A Publication of Carlton Music Center
Volume 4, January/February 2015
RESONANCE
Wood | Strings | Vibration
In This Issue
Editor's Note
Taylor Special Edition GC
Amplifying Acoustic Guitars Part 2
Englemann Spruce
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Editor's Note
Welcome to the fourth edition of Resonance. 2014 was a great year for the acoustic guitar. Taylor offered models with Blackheart Sassafras and Tasmanian blackwood back and sides. Martin introduced Honduras rosewood and torrefied (temperature aged) Swiss spruce in their line. I expect 2015 to be a fantastic year for the acoustic guitar. All of the manufacturers will be showing off their new creations at the NAMM Show in California in January, and we will be there to see these models first-hand. Nothing beats the excitement of being there in person when these guitars are unveiled for the first time. Expect a report on the show in the next issue. 
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"I love the subtlety and tonal range of the acoustic guitar."
  
Dan Fogelberg
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Amplifying Acoustic Guitars comes to it's conclusion in this issue with part 2. We will also take a close look at Englemann Spruce. Please feel free to leave any feedback or suggestions you may have concerning Resonance, including subjects you would like to see covered in future issues, by clicking the link to our website at the bottom of this page. 
Enjoy the issue, Joe Gavin
  

 

In the fall of 2014 Taylor offered an extremely limited run of guitars with some really cool features. The Special Edition GCe 12-Fret features AA grade figured Walnut back, sides and backstrap,  Sitka spruce top, figured Maple binding, backstrip and heel cap, Maple rosette, Maple neck, former 900 series Maple fretboard inlays, 24-7/8" scale length, 1-3/4" nut width, Gotoh gold tuners, Walnut truss rod cover, gloss finish body and neck, Expression System 2 pickup, hardshell case included. This guitar is striking visually but I have to say that  its beauty runs much more than just skin deep. This instrument has a mature voice with resonant mids, great balance and a very sweet and smooth upper register. It is definitely one of my all time favorite Taylor guitars.
J.G.



 
  
  
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 Amplifying  Acoustic Guitars Part 2
Radial Pro48 DI, L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic DI, Tonebone PZ Pre, Fishman AURA, Radial JDI.

 In our last issue we looked at different types of pickups and microphones used to amplify acoustic guitars. Pickups and microphones transform the acoustic energy of your guitar into an electrical signal, which is the first step in amplifying your guitar. In this issue we will cover what happens with that electrical signal once it leaves your instrument. Some players prefer to send their signal straight to a mixing board or amplifier, while others enjoy taking an alternate route along the way.

   A good starting point is the preamp. Preamps are electronic amplifiers that prepare small electrical signals for further amplification and/or processing. Many acoustic guitars come with preamps built in. Some are very simple, while others can be elaborate and full featured. If the guitar's built in preamp has the features you need, then an external preamp would be redundant. If your guitar does not have a preamp built in, or if it lacks features required to get the desired plugged-in tone, an external preamp can be a lifesaver. Several companies make preamps optimized for acoustic instruments, so you will want to do a little research before investing in one. 

   One of the most important features I look for is equalization. While some players can get by with the familiar bass, mid and treble controls, I need something a little more specific, especially for the mid-range frequencies. A preamp with sweepable mid-range control will prove handy for those who use a magnetic pickup. Magnetic pickups tend to have a more pronounced mid-range response, which can be difficult to tame. With sweepable mid-range control you can find the specific group of offensive frequencies and effectively remove them from your signal. Another useful tool for unruly frequencies is a notch filter. This handy filter allows you to zero in, almost surgically, on an offensive frequency and remove or reduce it. This is especially useful for removing feedback. Another useful feature found on many preamps and good direct boxes is a phase invert, or polarity reverse switch. This function is handy in getting the best tone when combining multiple pickup sources or pickup and microphone combinations. If the two sources are in phase, the frequencies will combine for the fullest tone. If they are out of phase the tone will still be good, but  somewhat less full and  resonant. The phase reverse switch is also useful for controlling resonant feedback on stage. Depending on where you are standing on stage, sound from the PA system can interact with the room acoustics causing   certain  frequencies  to  sum together  when  in  phase (possibly causing resonant feedback), or cancel each other out when out of phase. Reversing the phase can often effectively remove the feedback with very little degradation to your signal. 

