Boss AC-3 Acoustic Simulator Pedal

Have read many reviews both positive and negative about this pedal. The negatives were not specific but didn't hear their guitar and amp give an acoustic sound with this pedal. The positives were sometimes vague but they liked it. Then some went on to say they liked it not through a tube amp but through an acoustic amp or a PA system. I HOOKED IT up through a very small practice amp set clean and used the emulation out into a mixer then into a low power full range PA type system. Sounded excellent with neck single coil. Didn't try it with the middle single coil nor the bridge humbucker. I am very happy to have this pedal.

Boss AC-3 Acoustic Simulator

Overall:Here's it in a nutshell, if you have a song or two to play onstage it can work but won't be a great sound. Positive features are response time doesn't lag, and it does have a reverb feature. If you like the sound and feel of an acoustic you won't like this. To say you wouldn't bring an acoustic to a gig for fear of it being damaged is kind of lame, maybe keep the expensive acoustic home but take the cheap one, you will get a better sound. I plugged a strat into a clean amps and it sounded better.

Cool sound, takes a little time to dial it in - save the receipt!

A bandmate of mine had an early version of the Boss Acoustic Simulator back in around 2004, which according to Wikipedia was before the "COSM" modeling was introduced. He used it as an effect more than as a way to try to make his Tele sound like and acoustic guitar. I always loved the sound and thought it gave the Tele a unique sparkle that was very different from the traditional compressed bridge pickup tele twang. I finally gave it a try, and the reason it gets four stars is that you really do have to spend some time with this to make it work. I'd put it more in the category with a guitar synth or the EHX 9 Series the way that I use it - nobody's going to wonder where I've hidden my Hummingbird, and after trying every guitar I own (electric and acoustic) the only ... MoreA bandmate of mine had an early version of the Boss Acoustic Simulator back in around 2004, which according to Wikipedia was before the "COSM" modeling was introduced. He used it as an effect more than as a way to try to make his Tele sound like and acoustic guitar. I always loved the sound and thought it gave the Tele a unique sparkle that was very different from the traditional compressed bridge pickup tele twang. I finally gave it a try, and the reason it gets four stars is that you really do have to spend some time with this to make it work. I'd put it more in the category with a guitar synth or the EHX 9 Series the way that I use it - nobody's going to wonder where I've hidden my Hummingbird, and after trying every guitar I own (electric and acoustic) the only guitar that really does it for me is . . . my Tele! And by the way, I can get it to do the hiss things that some reviewers complain about, but that happens more with the wrong pickups and also involves pushing the "TOP" control past about two o'clock - that gives a lot more of the picking pluck sound of an acoustic, but that can get harsh pretty quickly depending on how its EQed. This is probably one of those "save the receipt" pedals, and with ebay and Reverb and Craigslist its never been a better time to finally buy something you've wanted to try, try it, and then dump it and write an angry rant after it's all over.

Expectations?

Look, if you REALLY have to have a Martin D-45 sound, guess what Of course this pedal will never do that. BUT, if you need something that sounds somewhat acoustic-like in a band mix and don't want to carry an extra (not to mention fragile) instrument, then this will work just fine. Not authentic, not great, not amazingly life-like, just FINE. With realistic expectations this pedal is as good as any for what it intends to do. I use this in an A/B/Y rig. Tha A side goes to my regular pedalboard and amps. The B side goes to this pedal and a volume pedal direct to FOH via a direct box. I get the "acoustic" sound fed back to me through my monitor (or ears if that applies occasionally). I can have straight electric, straight "acoustic", or use the Y option to blend the ... MoreLook, if you REALLY have to have a Martin D-45 sound, guess what Of course this pedal will never do that. BUT, if you need something that sounds somewhat acoustic-like in a band mix and don't want to carry an extra (not to mention fragile) instrument, then this will work just fine. Not authentic, not great, not amazingly life-like, just FINE. With realistic expectations this pedal is as good as any for what it intends to do. I use this in an A/B/Y rig. Tha A side goes to my regular pedalboard and amps. The B side goes to this pedal and a volume pedal direct to FOH via a direct box. I get the "acoustic" sound fed back to me through my monitor (or ears if that applies occasionally). I can have straight electric, straight "acoustic", or use the Y option to blend the two to my liking. Works for me, YMMV. I play "for-hire" mostly and my clients love the versatility of my setup. Also, DO NOT run this pedal through a tube amp if you want the best results. It will definitely work best either run straight to FOH or through a clean solid-state amp. Hope this helps some of you who may be on the fence.

Hmmm...

