like a Fishman Aura or one of the Boss preamps or something (I use the long-discontinued and EXCELLENT Yamaha AG Stomp). Monitor that mixer through an acoustic amp and send one channel to the board. This way YOU control the acoustic/electric mix.

It works awesome.

 

[Indianrock]

Thanks for the feedback Pietro. Below is what I've been using but I'm going to try using one guitar cord which on the Carvin means both pickup signals are combined. You can then blend between the two. Reason for change -- noise/hum. One thing I did discover is that the 9v supplies on my skb ps-45 pedalboard were causing hum, I think because signal chain #2 below used the board power supplies but did not use the patch bay on the board.

Carvin AE185 Guitar -- has an acoustic bridge pickup and two humbuckers with two 1/4 outs
signals can be blended
1. Acoustic Pickup in Bridge->KorgAX1500G mfx (using mainly chorus and acoustic simulator)-->Direct Box-->PA
2. Humbuckers ->Boss compressor/OD3 /Ibanez Analog Delay->Carvin 15 watt 1x12 tube amp->SM57 mike->separate PA channel
Both PA channels are used simultaneously with the Carvin amp on a stand in front of me pointed at my head and a decent wedge monitor providing the acoustic pickup signal along with vocal signals.

 

[Pietro]

The setup looks good.

But one cord that combines the sounds? Huh? Do you mean a stereo cord? If so, GREAT! If not, when you combine an acoustic and electric sound you compromise one or both. That's not what you're doing is it?

 

[Indianrock]

The Carvin AE185 is a hybrid, you can run one cord or two -- it's designed to go either way. If you use both 1/4 inch outs you have two signal paths -- which is what I've been doing, but having some noise problems. Or if you plug only one cord into the main jack the signals are combined and you blend between the two with a control on the guitar -- in this scenario the electronics inside the guitar mix the signals from the humbuckers and acoustic bridge pickup -- only regular guitar cords are used either way, no TRS or stereo cords.

 

[Jimmydeez]

I used to have the Carvin AE185 and now I have a PRS HBI with the piezo system. I never had any hum problems when running both out.

 

[Indianrock]

Thanks Jimmydeez. It must have something to do with the way I'm routing the two guitar cords through the SKB pedalboard and/or the way the amp and pedalboard are plugged into AC power.