Jump to content

Acoustic Preamps... your thoughts?


steve_man

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Hi guys,

 

For years, I played an old, well-worn Takamine, which did not have the greatest electronics in it. I found after a lot of trial and error that my current pedal setup seemed to work pretty well. Guitar>Polytune2>Delay>LRBaggs Paracoustic. With that setup, I could get pretty good sound out of that guitar.

 

A few weeks ago, my wife surprised me with a new Taylor with the ES2 pickup system in it. Sounds fantastic unplugged, and even plugged straight into the board. However, I am not completely digging the sound I'm getting running it through my small pedal chain. I guess my question is this... is there a better acoustic preamp out there that will work better with my Taylor, or should I just put a standard-type direct box in the chain? I have done quite a bit of tweaking of the Paracoustic, and have gotten okay tones out of it, but just have not found the "sweet spot" as easily with the Taylor.

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I don't know that you even need the Paracoustic in the chain if the ES2 system has it's own preamp. If you like the sound without, but it's still lacking something maybe a little tube preamp will juice it up. Try before you buy.

 

Oh - I'd also put the delay last so that the tone is fully formed before it does it's thing. Just my .02

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

^ Pretty much what I was thinking. If you're using the Paracoustic as an EQ, fine but you don't need a preamp. You probably didn't need one with the Takamine either, just a decent DI box, since it almost certainly had a preamp built in. As for the delay, koiwoi is correct. Time based effects should normally go last, including after EQ.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The Fire-Eye is a great tool. It really does just give the boost, not a lot of color. Had the Baggs DI and the clip one for awhile, could never figure out the bells and whistles on those things, but the F/E does what it's suppose to do for a fairly lead-headed guy like me. Makes my instruments sound like...what they should sound like.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

For an acoustic tube preamp I like to use the "clean" channel on a Bad Cat 2-Tone. It basically runs the signal through 1/2 of a 12AX7....or a single gain stage....with only a tone control in the signal chain. This is a tube at real tube plate voltages...and not a starved plate distortion tube pedal. It gives the signal great compression and warmth and you don't run into gain problems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Hi guys,

 

For years, I played an old, well-worn Takamine, which did not have the greatest electronics in it. I found after a lot of trial and error that my current pedal setup seemed to work pretty well. Guitar>Polytune2>Delay>LRBaggs Paracoustic. With that setup, I could get pretty good sound out of that guitar.

 

A few weeks ago, my wife surprised me with a new Taylor with the ES2 pickup system in it. Sounds fantastic unplugged, and even plugged straight into the board. However, I am not completely digging the sound I'm getting running it through my small pedal chain. I guess my question is this... is there a better acoustic preamp out there that will work better with my Taylor, or should I just put a standard-type direct box in the chain? I have done quite a bit of tweaking of the Paracoustic, and have gotten okay tones out of it, but just have not found the "sweet spot" as easily with the Taylor.

 

Thanks!

 

The entire signal chain must be considered. If the ES2 pickup/preamp sounds good direct to your PA board and doesn't sound as good when you insert some combination of serially connected "pedals" between the ES2 and the board, it is likely that the ES2, the board, the power amp and the speakers are fine but something in your custom pedal sequence (or one item within that sequence) is changing or degrading the signal enough to call it not so good. Adding yet another item to the signal chain is not a good idea. Removing a pedal or pedals will solve your perceived sonic problem.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I have used a Fishman Spectra DI since it came out. Pick the guitar and mic and you can make a 000 sound like a Dreadnaught.

 

Comes with software too.

 

You can actually send you guitar into Fishman and tell them what mics you want on it. I have never done that.

 

The anti feed works great, a lil compression thing if you like. The only thing I don't dig is the tuner.

 

DSC_5358_jansberg.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Ended up going with one of these... amazing sound, doesn't color the tone at all... and built like a tank, right here in Austin...

 

 

+1 on redeye. But really designed for the K&K pwm / JJB pickups with the 1 megaohm input impedance. But definitely a nice preamp. I also have the K&K pure preamp ... and the Redeye wins hands down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

There is a market for those many knobbed things. I was at a local joint about an hour before open, and the performer was dialing in one of those contraptions. Took him a half hour to get the sound he finally settled on, yet in that half hour, these obviously un-trained ears could not tell much, if any, difference. I'm gonna guess not many REALLY know how to use one to great affect/effect, and I would fall into that group, admittedly.

 

That's why I love that F/E.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
There is a market for those many knobbed things. I was at a local joint about an hour before open, and the performer was dialing in one of those contraptions. Took him a half hour to get the sound he finally settled on, yet in that half hour, these obviously un-trained ears could not tell much, if any, difference. I'm gonna guess not many REALLY know how to use one to great affect/effect, and I would fall into that group, admittedly.

