Members thebostondunc Posted March 29, 2007 Members Posted March 29, 2007 Hey all, I am looking to get a preamp/DI box for live shows to amp my acoustic guitar in a full rock band...any ideas of a really good preamp i should invest in? or is this something not really that necessary to buy? i assume most venues provide DI Boxes but not sure if anyone ever brings their own preamps to shows...kinda new at this plugging in live at shows thing Thanks!
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted March 29, 2007 Members Posted March 29, 2007 Get a Baggs PADI and take it to every show...not all DIs were created equal!
Members thebostondunc Posted March 29, 2007 Author Members Posted March 29, 2007 and actually! if my guitar has a decent pre-amp built in with full on board EQ controls, is it not even necessary to have an additional D.I. Box type preamp to plug into?
Members thebostondunc Posted March 29, 2007 Author Members Posted March 29, 2007 Hey i had checked up on that Box a while back actually. seemed quite good! and great reviews i see. my question is...i have an ovation celebrity with what i believe to be a plug in OP20 preamp with chromatic tuner and 3-band EQ. is it counter productive to use an external Preamp/D.I. Box such as the LR Baggs PARA with a guitar that already has a preamp you plug into it? i have the option of turning off the EQ options on the guitar....so maybe the box would be helpful also, i am looking to get a Takamine EAN 40C for live stage performances and it seems that it has great electronics too... what are your thoughts on this?
Members dmn23 Posted March 29, 2007 Members Posted March 29, 2007 I'm dealing with the same thing right now. I do the occasional solo/open mic gig, but for the most part I'm playing in a band and I need a compact, high quality preamp. My current setup is a D-TAR Soltice and a Groove Tubes Brick. The Solstice allows me to blend and EQ each pickup separately, and then the signal is mixed together and sent through the Brick to warm it up a bit. I like the sound of the Brick -- it adds a nice, natural compression and warmth -- but it's really big & heavy and the signal coming out of it is extremely hot. It's turning into more of a hassle than I'd hoped for, and I'm thinking that it might end up as a recording-only toy. I'm rehearsing for the first time tonight without it, and it will be interesting to see whether I allow my ears into tricking myself into thinking it sounds better with it. I did try an interesting experiment this past weekend: As I mentioned, I'm in a band and I play half the show on electric guitar and the other half acoustic. I recently added a clean boost made by David Barber to my pedal board. The idea was originally to use it as a clean boost -- just a little nudge during a solo or a fill, you know? But this little box has done amazing things to my Strat's sound. There is far more definition and juice to the signal before it even hits my amp, and it sounds wonderful. So I figured, "I wonder what this will sound like on the Sunrise?" The short answer is that it sounds amazing, to the point that I'm seriously considering buying one or two more of these things: Sunrise >> Barber Launch Pad >> / Lowden >>> D-TAR Solstice >> P.A. \t /IBeam >> Barber Launch Pad >> All of this experimentation started because it's next to impossible to find a Sunrise DI without getting on a waiting list. I'm so impressed with the Launch Pad that I might not worry about getting one, though. I'd prefer not use a Launch Pad as my sole preamp (I'd rather have sort of EQ and blending ability), but by the same token I'd use one without a second thought if I knew I could rely on the sound guy. You might want to check into it.
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