I have built an all electric CBG, mainly because the box I used was so thin it wouldn't resonate satisfactorily. I used a hard tail bridge and a CBGitty humbucker pick up. I don't have a conventional amplifier but I use an iRig interface to play it through either AmpliTube or GarageBand. However, although the CBG is tuned, according to the apps inbuilt tuning tool, and intoned, the sound produced through my earplugs is very poor. It doesn't sound anything near to my acoustic builds. I don't have any experience with amplification, so could be wide of the mark with regards to settings. Any help would be gratefully accepted.
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Hi Micheal, I always measure the strings' height above the pickup poles with the strings fretted at the last fret, as recommended by many repairers and manufacturers. When using this method, I would use 4/64" bass side and 4/64" treble as a starting point on a solid body guitar with humbuckers.
Just a question, did you listen to your acoustic guitars through the earplugs?
Cheers Taff
Hi Taffy, this particular model is fretless, and I've got the bridges down pretty low. I have played my acousto-electric builds through the iRig and they sound better, but there is always the acoustic component audible on top of the amp output.
Forgot to say that my strings are about 4/5 mm from pick up.
Ok, that's close enough?
Hi Guys,
thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. I'll just have to experiment, as BrianQ suggested, with the iRig/app settings.
Forgot to ask, how far away is the pickup from the strings & what amp are you using in iRig? In regards to settings, have you tried adjusting anything? If it's the Marshall, back off your guitar's volume a few notches, then back off the gain & turn the volume up on the amp till it sounds right, then adjust the tone knobs till it sounds right. You'll probably have to readjust the volume, gain & guitar volume in between the tone adjustments. It's not much harder than that. Define "strings don't sound like their acoustic versions", I'm not following?
Hi, hearing what you are hearing would be a good place to start for us to help better. However, a humbucker pickup is not made for reproducing acoustic tones, it picks up string vibrations not the acoustic vibration of the body or air in the box. And you mentioned that the box was unsuitable as an acoustic instrument.
So, I feel that you may be hearing what is supposed to be, especially through your amp set up.
Sorry, not much help.
Taff
I think the in-app tuner is your problem, check the intonation again using a real tuner, if you have one. Maybe it's time to buy a "conventional" amplifier? The Roland micro-cube is the go to amp for cbg's, it has a built-in tuner & several settings & effects, lots of members here swear by em?
It's more of a case of poor pitch. None of the strings sound like their acoustic versions. I wired the pick up through the usual volume and tone pots. Their controls do change the output but I'm not sure if the output is correct. Also I'm not experienced in setting controls on the CBG and those on the virtual amp with the apps.
it all depends on what you mean by "poor" ?
is the tone bad? or is it just a low volume?
how did you wire the humbucker?