This is an interesting item. I recommend the pedal, but you do have to experiment with your own guitars and rig.I tried running three different types of instrument through this pedal ( archtop, acoustic, strat,) using both acoustic amp and Marshall solid state amp, all set on clean channel with no gain or chorus. I tried the pedal on all settings, and adjusted the gain from high to low. Everything sounded compressed and, well, like an electric guitar. So, I set up a return. However, I tried one last time with my inexpensive Yamaha acoustic, through my acoustic amp. I set the pedal to Jumbo with 2/3 gain, and WOW. I hit pay dirt! Talk about a natural, huge, and super-responsive sound ! I was floored ! It sounded like a Gibson jumbo. The only thing is that it is so ... MoreThis is an interesting item. I recommend the pedal, but you do have to experiment with your own guitars and rig.I tried running three different types of instrument through this pedal ( archtop, acoustic, strat,) using both acoustic amp and Marshall solid state amp, all set on clean channel with no gain or chorus. I tried the pedal on all settings, and adjusted the gain from high to low. Everything sounded compressed and, well, like an electric guitar. So, I set up a return. However, I tried one last time with my inexpensive Yamaha acoustic, through my acoustic amp. I set the pedal to Jumbo with 2/3 gain, and WOW. I hit pay dirt! Talk about a natural, huge, and super-responsive sound ! I was floored ! It sounded like a Gibson jumbo. The only thing is that it is so responsive to the strings that I have to be carful on my attack to avoid squeak. Now I don't have to invest 2 grand in a really good acoustic guitar, because the acoustic sound I want is better than I could hope for.Anyway, I cancelled the return, and am keeping this wonderful little gem (even if it is only good for my acoustic guitar.)

Not for electric guitars :)

So I bought one used, it was very cheap and I realized why. People expect great acoustic sounds from their electric guitars and this is the point where you'll be disappointed. Electric guitars, especially with high output humbuckers will never have the sound of a acoustic guitar...But my plan was different. Nowadays I play a lot on my electro accoustic guitar, most of my musical projects require this instrument. As I played mostly on electric guitars in the last 20 years, my equippment is optimized for that, tube amps, electric guitars, etc... I needed a good solution to make my acoustic guitar sound right with amps designed for electrics And this device does the job, easy to dial in, no need to buy an acoustic amp ;)Of course the ideal solution is to buy and ... MoreSo I bought one used, it was very cheap and I realized why. People expect great acoustic sounds from their electric guitars and this is the point where you'll be disappointed. Electric guitars, especially with high output humbuckers will never have the sound of a acoustic guitar...But my plan was different. Nowadays I play a lot on my electro accoustic guitar, most of my musical projects require this instrument. As I played mostly on electric guitars in the last 20 years, my equippment is optimized for that, tube amps, electric guitars, etc... I needed a good solution to make my acoustic guitar sound right with amps designed for electrics And this device does the job, easy to dial in, no need to buy an acoustic amp ;)Of course the ideal solution is to buy and AER and plug a good Furch to it, but belive me, this thing sounds much better than most acoustic amps, especially with a tube amp you can make a very deep warm sound.

Review of Boss AC-3 Acoustic Simulator Compact Pedal

Sometimes I just want an acoustic guitar sound without swapping guitars. I bought this pedal for when I'm having a session with friends so I can easily go between electric and acoustic. I also play bass, so I don't want to be yomping around with three guitars. After reading some reviews I was expecting an acoustic sound that was passable rather than good. In fact it is a good simulation, particularly on the Jumbo setting. What I'm looking for is an acoustic guitar sound that fits into an ensemble, mostly as a rhythm guitar, and it does that really well. In that role of backing guitar in a mix I think it will record ok - although I haven't done that yet. Does it sound like my Martin - no it doesn't, nor does it sound like my mates' Taylor or Yamaha - but then, they ... MoreSometimes I just want an acoustic guitar sound without swapping guitars. I bought this pedal for when I'm having a session with friends so I can easily go between electric and acoustic. I also play bass, so I don't want to be yomping around with three guitars. After reading some reviews I was expecting an acoustic sound that was passable rather than good. In fact it is a good simulation, particularly on the Jumbo setting. What I'm looking for is an acoustic guitar sound that fits into an ensemble, mostly as a rhythm guitar, and it does that really well. In that role of backing guitar in a mix I think it will record ok - although I haven't done that yet. Does it sound like my Martin - no it doesn't, nor does it sound like my mates' Taylor or Yamaha - but then, they don't sound like each other!Is it easy to use? Yes I think so - BUT I had to experiment with what to plug it into. The best sound I got was feeding it into my monitor speakers. The worst sound I got was feeding it into a guitar amp - an old Peavey studio pro - although when I bypassed the preamp (using the send/return) it improved a bit. Additionally, I got a good sound using a Yamaha THR10 using the 'flat' channel (which is essentially NOT a guitar channel but more of a general 'PA" channel). The key thing is to keep the input gain to a reasonable level so that high frequency transients don't break up the sound. I also tried the pedal on a variety of guitars - strat, tele, SG and Gretsch semi. The pedal seems to work better with single coils (strat, tele) but the exception was the Gretsch, which produced a really good acoustic simulation, probably because the sound is naturally bright even though it has humbucking pickups. Finally I tried the pedal with a 12-string electric - Burns Double Six - and it is sublime - and does sound like an acoustic.

