Amplifying passive acoustic pickups

chrishill901

I have a Taylor 210 acoustic and Im thinking of gigging with it. I got an SD Woody a while ago when I saw one cheap but didnt give amplification a thought as I wasnt using it. Is DI the best way to go or spend a bit more and get something with an EQ like this: http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Ashdown-Acoustic-Guitar-Preamp-DI-Pedal/P98

What do you guys use? What are other options for pedal preamps etc?

ESBlonde

If the PU is loaded (electronically) correctly with a suitably high impedance, then a DI will be quite adequate. The real question is what system is then used to amplify that signal. A big PA system will have enough about it to correct most things, a guitar combo much less so and everything else in between. An active DI as opposed to a passive (transformer based) DI usually works best.

ICBM

For a Woody, a preamp/EQ pedal is probably best as it will give you the option of boosting as well as the DI, which you may need since its output signal is quite quiet. I haven't tried that Ashdown but it looks fairly decent for the money. A Graphic EQ pedal would work too though, and would be cheaper.

There's not much point in getting a plain DI box - if you're gigging anywhere the PA is provided, it's almost certain a DI box will be available, and if not then it's such a small set-up that just going direct from any pedal to the mixer with a normal 1/4" cable will work well enough.

Bidley

I bang on about these far too often, but I use one of these to preamp my passive piezo systems.

http://www.theguitarfiles.com/files/imagecache/zoom504-2.jpg

Cheap as you like, and the "air" setting sounds great. I bought two.

ToneControl

I had one of these, you can get them cheap for what they are, it was really good, took a lot of the piezo effect away:

http://medias.audiofanzine.com/images/normal/yamaha-ag-stomp-354181.jpg

also read reviews:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan02/articles/yamahastomp.asp

midlifecrisis

ToneControl said:

I had one of these, you can get them cheap for what they are, it was really good, took a lot of the piezo effect away:

http://medias.audiofanzine.com/images/normal/yamaha-ag-stomp-354181.jpg

 

 

£399 cheap ???

also read reviews:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan02/articles/yamahastomp.asp

chrishill901

Thanks for the responses. Good tip about the zoom, that may be an affordable solution. Are there any other affordable solutions? A mate said a mic pre like the art mp tube preamp might work? Again, a lack of EQ.

Gutted that an eq pedal would work, I just sold a fish and chips!!!

chrishill901

Being a big fan of the BBE Sonic Stomp I have found this: http://www.thomann.de/gb/bbe_acoustimax.htm

will this do the job?

crunchman

There is an Ashdown peramp that is around £79 new.

If you can find one second hand it's not going to be lot more than a DI box.

http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Ashdown-Acoustic-Guitar-Preamp-DI-Pedal/P98?origin=product-ads&utm_campaign=PLA+Shop+-+Ashdown&utm_medium=vertical_search&network=google&adgroup=Ashdown+PLA&merchant_id=1279443&product_id=32732d1&product_country=GB&product_partition_id=37405699623&gclid=CLjCsbDf1MQCFe6WtAod9AYA4A

Bidley

chrishill901 said:

Being a big fan of the BBE Sonic Stomp I have found this: http://www.thomann.de/gb/bbe_acoustimax.htm

will this do the job?

I don't see why not!

menamestom

These are supposed to be good:-

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/behringer-adi-21-acoustic-amp-modeler-di/990?gclid=CMq0_OGe1cQCFUnLtAodVzQACQ

Personally I don't like passive pickups, they only really make sense if you have several acoustics and want to use 1 quality preamp with each.  I much prefer the plug and play simplicity of an active system.  (the K&K may be okay though since I hear it's output is very high for a passive).  Me, I'd sell the woody and put the money to the preamp fund and get a rare earth or Mag Mic, but the Woody's are very easy to install and remove if you want to do that.

longshins

Anyone got experience with the passive Lr Baggs m1? Seems ok from initial research...

ICBM

longshins said:

Anyone got experience with the passive Lr Baggs m1? Seems ok from initial research…

Overall I prefer it to the active one. It's not such a convenient all-in-one solution for most players but I think it works better with effects (including overdrive) and/or an outboard preamp, so it's a bit more versatile.