Can I plug an electric guitar directly into microphone input of Presonus VXP preamp?

[Nigie]

I have a Presonus VXP which is working well for me as a mic preamp. Unfortunately it has no input for an electric guitar to plug straight into it. All it has is a mic in and a line-in input and send.

I wonder if I can plug my electric guitar into the BALANCED microphone input of the VXP with a lead having an UNBALANCED XLR at the VXP end and an unbalanced jack at the guitar end?

At present I'm doing this with a balanced lead but am probably not getting the whole signal from the guitar. Would a said unbalanced lead give me a compatible link between guitar and VXP in terms of impedence and everything?

Thankyou if anyone has some wisdom on this.

Nigel

[orksnork]

microphone inputs are at one level
while line level inputs are at another level...
and these levels are significantly different

[Nigie]

Thanks ork. I guess more to the point - are mic level inputs different to inputs received from a lead coming straight out of an electric guitar?

[Blue Bear Sound]

Yes...

[DigitMus]

There's not just a difference in levels, there is the difference in impedence. Guitar pickups are very high impedence devices; most mic preamps don't deal well with that. Get a direct box (cheap ones go for about $35), plug the guitar into it, and the output of the box into your mic preamp. Problem solved.

Scott

[Nigie]

Appreciate your replies BB and Scott. This is annoying but it's better than being ignorant on this matter...

Thanks again.