The acoustic guitar is arguably one of the most iconic instruments in the world. If you own a semi-acoustic guitar, you can get a lot of different sounds from it by simply adding a preamp into the mix.
Preamps for acoustic guitars aren’t as versatile as conventional electric guitar preamps, though they still do the job quite well.
Essentially, a preamp helps you boost the output signal of your guitar to “line level,” which greatly improves the signal strength. But, an acoustic preamp is required for several other reasons.
What Is The Purpose Of An Acoustic Guitar Preamp?
Some people tend to consider acoustic guitar preamps similar to electrical guitar preamps however, there is a huge difference when it comes down to the sound they both produce. An acoustic guitar preamp is optimized to reproduce sound better, especially due to its hollow nature.
An acoustic guitar preamp will help you enhance the tone of your guitar. It can play a major role to make sure that the sound is clear and vibrant at the same time. Usually, to work with acoustic guitar amps, you need to connect it with a cable. Then, this cable is run via the preamp to your main amp.
Most modern acoustic guitar preamps come with a variety of different built-in presets that let you distort the sound, but you can also use the equalizer to make adjustments on your own.
Preamps essentially give the amp its original sound. It’s got a bunch of EQ controls that you can use to mix and change things, and it significantly boosts the guitar input into the amp. However, if your preamp isn’t working as it should, there are quite a few things that you can do.
How to Fix Acoustic Guitar Preamp Not Working?
1. Make Sure That You Check The Cable
If you happen to face the problem of the preamp on your acoustic guitar not working fine or the way it should be, you need to ensure that there is nothing wrong with the cable. You can check this, by connecting your cable to something else that is working fine.
This will help you understand that there is nothing wrong with the cable but some hardware fault of your guitar. In cases where it is the cable that is causing an issue, you can easily get it replaced and then check if it is working fine with the preamp of your acoustic guitar.
By replacing the cable, your problem can be easily fixed and you may not find any other difficulty afterward. However, if your cable is working fine yet still not connecting with your guitar, you may need to reset your guitar and then try checking the cable for signal.
Usually, resetting your guitar can dissolve any problem related to the connection but in the worst-case scenario, you might need to get your acoustic guitar checked if there still are no signals whilst connecting the cables.
2. Battery
One another thing that can cause trouble is the batteries of your preamp. Usually, you will find that batteries grow old and lose their strength. A battery plays a vital role to make sure your preamp works well with your acoustic guitar. You can easily check if your battery is fully charged or not.
At times, despite being fully charged, the batteries have other problems which cause hindrance for your musical instruments. You need to ensure that you regularly check the batteries for any fault or flaws and make sure that you remove them from charging once they are fully charged.
Most often when batteries are fully charged and not disconnected, this can cause the batteries to default.
3. Connectors
One other thing that can cause trouble between your acoustic guitar and acoustic guitar preamps, is the connectors. It is advised that as you regularly check your batteries, you should also be keeping an eye on your connectors.
Connectors should always remain in an optimal condition, if your connectors are corroded, this can cause trouble as they will stop the connection from working as efficiently as it should. This is something you would want to avoid, you don’t want the connection to fail midway through your concert.
Most often, people blindly go and buy preamps without any prior knowledge about their guitars, and later on, they sit confused when their guitar and the preamp do not connect.
If there is a fault or any hindrance to connecting your guitar to the preamp, it is most likely that they both are not compatible with each other.
As newer models come into the market, their technologies change as well and this goes for both guitars and preamps. You cannot connect the latest model of a preamp with your old guitar or vice versa.
Once you find the right preamp for your acoustic guitar, compatibility can play an important role to enhance the overall experience of playing your acoustic guitar with the acoustic guitar preamp.
By regularly checking the connectors, you can immediately replace them if you find them corroded. Connectors play an important role in your acoustic guitar and acoustic guitar preamp. A corroded or broken connector will stop the flow of current on your preamp.
You need to keep an eye on your connectors, most of the time due to the moving of instruments, the connectors can be bent or broken. It is best if you get them replaced at your earliest because you won’t be able to enjoy your acoustic guitar preamp without the proper flow of connection.
4. Make Sure That You Check For Compatibility
Apart from checking the aforementioned problems of your acoustic guitar preamp, you also need to make sure that you check the compatibility of your guitar and the acoustic guitar preamp.
When you are out in the market searching for the best preamp, you need to keep in mind that you get a preamp that works perfectly well with your guitar.
You should conduct a very thorough research about the model of your acoustic guitar and only then, you would be able to decide on the best acoustic guitar preamp for your guitar.
Once you have figured out the compatibility of your guitar and the preamp, it would be easier for you to buy a preamp that helps you make the perfect sound from your acoustic guitar.