Question:
Has anyone used an acoustic guitar with the "natural" distortion that can be created using the guitar's preamp/eq during a worship service? I've been tempted (as I do not own an electric....yet...), but I'm not sure how a congregation would react...

Just curious if I'm the only weird person out here...

God Bless!
Answer:
well i have not been able to create controlable natural distortion, i have been able to use a distortion pedal. i found that it has to be used in moderation, if not used in moderation it just sounds like random noise.
Answer:
I would agree that the distortion would have to be used in moderation, zapp196!

I get my distortion by turning the preamp on the guitar all the way up, then I raise the levels of my mid/high sliders on my equalizer (almost all the way up). I sometimes raise the bass, but not as often. I am using a very very very cheap "First Act" amp that I kid I used to work with gave to me for free (figure I can't complain about a freebie!). When you do this, you have to watch the master volume on the amp itself (at least for me), because now a very little change in the master amp volume=very large difference in loudness!

God Bless,
Answer:
I use my electrics.
Answer:
That's a rather poor way to create distortion... and a potentially damaging one (your amps and mixers will be getting a much hotter signal than necessary). Use the amp itself or a distortion pedal which will create the same effect but give you the proper signal level, which is what your preamp should be doing to begin with.
Answer:

That's a rather poor way to create distortion... and a potentially damaging one (your amps and mixers will be getting a much hotter signal than necessary). Use the amp itself or a distortion pedal which will create the same effect but give you the proper signal level, which is what your preamp should be doing to begin with.

Hmmm....Nate, I totally did not know that...thanks for the heads up! Is there a certain factor that is "more damaging"? For example, is it damaging because I have the preamp cranked, or is it worse for it to have the eq turned up?

God Bless,
Answer:
It's all a matter of things getting excessively overloaded. I don't there's really a problem if you're just barely overloading things, but I think I busted my Fender Frontman's clean channel by playing it too much at 10. But since it's the preamp transistors overloading on your cheap amp, I don't think things will break, considering that's what they do on the distortion channel anyway, but watch doing that at high volumes (though you'd get hecka feedback...)
Answer:
yeah...only the preamp is turned all the way up (which is normally what it is set at for the PA system at my church). The amp howerver is set at about 2-3 (but like I said, a small change [like 2 to 2.5] produces a large change in volume), and I usually keep it relatively quiet...

Thanks for the help, guys!

God Bless
Answer:
By the way, this probably isn't going to sound good, if that is what you are looking for
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Yeah, cheap amos tend to have really cruddy pots, they are way too sensitive in the lower numbers, and not sensitive at all at the higher ones.
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Yeah...I'm sure this "distortion" I'm creating isn't anything great, but I'm on a budget (hooray college...), so I'm just having fun with what I've got....

God Bless
Answer:
Well, I was more talking about a distorted Acoustic. I have tried it, and it is not so great...
Answer:
Haha...yeah...I would imagine that compared to an actual distorted electric guitar, an acoustic wouldn't sound right at all...but it's all about having fun with watcha got! (provided one doesn't cause serious damage... )
Answer:
Originally Posted by guitarman531 Haha...yeah...I would imagine that compared to an actual distorted electric guitar, an acoustic wouldn't sound right at all...but it's all about having fun with watcha got! (provided one doesn't cause serious damage... )
Having fun is one thing.
Creating an annoying sound is another.
In the Bible is mentioned a "joyful noise".
Joyful.
Not annoying.
I haven't heard your exact sound so I can say for sure what it sounds like BUT I've heard the result of settings as you previously described and it's not anything the least bit pleasing to me ears and I'm an overdrive/distortion-loving kind of guy.
If someone on my team were creating the unpleasent sound that I'm thinking of, it would get changed or turned off in a matter of seconds.
Answer:
Ohh...don't worry, I've never actually done this at Praise Team practice...I think I would be kicked off the team in a matter of seconds...haha

No, I've been tempted, but after hearing what y'all have to say, I would say that temptation is gone now!!

Nope, don't plan on doing this in church any time soon...lol

God Bless,