 

That's why I love that F/E.

 

Yes, it takes time to learn how to effectively use such a unit, and how not to use it. I've been using a Pendulum SPS-1 for about 15 years when gigging with my own mini-PA, which I've also had for that long (which minor changes), along with the same dual sourced gigging guitar. I know that signal chain cold and can walk into a room or outdoors, place the speakers and other gear and set the controls to more or less final positions before I even turn on the system. It hasn't always been that way and it took years to get it under my belt.

 

Like you, I've seen very competent players fail miserably when it comes to setting controls for their own sound reinforcement gear, which is kinda sad because those skills are needed when performing without a soundman. But its not rocket science at all.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

To some it's interesting to tweak, to others it's a matter of "I've simply plugged in, sound like I play at home, just a little louder". And why do I have to twist knobs and punch buttons in a certain sequence to do that? That's why the Fire-Eye is more than adequate for the likes of Luddites as me..

 

I'll be here all week, tip your waitstaff folks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
To some it's interesting to tweak, to others it's a matter of "I've simply plugged in, sound like I play at home, just a little louder". And why do I have to twist knobs and punch buttons in a certain sequence to do that? That's why the Fire-Eye is more than adequate for the likes of Luddites as me..

 

I'll be here all week, tip your waitstaff folks!

 

Well, it's because different rooms react differently to a sound system. What you hear in your bedroom or man cave is not the same as you will hear when playing in a large hall, or a restaurant or outdoors. More importantly, it's what the audience hears that is the key. And they don't sit or stand where you are.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

 

 

Well, it's because different rooms react differently to a sound system. What you hear in your bedroom or man cave is not the same as you will hear when playing in a large hall, or a restaurant or outdoors. More importantly, it's what the audience hears that is the key. And they don't sit or stand where you are.

 

 

 

 

Yes, I understand many people have a superior ability to tickle that extra midrange, to tweak those highs, and cull that bass in response to the size of the room, the amount of people filling the hall, as well as the angles of the walls. Some of those people can actually play their instrument. This is excellent knowledge for musicians to have. So is a modicum of a sense of humor. And so is a RedEye preamp, so you don't have to go thru quite as many gymnastic sub-routines.

 

 

 

Since a bar/lounge/coffeehouse venue (as well as bedroom and.."man cave") is pretty much all I, as an acoustic player, ever play, this has proven to be the best, as well as easiest, solution for this particular hack. But I do appreciate those who have chosen to learn the mechanics of sound reinforcement, and have the opportunity to use that knowledge for good, and not evil.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I have to agree on the fishman for several reasons, it's versatile. I use it on 7 or 8 different instruments including a banjo and it's easy even for me to dial in a good sound pretty quickly whether I'm going direct or using an amp. Just a personal taste opinion, but the first thing I did with my Taylor was to remove the electronics and replace with a Baggs hexadecimal system. I like it much better but I'm not so sure the anthem system with the name mic and piezo might not be a better choice for what I do. Ymmv.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

 

 

Yes, I understand many people have a superior ability to tickle that extra midrange, to tweak those highs, and cull that bass in response to the size of the room, the amount of people filling the hall, as well as the angles of the walls. Some of those people can actually play their instrument. This is excellent knowledge for musicians to have. So is a modicum of a sense of humor. And so is a RedEye preamp, so you don't have to go thru quite as many gymnastic sub-routines.

 

 

 

Since a bar/lounge/coffeehouse venue (as well as bedroom and.."man cave") is pretty much all I, as an acoustic player, ever play, this has proven to be the best, as well as easiest, solution for this particular hack. But I do appreciate those who have chosen to learn the mechanics of sound reinforcement, and have the opportunity to use that knowledge for good, and not evil.

 

Cool.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Ended up going with one of these... amazing sound, doesn't color the tone at all... and built like a tank, right here in Austin...

 

 

Hm. Been thinking about getting a Red Eye, but it's pricy. My acoustic guitars and my mando sound fine just run straight into either of my guitar amps, the old-fashioned way. But my resonator guitar sounds terrible through both of them. Unplayable.

 

Can't get enough info on preamps, though. Fishman has a couple - their Platinum Stage and Jerry Douglas Aura seem promising - but I wish I could compare preamps without buying and returning each one I'm interested in.

 

Grr.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Update: I'm getting the Fishman Platinum Stage preamp. It has all the features I want at a price I can afford - $120 - and the Fishman folks say it's compatible with my K&K spider bridge pickup. I'll be picking it up next week and hope to gig with it on Friday. If I do, I'll report back to y'all on how it does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...