How to Eliminate Acoustic Guitar Feedback - Adam Rafferty
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- Опубликовано: 13 июн 2024
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Have you ever had a "guitar feeddback" problem?
I have!
Sometimes when you plug in your acoustic guitar into an amplifier, it starts to howl and squeal like a dying animal.
This kind of guitar feedback can ruin the enjoyment of playing guitar.
Let me help you solve this problem...
Here are my 5 tips to help you eliminate guitar feedback - forever!
Enjoy!
Adam
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Hey! Have you ever had hard to handle guitar feedback when plugging in? Have any good solutions? Please comment and let me know!
Adam Rafferty Hey Adam!!! I beat you... I got the first comment, even before you!!! 😁😁😁 Yes I have a hard time with feedback for my acoustic guitar at live gigs all the time... I used that black rubber disk but the feedback is still very bad. Still looking for solutions... BTW, I play a Taylor (412ce) and I use a small PA. Love that you used Billie Jean video here... I had fun making my own fingerstyle rendition of that tune too!!! 👍🎸💕
@@JessMancuso Jess try the advice in the vid to get rid of feedback! :-)
Hey there! Great video! I did an outdoor show with my L.R. Baggs Anthem pickup and had some nasty feedback. I was able to eq it out through the PA, but would prefer not to mess with my sound. Just like you suggested, I rolled it all the way to the piezo, but to no effect. A feedback buster would be a great option to prevent this in the future, but the Anthem has soundhole controls that make it impossible to insert a buster in the soundhole. Any thoughts?
@@flannelpastor Cullen - what was your position in relation to the speakers? If you can get the sound UP AND OUT and away from you - that will help. If the guitar "hears" that sound it will feed back. Soundchecks are important - because you may have to have someone reassure you that it's good out front, even if it feels to quiet or not right on stage. I bet some positioning changes would help. If it's truly impossible to fix, you may need a guitar like a Yamaha silent :-( - but try the feedback buster first. The brand of DI (or baggs) is fine, that has nothing to do with the feedback. :-)
@@adamrafferty the speakers were well in front of me. There were some big concrete structures that felt like they were really bouncing the sound back at me.
How refreshing to hear an expert guitarist,who talks about the problem only,without needing to fill the video with his ‘prowess’.Just pure advice for a big problem.Goodonya,Adam,from down under!
Many thanks Adam. My problem is with the bass strings of my Maton so your video is exactly what I was looking for. Many thanks.
Gosh you just spoke about all the issues I have been having. And I have tried them all, but not really knowing why, So now I will go over them again. Many thanks
Great ideas never thought of!
Great info Adam.
Thanks for this video. I have been struggling with this issue for 3-4 years not knowing what the problem was
Thanks for this. Very good info.
Adam thank you so much for this video.
Andrew - thank you so much 😊
Hi Adam...love your stuff! Your notifications of new vids never get deleted til I check 'em out. Regarding acoustic feedback, My Tak has a notch filter which I rely on heavily. Sometimes it needs tweaking, other times not, but when she starts howling, it's very convenient to fine tune the notch and problem solved. (I also have a sound hole plug. The Tak is a jumbo and it doesn't take much for it to 'hear itself' and again, start howling and need a notch tweak.
MHFROX yep a notch tweak can help!!! Glad you like the vids 😀. Keep rockin it!
Nice demos. Studio vibe is looking good.
I just fixed it up, thank you!
Very nicely-explained, Adam. Perhaps you can do another video on notch filters (when one is running one's own sound). Thank you!
Great job
thank you Adam
Thanks & groove on! 😊
Great Adam 👍🎶
Thanks & groove on! 😊
To add to the "may need a different guitar" suggestion: No sound hole is an option. As much as I love playing my Ovation guitars, they can often be a feedback issue in some rooms. I always bring along my Godin (no sound hole) as an alternative, which works well in those situations. Even using my adamas style Ovation with the smaller sound holes, is an improvement over my main one with conventional center sound hole.
Great tips! Thanks.
Feedback issues is the reason why I still play my Takamine (with piezo) on stage instead of my €3000,- Furch (with Anthem)
Hey Adam, that's such a useful video - you are a mine of knowledge! Thanks for taking the time to put the video together. I can hear that nasty hum getting quieter already.....
