Performer Magazine: Winter 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE

THE MUSICIAN ’S RESO URCE

WINTER 2023 FREE

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How to Get Huge Acoustic Stage Sound Mic Techniques For Killer Acoustic Recordings Top Tips For Acoustic Guitar Maintenance

Noah

LAU

THE ACOUSTIC ISSUE

brought to you by

How Being Self-Taught Inspired Her Unique Acoustic Style

Surprising Specs Unsurprising Price The newest generation of Scarlett has arrived, but what are the pros saying about it?

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Scan the QR code to discover Scarlett 4th Gen and hear what these pros are talking about.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

the acoustic issue

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover

4.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 5.

Martin Guitar News 6.

Get Massive Acoustic Sounds on Stage 10.

How to Record Acoustic Guitars 12.

Tips for Acoustic Maintenance 14.

INTERVIEW: Aaron Kellim 20.

COVER STORY: Lau Noah 26.

INTERVIEW: Foxanne on the LD Systems Maui G3 PA 30.

Ideas for Amplifying Acoustics 32.

Lessons Learned From Classical Guitar 36.

Meet Your Maker Profile 38.

My Favorite Axe 40.

2023 Holiday Gift Guide 44.

REVIEWS: Donner and Taylor acoustics 48.

FLASHBACK: Vintage Epiphone Acoustic Ad

DIEGO TORRES

VOLUME 33, ISSUE 4

PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 3

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

LETTER from the editor

Hey gang, We made it! Here we are at the end of 2023, another year in the books. Glad you’re still with us, as we have another themed issue this month, as you can no doubt see: we’re going acoustic!

That’s right, we caught the unplugged bug of the 90s, and through we may be late to the party, we’re here to celebrate none-the-less.

We’ve got some great tips in the pages ahead on how to care for your acoustic, how to get great stage and studio sound, plus some reasons why you should consider taking classical lessons even if you’re a hardcore electric shredder. PLUS we got a chance to speak with the amazing Lau Noah for this month’s cover story, where we talk about her unique acoustic style and background in greater depth.

850 Post Rd Suite 8385 Warwick, RI 02888 CONTACT Phone: 617-627-9200 Fax: 617-627-9930 PUBLISHER William House Phone: 617-627-9919 bill@performermag.com EDITOR Benjamin Ricci ben@performermag.com

tracks (including one by Lau Noah) with accompanying videos from each featured artist using new JBL 3 Series studio monitors in their home recording rigs.

DESIGN & ART DIRECTION Cristian Iancu

So, check out our Bandcamp page to stream the entire sampler now, watch out for FREE giveaways of the cassette on our channel and the participating artist channels, PLUS watch the video series on our Instagram and YouTube channels when you’ve got some free time. A fun time will be had by all, we guarantee it!

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Benjamin Ricci, Chris Devine, Bobbo Byrnes

And if you’re going to the NAMM Convention in Anaheim this January, we’ll have copies of the tape there to giveaway, so come say hi and score some new tunes (on an old format).

Enjoy!

If that weren’t enough, we’ve got another special limited edition cassette release hitting this month, brought to you by the good folks at JBL and featuring some AMAZING new

PS – if you’ve been following along my regular letters and you were wondering whether Spurs were, in fact, still doing Spursy things in the Premier League, the answer should be obvious…

ABOUT US / Performer Magazine, a nationally distributed musician’s trade publication, focuses on independent musicians, those unsigned and on small labels, and their success in a DIY environment. We’re dedicated to promoting lesser-known talent and being the first to introduce you to artists you should know about.

MUSIC SUBMISSIONS / We listen to everything that comes into the office. We prefer physical CDs, cassettes and vinyl over downloads. If you do not have a physical copy, send download links to editorial@performermag.com. No attachments, please.

Send CDs to: Performer Magazine, Attn: Reviews, PO BOX 348, Somerville, MA 02143 CORRECTIONS / Did we make a heinous blunder, factual error or just spell your name wrong? Contact editorial@ performermag.com and let us know, cuz we’re big enough to say, “Baby, I was wrong.”

EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS / In the words of our esteemed forefathers at CREEM: “NOBODY WHO WRITES FOR THIS RAG’S GOT ANYTHING YOU AIN’T GOT, at least in the way of credentials. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be sending us your stuff: reviews, features, photos, recording tips, DIY advice or whatever else you have in mind that might be interesting to our readers: independent and DIY musicians. Who else do ya know who’ll publish you? We really will...ask any of our dozens of satisfied customers. Just bop it along to us to editorial@performermag.com and see what comes back your way. If you have eyes to be in print, this just might be the place. Whaddya got to lose? Whaddya got?”

4 WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE PERFORMER MAGAZINE

Volume 33, Issue 4

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Bob Dobalina editorial@performermag.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Diego Torres, chocolatedazzles, frans16611, Roberto Costantini, Vicki Roquemore, ADVERTISING SALES William House Phone: 617-627-9919 bill@performermag.com © 2023 by Performer Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any method whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher.

The magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited recordings, manuscripts, artwork or photographs and will not return such materials unless requested and accompanied by a SASE. Annual Subscription Rate is $30 in the U.S.; $45 outside the U.S.

ACOUSTIC NEWS

Unleash Your Inner Artist with The Martin Lesson Room: Powered by TrueFire

M

A Premier Guitar Interactive Learning Experience

artin Guitar is thrilled to announce its collaboration with TrueFire, the world’s leading platform for online guitar lessons. Together, they have created The Martin Lesson Room, a dedicated online platform for guitar enthusiasts to immerse themselves in state-of-the-art, interactive, innovative music lessons.

The Martin Lesson Room goes beyond conventional guitar instruction. Every lesson is crafted by celebrated Martin artists, ensuring that learners receive guidance that’s both authentic and deeply rooted in the rich heritage of guitar music.

instantaneous visual and auditory feedback, enabling faster and more efficient learning.

of lessons and ensures that your library is everevolving, with fresh content added monthly.

• Customized Playback: Slow down without altering pitch, loop challenging segments, and progress at your own pace. TrueFire’s stateof-the-art player enhances the video lesson experience.

“At Martin, we believe anyone who picks up a guitar is an artist,” says Michael Nelson, VP of Marketing at Martin Guitar. “And we’re always looking for ways to help and inspire artists at any point in their journey. By partnering with TrueFire to build The Martin Lesson Room, we can do just that. Their technology and user experience are second to none, and we’re excited to offer this world-class lesson program to our fans.”

• Jam Along: Exclusive jam tracks allow students to practice in real-time, simulating a live band experience.

• Precision Meets Clarity: With multi-angle HD video lessons, witness guitar artistry from perspectives that matter.

“The partnership between Martin and TrueFire represents a meeting of giants.

Both entities are committed to delivering the highest quality in their respective domains,” says Zach Wendkos, Chief Revenue Officer of TrueFire Studios. “With The Martin Lesson Room, we are combining the legacy and artistry of Martin guitars with the pedagogical expertise of TrueFire. It’s an experience that’s unmatched.”

• Interactive Learning: Synchronized video and tab interactivity mean learners will never miss a beat (or a note). This unique feature allows

This unique learning platform is exclusively available to Martin Backstage members.

Membership grants access to the vast reservoir

Dive Deep with TrueFire’s Signature Learning Experience:

Visit martinguitar.com/truefire to get started.

PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 5

ACOUSTIC TIPS Implement Drive and Pedals in Interesting Ways…

Get a More Massi Sound with Your 6 WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE PERFORMER MAGAZINE

As the only guitar player in my three-piece Americana-ish band, we like the space and dynamics the three of us are able to achieve but sometimes we want more - more and bigger sound.

ACOUSTIC TIPS

I

’m not the first to distort my acoustic guitar but I am one of the few that have done it my way.

The way I have found to achieve this is by adding a soundhole pickup to my acoustic guitar and sending that signal to overdrive pedal, volume pedal, modulation effects and then a regular guitar amp.

But why not just…

Whenever I bring this up, I get questions like “Why not just split the one piezo signal?” One reason is phase. If you take the same signal and split it and send it to two places, you will get weird phasing in the room as well as distorting a piezo is…challenging. That is why I use two different pickups, piezo undersaddle for the clean and a magnetic soundhole pickup for the effected chain.

“Why not get one of those hybrid guitars?”

Because nearly all of them give you the option of acoustic OR electric signal and I want both at the same time and I like my acoustic sound, sometimes I’m performing unplugged on tour, so I don’t want to mess with that.

The first time I saw anyone with a split signal, it was Ray Wylie Hubbard and he was sending his K&K pickups to the PA and then a DeArmond pickup to an overdrive pedal and a Princeton. And it was a thicker, bigger sound. I emailed Ray to ask him about it and he was very gracious in telling me his secret of the DeArmond pickup mounted to the top of his guitar between the soundhole and the bridge.

photo by Roberto Costantini

sive Stage ur Acoustic

This led me on a search to find others like Grant Lee Phillips using a 12 string Takamine clean and then a second signal of sound hole pickup into a Boss Metal Zone and then a Twin Reverb! Now that was a huge sound. And lastly, Mike Peters from The Alarm who even got a customized Auden acoustic with mini humbuckers mounted in the top.

Why a volume pedal?

These folks were all doing the two-signal thing their own way usually in an always on or as an on/off situation but I wanted to find my way into it and that’s where the volume pedal came in.

