Recording Grandpa’s Guitars

When you think of doom metal, the last pedal you’d expect to reach for is a Boss Acoustic Simulator, yet here we are. In a genre obsessed with fuzz, feedback, and low-end decay, dropping an acoustic tone into the mix can feel almost heretical. But that contrast, the fragile, shimmering clarity before the world caves in, is exactly what makes it work.

The trick is in how you treat the acoustic sim. Instead of chasing a perfectly clean “campfire” sound, push it just enough to keep the grit alive. Run the pedal into a Line 6 Helix or Axe-FX clean model (something like the Archetype Clean or a Jazz Chorus preamp) and follow it with compression, a short delay, and a roomy plate reverb. Roll off a bit of the high end, and let the mids breathe, that’s where the ghost of distortion still lingers.

In the context of doom or sludge, this setup sits beautifully between walls of saturated guitars. It acts like a melodic shadow, brittle and human against the weight of the mix. Fingerpicking patterns or simple open-string drones suddenly feel like ancient ritual chants, resonating through the distortion like echoes in a crypt.

The Boss Acoustic Simulator isn’t supposed to sound perfect, and that’s why it’s perfect for doom. Its slightly plastic texture and unnatural high-end sheen turn into texture and tension when buried under reverb and low-tuned guitars. What started as a humble utility pedal becomes a secret weapon for atmosphere, a moment of clarity before the next wave of distortion swallows the sun.