Help, my guitar sounds like a banjo when plugged in!

constantine

I have tried several pickups, a Schertler basik stickon, another external transducer and an internal KandK transducer. Through all of these systems I get a similar, crappy sound that is characterised by a change of tone, similar to a banjo sound. When the guitar is unplugged, it sounds great but i cant get anything to sound right plugged in. My bridge has been hollowed out. I have tried the pickups in different spots, I have muted the strings between the bridge and tailpiece with foam... but no success. Is it the ghost of young Django you think? Please advise if anyone has run into this odd situation.

MichaelHorowitz

What amp are you using?

constantine

I use a fishman loudbox 500 (acoustic amp), though the guitar sounds like a banjo through 3 different amps Ive tried.

MichaelHorowitz

What were the other amps?

In general, low end acoustic amps are really difficult to work with. Most pros use either the AER or the Schertler amps because they rarely have the problems you speak of.

However, some guitars just don't amplify well. That might be the case with your Patenotte.

With the Basik you should try a lot of different spots. But usually just behind the treble side of the bridge is the best.

'm

Lango-Django

I'm real happy with my Ischell stick-on pickup, which I, too, use with a Fishman Loudbox.

I've found it sounds good on any guitar I stick it on, even my metal resonator guitar.

Full disclosure: as a self-confessed banjo player, a banjo-ish tone wouldn't really offend me!

But the truth is, whatever guitar I stick the Ischell onto, it just sounds like itself, only louder.

And so far I've never had any feedback problems... knock wood!

Good luck!

Will

dorkydave1

A friend of mine in PA that plays professionally swears by using a Bigtone pickup and plugging into a Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive with the clean boost up and the gain very low and running that into the amp. He says that he was never happy with his amped gypsy guitar's sound until he did this. Maybe you could take your guitar to a music store that stocks Voodoo Lab pedals and try this out (or a similiar pedal)?

constantine

Well thanks guys, my post was from 5 years ago and I got over it :-)