Sending the sound hole pickup to an overdrive/ boost pedal first, then into a volume pedal before the reverbs, delay, and effects was the key. I could PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 7

MUSIC BUSINESS

THE ACOUSTIC ISSUE

companion mixtape NOW STREAMING ON BANDCAMP FEATURING brand new ACOUSTIC tracks INCLUDING AARON KELLIM RECORDING WITH THE AUSTRIAN AUDIO MiCreator SYSTEM BROUGHT TO YOU BY 14 FALL 2023 HOME REC ISSUE PERFORMER MAGAZINE

ACOUSTIC TIPS photo by frans16611 play a rhythm piece on the acoustic and swell in this *other* sound behind me. If the delay had a long tail on it, I could fade out with the volume pedal, but the last delayed chord could still ring out behind me adding this extra effect and making me sound like more than one guitar player. And the best part? It was all done in real time, no looping, sequencing or programming needed.

In a big rocking song, the second signal could be dry with just some distortion and I could swell in and play a solo, add some slapback for the individual notes and then ride the volume pedal back when the solo was over. If I was in the sweet spot, I could even ride the acoustic guitar into controlled feedback.

How do I try this without ruining my acoustic?

There are easy and inexpensive ways to try this without messing up your favorite acoustic. First, plug your acoustic into your DI and then to an acoustic amp or PA. Then put virtually any sound hole pickup in your guitar and send that signal to your guitar effects pedals and amp. The volume pedal will be the key to keeping it tamed. An inexpensive Dean Markley soundhole pickup is

a great place to start and stop by your local shop - they likely have a used Ernie Ball volume pedal for sale.

It will take some practice to get swelling right on different parts and what types of effects work with your acoustic. In my experience, getting an overdrive/distortion pedal that has a high, mid and low eq controls will really help. An acoustic guitar has a lot of frequencies to it already so finding a distorted signal that complements it will be your challenge. I found that the distorted tone tended to be darker sounding than I would typically use just because it created a nice blend.

My setup: Signal 1: Fishman Infinity Blend > Looper > LR Baggs Venue DI > PA Signal 2: Fishman Rare Earth Humbucker > Bearfoot FX Model Bobbo Plus (comp/OD/boost) > Lehle mono volume pedal > Line 6 M9 > Fender Princeton My favorite acoustic pickup for Signal 2 is a Lace Ultra Thin dobro pickup mounted between soundhole and bridge, but it won’t fit on my Gibson acoustics as it is actually, not thin enough.

There are no rules.

I’ve been using this system for over a decade now and every time I play a show there will be a guitar player that comes up and asks, “OK, but how did you make *that* sound?” And the validation from that has been great for me because when I started doing it, I felt alone in the wilderness - thinking “Why am I the only one doing this? Am I crazy?”

The answers to those questions are “I don’t know and obviously yes.” But there are no rules. Do what you do. I hope my words give you license to try something new. I can’t wait to hear it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR After moving from Boston to Southern California, Bobbo Byrnes founded one of Orange County’s leading Americana Rock bands, The Fallen Stars.

He tours mostly solo now, blending rock and roll energy, country flavored instrumentation and folk inspired storytelling he’s a throwback to a bygone era of mix tapes and AM Gold. Bobbo read too much Kerouac as a youth and though he no longer hitchhikes he is still a vagabond at heart seeking to continue on his path - singing and strumming, learning and sharing stories, connecting with people and leaving a wake of happiness behind him.

Follow online at https://bobbobyrnes.com PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 9

ACOUSTIC TIPS

Quick Tips for Getting Great Sounding Acoustic Recordings in the Home Studio Benjamin Ricci

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Now don’t get us wrong, going direct is a perfect solution for stage use, as it makes things so much simpler for the front of house mix engineer, and it also allows for more freedom on stage. However, in the studio we are really trying to reproduce the natural tones and overtones of the acoustic guitar’s sonic properties -- to do that, there are a number of different mic techniques that we can use and employ to capture that presence and live feeling, without the sterility that a DI box sometimes injects, no pun intended, into the proceedings.

So how exactly should you set up your microphones? That’s a good question. We feel like you should always start with condenser microphones when it comes to acoustics, unless you are really playing hard and fast rhythmic parts, in which case a standard dynamic mic like a Shure SM57 can handle those types of performances a little bit better. But for the most part, you’re going to want to use condenser mics to capture the richness, fullness, and full bodied nature of your acoustic guitar.

Now, where to place the microphones is a matter of taste, but we always recommend at least one mic about 6 inches away directly from the sound hole, and if you have an extra condenser handy try placing it near the 12th to 14th fret of your guitar, either straight on or at a slight angle to mitigate any proximity effect.

W

e know that recording acoustic guitars can sometimes seem like a daunting task, but here are a few of our quick tips to help you get started even if you have never recorded an acoustic guitar before. The first thing to consider is whether or not you want to go direct or use a microphone on your acoustic to capture audio into your recording interface. If you are planning to use a DI box, may we step in and suggest that you first try miking up your guitar to see how

When recording more than one microphone on an acoustic guitars, you will get the added benefit of the ability to add stereo mixing into your song during postproduction, but it also enables you to add more depth to your acoustic track, which comes in especially handy if that is the only guitar or rhythm part on your track.

Panning two recordings taken from different positions on the guitar can also add interest and texture to a mix, especially if you try offsetting them slightly for a slight chorusy warble.

The only thing to consider when employing two or more microphones is phase cancellation, which isn’t usually a huge deal, but can thin out the sound if you are not careful. Luckily there are awesome plugins like Aligner from NUGEN Audio, which we have reviewed in a video on our YouTube channel, which makes cancelling out phase issues a thing of the past period in fact the plugin is so useful, that it is in our standard DAW arsenal at all times when we have two mics on a source.

Now there are some other things you can try, to add some interesting texture and depth

to your acoustic recordings too. One of those is using an overhead mic like you would on a drum kit. Typically, we don’t think of overhead mics when it comes to acoustic guitars because we want to place our condensers close to the source to capture that top end sparkle and even point it at the body of the guitar to capture that mid to low end boom. But an overhead mic can capture the room tone which you can then subtlety add into your mix to create a more rounded out sound, you can also mix in this room mic into the background of verses and choruses to add a little haunting atmosphere if the track calls for it. It really gives you some options during the mixing phase that you wouldn’t always have if you only employed one mic directly on the sound hole as you would typically do.

ACOUSTIC TIPS

that sounds first? In most cases there is an added presence and feeling of being in the room that only a microphone can capture, and a DI box sometimes misses out on.

Now when we are also talking about two microphones, you often see recommendations to use an XY pattern during recording. This can be fine, but again be aware of phasing issues which you may need to negate afterwards using plugins like the aforementioned Aligner. XY recordings on acoustics, at least in our opinion, don’t always come out that great in the wrong hands. But feel free to give it a try. It’s just that in our experience, placing one mic close to the sound hole, one mic close to the body, and then maybe a third auxiliary mic higher up the fret board to capture that sparkle, is a better option because it gets you a more direct recording of the sources that are most important and affords you options in the mix that you wouldn’t get if you were stuck with a lousy XY capture.

At the end of the day, recording acoustic guitars should not be intimidating. We think that with a little experimentation and mic positioning, you can get great quality recordings at home without a whole lot of setup time. Any modern interface should capture high res audio incredibly well, and pretty much any DAW will suffice when it comes to tracking and mixing simple audio parts coming from an acoustic guitar.

The main thing is to capture that audio well from the start, so you don’t have to employ a lot of EQ tricks or post processing effects after the fact to try to get something from nothing.

Get the cleanest recording possible up front, and your mixes will fall into place. So again, try things like adding in room mic for ambiance, microphones on the body of the guitar for some round low end that you can put under the mix for a little added oomph, and placing a microphone very high up the fretboard to capture a high-end, thin sparkle that you can place on top of a mix for some added interest as well. Let us know how it goes, sand be sure to send us your finished song so we can give them a listen!

PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 11

ACOUSTIC TIPS

Top Tools for Acoustic Guitar Maintenance

K

eeping your acoustic guitar in tip-top shape is essential for any recording artist, stage performer, or even the home hobbyist who just loves to strum their Taylor on the couch every now and again. We have taken a look at some really great maintenance tools over the past year or so that we think will be key to any musician’s repair and care arsenal.

Below are some of our top picks and quick thoughts on some of these products, which we know will come in handy when you need them the most.

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Benjamin Ricci and Chris Devine CruzTOOLS GrooveTech Guitar Player Tech Kit Working on guitars can seem like looking into an abyss, if you’ve never gone past changing strings or changing pickup heights. Setting neck relief, string height, and intonation isn’t that hard, if you have the right tools.

Inside the vinyl pouch are a set of string cutters, thickness gauges, metal ruler, capo, string winder, hex wrenches (metric and standard) with ball ends for angled use, as well as a 6-in-1 screwdriver. Also included is a handy guide to guitar setups.

setups, without going down the rabbit hole of getting every last esoteric tool for every possible situation. If you come across a situation where this set of tools can’t do a good setup, it’s a more serious situation for your instrument. Players who travel a bit would really benefit from one of these. Weather can wreak havoc on an instrument, especially during transit. Going on a tour from Maine to Georgia in January?

More than likely something will shift a bit.

Instruments with unfinished, open pore necks are more than likely to run into issues, and adjusting the neck relief and action doesn’t take that much effort.

It’s certainly a well-stocked kit that has just what’s needed for doing most typical guitar

You may not be able to pull a dented fret, but it can keep you from having to employ a

ACOUSTIC TIPS

full time tech to keep fret action from buzzing or fretting out. Need to change string gauges, from 10’s to 11’s? You’ll want to adjust the relief, action and intonation. This kit has everything needed to do that. It might even make you wonder why you pay your local tech for his services, especially if a couple of minutes with the right tools can solve issues on the road, or in the studio (that’s usually when fret buzzing is most noticeable).

