Published 16/5/05
New hardwood soundhole covers for acoustic guitars
People have been stuffing things in the soundholes of acoustic guitars to counteract feedback for almost as long as there has been electronic amplification. Usually made of solid rubber or plastic, the commercially available products do actually succeed quite well in their primary aim, but at the expense of some loss of tone and feel in the guitar.
The new Lute Hole soundhole covers from The Lute Hole Company in the USA, however, offer an alternative with equally effective feedback reduction and less unwanted suppression of the instrument's voicing.
Made from a choice of solid hardwoods, Lute Hole covers feature an attractive, intricate laser-cut mesh that still allows plenty of sound to pass through and yet obscures the hole sufficiently to raise the feedback threshold. Three different anti-feedback grades are available, with the cut-out pattern becoming less open in each, and we can confirm that they're very effective, having tested the Lute Holes in an amplified acoustic band situation.
They slip in and out easily too without the need to slacken the strings, so you can put them in just for live performance, although we did find an unexpected benefit in the studio too. Normally you can't mike the soundhole of an acoustic guitar as the sound is far too bassy and resonant.
With a Lute Hole cover in there, however, miking the sound hole becomes a useful additional option, giving more fullness than distant miking, but without the 'woofy' resonance, balanced out by some interesting high frequency detail via reflection and diffusion from the cover. They also look rather nice!
All three designs are available in maple, mahogany or walnut and cost £31 each. Lute Hole covers incorporating a Rio Grande soundhole pickup are also available for £115. For a list of stockists, or to purchase by mail order, contact UK distributors Madison & Fifth. Dave Lockwood
T Madison & Fifth +44 (0)1858 446782