Graham - thank you so much 😊
I had this exact issue during an audition and it was not ideal. I have a hollow body II PRS electric guitar and was heavily distorted and had to play thru a 4x4 cabinet, standing pretty much directly in front of it. The feedback was unbearable and nobody really wants to hear about your problem and/or excuses. It's too bad because at lower volumes, the guitar has a great resonant depth that really adds meat to the sound. It's just a great sounding guitar. The beauty of it is that normally I can great feedback when desired; but during the audition the feedback was constant. I had to turn it way down and play as hard as I could and/or roll the volume down quickly when not playing. I'm not sure I'll be able to use this guitar for loud rock gigs, but I'll try a few of the ideas Adam suggested. Not giving up!! Thanks Adam
I have had the same problem with fine jazz archtops. Sometimes a solid or thin axe sounds nowhere near as nice but behaves on the gig!
Thanks Adam!..Your new HomeStudio looks nice!
PS: I use my Maton also with a DI before AER Domino it also helps me to get clean sound
Greatings from Germany!..👌🔥
Excellent Tolga!
Love your content man. Didn't know about you jazzy era. Is there any footage of that around? Would be great to hear you play jazz. Thanks!
Only thing around is nit great :-) I'l post some stuff....
Hi Adam
Thanks for this video. I sometimes have a problem with feedback on just one note...typically F#. Is a notch filter the answer?
Try a nice 10 band EQ, slowly turn each band up until you find the one that feeds back, turn that one down and leave the rest halfway.
Hey thanks for the video! Played a gig last night where I encountered this howling bass note issue for the first time. I'm pretty sure it was the tight space and my proximity to a PA speaker, I found myself essentially having to shield my guitar from the speaker🤦♂️ but anyways I found your advice very helpful and will apply it in the future 😁👍
Been there!!! Try a feedback buster soundhole cover - it'll help a little.
Thanks
Hi Adam. I have a fishman loudbox acoustic amp, mainly used only in the spare bedroom at home, but I was getting bad feedback the other day which seemed to occur when I went closer to my microphone rather than close to the amp? Would that be the case. I have just purchased a wireless system too, but not sure if that made it any worse or not. Thanks Ian
How well would a DI box cut down on feeddback using my accoustic guitar through a PA? It has an active Ibeam pickup that uses a battery, but does not have an onboard EQ system.
Emiul - you will end up cutting frequencies that you want. In my opinion, it's all about the physics. Get the speakers up in the air pointing away from you and use minimum volume on a monitor. If you have a mic, that's usually the problem - pull mic volume down and then let the pickup do the work. :-)
Thank you for the "feedback" Adam! I didn't hear anything about "notch" filters. You can at least get rid of the primary offending frequency in the room.
Certainly ! But those early reflections suck when recorded…these things tighten the room sound.
Thanks, Adam! I had never heard the headstock-side amp placement idea. I'll definitely be using it! A problem I've run into is the guitar feeding back on particular notes, most often in the bass. For example, all of a sudden I have to avoid playing an A. Not fun! I'm guessing has something to do with the overtone series. Are the solutions to this any different than the ones you've discussed in the video, or are particular ideas you've offered more applicable than others to it?
Alex Martin Hey! One thing I left out was that each guitar can have peculiar notes. My maton actually has a frequency in between the low G and G# that likes to ring.
Some people recommend a notch filter where you can duck frequencies out. I don’t like this as much because they seem to also lower important frequencies. But other people swear by them!
You’ll have to experiment yourself but overall being quieter with the amp and pumping out to a PA system ought to help.
Thank you for commenting!
Thanks, Adam!
Do they make a feedback busters for guitars with soundhole controls?
Adam, thanks, very helpful. I play acoustic in a band with electric guitar, keys, etc. I have a Marshall AS-D50 amp that I normally plug the guitar into, then into the PA. Will get a soundhole cover for sure, and watch the amp and monitor positioning; hope that does the trick. Two questions you didn't address: 1) my Guild D-260 pickup (Fishman Sonitone AP-1) is blended piezo/mic and does not have independent volume controls, so turning down the mic volume is not an option. What to do? 2) I have tried plugging directly into the PA, but typically I can't get the volume on the acoustic to hear it with the other instruments; is that normal?