The case is also a decent size if you need to throw in a couple of sets of strings, or even those factory supplied truss rod wrenches that always flop around in a guitar case. If a player wanted to get this same set of tools separately, it could cost at least double what this neat package, retails for, so it’s certainly reasonable, cost-wise. With a little time spent tweaking, you might find that YOU can set up your instruments better than someone you’ve been paying all these years.

Music Nomad Humitar (Acoustic Guitar Humidifier) Acoustic guitars are living things; despite the fact the tree has been cut down, the wood still interacts with its environment. It may have a finish on the exterior, but the insides are still raw and unfinished. Temperature and humidity can be a factor - too cold and dry, the wood contracts. At the other end of the spectrum - too hot and humid, it expands.

These environmental changes can cause all sorts of issues, not only in the sound of the instrument, but the playability, finish, and its structural integrity.

So what to do? Years ago the solution was take a kitchen sponge, soak it with water, and throw it inside a guitar case. The problem with that was, depending on the season and where you lived, it would either not work at all and just dry out, or in humid areas, create a nasty mold problem in your guitar case.

Music Nomad has a simple (and inexpensive) solution, a humidifier designed for especially guitars: a small plastic case with a flip top that holds a sponge. Simply wet the sponge with distilled water, and place it in the case. The case sits between the D and G strings.

Slots on the case allow the water vapor out, with no leakage to your guitar. Simple as that. It’s a neat idea, actually. Want to see if it needs more water? Just flip the lid to check if the sponge is hard, and requires more.

The Humitar is a cheap way to keep your acoustic playing (and looking) its best for years to come. Hot and humid summers may be on the horizon, but when the cool, dry air is back in the fall and winter, one of these should be in every acoustic player’s case.

PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 13

SPOTLIGHT

Catching up with Aaron Kellim LA singer/songwriter discusses his creative process and vision for a kinder world Benjamin Ricci

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Alexis McDonough

SPOTLIGHT

W

e’ve had the pleasure of working with the amazingly talented Aaron Kellim on a number of video projects over the years, where he’s demonstrated all sorts of gear on our YouTube channels, including microphones, speakers, wireless recording devices and even acoustic guitars. So we felt it was apropos to get to know Aaron a little better for our readers, especially considering the acoustically-focused nature of this very special issue. Without further ado, let’s chat with the ‘Be Kind’ visionary in the interview below…

How did the music bug strike you?

We acquired a piano when I was about 7 years old. Somehow we got the piano and I was playing by ear -- we had no idea that I had that skill set in me. Well, I would hear a song and I’d start playing it. So I took lessons for a little bit, but I hated lessons because they wouldn’t let me play by ear. They made me read music, so it kind of died after that because it felt like what I was naturally doing was wrong, so I kind of let it go a little bit and then in eighth grade I picked up guitar.

They had a grant for our school and it was the first year they had guitars in the classroom. So they were teaching guitar. And that’s when the bug really hit, because I had some friends who played. I would go to their house and jam with them and their dad. And so 8th grade I started really wanting to learn how to play guitar. In high school we were in punk rock bands playing in VFW Halls and people’s basements, so that’s when I got the bug for a collective creation of music with other people. I started traveling in college with music [and thought] ‘OK, this could be a career that I chase after’ because I was opening for groups like One Republic and Gin Blossoms and Train. So there were larger shows that gave me the bug of like this could be a reality.

Was it just kind of a gradual transition into, hey, this might be something that I do full time?

Yeah, it was, I think. Part of it was gradual, but I do remember the moment I was out of high school, I was working part time as a teller at a credit union and one of my songs was placed on a show on MTV called The Hills.

And so that moment mixed with we just started touring at that time…I saw that there’s revenue coming in from my music and also people want me to come perform it at places other than my hometown, so it was that moment because I quit my job at the credit union. And that was kind of the moment of like, ‘I don’t know how this is going to work, but I know it can work and I’m going to figure out how to make it work.’

It sounds like a lot of the early stuff that you were doing musically was band related, but now it’s mostly solo stuff I know you from. Was there a conscious effort to say, hey, I’m gonna be my own individual and not be part of this band or what was that thought process like?

Yeah. So, I left the band. I loved the music, but just the situation around it all was becoming a little bit…toxic is kind of extreme, but our worlds weren’t [lining] up outside of the music.

I was uncertain if I would perform again, I didn’t really know. I was thinking I might teach music at that point in time. I was about 24 and I joined a duet -- we started playing and had a little bit of success. That kind of fell apart after we moved to California, and so I had zero artist projects on my mind. I was kind of thinking that dream might be over, but in 2017 I got the bug to start writing music for myself again because I was writing a lot for other people and I thought that might just be kind of where my career [was going] at that point in time.

PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 15

SPOTLIGHT

It was like, ‘no, I need to start writing for me again.’ While I did love the band and duet, it was also a very easy cop out for me if things didn’t work out to say, ‘well, it wasn’t all my fault, this was other people’s fault too.’ And so that was a big part of doing the solo project … I wanted the weight on my shoulders. I wanted it to be make or break because of me.

It’s not like you were a stranger to songwriting. I would imagine you were probably writing a lot, most of the music for the bands and duos or am I projecting?

So prior to that, yes, at that time mostly just for other artists in Los Angeles, because we were living in Los Angeles at that time. It was solely for other pop [artists there].

What does your songwriting process actually look like then and now? Does it start on acoustic? Does it start with maybe just humming something in your head?

It can vary, but for the most part I’m usually writing with one or two other people. I just think we get the best product when we work together and so we’ll sit down in a room at my studio or someone else’s. We usually talk for about 30 minutes to an hour, just about life and the song idea is usually sparked out of that conversation.

So we’ll be talking and then, you know, you get past the ‘How has your week been? How’s your day been?’ stuff. You start getting into what’s been on your mind the past couple of days, week, whatever. That’s where we start getting into the ‘Oh, I see you’re emotional about that. Whatever it is, that’s what we need to write about.’

And then after that, I usually pick up guitar, piano and start playing something that feels like the mood of the thing we’re wanting to write about, and then we hum melodies after that. For us it’s usually concept first. Music next. Melody ideas after that and then lyrics on top of it.

It’s a really interesting approach. I don’t hear a lot of people going about it that way, but it sounds very organic. You’re talking about life and what’s going on and that fuels the actual musical creation…

Yeah, absolutely. And then there’s times too, like this past week, Monday through Wednesday, we were in a writing camp and a lot of that has to be more strict. We’re starting now. Here’s what we’re starting with. I do have some of that [in me] as well, which is nice at times because we can only experience so much life, and if you’re writing a new song every single day I’m not experiencing these wild moments in my life every single day, so it is good to have the structure of, ‘No, today I’m just going to sit down and this is what it is.’

Now when it comes to recording, I know partially because we’ve worked with you

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on video projects, that you have your own setup. Is that where you’re doing most of your recording or is that sort of like a demo station and then you take it to a commercial studio?

So my studio in Los Angeles is where a lot of demo work is being done, but then I’m either sending that demo to another producer in LA or I’ve got a friend Will Pierce in Nashville who produces a lot of my music as well, so I’ll send him the session and…I just trust him so much. I say, hey, I love what you do. So you do what you do.

So that’s one scenario.

The other scenario is I’m co-producing a lot of it, as well. So I will start producing in my studio and then maybe shoot my partner Jay Denton the file, hop over to his studio. He starts throwing down on the track. So I would say the majority of what happens on my songs is at least starting in my studio.

What are some of your favorite things in terms of recording gear?

The Mojave MA-1000 that you guys sent me has been my go-to vocal microphone. I can’t get enough of it and I’m running it through a Neve 1073, which is just amazing. And so right now those are kind of the two pieces that I know I’m going to be using for sure on every song because [how it sounds] on my vocal, even guitar and the MA-1000 I’ll throw guitar through that and it sounds amazing as well.

You’re using the 1073. Are you using an actual hardware 1073 or a plug-in?

The real deal, yeah.

Cool. And then instrument wise I see you a lot with acoustics. I would imagine that’s probably your guitar of choice. What is your favorite or favorites in terms of guitars? Because we’re going to put this in the acoustic issue. So we might as well talk about it.

Right now my favorite is the Taylor 812 CE 12 fret. It just sounds phenomenal. It’s been a dream guitar of mine. So if I’m playing acoustic, I’m throwing down on the Taylor and then I play a lot of electric, as well. I have a Fender Telecaster. It’s the 72 thinline reissue and I just love it. It’s great.

That’s was my rock’n’roll guitar that I played in all [my] rock bands.

I mean it’s hard to make a Taylor sound bad.

I’ve got a Taylor 214 that I play a lot too because that’s one I keep at the studio. I keep my 800 series at home, so it’s not always at the studio with me. And for me, I just like the tone of the Taylors. I think when other people play Martin, they sound incredible, when I play them for whatever reason I can’t get the sound that I’m hearing other people play.

“I’m kind of the weirdo that thinks kindness can really change the world…”

Now that’s studio talk, I would imagine for on-stage performance you’re probably bringing the same gear out, is that a fair assumption?

I usually play the 812 when I’m out and I run it through a Radial DI box [to the front of house PA.] Any effects? You don’t strike me as a big effects guy.

I’m not, no. I love when people do and I’m like, Oh my gosh. Tell me how you got there, but for me to sit in the studio and kind of tweak out different tones for things, it’s just not something I’m good at. I think that’s part of the problem too. I know it when I hear it, but getting to that point, I’m not the greatest at.

I’m throwing a lot of reverb on my recordings, I’m using Valhalla a lot. I’m [also] using the Baby Audio plug-in called Spaced Out for a lot of my reverb. It it’s great because I love the reverb sound, but they also have a lot of manipulations on the reverb that gives you kind of unique effects.

For compression I’m usually using the LA2A. It’s a go-to for a reason.

Exactly, exactly. I try to keep things as simple as possible and kind of let Wizards outside of what I do, do any of them.