THE MISSING LINK IN MY GUITAR RIG.

This little pedal is well thought out and works nicely. It offers two major improvements to my situation. I am a hobbyist/semi-pro...more semi than pro these days at 70 years old. My hands are starting to go...and that brings me to the first good thing about the AC-3. My Martin HD28 acoustic still sounds way better of course...always will, but the AC-3 gives a reasonable approximation with my Stratocaster GC-1 using the NECK POSITION SINGLE COIL pickup through a Bose PA...but with way lighter strings and easier action. Of course the play feel is very different but I can live with it. Secondly, my rig is built around a Voicelive 3X for my vocals and most guitar effects (other than acoustic) working in conjunction with a venerable old GR-30 guitar synth, all run by ... MoreThis little pedal is well thought out and works nicely. It offers two major improvements to my situation. I am a hobbyist/semi-pro...more semi than pro these days at 70 years old. My hands are starting to go...and that brings me to the first good thing about the AC-3. My Martin HD28 acoustic still sounds way better of course...always will, but the AC-3 gives a reasonable approximation with my Stratocaster GC-1 using the NECK POSITION SINGLE COIL pickup through a Bose PA...but with way lighter strings and easier action. Of course the play feel is very different but I can live with it. Secondly, my rig is built around a Voicelive 3X for my vocals and most guitar effects (other than acoustic) working in conjunction with a venerable old GR-30 guitar synth, all run by bluetooth MIDI from Onsong on my music stand iPad. Sometimes I like to blend synth and acoustic sounds...for instance putting some soft strings behind fingerpicked acoustic guitar. It having no synth driver, I cannot do that with the Martin, but it works great with the Strat , and I have the option of stomping on the GC-3 to instantly switch to any other lead sound from either of the other two units...maybe a dreamy sax or jazz guitar. The GK-3 is definately the missing link that sets me free,

Very useful pedal

I picked up a used AC-3 locally, mostly out of curiosity and based on tons of reviews and demos. At first I was underwhelmed with the sound plugged into my guitar amp. But I did recall other users who said for best results, use a full range speaker. I plugged into a Behringer powered PA/monitor speaker - bingo! The sound was dramatically improved. I play a PRS Mira SE - humbucker sound is better than split coil with this pedal. I tried all four settings on the pedal. The best one to my ear is the Jumbo setting. I just leave it there. There are a couple features I really like. First, you can instantly switch from the acoustic sound to whatever electric sound is dialed in on your guitar amp, even full-blown distortion. Easy-peasey! The other feature I like is the ... MoreI picked up a used AC-3 locally, mostly out of curiosity and based on tons of reviews and demos. At first I was underwhelmed with the sound plugged into my guitar amp. But I did recall other users who said for best results, use a full range speaker. I plugged into a Behringer powered PA/monitor speaker - bingo! The sound was dramatically improved. I play a PRS Mira SE - humbucker sound is better than split coil with this pedal. I tried all four settings on the pedal. The best one to my ear is the Jumbo setting. I just leave it there. There are a couple features I really like. First, you can instantly switch from the acoustic sound to whatever electric sound is dialed in on your guitar amp, even full-blown distortion. Easy-peasey! The other feature I like is the pedal's built-in reverb. My powered speaker has no effects, so this adds a bit of air to the sound. How does it sound? Authentic enough that two different guys asked me what I did to get that sound - both guitar players. One said he is definitely getting one. It's a great alternative to packing an acoustic guitar and acoustic amp to a bar gig, or trying to get a decent sound through the PA. Less headache! Sure, I have to bring the powered speaker, but still easy enough to set up and get convincing acoustic tones. It's easy to get the volume to match my guitar amp - and zero feedback! I also used it through my Fishman Loudbox Mini with similar good results, but it didn't quite have the volume I needed. I could have easily used the direct out to the PA, but that creates another thing to worry about. We don't have a sound person. Overall, I am very satisfied with the AC-3. I subtracted one star because the other settings don't sound that good to me. The Jumbo setting is plenty good!