I highly suggest doing a set up where you have a small amp that you are familiar with, use that as a monitor and then do a DI out of there into the PA system. Make sure that you have the amp to your left side as that will reduce the feedback, and also make sure you’re not standing too close to the PA system. I have had gigs we’re depending where I stand on the stage I get horrible feedback and I have to actually change where I’m standing. Dealing with Feedback for many years was the bane of my existence so I suggest if the guitar is a problem get yourself a guitar that behaves when it’s turned up at loud volumes. Some of my guitars are better suited for PA and higher volumes. Rock on!
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 BEST tutorial EVER
Grazie!!!!
Thanks & groove on! 😊
hope you are still out there after 3 years. Question - when I finger pick over our house system my D string especially is very boomey. To the point where I try to barely hit it with my thumb. Any suggestions? I have a Taylor ES 2 system and a 414ce. Strumming sounds fine. It is the the fingerpicking where I have a problem, esp worrisome since I love to fingerpick, it is lovely when it it balanced.Thanks. Ps the system is set to flat, I have tried various adjustments to the tonal knobs on my guitar, with minimal success.
That is often because there is a note that resonates a guitar more than others. Could be that D is the magic note.
Can you get the PA speaker to your left side?|
Is a stage monitor blasting at you and the guitar?
Have you gotten a feedback buster (rubber stopper) for the soundhole?
Could you (gulp) use a different guitar - although the 414 should be fine.
How much of a soundcheck can you get in ahead of time, or are you plugging and playing at an open mic?
You may need a multiband EQ (you can find pretty good pedal EQ's) and experiment until you notch that frequency down - but I'd do that as a last resort. More equipment often overcomplicates things.
Good luck!
Is there no pedal or box that could solve the problem?
Hi Adam, Inever click like or subscribe until have have seen much of the video to see if it is good or not.
Yours looks good.
feedbaack is lovely
LOL!
Adam great video and advice the problem I'm having is the feed back buster made by planet waves is way to big for my Maton 808. Which make are u using for your Maton??
I think it's just called "Feedback Buster" - try a guitar store. I guess i got lucky.
Hi I have a maton and I can fit a Hole Master in it. I think it is a sm size . It comes with a humidity care system .
Hi, thanks for the great video. I will also have a gig in a hotel soon. I play an acoustic and sing. To lower mic feedback ideally monitor would have to face me but that is the worst for an acustic, so how do you solve that? I have a line array PA and small acoustic amp. I was thinking to stand behind the PA but have that little amp to the left behind me as a monitor. I wont hear a lot of that amp as it will be under my feet very small space...
Jerry
Use your line array PA system and get the speakers a distance away from you. Try not to be backed into a corner as that creates a swell of base.
Get a feedback buster if you can, that little rubber thing that goes in the guitar sound hall. Those really help.
If you have a separate control for the microphone in the guitar turn it down and just inch it on until the point of feedback.
I usually put the amp at my left side up on a chair facing me directly so the side of the amp is facing to the audience. That is my monitor which I can always turn up ever so slightly if I don’t hear myself well.
You’d be amazed what the little PA system will do, it’s physics. First of all the sound is much brighter than an amplifier. Second it gets it up into the air and out into the room unlike an amplifier which is down by everybody’s legs and usually does not have the high end.
The other thing to remember is that music lives on an entirely different frequency than conversation you really don’t need to play over people. You’d be amazed that even at a low volume the music will fill the room despite the conversations.
Good luck!
@@adamrafferty Oh way thanks for the in-depth reply. I will use all the ticks you mentioned. Unfortunately I will have to play in the corner as that is their spot for musicians. Will try and fit the PA a bit further so only the small amp that works as a monitor will be in the corner.
Hi Adam. I play acoustic guitar for my church and this past Sunday I was having an odd feedback issue. I plug straight into the house and turn my volume all the way up. The sound guy handles the gain and everything else. For reference, I play a Breedlove Pursuit, which has an LR Baggs pick up.
So the issue I had, when I played certain chords I would get terrible feedback after the chord resonated. I mainly noticed it when I played the "open" G#m. I would hear the chord resonate, then an even louder sound would start up and I could feel my guitar vibrating. I just tried it with my little 20v amp at home and it's doing the same thing, minus the vibrating.
Will the feedback buster solve this? Or is something wrong with my pick up?
I haven't been playing guitar very long and I just bought this guitar for my last birthday, hasn't even been a year yet. I'm worried I have to replace something.
Anyway, thank you for your time!