Can I ask you about the “be kind” products you wear, because I see it in all your videos -- it’s backwards on purpose, right?

When I first started releasing music in 2017, I was trying to do new merch for every song, and so the first song I ever released as a solo artist, I had somebody create a design. I sent it off. And of course when you’re buying merch, if you want to buy like, you know, I’m being reasonable, I could probably sell 50 of those -- I think I could do that as a new artist. I’m not thinking I’m selling a ton

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SPOTLIGHT

of stuff, but you have to order a bulk. So I ordered way too many shirts because it makes it cheaper.

Didn’t sell that many. So the second song, I said I’m going to make my own merch, so I brought a heat press.

You went real DIY with it.

I sure did, yeah, because I just didn’t want to keep buying hundreds of shirt blanks. And so I make the shirt…of course I don’t read directions.

I put the heat press down for the word, I opened it up and ‘Oh, it’s backward.’

Yeah, there’s a setting you have to click to make sure that doesn’t happen. I didn’t click it, so I say that’s kind of cool. I might actually just do that for these shirts. The next song I say, You know what? I want to make a shirt that anyone could wear, whether or not they like my music.’ And so I was just thinking through what is it like for me as a human being, that’s very on brand and just kindness for me has always been such a big deal.

I’m kind of the weirdo that thinks kindness can really change the world and I think simple acts of kindness can change people’s days and life.

So I decided on ‘be kind.’ I’m trying to figure how to make it unique. And I go back to the mistake that made on the [earlier] shirt. And I was like, you know what? The backwards thing is kind of cool and then it just all hit me at once like that.

I mean, people can read it even if it’s not in a mirror, but technically you can only read it in a mirror, so it’s always a reminder for the person wearing the shirt to treat other people with kindness and also to treat themselves with kindness.

Follow on Instagram: @aaronkellim

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On going solo as an artist “I wanted the weight on my shoulders. I wanted it to be make or break because of me.”

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SPOTLIGHT

Transcendent Guitarist Opens Up On The Creative Possibilities Unlocked by Being Self-Taught Benjamin Ricci

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Diego Torres and Jo Berrojalbiz

Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

Yeah, absolutely. Well, I’m originally from Spain. I grew up in a small city…you know, no big metropolitan life, no big music communities or anything. And since I was a little kid, I really loved everything that had to do with creating something that did not exist before. So I love drawing, painting, I love music. And I loved most of all the soundtracks of movies, so I would watch all these movies and even [as a young girl], I would try and transcribe the lyrics even if I didn’t know how to write.

I moved out of my parents’ house when I was 16. I went to music school when I was a little kid, but the Academy was really not for me, so I quit around 11-12 years old and then I kept on playing piano -- at 19 years old, I moved to New York City.

Wow, just like that?

I found a job as a nanny. It was not for music purposes.

So what prompted you to move from Spain to the United States? Was it the job or did you have aspirations to live here and perform?

I needed to have an interesting life. Truly though, as a teenager I suffered from agoraphobia and from really high levels of anxiety. And I had body paralysis and all these things. So when I recovered from that, I told myself you have to travel the world, you have to live in many places.

You have to live in a way that when you’re old, hopefully you get to being old and you can look at yourself in the mirror and be like, I had a pretty nice life.

SPOTLIGHT

he amazingly talented Spanish guitarist and singer Lau Noah recently sat down with Performer to chat about her musical upbringing, her creative process when it comes to approaching the guitar and her individual style, as well as her decision to put out an album of duets featuring some of her favorite contemporary artists. Join us as we get to know Noah in more depth as part of our special Acoustic Issue cover story…

So it was a bit of that. I didn’t have a big dream of becoming a touring musician or anything that I’m doing right now. It was mostly I needed to start somewhere and I found a job there that paid for [it]. So I just jumped and I did it at19 years old.

And I worked as a nanny upstate New York.

And then when I could get out of that because it was pretty terrible, I moved to New York City, and I worked as a waitress, as a dog walker, babysitter -- all of these things that immigrants without means do because that’s my background, you know, and that taught me so much. Especially being surrounded with children and having to work with children. It forces you to be in this extremely creative mindstate. You have to become a really good storyteller because that’s the only way a kid’s going to be sitting in front of you listening for an hour straight.

What’s interesting is when you were growing up, you were talking about the piano. But obviously now most people know you and associate with you with the acoustic guitar, classical guitar. Where did that enter the picture for you?

It happened in 2016 in Montreal.

On her unique self-taught guitar style: “I don’t want to play like everybody else. I mean, this thing seems to be working out for me. So I don’t want to know how you do it. I want to see how I can do it without knowing anything, you know?”

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“I believe that if you have something in common in the human conversation, there’s no way the musical conversation won’t work.

It’s completely linked and connected.”

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SPOTLIGHT

Wow, OK. Tell us a little bit about how the guitar entered your life -- because it seems like it was a little bit later in your story.

Absolutely. It was very late and it was very strange. I had gone to Montreal to visit a friend and it was February, so there was a snowstorm. It was miserable. My friends had gone to a Patrick Watson show and they told me they had tickets for me and eventually they said they had run out of tickets. The weather was really bad, so I was stuck in that apartment by myself and my friend only had a guitar in the house. He didn’t have a piano. He didn’t have anything else. And I had tried playing guitar before, [but] it never worked.

It hurt my fingers.

I don’t know why I picked it up, but I said, ‘Alright, well I don’t know how to [play] this. The only thing I can do is go note by note trying to find all the sounds that my brain hears. And harmonize myself as I was singing.’ And that’s how I developed this very weird thing that I do now, but that people eventually started saying, well, this is counterpoint. I was like, ohh, OK, you know?

It’s an interesting style for folks who haven’t heard you yet. It is very contrapuntal.

But you know, that’s something that I think doesn’t come from being taught in a traditional sense, like you didn’t take classical lessons because that’s not normally what would come out of that. Can you talk a little bit about your process of how you started? Did you learn from anybody or were you completely self-taught?

I was completely self-taught in terms of the guitar. Obviously you know I’m part of this beautiful music community in New York City and we would [all] hang out. But I had no interest in knowing the chords and the names of things. I was a little bit apprehensive because I don’t want to play like everybody else. I mean, this thing seems to be working out for me. So I don’t want to know how you do it. I want to see how I can do it without knowing anything, you know?

So that’s how it happened for me. I just did it note by note and I don’t think it’s an extraordinary thing. When people learn music in schools, they learn chords and they learn scales which are blocks of information.

A lot of people probably assume because you come from Spain and here in the States we actually call the classical guitar a Spanish guitar, that that you would have picked it up back home.

No, I have tried. Actually I think the classical guitar is such a big universe that I’m still working on that. But I have this dream of playing electric guitar for sure, and I hope at some point I get there. Yeah, but in Spain? No. I didn’t even grow up listening to Spanish music. You know, I’m from Catalonia, from the northeast. For classical

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So, that that brings us to where we are now; I know that there’s a new album coming out, which is very exciting because it sounds like you’re doing a lot of collaborative work with other artists. Can you tell us a little bit about how this project came about and some of the people that you’ve been working with and some of the things that you learned?

Yeah, absolutely. It was a bit weird.

Everything was very strange. I feel very lucky and at the same time I look back and I go, ‘the amount of work that [went] into this was crazy.’

I was in in New York in 2022. I had just cut my hair and I needed cash because [they] only accepted cash. I went to the ATM and I got to see how much money I had left in my bank account and I was like ohh, I’m broke. So the only thing I could do was to book a flight and go back to Spain for a bit to recover. And do some classes online, but I couldn’t afford the New York rent and when I was in Spain, I thought how about I just could have booked some sessions with musicians I lost [touch with] from here throughout the COVID years. I had met a lot of people on Instagram because I started posting videos of myself playing.

Right.

So one day I would wake up and I would find Jacob Collier following me the day after be Jorge Drexler and all these people that are [on] my album now. And so when I was in Madrid, I was playing, I was recording with some friends of mine and it came to me. It was like an epiphany.

I was like, I’m going to make an album of duets with all of these people, and it’s going to be like two chairs facing each other. And that’s it. And two microphones, and that’s all. And I thought I’m going to dream big and I’m going to ask my favorite musicians with whom I had a relationship with before. Obviously, I wasn’t just hitting someone’s DMs. It all became a reality in the in the real world, right? So when Jacob came to play the Blue Note in New York, I hit him up. I was like, ‘I’m really excited to meet you,’ and we ended up playing together at the Blue Note. And that’s how we met.

And to me, the important thing and the reason I think they ended up saying yes, apart from the fact that I think the music is good, the songs are good, is that we had spoken about things that weren’t music. We had become friends. We spoke about life, we spoke about the human psyche and things that that connect with other people.

You had real connection with these people outside of the musical world. Do you feel like that made the musical connection

stronger when you were performing with them?

Absolutely. Well, at first there was a willingness to make it work. Many of them I had never played with before. But when we got to the studio and we recorded the takes of the song that [would] be on the record…it was magical. It was amazing. I believe that if you have something in common in the human conversation, there’s no way the musical conversation won’t work. It’s completely linked and connected.

When you recorded these songs, were you physically in the same space as your partner(s) or did you have to do remote recording?

That was a must for me [recording the duets in person]. My only requirement was that I had to do these things about the human connection.

It was an antidote to the years we had of staying at home and not playing with anybody. So how it went was I would work really hard in New York City as a babysitter, as a tutor, making the

most amount of money. Buy a flight, go to these people’s houses or a bar in Madrid, a living room in LA. Go there. Stay with friends. Eat very cheap and go and record these songs with them and then go back to New York and go back to work.

