Question:
have you guys had much experience with the BOSS AC-2, or similar pedals? I've been thinking about going with a low cost alternative to revamping my guitar or buying a new acoustic/electric guitar...what have been your guy's experiences with them? I realize they aren't going to nail the "acoustic" sound perfectly, but do they even come close?
Answer:
I haven't ever tried one myself (my Parker has a piezo) but all I have head is that they don't even come close and aren't worth the money.
Answer:
Using an acoustic simulator pedal to make an electric sound like an acoustic is much like using a portable keyboard to try to nail a concert grand piano's tone. It's simply impossible. It's possible to come somewhere near the tone, but NEVER to nail it. If you're dying for an acoustic tone, there's simply no other option than buying an acoustic guitar. Every acoustic simulator I've played sounds like poop and that's when I was playing it really optimistically that they'd sound good.
If you're playing a song and need an acoustic's tone for a few measures of the song, the pedal might be a decent alternative. After all, it's obviously impossible to change guitars mid-song. However, we're now coming right back to the portable keyboard/concert grand piano analogy again: it's impossible to make an electric guitar/keyboard sound like the real thing that it's trying to mimic.
I used to have a Fender Nashville Power Telecaster. It's the one with the Fishman Powerbridge with acoustic pickups on each saddle. I tried and tried and tried to make that guitar sound good - even with using the acoustic simulator on the multi-effects pedal that I had at the time, and it simply couldn't come anywhere near the tone of a real acoustic. NOWHERE near it.
So again, if it's real acoustic tone that you're looking for, there's simply no other realistic option to get it than by playing an acoustic.
Answer:
acoustic sims are horrible, i tried one and i could barely tell if it was on, nasty. i was in the same situation you are in. i broke down and bought an acoustic electric and am really glad i did. takamine EG-334SC and if i didnt buy it, how could i walk around my house playing whatever, whenever?
Answer:
If you can't afford an acoustic right now....then i'd recommend the boss AC-2 over any other. There is also one that I think line 6 makes (or maybe mesa, not sure) that comes closest to an acoustic tone than any other simulator, but it costs a fortune. But either way, the ac2 is the next best thing. You can imitate alot of different acoustic sounds (although obviously not nailing them) and its especially useful for leading worship on an electric guitar, when you dont want to have to switch guitars after every song, you just turn on the acoustic sim and you're good. but yeah...my $.02. Peace
max
Answer:
I use a Rickenbacker electric and play it through a Boss GT-3 effects box. Supposedly the acoustic simulator in the GT-3 uses the same electronics found in the Boss AC-2 pedal. I have spent hours and hours, on at least three occasions, trying to get an acceptable acoustic sound and honestly have been unable to do it. However, I know somebody makes a great one because I heard a guest band playing on the Tonight Show and the guy was playing a Gibson electric through some pedal on the floor. That Gibson electric sounded dead-on like a Taylor or Martin acoustic, I was really impressed.
I play on my church's praise team and often don't have time to do guitar swapping. The GT-3 acoustic simulator will get me by, but it only remotely sounds like an acoustic.
Answer:
i use my neck pickup... it sounds much closer to acoustic sound rather than using the acoustic simulators
Answer:
The Boss Acoustic Simulator sucks. It really isn't much better than playing your amp on clean setting. Its a little better with some reverb, but overall, its not worth the money. If you can get it for less than $50, go for it, but its not worth the $90 they charge at most stores.