Last week, I was chatting guitar at an open mic night, as you do. When a player came up to me and very timidly asked me a question I believe he felt would result in laughter and ridicule.
“As an acoustic player,” he started. What can I do to add some effects to my playing? “Can I… I…” he stuttered.
I was anxiously awaiting the question. What could it possibly be?
He took a sip of his drink and continued, “Do electric guitar pedals work on acoustic guitars?” He quickly looked down at his feet.
I was happy for the question. In fact, I’ve always been mostly an electric guitar player, so most of the time when I have experienced effects on acoustic guitars, it’s been with electric guitar pedals.
It got me thinking. This is something I’m going to explore in more detail. So I got home, canceled all my weekend plans, and started my experiments. Here’s what I found out.
Can You Use Electric Guitar Pedals on an Acoustic Guitar?
Yes! You absolutely can use electric guitar pedals with an acoustic guitar. But there are some things you need to think about first.
When you use electric guitar pedals with your acoustic, the results can vary wildly and are almost unpredictable. In my experiments, I found that some pedals I thought would definitely work totally didn’t.
One thing you need to keep in mind is that the sound you get from plugging your acoustic straight into electric guitar pedals will differ a lot from the sound you get when you use your electric guitar.
Why the Difference?
Acoustic and electric guitars have very different pickup systems and output signals. Electrics use high-output magnetic pickups, while acoustics rely on lower-output piezo pickups that capture the vibrations of the strings and body. Most electric guitar pedals are voiced for the hot, high-gain signals from electrics.
A lot of the time, I found that plugging my acoustic into pedals designed for electrics led to a thin, brittle tone at best. Or an overloaded, distorted mess at worst. Sorry, neighbors!
The lower acoustic signal just doesn’t interact the same way as with electrics.
Dedicated Acoustic Pedals
The good news is that there are pedals specifically designed for use with acoustic guitars and their more delicate signals. Even though this slightly moves away from the question at hand, I would be doing you an injustice not to mention this.
Many pedal makers, such as Boss, L.R. Baggs, Mooer, and Donner, offer acoustic pedals tailored to enhance—not overpower—your acoustic tone.
These pedals have lower headroom and gain staging that is optimized for acoustic pickups and is, in many cases, a better choice. The EQ curves and time-based effects like delay and reverb are also tailored to play nicely with an acoustic’s resonant, percussive voice.
L.R. Baggs Align Series of Acoustic Pedals. Image from L.R. Baggs [1].
Use Electric Pedals with Care
While dedicated acoustic pedals are recommended, you can use standard electric guitar pedals with an acoustic—if you’re careful. Transparent overdrives, low-gain distortions, and EQ pedals can work nicely to fatten up your acoustic sound.
Time-based effects like reverb, delay, and modulations are also common pairings that can take an acoustic to cool, atmospheric spaces. Just use gentler settings and lower gain levels than you would for an electric.
Choosing the Right Effects Pedals for Your Acoustic Guitar
When it comes to acoustic guitars, adding effects pedals (especially electric guitar pedals) can be a bit trickier than with electrics. Unlike electric guitars designed to work seamlessly with pedals, acoustics present some unique challenges. As we mentioned, their piezo pickups capture vibrations differently, resulting in a lower output signal. And this signal is prone to noise and distortion when overloaded.
Here are some of my top tips for using electric guitar pedals with an acoustic guitar.
Enhance, Don’t Overpower
The key is finding pedals that complement rather than overpower your acoustic tone. Reverb and delay are excellent choices, adding lush ambiance and depth to let your guitar breathe. Modulation effects like chorus or flanger can also create unique and beautiful textures.
Just be cautious of high-gain drive pedals. While a light overdrive can add grit, too much distortion risks destroying that beautiful acoustic tone.
If You’re Buying, Just Buy Acoustic
If you’re trying to save some cash and reuse some pedals you already own, then by all means, experiment and see if any of your electric pedals work well with your acoustic guitar – the chances are you will find some gems. But if you’re buying them new anyway, I recommend you look at effects pedals made specifically for acoustic guitars. You’ll save yourself a lot of headaches.
Luckily, many pedal makers have caught on to the acoustic niche. Companies like Boss offer acoustic-friendly stompboxes tailored for lower impedance inputs and preserving your natural dynamics. L.R. Baggs pioneered piezo-optimized pedals like their Chorus and Reverb units.
Even with non-acoustic pedals, careful gain staging and buffering can help retain clarity. At first, dial in lightly and tweak to taste.
Don’t Worry About What Others Say. Experiment!
At the end of the day, there are no hard rules. Part of the fun is messing around and experimenting. Try blending acoustic and electric tones together or using pedals in unconventional ways. Who’s to say you can’t run your acoustic through a Boss Metal Zone or a Fuzz? If that’s what you like, do it!