And meanwhile I had just stumbled in my place, paying my rent, you know? So it’s like a balancing act trying to figure out how to do this when there was no financial aid, you know?

have. But I also thought nowadays…unfortunately, people don’t listen to albums from the beginning to the end.

I don’t think it’s that important because there were live sessions and it was very clear to me that there had to be live sessions, not like pieces of stuff. There was no overlaps in the sense of like the two voices and the guitar were always live and they were always recorded at the same time, so to me it was like if it has this live feel and it has different sounds because we’re in different rooms, I don’t mind. Then I got the same person to mix it and the same person to master it, which helps to makes sense sound-wise.

SPOTLIGHT

guitar Spanish guitar, it would be like traditional folk and Flamenco, coplas. Other stuff my family didn’t listen to -- we listened to Elvis Presley, you know?

I feel like this was a bit of an antidote to this dehumanization of art, right?

Is there anything else that you want to let people know about?

I’d actually like to talk about something because I had this tour with Ben Folds that was supposed to be across the UK and Europe and he developed tendonitis in the beginning of the tour and he cancelled the European leg, which was nine shows in very big places. And as an opening act, you have to front all the all the accommodation and everything.

And so I reached out to my community on Instagram and we managed to put together a tour for me in three days. All over Europe, with incredible dates in so many countries in so many cities, I got so many offers and I’d like to mention that because I think this is extraordinary, you know, without the help of an agent or anybody.

I think the community really, really showed up and I’m really proud of this group of people, musicians, artists and music lovers that that are in this community. So yeah, I think that’s important.

That’s amazing.

I ended up playing in all [types of ] venues and little theaters -- people would be like. ‘I have this local theater in my city. I’m going to go tomorrow and convince them to book you.’ Strangers…it was really beautiful. It’s my favorite thing that happened this year; it was great.

The record comes out in January, I believe. Is that correct?

January 12th, yes.

Did you find that it was difficult to get the record to sound cohesive, since it was recorded in many different places?

I had a blind trust that [it was going] to work.

First of all, I focused on the emotional connection between the musicians over the sound quality, right? It was like the emotional quality of the session [first]. So I had no doubt that that would make up for whatever sound issues we would

Follow on Instagram: @launoah57

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SPOTLIGHT

The LD Systems Maui G3 PA: The Perfect Choice for Acoustic Performers Catching up with FOXANNE on her recent video series deep-diving the Maui G3

W

e recently enlisted the help of LA-based singer/ songwriter and outer space expert Foxanne to help demonstrate the amazing qualities of the new LD Systems Maui G3 PA. In the 6-part video series (now up on our YouTube), we went from unboxing to setup, to full-song playthroughs as we got to hear the entire system in action during three exclusive LIVE performances. After the video shoot, we caught up with Foxanne to chat about her experiences using the system and her recommendations for fellow singer/songwriters in the market for a PA to suit their needs.

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I’d love to get your initial thoughts and feedback on what it was like working with the PA and what you can relay to other musicians who this might be a good fit for.

Totally. So I’ve never owned a PA before, I mean I’ve interacted with a million different systems ranging from great to really terrible PA’s at different places I’ve performed, but I’ve never had one and so it definitely is a different experience in that way.

My initial reaction to it was kind of surprised at the simplicity, you know, having never owned a PA, never attempted to set a PA up. I was genuinely so nervous. But I set it up in 10 minutes and it was working and it like it a lot. It was just so simple to get it going, which was so nice. And it just sounds really good. Not all musicians need or want PA’s or want to throw their own shows.

But for me, it’s kind of opened up a lot of different possibilities, like right now I’m working on a new song and it’s in the mixing stage and having a system that is so big and clear, and being able to hear my music so well -- obviously when you make something, you listen in headphones and all different types of ways, but being able to listen in this way from a writing and recording standpoint has been really cool.

But it’s also been like, oh, man, maybe I could throw [my own] shows. You could collaborate with other artists. It’s been so cool and unique getting to play around with it.

Unless you’re touring at kind of that regional/national level where you’re dealing with front of how sound people and big-money installed PA systems, there are going to be gigs where you’re setting up your own sound. If you’re playing coffee houses or busking, or you’re doing house concert series, or you’re just in a rehearsal space, you know? There are a lot of different applications that you might have not even thought of, and you touched upon just rehearsing tracks for songs you’re working on and actually hearing them through a real PA and not just alone in your headphones.

And then you talked about ease of use and that’s one of the things that we wanted to touch upon in the video series and convey that stuff can be intimidating, especially, you know, big pieces of equipment. But I think one of the cool things about the Maui system and the G3 that we’re working with is, you take the base unit, you plug the columns on top, you dial in your settings and you’re kind of good to go. Can you talk about that process a little bit?

Yeah, I mean that is really the whole process.

It also makes such a satisfying click when you [put] the pieces together. I know that’s not the

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point, but it so satisfying. I kept taking it apart and putting it back together [laughs]. But yeah, I mean it. Each of the columns only has a single power cable. There’s no cables in between it.

There’s no stands that are probably sturdy, but maybe not sturdy. Holding a speaker up and it might fall and put a hole in your living room floor, you know?

You have the subwoofer on the bottom.

That’s just on the floor, you don’t need to have it on a stand and then the towers [go] on top of it.

No cables between them. Which I know some friends of mine have expressed that can also pose an issue cause I know my guitar cable runs out or I wear through it so quickly that it’s like when you’re dealing with multiple speaker cables and what’s not working and what’s buzzing and [trying to deal and] getting rid of all of [those issues]. It’s super simple, super straightforward.

The easier the better. And if you’re an acoustic singer-songwriter, let’s say you do have a coffee house gig. You were sent two units, a left and a right. And that makes sense for stage use. But if you’re just going to the coffee house, you could just bring just one of those along.

Oh yeah. I would imagine you probably don’t even need a mixing board or anything -- you can plug directly into that.

It all depends on the type of sound you want to get. So you can plug directly into it. Yeah, like if you’re just doing it super straight forward, you’re just a solo single person. And I mean even one column is probably more power than you would need. You’d still probably only crank it up about 10% and you’d be filling the coffee house with sound. It’s portable too, I’d imagine you could probably throw them in a car, drive to your gig, and you don’t need a whole crew of roadies to haul you in and out of a venue.

It also disassembles and reassembles so easily and quickly. I drive a Prius. And I could get this thing in the back of the Prius with my amp, with my guitar, probably with our full drum kit and the drummer and our merch table. I think I could probably get everything we need for a simple show with a full PA system in the car, which I never thought [I could before].

Not only is this easy, but yeah, you could throw it in a car with the rest of your stuff.

Go to that gig if there’s no sound system available -- because we deal with artists who are in a million different types of situations, they’re not always playing venues with really nice PA’s. Sometimes they’re playing dank church basements that have nothing, or one ratty speaker from the 70s and a PA mixer from somebody’s high school.

So you know, just having that available, if

you’re playing weddings or bar mitzvahs or something where you’re responsible for your own sound is a really cool thing.

Oh yeah. I mean, I don’t have a penchant for DJing, but now I literally could throw it together pretty easily cause it’s so portable – you could DJ a nightclub, it’s wild.

Yeah, that’s kind of the gist of what we wanted to get across through the video series. I think we did a really good job of showing, hey, it’s easy to use, it’s simple to set up, you plug right in, you’re good to go, it sounds great. You can double this as kind of a monitoring system too, so you can face one toward the performers on stage...

Yeah, we’re playing around with that, which was so cool. [My partner] Andrew made an appearance [in the videos] -- he couldn’t help himself. He was on drums, filling out that kind of combo because for those who haven’t seen the videos, we’ve demonstrated a solo performance and in a little group combo setting too just to show it’s not just for singer songwriters, which I think a lot probably associate with a portable PA system.

You could get a full band through there, especially if you do have an external mixer and everybody’s running through the mixer and you run the outputs into the PA, obviously you can have drums, guitar, vocals, keyboards, everything being projected out and then have one maybe monitor speaker pointed back to you so you can hear your mix as the audience would hear it.

Honestly I think like even though it’s [fairly] portable we’d get a much better sound than I’ve gotten at a lot of professional clubs in the past.

In terms of Bluetooth connectivity, too, one of the simplest applications that people don’t even think of is if you’re playing with multiple groups on a set, in between when people are breaking down and setting up you can just stream music during the breaks through the Maui G3.

It opens up [tons of ] possibilities for you when you’re playing live, which is cool.

Are you usually solo on stage, or do you have a band that you perform with routinely?

It totally depends. I’ve been doing a lot of solo shows, just cause there’s a really great songwriter community in LA that I’ve found.

But I’d say 50% of the time I’ll be solo and then 50% of the time I’ll be with a band, and sometimes that band is just me and a drummer.

Sometimes we’ll have a bassist come out or bass and keys…the band changes shape depending on the show. Depending on the sound of the new music I’m working on, I’m also trying to reconfigure that.

SPOTLIGHT What sort of stuff are you working on now? I know you hinted to me before that there’s new music coming. Do you want to spill the beans?

All the details of it aren’t public right now. I am in the final mixing and mastering stages of my next single and right now I’m trying to work out whether that’s going to be a part of an EP or an LP because I’ve got a whole bunch of songs cooking.

But it’s all about trying to make the right plan for them all. As much as I’d like to spend all of my time recording them and just immediately posting them with no marketing. You know, every artist’s dream [laughs].

When can we expect the single or is that still TBD? Most likely early 2024 with information about all the other songs too. But I’m trying to be patient.

And it’s very hard.

