Hollowbody Players: Fighting Feedback

[cymbop]

Just last week I added a hollowbody (Epiphone Casady) to my arsenal and took it to a gig with my band, a 5-piece instrumental group that's not earth-shatteringly loud, but not quiet by any means. Because we have no vocals, we don't tote a PA and use our ears and amps to get the room sound right. Our guys are all experienced enough that this works pretty well for the venues we play.

Even with its partial-center-block design, I was getting some awkward howls from time to time, especially on songs in flat keys. Working against me is the fact that on normally-cramped stages I have to play standing right in front of my SVT and 810. I love the tone of the Casady and really want it to work for live use.

What techniques, in terms of stage positioning, playing technique, and amp/instrument eq'ing, have you hollowbody players developed for getting maximum volume with minimum feedback? Obviously left- and right-hand muting of open strings is necessary to check those runaway sympathetic vibrations, but what about the howls?

 

[JimmyM]

being as far away from your amp as possible and not turning up really loud is a huge help. some people stuff them with foam or cover the f-holes but it changes the tone and timbre of the bass. i love hollowbodies through svt's but it's the nature of the beast to get feedback. without physically removing yourself from the line of fire of your amp, not much you can do.

 

[DeluxeRed]

There is usually a sweet-spot that makes lotsa feedback and usually one where it is suppressed. I usually found the quiet spot at a 45deg angle to the speakers. It tends to change a bit, so you usually can't stand real still and keep it quiet, you have to feel it and move with it.

Make sure there's no problem with the pickup mounting.

A noise gate is usually the next step. That stops the howls from building in the first place.

 

[Paulie_m]

Find the frequency that is feeding back and fix it with eq and proper positioning of the amp.

 

[TimK]

I have a Lakland HB and I usually cut the lows back and bump the Mids up a little. Still get a nice punchy, bottom end but with little to no feed back issues.

It may be unavoidable though playing a HB while standing in front of an 810.

 

[JimmyM]

Find the frequency that is feeding back and fix it with eq and proper positioning of the amp.

not that easy to fix with eq. you could end up taking out a very necessary frequency that removes all its balls.

 

[NOLA Bass]

I have the Lakland Hollowbody (skyline). I haven't had much issues that hasn't been solved by moving to a different spot.

 

[redstrand]

Ummm...if the gig isn't a loud one...couldn't you cut the 8x10 down? Maybe a 1x15?

 

[SpamBot]

not that easy to fix with eq. you could end up taking out a very necessary frequency that removes all its balls.

You'd be surprised at what you can do with a good parametric. A suitably high Q won't kill your tone in most cases.

 

[Paulie_m]

You'd be surprised at what you can do with a good parametric. A suitably high Q won't kill your tone in most cases.

Exactly. Find the frequency and then narrow the bandwith.

 

[sonic assassin]

ive got a hollowbody guitar that fed back a LOT. covered the f holes with painters tape. calmed it down just a little. i colored the holes back in so now it looks like i only drew them on. love it.

 

[JimmyM]

well i guess you have to do something to get rid of it but in this situation, i think all eq is going to do is give you unsatisfactory results. you can't play a hollowbody with f-holes standing right in front of your 810 rig that's probably too loud for the room. this was the first lesson i learned in amplifying an upright.

 

[walterw]

if you're trying to fill the room with your stage gear rather than a PA, then you probably are playing loud.

unless you start using reinforcement and cutting stage volume, all i can suggest is getting out of the way of the 8x10.

 

[fokof]

Lower your volume.
If you don't hear yourself , ask the other members to lower theirs too.
If they can't , hire good musicians.

 

[cjac9]

Before you go notching a bunch of holes in your tone, get something that allows you to flip polarity. I'm an upright player and the first thing I do is find the best setting (i.e. most low end.) This means the top of your hollowbody is vibrating in phase with the speaker cone. Then if you still have that low feedback that builds, try a HPF and set it to where it works the best. Then start punching holes in your tone.

The polarity switch worked for a buddy of mine that had a really old hollowbody guitar. He loved the tone but couldn't play it live because of the feedback. The hollowbody is back in commission.

 

[Munjibunga]

being as far away from your amp as possible and not turning up really loud is a huge help. some people stuff them with foam or cover the f-holes but it changes the tone and timbre of the bass. i love hollowbodies through svt's but it's the nature of the beast to get feedback. without physically removing yourself from the line of fire of your amp, not much you can do.

Mine's an ABG rather than a hollowbody, but you make an important point. I've been playing my ABG in my duo (haven't decided on a name yet ... either "Dos Nacos" or "The Jupiter Two"), and I noticed that I wasn't getting much volume out of my G-string. I had a rubber sound hole plug in the hole, and I took it out and, all of a sudden, my highs were back. So now I'm just careful where I sit with respect to the speakers.

 

[JimmyM]

Mine's an ABG rather than a hollowbody, but you make an important point. I've been playing my ABG in my duo (haven't decided on a name yet ... either "Dos Nacos" or "The Jupiter Two"), and I noticed that I wasn't getting much volume out of my G-string. I had a rubber sound hole plug in the hole, and I took it out and, all of a sudden, my highs were back. So now I'm just careful where I sit with respect to the speakers.

exactly. the laws of physics won't change for you...you have to change for them.

btw, you left out the "h" in "nacHos." that's what you should call yourselves...Dos Nachos.

 

[cjac9]

Very old thread but I wanted to add a tip. Check out Doug's Plugs. Doug makes custom plugs for hollow body guitars. I had a set made for my upright and they're awesome!