Troubleshooting an Acoustic-Electric Guitar

acoustic guitars They come in all shapes and sizes with a number of options. One of the most popular options is the addition of a pickup system that allows the guitar to be connected to amplification.

When a pickup system is added to an acoustic guitar, it becomes an “acoustic/electric” guitar because it can be played solo, acoustically, or connected to an amp or PA system like an electric guitar.

And as with anything mechanical, the more pieces you add to the puzzle, the more it can go wrong. If you have an acoustic/electric guitar, it’s only a matter of time before you experience a signal chain failure, and it’s important to know how to diagnose the problem.

Problems that can arise when connecting an acoustic/electric guitar to an amplifier or PA system typically fall into two categories. Distorted or static sounds, or complete loss of signal.

Static or distorted sounds

When the sound your guitar produces is distorted or filled with static, there are a couple of culprits.

The first thing to check is the guitar cable you are using. Gently shake the cable and listen for a “cracking” sound. If you hear one, the cable may be shorted somewhere along its length. Also, apply a little pressure back and forth at the ends. If you hear a crackling noise, it’s usually an indicator of a short in the cable connectors.

Either way, try a new cable and see if that alleviates the problem.

If not, try gently wiggling the end of the cable that is connected to the guitar back and forth. If this produces a crackle, you may have a short in the guitar’s input jack.

If you’ve tried all of the above and found no problems, the next thing to check is the battery of the guitar’s pickup system’s preamp.

Most acoustic guitar pickups have a built-in preamp that boosts the guitar signal before it goes to an amp or PA. One of the most common problems with these guitars is that the battery (often 9 volts) loses power or dies completely. Put in a new battery and try out the guitar. This will very often solve the problem.

complete signal loss

Diagnosing this problem is similar to the previous problems, but since there is no signal, you’ll want to check the other parts of the signal chain.

Check the amp first. I know it sounds obvious, but make sure it’s turned on! If so, check the volume level setting. Use another guitar that you know works and make sure the amp works properly.

If the guitar is plugged into a DI (direct box), check the box for defects and route the cables correctly. Also check the XLR cable that goes from the DI box, to the mixer or the snake.

Once those possibilities are eliminated, proceed to diagnose issues such as distorted or static sound.

In conclusion

The troubleshooting tips above may seem like a lot of steps to figure out the problem, but once you have a grasp on the concept of what can go wrong, you’ll find that tracking down the problem can be done fairly quickly.

It’s really just a matter of knowing the signal path of the guitar and weeding out everything that “works” until you find what “doesn’t work”.

And remember, the number one culprit for signal loss or distorted signal on an acoustic/electric guitar is a bad battery, and you can solve that problem by changing your battery frequently!