For more information on the LD Systems Maui G3 please visit ld-systems.com

Follow on Instagram: @foxanne.official

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ACOUSTIC TIPS chocolatedazzles

Chris Devine

Quick Tips for Amplifying Acoustic Guitars On Stage PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 31

ACOUSTIC TIPS

G

oing “unplugged” is sometimes an oxymoron. To get an acoustic instrument heard, it needs to get connected to a PA system or amplifier in some way. In the old days, a performer would have a microphone pointed at the soundhole. Easy, but gives the player limited (or no) options for any stage movement, plus the extra mic added to the mix of monitors and other mics can also make for potential feedback issues.

traditional electric guitar amp and speaker setup isn’t meant for the full range of EQ that a piezo pickup and preamp produces. It will work, but there are better options.

like Fender, Marshall and Boss, as well as acoustic specialists such as Fishman. These work more like a mini PA system, with a fuller range of EQ and speakers tailored for the acoustic guitar.

Some even have mic inputs, making them perfect for running vocals through, as well. Perfect for busking or solo performances at a coffee shop or small restaurant.

Enter the piezo pickup. For decades this kind of transducer has made getting an acoustic instrument’s sound easy and doesn’t chain down the performer to one spot on stage. Over the years the preamps for these pickups have gotten amazingly better and better, and even very inexpensive acoustic guitars have brand-name piezo pickup systems as standard equipment.

If there’s a PA system at hand, it would be easier to just plug into that, but a few added items can make the difference. An acoustic preamp can sometimes bring advanced EQ shaping options, as well as effects, a tuner, and feedback reduction, all in a reasonable sized stompbox package. For players who don’t want to go down that gear rabbit hole, a simple DI box is a big way to help the situation. It can turn the signal level into something your PA can really work with, bring a fuller sound, not have the player max out their volume options at the PA system, and can be had for under $35 for an inexpensive model that can easily fit in a gig bag.

So, what to plug this pickup-equipped acoustic into? While it might sound easy to run to your clean Fender electric guitar amp, like a Hot Rod Deluxe, this might not be your best answer. A

Those are all great options, however let’s say you have an acoustic with no pickup system. Again it’s back to a mic setup, or…a simple soundhole pickup. These unique little devices slide into the

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There are some nice acoustic guitar amps out there, made by well-known amp manufacturers

ACOUSTIC TIPS soundhole of the guitar, and usually have a cord that plugs into whatever sound system you’re using. In some cases these are passive systems, meaning the output signal will be much lower, but an Active DI box or acoustic preamp can solve that issue. The great thing about these pickups is that they are removable and can be installed in many cases without taking off the strings!

This simplicity also has a simple price, as many soundhole pickups hover at the $100 price point. One great application is also using a soundhole pickup in conjunction with a piezo pickup. It can really fill out the sound, and counteract any “clicky-ness” that some players hate about piezo pickups; this also gives the options of running any effects through just one of the pickups, and leaving the other “dry” to tune in the affected signal in an optimal way for a performer’s tastes.

It’s not common to see a guitarist spend thousands on their electric rig, and when it comes to an acoustic setup, go with a very inexpensive setup, or just cheap out entirely. There are some ways to work with this too. Some multi-effect systems now have acoustic emulations as presets. They

can be quite passible in many ways. Boss’s acoustic simulator pedal comes in the usual stompbox package. Players on a budget; Mooer’s Akoustic pedal is a real inexpensive option. Perfect for those acoustic intros and breakdowns sections of a song. Depending on the device, guitar and player, these can sound like a convincing piezo system at best, and at worst, a harsh, thinned out single coil that can easily get lost in the mix.

The next way to go isn’t cheap, but is a serious step up; a piezo equipped bridge. This gives the player the feel of their electric guitar and its magnetic pickups with the added sound of an acoustic. Adding this in may require some modifications to an instrument, fitting in a preamp and battery, as well additional controls and a stereo jack. This option can sometimes be as expensive as an inexpensive acoustic guitar, but can mean having an acoustic guitar sound without any of the acoustic guitar headaches, like worrying about playability, humidity, fragility or feedback.

Don’t want to mess with your favorite electric? Since the mid 1990s manufacturers have made electric guitars with piezo systems.

The Parker Fly was the first to embrace this technology, and since then Godin, Fender, Gibson, Schecter and ESP have offered up this option at one point or another. As of this writing PRS’s SE Hollowbody II model comes in at $1279, all set up and ready to gig with a killer-sounding piezo bridge.

With the electric/acoustic option, the option to run the acoustic signal at the same time as the electric signal offers up a big fullness, almost like having another guitarist. The ability to switch between an electric and acoustic (hello 1980s power ballad), is an option that can totally re- shape a performance. However, this can also mean getting into some of the previously mentioned items that benefit an piezo equipped acoustic like a DI, preamp pedal, or even a separate acoustic amp. But for an electric player, having two guitars in one, it can make a lot of things easier.

This is the golden age of guitar gear, and these are just some of the options of how to get a great acoustic guitar sound live. There’s no right or wrong answer to this, but more of a what’s the best path to take for the individual player and their situation and preference.

PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 33

ACOUSTIC TIPS

Why You Shou Classical Guit W

hen you think of the word classical, you might envision symphonies by the great European masters like Brahms and Beethoven, but in the world of guitar, classical should connote both a style and a type of instrument (namely a smaller bodied nylon-string acoustic). We think it behooves you to study both even if you’re a die-hard electric player – and here’s why.

Perfect Posture Studying the style of classical guitar with a proper instructor will have immediate benefits in the way you sit and cradle your instrument – trust us. Even the most forgiving teaches will insist upon proper form and way to hold the instrument – and guess what, that type of body and arm positioning may be your new best friend

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when it comes to playing electric, as well. Look at how Slash holds his guitar during solos – now we’re not saying he picked that up from studying classical style guitar, but the more vertical angle of the neck does provide, in our opinion, some real added comfort benefits with your trusty electric.

What have you got to lose? Don’t like the posture and positioning you learn in classical lessons?

No biggie, you’re not wedded to those techniques (but you may come to love them).

Pinky Promise One thing you will not want to give up, however, is your newfound pinky strength.

Studying classical guitar, by nature, will require a bit of added dexterity in your fingering, both for fast runs and for new chord voicings and shapes.

That means you’ll need to start working on your

pinky strength because it’ll soon become a crucial element to your performing style when handling complex classical passages. The good news is all that pinky training comes in amazingly handy if you transfer it over to your electric playing.

You’ll not only be able to more confidently execute tricky hammer-ons, pull offs and string raking, but your overall phrasing and musical vocabulary will greatly expand due to the added capabilities of your fretting hand. Break out of the standard pentatonic box and throw in some extensions with your pinky – see how it sounds in the overall context of your song (you may end up being pleasantly surprised).

A La Mode Beyond just technique, you’ll likely learn

ACOUSTIC TIPS

ould Pick Up itar Benefits to even the most ardent non-classical enthusiasts

more theory, as well, if you study a bit of classical guitar. And one of the most beneficial aspects to learn will be your modes. Simply put, if you’re in a rut and tired of cliched blues box licks and bog-standard major/minor runs, learning the intervals of modal playing will blow the doors wide open on your ability to play more melodically. You’ll start to hear when minor passages call for Dorian phrasing, or how to add Phrygian mode spices when you want things to get a bit more exotic. You’ll also start to hear and pick up on Mixolydian phrasing in some of your favorite records, and it’ll begin to dawn on you – “Oh, THAT’S what they’re doing there!”

Modal playing is essential to a lot of jazz and fusion and can greatly expand the types of styles you’re adept in, as well.

Speed Kills If you give the true masters of Spanish guitar a listen, you’ll start to wonder how they don’t get more street cred in the shred community.

Because take it from us, there’s a whole lot of speed skills going on in some of the more prodigious classical guitar playing. You’ll start to pick up on speed tricks, too, if you study long enough, and the added legato playing techniques you pick up will transfer over nicely to just about any style you play.

One other thing you’ll notice is how differently nylon strings react to touch and fingering, and you may end up preferring slinkier gauge strings on your electric to help imitate the feel of your classical axe. This was one of the biggest revelations we had when picking up

classical after a while – that lighter string gauges on electric sounded just as good as thick gauges, despite what internet wisdom would have you believe. AND they allowed for fluidity that transferred over from classical exercises. Try it.

Recommended Listening We of course think you should listen to some of the classical guitar masters like Andres Segovia and Pepe Romero, to name a few. But for a more pop/rock context, try ‘Elegant Gypsy’ from Al Di Meola. It’s his fusion masterpiece and you’ll hear some of these classical elements in play in a non-classical context. Plus it’s just a flatout genius album you should own anyway.

Hope this helps get you thinking, let us know how it goes!

PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 35

MAKER PROFILE

MEET YOUR MAKER with The Santa Cruz Guitar Company

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And so we’d like to introduce you to a little peek behind the scenes of Santa Cruz Guitars, if you’re not already familiar.

A BIT OF BACKGROUND Founded in 1976, the Santa Cruz Guitar Company brought boutique guitar making to the forefront of the steel string guitar business.

SCGC’s small production lutherie and mission is to provide musicians with exceptional instruments that truly change the world.

Hand voiced and tuned for a sophistication of sound that you won’t outgrow, Santa Cruz Guitars are built in strict climate control for stability. They are crafted with the experience of professional repair technicians for easy maintenance and to ensure successful future restoration.

BUILD TECHNIQUES Most modern guitars are assembled from pre-shaped parts which possess random frequencies that can cancel out overtones and limit sustain. No wonder you have to search for “the good one.” Santa Cruz employs the techniques of master violin luthiers to voice and tune by hand manipulating the dimensions of the top and bracing. This creates consistent harmony, sustain and sophistication of complex tone on every instrument they build.

Their durability comes from intelligent engineering, not extra weight. SCGC incorporates the engineering principles of parabolic and radiused bracings, giving each instrument additional power, resonance and durability.

