Multiband Compressor....temproary Band-Aid???

[themetallikid]

So, I have an acoustic show this Friday....I do not have the money/time to get my axe properly setup to eliminate the problem.....I understand in very basic principle how these work....

 

 

So...could I use it to help out on the higher strings to help?  Its mostly my higher E string that is getting choked out. There is just a bit of buzz, and I lose sustain...I'm guessing the compressor would just make that more prounounced and not be a band-aid at all.  Its also not all frets, but the ones I use most for the stuff I do. I dont know much about maintenance on guitars, so not sure if its something that I can easily correct.  I get it around the 2nd/3rd frets, and up around the 12-15th frets.  

 

 

 

[hideout]

I’m afraid that there is no electronic solution to that issue. It sounds like your guitar needs fret leveling and maybe a truss rod adjustment.

From what you describe, it sounds like you play a lot of open D and G chords. Hence the wear at the second and third frets. I think that there is no option other than taking your guitar to a luthier. Sorry.

[themetallikid]

I figured as much, was just hoping there was a way to maybe 'mask' it in some way.  

 

When I do a lot of solo gigs (not so much anymore, but they will be picking up again) a lot of my songs do have D/G in them...I'm sure its just fret wear as I've had the guitar for almost 10 years now.

[hideout]

Have you thought about maybe borrowing a guitar temporarily?

[rzumwalt]

I felt the need to weigh in since I very recently used the multi-band compressor to help me out in an acoustic set. Not that my issue was exactly on point with yours, but maybe you can take something from it. My acoustic-electric actually uses magnetic pickups between the neck and the 22nd fret. It ends up sounding very similar to an electric guitar's neck pickup through a clean amp. To get more resonance, the signal chain used an acoustic guitar impulse response Canton and beginning, and a very slight reverb using a Strymon Big Sky pedal (under the "Natural" setting). After the IR, I used a mic preamp, but I almost felt it was better without the preamp.

But, it still didn't sound as much like an acoustic guitar as I'd wanted, and one of the things that helped was the multi-band compressor. The main thing was to help bring out the treble strings because the lower strings were overpowering, even after lowering the magnetic poles and some fairly drastic EQ and high-pass filtering. And it seemed to help with the acoustic guitar similitude. I'm still not exactly sure why. There seemed to be just enough more brightness or vibrance in the treble strings for my purposes. My best guess is it prevented the lower strings' initial attack from overpowering the initial attack of the treble strings. 

However, if your fretboard is choking your strings, I think your instincts and hideout's comments are correct. You may just end up causing the rest of the strings more sustain while there is no longer any signal coming from the treble strings to sustain at all, exacerbating the perception of them falling out early.

[themetallikid]

Yeah I'm checking on getting the work done, but not sure I can do it in time.  I was hoping maybe the multi band would be able to help the strings come through, and tone them a little fatter so its not that buzzy choked sound.  Again, I know it wouldn't be a permanent fix, but at least get me thought his gig.  I don't play alone now in my acoustic gigs, so it gets masked more in that way, but it'd be nice to sound full across the board again.