Question:
So I was down at the beach playing my little Applause backpacking guitar. I haven't played it in a while, but it was fun to pull it out. Applause is made by Ovation, so it has a spruce top and a plastic unibody.
And I figured out something really cool about that guitar: if I strum and lift the guitar away from my body all these high tones come out that were muffled by contact with my belly before. Wah! I started using it, lifting away (Wah!) and then pulling it back close (haw!) and it's like an analog wah pedal. My belly is a low pass filter! What a discovery! I was getting some pretty electric-sounding sounds out of that little guitar.
Does this work with other acoustic guitars too? I've been playing for 40+ years and I never noticed this effect before. Does anyone else use this technique to make their acoustic guitar go, "Wah!" ?!?

Answer:
very cool, I hear there are a lot of guys that use the pick and harmonic techniques to make a wah sound.
One of those jazz guitarists can do it, he makes it sound like there is a wha going but its just him.

Answer:
Hmm 98 views and no one else has anything to say about this (except Crab Cake- thanks bro)? I guess it's a magic guitar then.
I just determined that my other acoustic guitar (Yamaha FG-180) doesn't do this at all. I wonder if other Ovation guitars would?

Answer:
turn it over and see if you can find a photo-negative Marian Apparition on the back.
should sell for 1000s on eBay.
(at least it works for wheat toast)

Answer:
I always thought that this was the case, and often wondered why people smother their guitars when playing. I tend to give the guitar room to breath, and I believe that the tone is fuller. You have proven my line of thought. Obviously it is more pronounced since it was with a tiny instrument. Probably doesn't matter as much with a dred or jumbo. No wonder Dolly Parton plays a J-200.

Answer:
OK, this is interesting, because I just noticed something like this yesterday.
I am still a beginner, and have been playing sitting down since I began. The other day I bought a nice leather strap and was experimenting with playing while standing. At first I had the guitar up high on my chest so that the middle of the back was resting on bulge of my ample belly. I played it like that for few minutes and then made an adjustment to the strap. I made the strap a little longer so that instead of the middle of the back resting on my belly the edge of the upper bout was there instead. This had the effect of lifting my guitar off of my belly and the difference in tone astonished me. The tone of the guitar took on a whole other dimension.
I assume that I am not the only one to have noticed this and that accomplished players routinely use this phenomenon to their advantage.

Answer:
I have an old Hohner that does it. I just takes a little "rocking" to create a real cool sound....I love it!

Answer:
turn it over and see if you can find a photo-negative Marian Apparition on the back.
should sell for 1000s on eBay.
(at least it works for wheat toast) LOL!
I just looked.
Uh oh, it's definitely not Marian, but I think there's somebody there.
Kind of looks like late-period Elvis, which must be worth quite a bit. I guess it could only be Fred Flintstone though, which probably reduces the value of the instrument overall.
I need to try this with a big Applause guitar. This outstanding (standing up?) effect would almost repay one for the incredible frustration Applause guitars otherwise cause by sliding off your knee constantly when played sitting down.
Rock on!

Answer:
OK, more basic research into this phenomenon:
I went to GC and played a bunch of acoustic guitars. Only Ovation guitars seem to make this "Wah wah" sound when lifting them away from my body. And full-sized Ovations do it less markedly than my little backpacker Applause guitar does.
So now you know.
Rock on,

Answer:
Do other people hear the sound, or is it just you? After all, to reach your ears, a good amount of the sound is passing through your body. It may not be so obvious to a listener standing in front of you.

Answer:
Do other people hear the sound, or is it just you? After all, to reach your ears, a good amount of the sound is passing through your body. It may not be so obvious to a listener standing in front of you. Well that's a fair question. It is so pronounced from where I stand it's hard to imagine I alone hear it. But I have not recorded myself to verify how it sounds from 10 feet in front of me
BI guess a simple test would be to just ask another person what they hear. But the voices in my head all say it sounds bitchin', so I know I'm not crazy!
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