What Pickup/Pre-amp pedal are you currently using?

[TJe153]

Plain and simple -- which pre-amp pedal currently has space on your board?

For me, it's currently the K&K internal with the Radial Tonebone, but these Grace Design preamps sound pretty nice from the reviews I have watched....and that Fishman Platinum looks like a good option as well.

Let us know what pickup you have, and what's on your board.

[Dave Greenspoon]

The Eastman has an internal K&K that goes into a Boss-AD 10. Great Boss/Roland tones, loaded with features that are easy to use, and IMO a huge upgrade over the Baggs Venue I used prior and worth every dollar.

[Mandobart]

I've been installing JJB pickups in all my acoustic instruments for over 10 years now. That's about 4 fiddles, 2 mandolins, a resonator mandolin, banjolin, mandola, 2 octave mandolins, mandocello, banjo, 5 guitars and a temporary install in an upright bass I rented for a while.

I've used many preamps with success - from an ArTube, Behringer ADI21, K&K Pure, Baggs MixPro (for my archtop guitar to blend a Kent Armstrong floating neck magnetic pickup and a JJB) and currently my RedEye Fire Eye. Remember the fundamental purpose of a preamp/DI is NOT to boost the signal but to match the high output impedance of a passive piezoelectric pickup (millions of ohms) to the low input impedance of a typical line input on a PA or mixer (thousands of ohms).

I've found when plugging into a high impedance input (HI Z) like my Carvin AG300 I don't need a preamp at all, and it makes no difference when I leave it out of the signal chain.

[gspiess]

JJB internals into a Tonedexter. Just started using a Baggs reverb to add a little more body.

[NDO]

One JJB and several with K&K, wireless to a ToneDexter cabled to the mixer. JJB sounds the best I think.

[Markus]

Let us know what pickup you have, and what's on your board.

K+K into a Venue. Had been using FireEye RedEye [which I like a lot], but needed something that did not require phantom power to run [not always available] and so am integrating the Venue into my setup. Likely will hold onto both until I'm positive the Venue is a better fit.

[pops1]

K+K into a Venue. Had been using FireEye RedEye [which I like a lot], but needed something that did not require phantom power to run [not always available] and so am integrating the Venue into my setup. Likely will hold onto both until I'm positive the Venue is a better fit.

K&K with a RedEye. My RedEye uses a battery for the times there is not phantom. I thought they all had a battery,. You have to unscrew it to change the battery, there is no battery box that is convenient, but it lasts the whole year for me. It also let's you use a 10 volt (or higher) phantom, some other preamps need 48 volts.

[mandroid]

Mix A5 has a Schertler dynamic *transducer (contact microphone) installed, and really does not need a separate pre amp.

My 2 channel amp, I can use its Mic or instrument channel..

A simple impedance matching transformer, made for microphones XLR in 1/4" TR out
*(Dyn-M was Schertler's stick on version. XLR plug)



& even electric guitar tube amps can be used...


so, to be more specific, this is another discussion of piezoelectric pickup types & their associated pre amps..

[mando-bob]

Neumann KM85 mic on a stand to the mic input of the Grace Felix for the past two years now.

Before:
K&K pickup / DPA 4061 mic to the Grace Felix
K&K pickup to the ToneDexter
K&K pickup to the RedEye preamp
K&K pickup / Crown GLM 200 mic to the K&K Trinity preamp
PickUpTheWorld pickup / Crown GLM 200 mic to the K&K Trinity pickup

[jherm]

a.t 350
thru a phantom box
thru a l.r.baggs venue
into the p.a system

[Kevin Winn]

My F5S has an internal K&K pickup (though I've used JJB in a previous mando and it was fine) into a Red Eye that either goes into a Mackie FreePlay (small rooms) or the board (larger rooms).

Love the Red Eye.

[MontanaMatt]

Baggs Radius, NuX wireless, ToneDexter.
Using a custom capsule SE-1 mic for step in solo booster control.

[Chris Gray]

I've been having issues using my K&K Mini Twin into LR Baggs Venue at church. The sound people have been saying I get some overtones on my A & E strings. I just ordered a Grace EiX that should be here today. I'll let you know how it goes after I use it over the weekend.

[pops1]

I've been having issues using my K&K Mini Twin into LR Baggs Venue at church. The sound people have been saying I get some overtones on my A & E strings. I just ordered a Grace EiX that should be here today. I'll let you know how it goes after I use it over the weekend.

Not sure about the Grace, but the Baggs has an input impedance of 10 Meg ohms. The K&K is only 1 Meg ohm. It's supposed to work, but I've noticed a difference in sound when a preamp has more than 1 Meg. Love my FireEye.

[Mark Seale]

I'm using and love the Grace Design Felix. I use it in multiple configurations, but it's typically either in line with my DPA 4099 or my Ear Trumpet Labs Edwina. I've also run K&K pickups, both fiddle and mandolin, through it. The control and flexibility it offers is fantastic and it is one piece of gear I always have with me.