  Most DI's and preamps have a line out or "through" jack for routing your signal to a destination that accepts a 1/4" line level signal. This gives you the ability to send your signal to an amplifier or other destination in addition to the house soundboard.  For the house you will want to use the xlr output found on all DI's and most preamps. Some preamps will run on phantom power if it is present in the mic cable used to route your signal to the board. This can be handy in open mic situations where there is virtually no set-up time between performers. Many preamps provide effects send and return jacks allowing the user to introduce effects into the signal path. This makes for the cleanest signal by getting the benefit of the preamp's circuitry before your signal passes through various pedals. This  is because preamps are designed to boost your signal while retaining the highest possible signal to noise ratio. If you pass your signal through pedals first, your preamp will not only be boosting your pickup's signal, but any inherent noise your signal picked up from the pedals. The effects send and return is also a great place to insert you tuner pedal. On most preamps, all the signal leaves the unit at the effects send and returns on the effects return. If your tuner pedal is one that mutes the signal when engaged it will work the same here in this loop.  Let's get back to using effects with acoustic guitars. There are no specific rules here. If it sounds good, it is good. Some of the most common effects for acoustic guitar are reverb, chorus and delay. Some experimentation will definitely pay off here. Effects can be put in any order you wish to achieve your desired sound. I typically like to put any modulation effects before delay, and delay before reverb. If you use a loop pedal you may want to place it last in the chain. This is useful if you want to have no effect on a looped passage and solo over it with an effected sound. Of course, you can loop your initial pass with any effects you have in your chain if you wish. If you place the loop pedal first in the chain, all the looped passages will be effected when an effect pedal is engaged. 

  While we certainly have not covered every aspect of amplifying acoustic guitars, hopefully enough information has been presented here to help those who may be beginning their plugged-in journey, and those who may be struggling to get a good plugged-in tone. My journey started over 20 years ago and I have enjoyed every day. I hope yours is enjoyable too!

J.G.
 Englemann Spruce
                                                                                                                       

  If you have shopped for a quality acoustic guitar then you have no doubt come across guitars with Englemann spruce tops. Englemann is also known as white spruce, silver spruce and mountain spruce, although they are technically different species. Englemann is usually visually distinguishable from Sitka by its creamier complexion. It has a beautiful ivory sheen and occasionally exhibits some pink streaking. Englemann is known for its mature tone, with a slightly richer midrange than Sitka. Old growth Englemann tends to impart a sonic smoothness or refinement to the sound, but the days of older growth Englemann trees is essentially gone for now.

 Engelmann spruce is one of the seven species of spruce indigenous to the United States. According to the US forest Service, it is distributed in the western United States and two provinces in Canada. Its range extends from British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, south through all western states to New Mexico and Arizona. In the Pacific Northwest, Engelmann spruce grows along the east slope of the Coast Range from west central British Columbia, south along the crest and east slope of the Cascades through Washington and Oregon to northern California. Although it is a minor component of these high-elevation forests, Engelmann spruce can be found abundantly in the high-elevation Rocky Mountain forests, growing in southwestern Alberta, south through the high mountains of eastern Washington and Oregon, Idaho, and western Montana to western and central Wyoming, and in the high mountains of southern Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, eastern Nevada, New Mexico, and northern Arizona. Engelmann grows in a humid climate with long, cold winters and short, cool summers. It occupies one of the highest and coldest forest environments in the western United States, characterized by heavy snowfall and temperature extremes of more than -45.6� C (-50� F) to above 32.2� C (90� F). Engelmann spruce is restricted to cold, humid habitats because of its low tolerance to high temperature and drought. However, solar radiation at high elevations heats soil surfaces [up to 66� C (150� F or more)] and increases water losses from both seedlings and soil by transpiration and evaporation. Because of its slow initial root penetration and extreme sensitivity to heat in the succulent stage, drought and heat girdling kill many first-year spruce seedlings. Drought losses can continue to be significant during the first 5 years of seedling development, especially during prolonged summer dry periods.  The lumber of spruce is likely to contain many small knots. Consequently, it yields only small amounts of select grades of lumber, but a high proportion of the common grades. In the past, spruce was used principally for mine timbers, railroad ties, and poles. Today, much of the lumber is used in home construction where great strength is not required, and for prefabricated wood products. In recent years, rotary-cut spruce veneer has been used in plywood manufacture. Other uses of spruce include specialty items such as violins, pianos, guitars and aircraft parts. I'm happy that some of this beautiful wood finds its home as the soundboard of a fine guitar.

  The next time you are at your favorite guitar shop be sure and ask which guitars feature an Englemann soundboard. Take one of these for a spin and listen closely as you play. Englemann may just have something to say to you.
J.G.