Thats totally normal. Your guitar (and every guitar) has some frequencies that will vibrate it more than others - a resonance. It sounds like you need a solid electric guitar or maybe a Yamaha Silent guitar for this.
Trust me, I fought feedback with expensive jazz guitars for years and it made my gigsa miserable experience.
When I got the right guitar (more solid & electric) it all cooled out!
You need the right tool, even though the Breedlove is a great guitar.. Borrow an electric maybe from a friend and give it a go at church next time.
@@adamrafferty Thanks for your response. I'm planning on learning lead on electric soon. I was just wondering, would that feedback buster help with this issue, or is it going to happen regardless?
@@timothygreer2400 If you have a MIC and a pickup, turn the mic in the guitar OFF and yes try the feedback buster :-)
In addition to the right amp-placement (as Adam showed) phase-switch and notch-filter are the tools to manage feedback. And almost every acoutic rig will have them somewhere in the signal chain. Most onboard guitar-preamps have a phase-inverter-switch and a most acoustic guitar-amps feature a notch filter (some have both notch + phase inverter).
How to use them:
The low-pitched howling depends very much on the room you're playing in. The notch filter makes a narrow dip in the frequency-response of the amp. Tune it to the resonace-frequency to supress the feedback. This only works for low-frequencies (below 150Hz, ~D-String)
Inverting the phase of the signal works for the high-pitched sqealing feedback.
greetings
bb
latinumbavariae good to know, must check this out.
latinumbavariae thank you!
Thanks 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 S00000000 much
Have you ever tried a Gate pedal on Acoustic? I'm considering on to reduce feedback potentials with a Taylor T5.
I suspect that will add problems on top of problems. As you play beautiful notes that fade to silence an artificial silence will cut those notes off as they get quiet so it won’t really help you with feedback- it’s better if you deal with the problem at the source.. Give it a try but I’ve never had any luck with noise gates and acoustic guitars. Groove on!
Agreed, a noise gate will not solve the problem; once I tried to use my noise gate in desperation when I got unexpected feedback; I could remove the booming feedback but my sound would also cutout.
i am from nepal and my guitar doesn't produce any sounds while its plugged in! its an aquostic! what am i supposed to do?
Does it have a battery? If your acoustic guitar has eq or tuner on it then it most likely does.
I am having some feedback but only when I have a capo on. It is minor but you can still notice it. Any tips?
Yes! It may be just a few notes doing that. You may have to get crafty with left hand muting, I mute lots of strings to clean things up. Once plugged in it’s a new beast.
@@adamrafferty Ya I have a PA system with two speakers out front and a monitor facing me, all connected to a mixer. I have a sound hole cover for my acoustic guitar and like I said playing without a capo I have zero feedback but when I put that capo on I think a few notes are creating the feedback.
Wow... Like #1. I’m the first comment too!!! Love you Adam!!! I’m a big fan of yours and a musician myself. You’re AWESOME!!! 😊💕👍
Thanks Jess!
I use a faith Jupiter 3, Ive tried everything you suggested and then some, including trying to use a decimator and and eq pedal.i still tortured with howling feedback unless I put the volume to around 15 percent..... my godin ultra a6 has no such problems .... cant afford to buy another godin for a spare at gigs
Are you using a small PA system, or an amplifier? Amplifiers tend to feedback more. Also put the amp towards your left side rather than the right side. I highly suggest a small PA where you can get the speakers up in the air and away from you.
@@adamrafferty small pa, ( or house pa) with speakers in front of me and guitar straight into the desk. No amp.
@@keithharris4620 if you use a small amp and then go di put into the pa you might feel a greater sense of ease and control.
For years I did NOT do that - just guitar into pa and boy did I suffer! A small amp may really help.
@@adamrafferty thanks, I'll give it a try
How does that Yamaha silent guitar sound live? Is it something that you would use to record with?
Nylon version works well with a band. I am not in love with the steel string version. I would always record acoustic. :-). However, I did once plug the steel in at a soundcheck over a PA system, and it sounded surprisingly good.
@@adamrafferty thanks
Love your melodic wooden dreams, treat it like your dearest.
strokes or plucks the strings with a lot of love.
i like to go into the forest and play to the sounds of animals.
