Acoustic guitar holes serve both as a means of offering more volume to the player when unplugged, but as the entrance location to the vibrations that the pickup receives and works its magic with. But what is the acoustic guitar hole cover purpose?
As a general rule, the acoustic guitar hole cover is used for two purposes: To enhance the sound possibilities and to prevent loud screeching feedback from occurring when amplified.
Feedback and sound preferences
Follow this link for a very detailed explanation of what feedback is, straight from the official Fender website.
Feedback can be wonderful to listen to when used creatively by talented artists, as there are numerous recorded and live performances that can prove it.
Electric solid body guitars make it easier to play with feedback because their pickups depend a lot more on magnetic properties than the vibrations in the air itself.
But feedback can also be a real nightmare for inexperienced artists and sound engineers alike.
Guaranteed to kill the mood and good vibes at practice sessions, live performances, recordings, etc.
It happens with microphones, guitars, basses, and everything else that needs amplification.
Due to their very nature, acoustic guitars are one of the worst instruments when it comes to unwanted feedback.
When plugged-in tend to pick up outside vibration and send them again to the amplifier, creating an ever-increasing loop of loud-sounding nightmares.
Feedback gives clear signals to the audience that they’re watching amateurs play.
It’s really aggressive to human ears, and sometimes it might take a bit to diagnose and identify what is the stage component that is responsible for it.
Occasions where you need a guitar hole cover
- Practice – To practice with a hole cover makes it easier on your surroundings and expands your creative capabilities.
Everything that alters the tonal capabilities of an instrument in the slightest is valuable for experimenting and discovering new avenues of expression possibilities.
- Playing in the studio/live – Acoustic guitars will pick the sounds from the environment as well as their own. This will relate directly to the positioning and angle in which the hole points to.
- You’re almost always certain to have unwanted feedback when playing directly against an amplifier or any of the speakers present.
This becomes a real difficulty because when starting, some of the gigs you will perform are within small stages.
Be Heard – What is the acoustic guitar hole cover purpose?
In situations where you can’t simply turn the volume or specific frequencies down due to having to perform, instead of turning the pickup or the amplifier volume down (and messing up with the song mix), the alternative is to fit a guitar hole cover.
The goal is to remove most of the feedback causes from the equation while allowing you to play as loud as you want to cut through the live mix.
While there is an impact on the overall sound of your instrument, it is a much better option than to alter the frequencies through an equalizer to eliminate the feedback.
Aesthetic
Guitar hole covers can be very customizable and offer distinct looks that add to the overall aesthetic and visual properties of the instrument.
They come in a wide range of variety with lots of cool details to offer the looks you want, with the added benefits of varying your sound possibilities.
Independent if you wish to look modern, vintage, you’ll do so while protecting your audience/bandmates/technicians from having their ears bleed.
Deciding if you need a guitar hole cover
Consider all the possible locations where you’ll be playing in your career as an acoustic guitar player:
Will you play in:
- Studio recording/rehearsal sessions?
- Small gig venues with limited possibilities of switching places?
- Shared environments where your practice might become a nuisance to others (family, neighbours, etc)?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then consider buying an acoustic guitar hole cover.
You’ll just have to ensure it fits your guitar measurements since looks are cool but optional here.
How much will it affect my sound?
If you worry that it might ruin your sound, here is a very good comparison that can give you a good idea of how much your sound will change when you’re using a guitar hole cover:
Types of feedback the hole cover avoids
Feedback occurs around all ranges of frequency, from bass to treble.
Nowadays it’s pretty easy to fiddle around with sound frequencies from your instrument.
We have the aid of using all sorts of pedals, gates, equalizers, and other tech wonders to shape or correct your sounds.
But fidgeting with frequencies is a rabbit hole that can go very deep.
Often musicians that enter it lose sight of what is really important.
Sure boosting and attenuating the right frequencies in the right Dbs will help to bring out the details in your instrument’s tonal properties.
But these gadgets have their best application as “seasoning“… to spice your sound a bit or remove excess frequencies.
An equalizer can in fact reduce feedback by acting on lowering the volume of specific frequencies that are getting caught up in the feedback loop cycle.
But when you’re cutting down on these frequencies, you’re also altering your sound in unbalanced proportions.
A sound dampener is your best bet to keep the sound full in detail and prevent embarrassing situations.
Setting up the hole cover
There is absolutely no secret here.
You measure the diameter of the hole of your guitar and buy the corresponding cover.
You insert it in and that’s it. To remove it you do the same procedure backward.
The materials that compose professional hole sound covers are always flexible and soft.
Just enough not to damage the instrument during usage.
Diy guitar hole cover?
It certainly isn’t a very complicated object, and you can get a bit creative while attempting to create one for yourself.
It can be fun to try, and if you’re able to manage to get similar results to what you would by buying one, by all means, go for it.
Just make sure that the materials used will resemble the technology used in professional products, and also guarantee that they won’t scratch/damage any of the hole borders and you’re all set.
In summary – What is the acoustic guitar hole cover purpose?
The guitar hole cover is an accessory that prevents loud feedback situations from occurring coming from your acoustic guitar when it is plugged in.
As a musician/producer, it is important to keep tabs on everything that could go wrong on a live performance, from tuning to loud screeching feedbacks
Considering that feedback will occur only in situations involving playing loudly, maybe it isn’t an accessory that every acoustic guitar player needs.
But also take this into account:
The fact that it expands on the possibilities for sound creation. It won’t hurt to have one since it’ll double its utility if the need for feedback canceling presents itself.
With the added factor that you can have them to match or enhance your visual style, they become a very nice addition to every guitarist’s gear arsenal.
However, it’s one that you won’t probably use at all times. Unless you’re a professional that is constantly playing live and recording.
Final thoughts
The other possibility for considering a sound dampener is one that a lot of guitarists overlook the importance of.
Living in peace and harmony with people around you is a must.
When deciding to follow the journey to become a musician, It’s easy to put our desire to evolve and play better in front of the well-being and peace of our family members and neighbors
When we start, we won’t sound as good as we think we do for a couple of years at least.
A soundhole cover is a versatile guitar enhancement that enables you to practice to your heart’s contempt, for as long as you want.
P.S. Not exhausting the patience of your loved ones is always better in the long run.