Set Up Your Signal Chain: Tips for Using Pedals With an Acoustic
Before you start chaining a bunch of effects pedals together for your acoustic sets, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Understand the Differences
We talked about it earlier, but your acoustic guitar has a very different signal than your electric one. This means pedals designed for high-output electric signals may not play nice with an acoustic’s lower output.
Start With Ambience
Reverbs and delays are some of the most effective electric guitar pedals that sound great with acoustics. These can really open up your sound and add lovely ambiance and space. Even an acoustic guitar can sound a bit raw when going straight into a PA, so why not sweeten the sound a little?
Dial Back the Gain
Most distortion, overdrive, and high-gain pedals are going to be too much for an acoustic signal. But you can sometimes get away with a low-gain transparent overdrive turned down.
Experiment and Tweak
The best thing is just to start experimenting! Every guitar and pedal combo is different, even when you’re playing an electric. Play with the pedal settings and your pickup levels until you find some tones you like.
Streamline Your Chain
With acoustics, shorter signal chains are usually better to avoid added noise. One way I like to do it is to put any always-on effects like tuners first. Then drive/overdrive (if you must use one), followed by modulation effects like chorus or phaser. I like ending with delay and reverb.
This might work for you, or you might need to try something different.
Use a Buffer
If you end up running multiple pedals or long cables, a buffer can help preserve your signal strength.
I did try a buffer in my experiments and it didn’t cause any noticeable problems. Except when I put it first in the signal chain. Here it seemed to make my pickups sound terribly harsh.
The Best Electric Guitar Effects Pedals That Work With Acoustic Guitar
The key is choosing the right pedals and settings to complement the acoustic tone. Let’s look at some options I tried that worked really well with my acoustic guitar.
Reverb and Delay
Reverb and delay pedals are among the most versatile for acoustic guitars. They can create a lush, spacious atmosphere that beautifully complements the guitar’s natural resonance.
For reverb, I found the TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2 worked excellently with my acoustic. It’s a popular, affordable option that offers rich, high-quality room and hall reverbs. On the higher end, my Strymon Blue Sky delivered the lush, pristine reverb tones that you’d expect from Strymon. Overall, I had no problems at all with either of these on an acoustic guitar.
I also created some great sounds with delay pedals. In my experiments, I used the MXR Carbon Copy, Empress Echosystem, and Meris LVX. They all provided warm, subtle repeats that blended beautifully with the acoustic’s tone. I have to say, I didn’t use any of the crazy or spacey effects on the Echosystem or the LVX. Just basic standard delays.
For best results, I found that keeping the delay time, mix, and feedback low worked best to avoid muddying the acoustic sound.
Transparent Overdrives
I quickly found out that heavy distortion was far from ideal for acoustic guitars. I got much better sounds from my transparent overdrive pedals, which added a touch of grit and sustain. I used a lot, but my favorites were the MXR GT-OD, Greer Amps Lightspeed, and Xotic RC Booster. At low levels, these all sounded amazing, just pushing my acoustic very slightly into an almost gainey territory. At high gain, I suffered from noise and feedback issues. For most players, I wouldn’t recommend high gain.
Experiment and Explore
Ultimately, the “best” electric pedals for acoustic guitars are the ones that help you create the sound you’re looking for. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different pedal combinations and settings until you find that acoustic tone you’re chasing.
My advice for using pedals with an acoustic is to be subtle. Gradually blend in effects, keeping the acoustic’s natural resonance as the core tone.
To Sum Up
So you absolutely can use electric guitar pedals with your acoustic!
While not all effects pedals are created equal when it comes to improving your acoustic guitar’s natural tone, there are definitely options out there that can take your sound to the next level.
If your main instrument is an acoustic guitar, I’d recommend looking into specialist acoustic pedals. But if you’re an electric guitar player who plays a bit of acoustic, then the answer to creating new acoustic sounds could be in your current pedal collection.
Experiment with different pedals, settings, and layouts until you discover the combinations that really make your playing shine.
FAQs
Can I use a distortion pedal on an acoustic guitar?
Yes, you can use a distortion pedal on an acoustic guitar. Lower gain settings usually work best.
Do I need pedals for an acoustic guitar?
No, you do not need pedals for an acoustic guitar, but they can help to add some depth and texture to the sound.
Is there a pedal to make an electric guitar sound like an acoustic guitar?
Yes, there are acoustic simulator pedals available that can make an electric guitar sound like an acoustic guitar, such as the Boss AC-3.
Can you use a volume pedal with an acoustic guitar?
Yes, you can use a volume pedal with an acoustic guitar.