I love you all
because love is in the air
❤️🌞❤️🌞❤️
CAN YOU PLAY ACUSTIOC GUITAR ON A FENDER RUMBLE 25 BASS AMP
Probably won't sound great, but you can try :-)
Hi, just my two cents because I have my first gig and feedback nearly ruined it. I used a 10 band EQ to find which frequencies were feeding back. In my case it was every B, C and C# on the A String. It was around the 125hz and I cut it by about 11db.
What I did was turn up my acoustic and amp/speaker then make it feedback like it did at the gig then dial out frequencies until it disappeared!
Hope this helps someone :)
Joe my biggest AHA was using a small PA instead of an amp - gets the sound up and away from you, into the air of the room.
YEs you can dial frequencies down too, but I feel that's a band-aid and not solving the problem. It will cut the frequencies also for when you want them.
After years of touring, I've not eliminated feedback with EQs but with placement of where I am in relation to the speakers.
Keep trying new stuff! I just say this so you don't have to compromise the signal.
@@adamrafferty will do man! Thank you for replying 🤟🏻
Hey what about feedback on an unplugged guitar? I don't know if that's what it's called, I can't find anything about it online, but
My nylon string guitar (alhambra with a cutaway), just has this crazy feedback, feels almost like a resonator guitar. I play one note, and the other strings just keep ringing and ringing.
This doesn't happen on my other guitars (both steel or nylon string).
Any tips about this?
Yes, that’s called “sympathetic vibration” - so for example if you play E on the 4th string 2nd fret, the low 6 string will resonate the same note (the 12 fret harmonic on 6 string). To fix that you actually have to work on your muting - I.e. using free fingers to damp strings you are not playing. It’s a very inconvenient reality but all electric guitarists and bass players deal with that all the time. I hope that helps ! 😀
@@adamrafferty Hi Adam, wow thank you for the answer! Yeah, this is how I'm dealing with it all the time, by muting with my free fingers, palm, or whatever way I can do it.
But this effect is specifically stringer only on one of my guitars (the nylong string alhambra with a cutaway), it just rings like crazy! All other guitars I have and have played (steel string, nylon, electric...) can be dealt with, but this one is insane :) That's why I just wanted to know what could cause this, though I suppose it's probably due to the construction of the guitar. Unless it's something else, like the strings or so...?
Thanks again for the reply!
@@zerosiii Hey man! NO - actually on all guitars YOU have to mute the strings. This one is just more resonant, so you are hearing it more. You will have to practice the muting - don't blame the guitar! As an amplified steel string player - I play fingerstyle at HIGH volumes live, so I am extra sensitive to this, and actually have to build the muting into my arrangements.
@@zerosiii try tuning the darn strings with a tuner. make each open string "perfect" this will set the harmonics ever so slightly off, and lower the effect of the sympathetic vibration. This one is being such a pita because the harmonics are PERFECTLY in tune with the string you are playing at the time. Or just 'lern to mute, git good" lol.
Does anyone know how to stop feedback when using maton Nashville with mic using a fender smolder od pedal. Through a pa. I’ve used a feedback buster helps a little
Any acoustic with an OD pedal is asking for trouble. I'd start with turning off the mic completely, just use bridge pickup - then say a few Hail Mary's :-)
It’s specifically made for acoustic the distortion pedal. But I think it does nothing for the mic. I’ve turned mic right off as well it still feedsback
@@joe_casinoacoustic1773 Ah, did not know that! Try a feedback buster for sure. If that doesn't work, try a Strat :-)
Yes I have a page with music. I use a feedback buster already so it looks like I’m buggered
When I did precasive slap it doesn't sound at all. Adam pls help.
See my groove slap video :-). ruclips.net/video/Vfimm4ZxK1o/видео.html. As well as the old 2008 Stevie Wonder lesson vids...
@@adamrafferty accitiauly when I plugged it into my mobial phone it didn't sound.Adam pls help
nah I record guitar and the squeaks are just unbearable huh I need a plugin that will auto detect these squeaks and get rid of them
I know a top pro mixer who dioes the following - use a vocal "de-esser" and automate up just during teh squeaks, then duck it down right away, that will take the bit out of it!
Didn't know acoustic guitars could feedback but then again I rarely play my acoustic plugged in.
Try it and you'll find out :-)
@@adamrafferty might as well
e to be ready ki red judge to get
why do people ask for a like before you know if you like it?
I liked your comment 😀