Guitar is harder to play when plugged in....??

constantine

Hi Everybody,

I have noticed that when I am playing amplified (stimer) it takes more effort to play the guitar than when unplugged. Its like I've picked up a different guitar.

Do you experience the same? Curious....

Thanks,

Dean

pdg

It's possible you're getting a type of feedback effect from the speakers -- the speaker sound makes the top vibrate and sort of "woof," after you've plucked the strings, and sort of chokes off the sound.

And/or, the Stimer reduces the effective area of the soundhole, changing the bass-low-midrange balance, or making it harder for the guitar to pump air out.

crookedpinky

I noticed or thought I noticed something similar happening to me. My thoughts were that the strings were somehow affected by the magnetic field of the pickup. I could be talking absolute rubbish but just thought I'd throw it in there.

MichaelHorowitz

@constantine What you may be experiencing is the unequal string response that is inherent in magnetic pickups. Generally the B string will be the most responsive and the G the least. So if you set your level so that the B string is responding at the desired volume then the other strings will be too quiet, especially the G string. This may cause you to overcompensate and play harder on the other strings.

DoubleWhisky

It's also my experience that the "feel" when playing a selmer style with magnetic pu changes drastically. I wouldn't say it feels harder to play but indeed very different, even when not plugged in. I also think it's because of the magnetic field.