acoustic pre-amp

[stratman]

Just need a little with my acoustic setup. I'm using a Seagull S6 dreadnaught model. I'm trying to figure out what is the best for me to amplify this guitar for live gig. My options right now are:

1) Install a thin-line type (passive) pick-up and control the tone through the mixer board.
2) Install a thin-line (passive) pick-up an, run it through an EQ stomp box (Boss or anything the same) and use that as a pre-amp.
3) Install a thin-line (passive) pick-up as well as a internal eq pre-amp (kinda like LR Baggs).

I know that # 3 is probably the way to go and that I can do the routing and drilling myself. The thing is that I want to keep as much wood as possible intact in my guitar.

Any comments are helpful.

Thanks.

 

[Hard2Hear]

Lr Baggs and Fishman both make active piezo pickups that have a built in preamp, ran by a 9 volt, but have no eq/volume box, so that you don't have to go routing a hole in the side of your guitar. I have a Fishman acoustic Matrix natural in my Martin, and I swear by it! The only thing that had to be done to the guitar was making the endpin hole a little bigger, no other cutting...and it sounds great, both live and recorded. You can control the volume and EQ through a mixer, or a rack if you use one.

H2H

 

[Treeline]

Here's a pickup / preamp / mixing board approach that will give you pretty nice bang for the buck - as long as there is a mixing board and a PA nearby. There are a lot of variations on the theme, but here are a few ideas.

B-band has an interesting technology and offers dual source pickup setups. This is what I use in my Taylor. I installed an undersaddle electret membrane pickup (not a piezo, which is what the Fishman and Martin undersaddles are) and a separate internal condenser mic. The guitar has a small preamp inside and yields a dual signal; use a TRS 1/4" jack as you would with any stereo signal. I then blend the signals; my setup doesn't have a really good blender and will sound better when I get one. H2H has heard and played my guitar, so he knows something about the sound.

I recommend that you don't try to install it yourself. Get a tech to do it. You don't need to split an end block or something like that.

This is the B-band link.

http://193.65.242.29/new/index.shtml


If I were to do it over again, I might try a simpler approach. These folks have come put with a product that is getting rave (and I mean RAVE) reviews among custom acoustic guitar builders - a hard bunch to satisfy. It's an internal contact mic that works really well. The company is "Pick-Up The World" (I kid you not) and the link is:

http://www.windworld.com/emi/products/putw.htm

When I assemble a little disposable income, this is the blender / preamp unit I'm headed for: Raven Labs.

http://www.raven-labs.com/pages/products/pmb1/pmb1om.html


Good luck!

 

[memphissound]

I have a seagull 12-string dreadnaught with this set-up: thin line passive piezo pick-up under the bridge with a fishman outboard pre-amp.

The pre-amp has 3 band EQ, brightness, and volume (the new ones added a notch filter). You can put it on the floor, or wear it with a belt clip.

Pretty nice set-up in that you don't have to cut the guitar, or loosen/remove strings for a battery change. The extra cable is a hassle sometimes, but it's not too bad. Sounds good for everything I've done.

Peace <><

 

[Treeline]

The Fishman pre amps are quite nice. Particularly nice is that they are portable and are not overly complicated. If you're on a stage, you want to be able to adjust by touch (you're distracted enough up there as it is) - i.e. simple controls.

One thing to look for and ask about as you're looking at options is to what degree you can incorporate Class A electonics into the signal chain. This is an extremely high standard of quality that translates into better performance and no (or nearly no) noise in the signal. B-Band is all Class A; L.R. Baggs and Fishman may incorporate Class A electronics as well. This will tend to separate "deals" from the better stuff.

Not really a complete substitute for mics, but you lose all the hassles about moving six inches and messing up the signal.