Help me decide on a preamp / DI

[Joemiracle220]

So ive been thinking of building a small pedalboard for my acoustic, with a reverb , boost and maybe a compressor of some sort.

My guitar is a Martin D18 with an LR baggs anthem pickup in it. Im trying to decide on a preamp /di for it. The ones im think about are the para acoustic di , the grace BIX , a Boss Ad 10, lr baggs voiceprint or something else. What do you suggest? The para di and the bix dont really sound that different in this video

https://youtu.be/EQDLxSjjfks?si=VqiA_024h35Am1oc

What would you recommend?

[YamahaGuy]

I have a Voiceprint. It's amazing. It makes my Ibanez AW54CE sound exactly like it sounds unplugged plugged in.

[BlueStarfish]

Of the ones you mentioned, I have a Boss AD-10. I've also tried a few others, but keep coming back to the Boss unit.

The reason I keep trying others is because the Boss unit has a terrible interface and menu system. Like an HP calculator from 1990 -- and that may be generous. But I've slowly gotten used to it.

The reason I keep coming back to it is because it does everything you need for acoustic really well. Great EQ, signal routing, and feedback control. Simple and usable onboard effects. Tuner. Configurable boost button. All the buttons are configurable, if you want to do that. Sounds great. Very handy single-pedal solution, does everything you need (though may or not do everything you want, that's a different story ...)

The Boss unit also has a few bonus features that other units don't have. For example, there is a built-in noise suppressor effect. I've got two guitars with a Baggs Lyric, one with a Baggs Anthem. For all of those guitars, I find that turning on the noise suppressor is very handy in terms of controlling feedback. Something about the way the Baggs TruMic works I guess.

Another bonus feature is that there are two inputs, which you can either toggle between, or blend. You can also set a separate EQ curve for each channel if you want. You can use this to set gains for two different instruments. Or you can run a dynamic mic (with an XLR-to-1/4" impedance adjuster dongle) thru the second input and blend the mic with the pickup. The mic signal might not be quite as pristine as a Grace unit but it's still a handy feature.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by Joemiracle220

So ive been thinking of building a small pedalboard for my acoustic, with a reverb , boost and maybe a compressor of some sort.

My guitar is a Martin D18 with an LR baggs anthem pickup in it. Im trying to decide on a preamp /di for it. The ones im think about are the para acoustic di , the grace BIX , a Boss Ad 10, lr baggs voiceprint or something else. What do you suggest? The para di and the bix dont really sound that different in this video

https://youtu.be/EQDLxSjjfks?si=VqiA_024h35Am1oc

What would you recommend?

The Anthem is active, so just get a passive DI. Radial Engineering has something for everyone.

I also recommend thinking twice about effects. I understand why you want a boost. I run my passive pickups through a Fire-Eye Red-Eye active preamp, and the boost often comes in handy. Since the Anthem has a volume knob, that would do the trick, but a button to step on can be nice.

So I get that. But any room you play in will give you natural reverb that sounds better than a pedal, and unless you're into smooth New Age-style sounds (not a crime), compression can denature your expression.

It usually sounds better to just go straight into the PA and let your expensive guitar do what you paid for it to do. So how about just getting that DI and hold off on the gizmos for a while and see if you can make yourself get the sound you want without a net?

[SalFromChatham]

I love the Fishman Tone DEQ. I’ve tried so many units…. I like the Fishman best. If you had a K&K I’d also suggest the FireEye

[fwphoto]

Originally Posted by SalFromChatham

I love the Fishman Tone DEQ. I’ve tried so many units…. I like the Fishman best.

+1

Frank

[Medford Guitar]

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

The Anthem is active, so just get a passive DI. Radial Engineering has something for everyone.

I also recommend thinking twice about effects. I understand why you want a boost. I run my passive pickups through a Fire-Eye Red-Eye active preamp, and the boost often comes in handy. Since the Anthem has a volume knob, that would do the trick, but a button to step on can be nice.

So I get that. But any room you play in will give you natural reverb that sounds better than a pedal, and unless you're into smooth New Age-style sounds (not a crime), compression can denature your expression.

It usually sounds better to just go straight into the PA and let your expensive guitar do what you paid for it to do. So how about just getting that DI and hold off on the gizmos for a while and see if you can make yourself get the sound you want without a net?

How dare you suggest playing your acoustic guitar so it sounds naturally...like an acoustic guitar! Heresy!

[douglasfan1]

Originally Posted by Joemiracle220

So ive been thinking of building a small pedalboard for my acoustic, with a reverb , boost and maybe a compressor of some sort.

My guitar is a Martin D18 with an LR baggs anthem pickup in it. Im trying to decide on a preamp /di for it. The ones im think about are the para acoustic di , the grace BIX , a Boss Ad 10, lr baggs voiceprint or something else. What do you suggest? The para di and the bix dont really sound that different in this video

https://youtu.be/EQDLxSjjfks?si=VqiA_024h35Am1oc

What would you recommend?

I use Zoom A3, one unit for dual channel preamp, effects like reverb/delay/chorus/compressor and boost, tuner and DI box.