feedback busters

[eyesore]

Do you guys use these things all the time? I was just given one. I was gonna try it tommorow night .I have K&K minis in all my guitars....Pros and Cons?

[YamahaGuy]

Many of my Yamaha acoustic-electric guitars come with the rubber plug. If I'm recording vocals and playing I'll use one to not get too much bleed over from the acoustic sound of the guitar. I seldom HAVE to use one. I find myself using it more often to quiet down the guitar's acoustic sound.

[fwphoto]

Originally Posted by eyesore

Do you guys use these things all the time? I was just given one. I was gonna try it tommorow night .I have K&K minis in all my guitars....Pros and Cons?

IMO, it really depends on the environment you are playing in, especially with the K&K pickups. If you're playing at home or in a more intimate setting like a coffeeshop or most open mics, you probably won't need it. If, on the other hand, you're playing in a noisy bar where you need to "turn it up" to be heard, or in a large, loud band with a bunch of monitors, you will probably need it in all the time.

The K&K is a very nice SBT that offers a nice "acoustic-guitar-like" sound, especially when EQ'd properly, as long as you don't need the kind of volume that leads to feedback. At that point the buster is a good solution.

I used K&Ks for many years before I found myself in a situation where I constantly ended up fighting feedback. Even with significant EQ-ing it was impossible to get rid of it entirely. I play in a large praise band with acoustic, electric & bass guitars, piano & keyboard, drums, 2-3 singers & often other instruments like violins or wind instruments. Oh, & everybody gets their own monitor! So, as you might imagine, it gets very loud! I had to put on soundhole covers to get rid of the feedback & while they did the job I kept on the lookout for a more elegant solution. Along came the James May UltraTonic (UT) pickup & the rest, as they say, is history. :-) I first converted the K&K in my OM-21 to the UT & was amazed by the quality of the sound but mostly by the absolute feedback rejection it gave me. When I was having some work done on my old D-18 & had the luthier remove the K&K & install the full UT in its place. IMO, the UT sounds better than the K&K but most important to me, it absolutely eliminates feedback!

Anyway, if you are mostly playing in fairly quiet venues the K&K is a very good pickup. If you might end up playing in a louder, less controllable environment, slap that buster on or get ready to fight the feedback!

Frank

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by eyesore

Do you guys use these things all the time? I was just given one. I was gonna try it tommorow night .I have K&K minis in all my guitars....Pros and Cons?

I've only needed to use mine a couple of times when playing my acoustic in a very loud stage situation. I have a "D'Addario Screeching Halt" sound hole plug.

[shufflebeat]

I use one all the time, they work well but have their limits.

Downside - there isn’t really one. They kill the acoustic sound of the instrument to some extent but if the gig is loud enough for feedback then the acoustic sound of a guitar is being drowned out anyway so no loss.

[conecaster]

Originally Posted by eyesore

Do you guys use these things all the time? I was just given one. I was gonna try it tommorow night .I have K&K minis in all my guitars....Pros and Cons?

[AeroUSA]

I use them exclusively now.

It’s not just about feedback busting. They also prevent spillage of sound from your PA or audience chatter into the guitar which will come back out of your speakers as unwanted ambient noise. This is even more of a problem if you have a microphone in your guitar or use a loop pedal.

[eyesore]

I have never used one .But i needed it 2 weekends ago at an outdoor gig when the wind was howling really bad!! For some reason I had a hard time with feedback that day.I was definitetly loud ;so that did not help!

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by eyesore

I have never used one .But i needed it 2 weekends ago at an outdoor gig when the wind was howling really bad!! For some reason I had a hard time with feedback that day.I was definitetly loud ;so that did not help!

Check your sound hole diameter, all of the plugs are not the same. There are some brands that come in a few different sizes.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by eyesore

Do you guys use these things all the time? I was just given one. I was gonna try it tommorow night .I have K&K minis in all my guitars....Pros and Cons?

Hi eyesore
No, not all the time. Not in the past decade for that matter.

Are you getting feedback when you play live? If so, there are many questions to ask…where you are in relation to amp/speakers, volume levels you play at, EQ settings on the guitar/room, floor monitors or none, preamp or not, other instruments with you or solo etc.

I have K&K in all my guitars, and even at Open mics and people show up with a K&K with no preamp, they are pretty easy to dial out feedback.

I played K&K dual source for about 15 years at med-high volumes without feedback standing 3-5 feet in front of my stage amp which was waist high behind me (never in front facing back).

A black rubber plug is 'Last Resort' for me, and hasn't been a thing with my rigs for a loooooong time.

It won't hurt to try it, and if you use the big-black-plug and achieve feedback you have other details to work on.

[eyesore]

I guess for the most part I don't really need it.I play thru the Soloamp,and to be honest; if I have an issue with feedback ;it is usually my vocal mic.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by eyesore

I guess for the most part I don't really need it.

No, you don't. It's nice to have one on hand, just in case (literally and figuratively).

Originally Posted by eyesore

I play thru the Soloamp,and to be honest;

We had no reason to think you were lying.

Originally Posted by eyesore

if I have an issue with feedback ;it is usually my vocal mic.

Yup. And speaker placement.

I only get feedback when I play resonator guitars. Can't put a soundhole over over those, but fiddling with the EQ pedal always fixes it.

[conecaster]

<<I only get feedback when I play resonator guitars. Can't put a soundhole over over those, but fiddling with the EQ pedal always fixes it.>>


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QMx...w?usp=drivesdk

This is one of my resonator guitars. I amplified it using our Feedback resistant preamp and Graphtech pickups.

This is a thinner cone than a national or dobro cone, it is the Del Vecchio style.

Chet Atkins took this sound from NATO Lima of Los Indios Tabajaras. He recorded extensively using this sound but he could never play live in a band due to feedback.

I made 3 of these resonator guitars for Chet.

Had he heard this he would he be been very happy.

This song was not checked for sound. They played one song at a festival. Jump on stage an go.

This truly is the Del Vecchio sound amplified.

No you can not use a plug. There is now reason to plug a guitar using our system. It would take huge vol to matter and at that point the strings are bouncing off the fret board anyway.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

I only get feedback when I play resonator guitars. Can't put a soundhole over over those, but fiddling with the EQ pedal always fixes it.

Just stick a mic' in front of it Charlie, and play the biggest, loudest venue you can find! If you can sing into a vocal mic' without feedback then you can darn well mic' a reso without feedback too.

And if you really want to lay into the guitar then a surface mounted mag will do the job!!!!!!

Here's Gwyn Ashton with one of my guitars fitted with an old Barcus Berry mag pu.

[fazool]

when I play in my acoustic trio no I do not need them

when I play in my loud classic rock cover bar band I have to use one 100% of the time