[McIrish]

I have K&K pickups and I go into a Mooer GE300 Lite, that I have custom made IRs loaded into it. Very natural sound.

[Michael H Geimer]

Weber Bitterroot (Yellowstone-spec'd) > L.R. Baggs Radius > Fishman Para Acoustic DI > Fishman Loudbox MINI (simple mixer duties to add keyboards). Might actually start leaving the Loudbox behind since it rarely gets turned up. Am lucky both bands allow me to run a 'hot' signal to the Mains and then play dynamically and 'self-mix'.

[Mitch Stein]

My mandolin has K&K and is super hot. It's a delight, acoustically and for bluegrass and built for such. I can't say that the pickup is really that off the mark, considering what's going on in the "punishment zone", so I have to tame it a fair bit to play non-bluegrass.

I was going to Red-Eye with treble rolled off considerably, then to Loudbox where I would shape the tone. Just moved to the Baggs Venue and can do a way better job dialing in a stage-friendly sound with no shaping on the amp.

[deadend3]

K&K into a RedEye. In the effects loop I have a SansAmp Para Driver V2 pedal for EQ and a LR Baggs Align Reverb Acoustic pedal. I’ve been very happy with the amplified tone I’m getting with this setup.

[mbruno]

I've never heard of JJB pickup before. For those that have used K&K as well as JJB, what are your thoughts? Comparable or very different? On that note, has anyone tried their VolJack (http://jjb-electronics.com/voljack.html)? It'd be nice to have an easy access volume control, but I could see it getting in the way a bit. Any thoughts?

I use K&K in mine - mainly because that's what my luthier suggested. I didn't A/B test them since I didn't have an easy way to do that.

I use both a LR Baggs Venue DI and the LR Baggs compressor to even the tone out as well. In addition to Strymon Reverb pedal to help get more of an acoustic type feel from the plugged in mando. I really like the Strymon but I'm thinking of getting a new reverb pedal with a little more control / options.

[Don Grieser]

I use a Schertler external pickup/mic (the old one with no phantom power needed) into a Zoom A3. The Zoom has both 1/4" and XLR inputs (needed for the Schertler) and can provide phantom power. I can send a balanced signal to the mixer and a signal to an amp on stage for monitoring. Lots of effects available, but I just use a touch of reverb to sweeten the sound and some EQ. Also has a volume boost for leads, and a tuner that mutes the sound. Strong metal enclosure with solid footswitches and jacks and runs off batteries or wall wart. Not a user-friendly menu/setup operation, but once you have it set, it just works.

[James Vwaal]

Schertler DYN-M P48 into an XVive P1 48V phantom power box (small) zip-tied to my mic stand and then XLR cable into Roland Cube Street EX amp. I also send my vocal mic signal to the Roland amp which acts like a mini PA. Sounds great.

[Mandobart]

I've never heard of JJB pickup before. For those that have used K&K as well as JJB, what are your thoughts? Comparable or very different? On that note, has anyone tried their VolJack (http://jjb-electronics.com/voljack.html)? It'd be nice to have an easy access volume control, but I could see it getting in the way a bit. Any thoughts?

I use K&K in mine - mainly because that's what my luthier suggested. I didn't A/B test them since I didn't have an easy way to do that.

I put a K&K twin in my first mandolin, and JJB twin in everything since (gotta be over 2 dozen instruments from ukes, fiddles, mandos, banjos, guitars and an upright bass). I could not detect any difference in build quality, materials, performance, ease of installation, effect on acoustic tone (both had no effect) or quality of amplified tone.

That said, I've read several posts on this and other fora that K&K's have a hotter signal - "so hot you don't need a preamp..." Which only shows various poster's inexperience/lack of knowledge concerning the purpose of a preamp/DI (its for impedance matching, not signal boosting. Actual amplifiers are for amplifying the pickup's signal).

I'm not a fan of a volume control (or anything other than a cord) between the passive pickup and the preamp/DI. I would recommend a belt clip mounted preamp with tone and volume pots like a Baggs or K&K pure.

[Mark Seale]

I use a Schertler external pickup/mic (the old one with no phantom power needed) into a Zoom A3. The Zoom has both 1/4" and XLR inputs (needed for the Schertler) and can provide phantom power. I can send a balanced signal to the mixer and a signal to an amp on stage for monitoring. Lots of effects available, but I just use a touch of reverb to sweeten the sound and some EQ. Also has a volume boost for leads, and a tuner that mutes the sound. Strong metal enclosure with solid footswitches and jacks and runs off batteries or wall wart. Not a user-friendly menu/setup operation, but once you have it set, it just works.

Several years ago John Jorgensen's Gypsy Quintet was playing a show nearby and everyone was using the Zoom A3 into a Phil Jones Cub. They sounded fantastic.