This gives them multiple times the strength at a fraction of the weight. Their first instruments

MAKER PROFILE

W

e first met up with the folks at The Santa Cruz Guitar Company at a recent NAMM convention in Anaheim, and ever since have been totally enamored with their acoustic output. We initially started conversing about their strings, but it became readily apparent that their passion for acoustic guitar building and custom guitar luthier work in general was at the heart of what they do.

are in their fourth decade of professional use, proving the soundness of SCGC’s ‘light but strong’ designs.

OUTPUT MATTERS Santa Cruz builds about 400 guitars a year, what larger factories build in a day and a half.

At this modest number, they procure the top 1% of tonewoods and the world’s most passionate team of luthiers. Expertise and mastery can only be earned through practice, and their luthiers’ combined experience spans over a century.

This solid foundation has enabled their guitar makers to become the best in the world at their specialties. Santa Cruz Guitar Company combines the timeless heritage of violin lutherie with a working camaraderie and ongoing symbiosis with some of the world’s top experts in acoustic science.

A TRUE CUSTOM SHOP Every one of their models comes with a long list of available options that can be modified on the guitar for no extra cost. This includes upgraded tonewoods like Adirondack & European Spruce, Adirondack bracing with hot hide glue, neck modifications, bindings, appointments, sunbursts, inlays and more, allowing SCGC to build for each individual customer, and deliver their required tonal qualities, playability needs and personal aesthetics.

In addition to all these options included with each model, they also offer pages of more complex customizations – exotic tonewoods, advanced body variations, inlays, bindings, and more – that can be added to most models for an upcharge.

CLOSING THOUGHTS We invite you to check out how to design your own Santa Cruz guitar, starting with your chosen base model, and adding all your desired options.

We think it’s a killer experience that will lead to a guitar you’ll treasure for the rest of your life.

The models we’ve played in person were truly stunning, both in looks and tonal response, and a new Santa Cruz is at the top of our own acoustic bucket list!

Learn more at https://santacruzguitar.com/ PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 37

MY FAVE AXE

ARTIST BACKGROUND

Four-time Mayor of Marathon in the Florida Keys, John Bartus has entertained crowds for a living for more than 40 years. His new CD, After The Storm, is a (mostly) acoustic look at life in the Islands and beyond!

MAKE & MODEL

2013 Martin DC-Aura Custom Shop WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU

When I was in high school first learning how to play, I became aware of Martins and how they were the Holy Grail of acoustic guitars — remember that this was back in the mid-1970s. I would see photos of a Martin D-45, with all the abalone bling, and would just drool on the page. I had one of the original DC-Auras from 2005 and still play that on stage now and again. When I learned about the Custom Shop version (only 13 were made), I bought the first one I could find. It was a sweet deal as a well-loved mint condition second-hand guitar. I since have found another one in mint condition, and it has rejoined its sibling.

WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE

Amazing — the Martin dreadnought tone comes forth in spades. Plugged in, it still sounds great! The onboard Fishman Aura F1+ preamp delivers a mic’ed acoustic tone through the wire into the PA. SPECIAL FEATURES

Select tone woods: gorgeous spruce top with lots of silking, beautiful rosewood back and sides, drool-inducing abalone rosette and purfling, and those really nice hexagonal outline abalone fretboard markers. And the CF Martin & Co. logo on the headstock is an abalone inlay as well. Let’s not forget the incredible Fishman Aura system onboard.

CAN BE HEARD ON

This particular guitar is on many tracks on my After The Storm CD. Listen now at www.johnbartus.com

with

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MY FAVE AXE

ARTIST BACKGROUND

I’ve been a musician for 60 years. I have two favorite guitars, both pictured here. I’m Atlanta’s Creative Loafing Magazine’s critic’s choice for “Best Local Singer/Songwriter” and the 2013 & 2015 & 2018 Georgia State Champion Harmonica Player plus the 2013 Flagpole Magazine Athens GA 25th Anniversary theme song contest winner.

I’ve also won on the original Gong Show and I have led the Apostles of Bluegrass band for 17 years. My music has appeared in movies, television and radio.

ABOUT THE GUITAR

Born on April 13th, 1964, Miss Martin is a D-28 Special Wurlitzer model. Thirty-three of these were made with Brazilian Rosewood and six or seven have a solid head stock (like mine) instead of a slotted one. She’s weathered over twelve hundred shows, not counting jams, practicing, band rehearsals and parties. She’s also been instrumental to writing more than 350 songs and recording 35 albums. I’ve owned her for 32 years.

My other favorite guitar (pictured here) is a 1972 Gibson Les Paul Recording Model Bass.

I’ve owned this one for about 50 years. Looks just like it did when I first got it. It’s been providing the foundation for Miss Martin on most of the recordings I’ve done.

CUSTOM MODS

Stolen from the original owner and gone for over a year she was turned into a 12 string.

After being returned she was converted back to 6 strings. Miss Martin was blemish free when I got her so I’ve modified her with all the dings, scratches and sweat.

SOUNDS LIKE

You hear Martin owners talk about their guitars being canons, playing like butter and being the best sounding they’ve ever heard. This one is better. It does whatever you ask. Back in the early 70s I played a friend’s D-28S and said I’d have one someday. I’d find it forgotten in a garage and the owner would sell it cheap. 20 years later the dream came true better than I described it and I’ve not played another guitar since then.

with

JOHNNY ROQUEMORE

WATCH AND HEAR BOTH IN ACTION at http://vimeo.com/67674884 and follow Johnny online at www.johnnyroquemore.com

Vicki Roquemore PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 39

GIFT GUIDE 40 WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE PERFORMER MAGAZINE

GIFT GUIDE PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 41

GIFT GUIDE

AKG C214

AKG P120

Soundcraft Notepad 12 FX

W AKG P170

ith our friends at AKG, JBL and Soundcraft generously letting us test out their gear throughout the year, we knew we had a killer mix of products in mind for the musical loved ones on your list (or hey, get a little something for yourself while you’re in the festive mood).

EVEN BETTER! We’ve enlisted the help of a diverse group of artists this year to test out the must-have JBL 3 Series studio monitors, which we’ll be showcasing on our YouTube and Instagram channels via video demonstrations, exclusive song premieres, a streaming Bandcamp sampler plus the coup de grace: a physical cassette release featuring new tracks using the JBL monitors we shipped to our participating artists (see last year’s video compilation on our site and socials)!

Whew!

Without further ado, let’s get into this year’s picks for our Holiday Gift Guide. We hope it helps inspire some ideas, and even more – inspire some great music to be created!

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STUDIO MONITORS Once you’ve recorded your tracks into your DAW, you’ve got to hear them played back, right?

When monitoring your mix, there are a ton of options out there. We’ve been SUPER impressed by the entire 3 Series lineup from JBL when it comes to home studio monitors.

Jeshua Marshall even helped us demo these earlier in the year as part of a 4-part video series that you can watch on our YouTube.

The 3 Series comes in a few flavors, including 5-inch drivers (305P MkII), 6.5-inch drivers (306P MkII) and 8″ with the 308P MkII. Whichever size makes the most sense for your space, the entire 3 Series family design leverages over 70 years of JBL acoustic expertise to create refined studio monitors that deliver outstanding value.

WANT TO GO LOW? The 3 Series also features the LSR310S subwoofer, which extends the low end of your mixer to really enable you to hear the entire soundscape from the ultra-high to the most thumping lows you can conjure up.

MIDROPHONES The AKG P Series The P Series of microphones from AKG serve a wide range of applications, from vocals to acoustic instruments to drum overheads and everything in between. Need to mic a loud guitar cabinet? They’ve got you covered. Want to

We’d be remiss if we didn’t give a quick rundown of our faves from the P Series, so you can prioritize your shopping list this season.

AKG P120 — this is our go-to for an ultraaffordable, do-it-all mic if you’re just getting your home studio’s mic locker in order, and want killer sound at a good price. The P120 delivers crystalclear vocals, so you can use it for all your vocal needs and even for the budding podcaster inside you.

AKG P170 — the P170 is the perfect place to start if you need a few high-quality instrument mics that you can place on drum overheads, inside your acoustic piano, on your acoustic guitar, and even on your cabs. They’re supper durable, fit just about anywhere because they’re small and are accurate enough for even the most discerning home studio user.

AKG P220 — stepping up to the P220 gets you a few nice options, including a handy basscut filter and pad, plus it comes with a nice shock mount and travel case. If you’re thinking of upping your stage game, a few of these on some loud sources would do wonders in a live setting, as well.

AKG P420 — The 420 is one of our absolute faves, all around. It’s a dual-capsule design, offering up even more sonic flexibility, and it’s just as warm on vocals as it is on instruments, which makes it one of the most versatile mics in this range.

AKG P820 — and here we have the granddaddy of them all, the killer tube P820 which is our absolute top choice for amazing vocals.

The multi-pattern tube microphone is an excellent tool for highlighting lead vocals, brass instruments, electric guitars and drums. With its dual one-inch diaphragm capsule and the advanced ECC83 dual-triode circuitry, the P820 Tube delivers real tube sound and raises the bar in its class of affordable tube microphones.

BONUS — it even comes with a shock mount, carrying case, and remote control unit to select the polar patter, pad and cut settings.

AKG C214 The C Series from AKG presents an ideal solution to high-end commercial studio sound, even for the home studio user.

The C214 professional large-diaphragm condenser microphone has been designed as a cost-effective alternative to the high-end C414 family. Like the C414, the C214 offers a supreme one-inch capsule on an integrated suspension to reduce mechanical noise. A switchable 20dB attenuation pad allows recording of loud sources of up to 156dB SPL. A switchable bass-cut filter allows close-up recording with almost no proximity effect. The C214 captures sound by combining one capsule of the legendary C414 dual-capsule system and the patented AKG BackPlate Technology, resulting in an outstanding performance close to the famous C414 XLII. Again, we put the mic to the test with Jeshua Marshall in his home studio, as he used it to record a new track from scratch.

