Aphex Acoustic Xciter Pedal

... if you are serious about playing live acoustic guitar you probably have heard a lot of things about would you should and should do to your signal. Some people think that if you drop the cash on an amazing instrument then it should do whatever you need it to with no questions asked. Others want control over their sound no matter the environment they find themselves playing in, If you've ever played acoustic in a live setting then you know that the sound guy is going to want to plug you in the mains. In order to do that you first have to convert your 1/4 inch into a xlr. Sure they make 30 dollar boxes that do this, but thats not a whole lot of fun.

The Dirt: First of all, what in the world does an "xciter" do? I really don't know. You see the knobs; lo tune, lo blend, hi tune, hi blend, but what really goes on when you hit that little shinny button. It works almost like an Eq, but it also adds compression. Pick noise is a little more evident. And even more so if you are heavy on the hi blend. Its obvious that this pedal is purposed to add a broader range of frequencies. But then again, I'm not exactly sure what all its doing to accomplish that, and that is a little unsettling.

The Goods: Besides the fact that I'm not sure what all this pedal technically does, I love the way it makes my guitar sound. It adds a punch to the sound. Its not the solution to every problem, and it can cause feedback in many situations, but if you acoustic signal is a little thin, this pedal will put some meat on them bones. Or a whole lot of meat if you'd like. Don't think that this just adds low end. It also adds hi end. In fact, the hi end is more like the presence knob you find on some (better) amps. Its like the knob that other amps leave off, the high hi-end. Then the lo-end is the same in reverse. Its lower than the low on your guitar's Eq

In summery, this pedal is good. It does good things to the sound of acoustic guitar sounds and is in my line when I play acoustic live through a system. Its compact and fits in my guitar case. It can act as a DI or be powered by phantom power (neat trick). Down side is that when you use phantom power, it will need another box to convert to xlr. The unit is a little steep for what it does. 150 from MF, but I found one of ebay for less than half.