LR BAGGS ALIGN SERIES SESSION PEDAL
I’ve played guitar for over 20 years, and like most musicians, I started off playing an acoustic. I remember those early gigs, you plug your acoustic guitar into the PA and what acoustically sounds like a fairly decent guitar, plugged in sounded tinny, harsh, and unbearable.
The years progressed and the guitar collection grew and yet even with the more expensive Guitars that I own, I still found I had the same problem. When plugged into a PA, they just sound so unnatural. If only there was a solution to this problem. if only there was a way to make my acoustic sound rich and warm as it does when I just play acoustically. I was browsing YouTube a few weeks ago and I came across a video talking about the LR Baggs Align series ‘Session’ pedal and I was very curious. I had to investigate.
I watched more and more videos on this little pedal and believe me, they don’t do this pedal justice. When it arrived, I tried it first with a relatively cheap guitar, a Dean acoustic, that when plugged directly into a PA sounded horrible, engage the Session pedal and my mind was blown. The horrible tinny top end had all but vanished, the bass was enhanced and it sound so much fuller and sharper, the difference was staggering. Even with more expensive guitars that already have decent pickups- I have a few with Fishman pickups, but still the difference is amazing. It takes your plugged in sound to the next level.
So, what’s this pedal all about? The session pedal acts as a Compressor and EQ and also features a saturation knob which is very smooth. When you first plug it in, put your guitar volume all the way up and then using the volume knob, try to match the direct input volume with the volume through the pedal. Now, turn your attention to the gain; play as hard as you can and make sure the clipping light isn’t on all the time, selecting the right gain volume is important as this will give you the best quality sound.
Then the fun begins, using the the compression/EQ knob, you can dial in a really nice warm, silky tone. This is a really nice compression which adds just enough special sauce to make it effective and it eliminates any unwanted spikey frequencies. The EQ is tightened, again making for a nice full rich sound that doesn’t have that tinny unnatural sound that we associate with a plugged in acoustic guitar. The saturation knob improves things even further adding warmth and fullness which just adds to your tone and improves it even further.
I’ve seen a number of videos on this pedal and like I said they don’t do it justice. One reviewer called the difference it made ‘subtle’. Far from it. This pedal is game changing! Ok, maybe if you have a guitar that is super expensive, with high quality pickups (maybe some LR Baggs pickup) and you’re putting it through an expensive acoustic amp, then perhaps the difference is less obvious, but if you’re play a guitar that costs a few hundred quid that is going directly into a PA, then this will blow your mind.
In addition to the sonic greatness, it also looks great. I love the wood effect and it just looks that little bit special, which when you you plug it in, you will hear it is. I don’t think I’d ever play acoustic guitar plugged in without it now. An absolutely stunning pedal that as an acoustic player, needs to be part of your arsenal!