LSR310s

GIFT GUIDE

capture the perfect sound from your acoustic’s sound hole? Check. And how about the grand piano and vocals for that tender ballad? Again, the P Series has everything you need — so much so that we challenged Theresa Jeane from The Nearly Deads to record a new track using the P Series exclusively in what we called the AKG MIC LOCKER CHALLENGE! Watch that 4-part deep dive video series up on our site and YouTube.

JBL 305PMkII

space for a 4-part series we did on essential gear for your practice room. Head on over to…you guessed it…our site and YouTube to watch the Notepad 12 in action with our friends in the band.

It doesn’t matter how many channels you choose (5, 8 or 12), we were suitably impressed with each Notepad’s mic preamps and control layout — the knobs and faders were all smooth, and the mic pre’s offered supreme clarity for all our spoken word and musical needs. We recorded one of our podcasts with them, and even scratched out some demos for another past project with one of the Notepads we got on loan from Soundcraft — so we can speak personally to the quality-to-dollar proposition on offer here.

MIXERS & INTERFACES We’d be remiss if we neglected one of the most important aspects of your rig: the mixer. Luckily, we’ve been hands-on with the Notepad series from Soundcraft and can totally recommend each of these units as not only a standalone mixer (awesome for keeping that ever-growing synth rig manageable) BUT ALSO an easy-to-use audio interface to record demos, rehearsals, podcasts as well as full band mixes.

The coolest thing about the Notepad series is not just the small size, but the powerful feature set: each model, regardless of channels, features USB I/O for connecting to your DAW plus the 8FX and 12FX have cool Lexicon effects built-in, too. As a mixer and interface in one, it’s a smashing combo.

Not only were the mic pre’s excellent, the echos and reverbs we had access to on-board were perfect for our needs (no plug-ins required!) and we could easily create an aux send mix for any outboard processing. The Hi-Z channel for our guitar was a nice bonus, too — it meant we could go direct into the board without miking it up OR record an extra direct signal in addition to our amp.

This year we had the amazing band First to Eleven check out the Notepad in their rehearsal

And when you do end up creating some new music, be sure to send it our way!

FINAL THOUGHTS From all of us here at Performer, we wish you the warmest, happiest holiday season. We hope you get everything on your wish list, and are able to make the best shopping choices for the loved ones in your life, as well!

PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 43

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GEAR REVIEWS

DONNER Rising-G Pro Carbon Fiber Acoustic Guitar

C

arbon fiber is usually chosen for its stability and being able to handle changes in environment, so it makes sense to make an acoustic guitar out of this material. Donner’s application of it in their Rising-G Pro model brings the high tech, with a practical price.

The cutaway body profile is unique, with a modern cutaway design that Donner calls the “DO barrel” shape, and is a molded body, with a satin black finish. The top is also carbon fiber, but the weave is very apparent with a gloss finish. On the underside, it’s braced in an “A” configuration for strength, and also allows for the top to resonate. Donner refers to their offset parametric sound hole design as a way of projecting the sound to the player in a more efficient manner.

The neck is also carbon fiber, and is molded into the body, with a fingerboard made of a “High pressure laminate.” This term is kind of new to us, but it feels smooth and quick, with the higher upper frets trailing upwards towards the body with plenty of access. Scale length comes in at 25”, with 20 nicely polished frets installed. The bridge is also carbon fiber, and has a compensated saddle for intonation, and appears to have a nicely cut composite nut.

The short headstock design also makes this a candidate for being a great travel guitar with all these features.

However, right out of the case our test instrument needed a quick setup as it arrived with extremely high action. After removing

the strings, we noticed there were a few shims under the bridge saddle from the factory.

Removing those helped, but still had a major back bow in the neck. The truss rod cover is held in place with a magnet, and after removing that, we realized that the truss rod was completely loose, with no tension on it at all. A couple of twists of an allen wrench solved this and made its playability a breeze. No big deal, and you should probably expect to set up any new guitar that you get to your particular specs, anyhow.

The neck shape is super comfortable, with a satin finish on the neck and the fingerboard, was very slick and smooth. It’s certainly a modern feeling overall, and it won’t fight the player in any way.

Soundwise, it was quite remarkable, critics always call out carbon fiber for lacking warmth or being too brittle, not so in this case. There’s plenty of bottom end and warm projection that maintains definition with big open chords, and snappy clear lead and melody lines.

However there’s one head scratcher on this: no electronics for amplification. For such a modern instrument, designed to travel, it kind of feels like a missed opportunity. Touring musicians are always on the go, and a stable instrument is a must, and the ability to amplify an acoustic for a gig is also a must, so to not see one here might disappoint some.

Overall, it’s a great playing and sounding acoustic that will travel well and won’t have the

issues that traditional wooden guitars will run into especially if you’re cruising through various climates on the road, but buyers may want to have a local tech give it the quick once over before you hit the stage, if it’s anything like the one that we got. But once that’s sorted, you’re all set, and the price for an acoustic that’s extremely modern, is not breaking the bank.

LEARN MORE at https://www. donnermusic.com/products/risingg

Review by Chris Devine

PROS

Unique design, great playing, excellent sounding CONS

Begs for electronics package STREET PRICE

$599

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GEAR REVIEWS 46 WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE PERFORMER MAGAZINE

PROS

CONS

STREET PRICE

great warmth and projection, well made, excellent pickup system

none

$1999

GEAR REVIEWS

TAYLOR GUITARS AD12e-SB Acoustic Guitar

T

aylor Guitars’ American Dream series of guitars boasts solid wood construction, Taylor’s innovative engineering, and a price that isn’t over the top.

Starting off with the smaller grand concert body style, the top of the AD12e-SB we reviewed is Sitka spruce, and has Taylor’s innovative V-class bracing for optimum resonance and sustain while not compromising structural integrity.

The back and sides are Walnut, which complements the matte tobacco sunburst finish, small pickguard, natural binding and single ring rosette. With a 24 and 7/8” scale, the topical mahogany neck has a eucalyptus fingerboard with small dot inlays and 20 well-polished frets. The Tusq nut and saddle, along with Taylor’s closed back tuners do their respective jobs nicely, and the scarf headstock joint is a great design feature for strength at a major stress point of any guitar neck. Taylor’s Expression System 2 provides amplification options with treble, bass and volume controls on the upper front bout.

Right out of the case, this was a stunner, with a rugged vintage appearance. The neck shape is certainly slim and comfortable, with a wide and

fairly flat (15” radius) feel. Fingerstyle or hybrid picking styles are quite easy with the string spacing, but strummers and pickers will still appreciate the fuller, warmer tones. The smaller body shape and shorter neck made it quite comfortable to play in either seated or standing positions. It’s quite responsive, with a snappy and sharp response that maintains the bottom end. The nuances of fingerstyle playing still need to have that projection and the V-class bracing has been known to bring that element in smaller body shapes. As with all the Taylor’s we’ve reviewed, the overall build quality, materials as well as fit and finish were top notch.

The same detail and attention found in Taylor’s higher end instruments are here as well. They just nail it every time.

Plugging it in, the ES 2 pickup delivers great EQ flexibility, and the fact the pickup element is behind the bridge, and not under it, eliminates that “quacky” thinner sound that comes from other piezo and likeminded designs. In a recording situation, it’s not uncommon for an engineer to skip over the option of using the piezo. This is one system that should get plugged in and be used in conjunction

with whatever preferred mic-ing techniques being applied. The added attack and sparkle can easily add something special to a mix.

The big thing on Taylor’s, especially when getting into details found on guitars like this is always the price. Amazingly this comes in at a fairly reasonable $1999. It’s certainly not cheap, but it’s a price that makes you nod and say “I get it” after seeing the construction and its overall sound.

The neck shape and width may not be for all players, but it’s different enough for a picker to say “this is cool and interesting.” It does come across as a great singer songwriter kind of instrument, where the guitar isn’t getting in the way of the performer. With the projection and sustain this brings, it’s a true accompanying instrument that allows a vocalist to breathe in the mix. It also holds its own space sonically, with other acoustics in differing body shapes and materials, the attack and punch didn’t sound out of place, or lacking in any bandwidth. For those open mic nights that might end in a jam, this will stick out in more ways than one. We can’t say enough good things about it, and it earns our special Editor’s Pick Award this month.

Review by Chris Devine PERFORMER MAGAZINE WINTER 2023 ACOUSTIC ISSUE 47

FLASHBACK Join us in celebrating Epiphone’s 150th Anniversary this year and take a look at this killer vintage ad. OK, so maybe great acoustic guitars don’t cost $100 anymore, but for our hard-earned money, there’s still no better value in the acoustic game than a solid offering from the folks at Epiphone.

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/ AT2020USB-XP Cardioid Condenser USB Microphone

Professional Performance for All Creators The new AT2020USB-XP gives streamers, podcasters, and other creators the award-winning AT2020 sound with plug-and-play USB-C operation and a whole lot of extras.

Three selectable noise-reduction levels and an automatic gain control allow you to adjust the clear, natural sound

audio-technica.com

reproduced by the mic’s high-resolution A/D converter (up to 24-bit/192 kHz). Plus, sound can be monitored directly from the mic with no latency, mixed with computer audio, and silenced with a touch of the capacitive mute button.

That’s professional performance and control.

Learn More

Unleash Your Creativity.

MiCreator Studio: Pocket-sized recording system for music, podcasts, interviews and more. High-quality condenser mic + simple audio interface. USB-C® connectivity.

Just plug and go.