I've got the Tech 21 Fly Rig Acoustic, the Zoom A3, the NUX Optima Air, the Korg Pandora P4XA (great to stick in a guitar case pocket but 1/4" only), the TC Helicon Play Live Acoustic and the HX Stomp. Each are great for different situations and different players.
IMO, you begin with ah Adeline AD-85 which has a 1/4" jack and a volume/gain control. Mount it on a sweet spot on your guitar, and I think it sounds great out of the box - no piezo quack whatever, and plenty of output into a full on modeler (HX Stomp, GX-10, Ampero 2 stage, whatever...). Then tweak until you get tired, and just want to play. I have the Fishman Aura Pro's mounted in all my Cordoba Flamenco guitars, and a Takamine CT4-DX mounted in my Spanish Flamenco, and the distinctions between IR's are without differences, IMO, since the base sound from the AD-85 is so good. I spent a lot of money on Aoustic DI's troying to get a good sound from my Barcus-Berry pickups, internal mic's (which always had a boomy sound due to proximity effect that couldn't be dialed out. Then I discovered the Adelines - and all my problems are solved. And I can even due Heavy Metal on a nyulon string guitar (but in that case, I do have to worry about feedback..... :) YMMV, of ocurse, and if you have paid for one of these Acoustic simulators, I'm sure you can hear differnces that are important to you But for $65 for the Adeline (and, well ok, lots of money for the modelers, but look what they do! But you can spend just as much irunning around in rabbit holes trying to compensate for your pickkup when the AD-85 might just work fiine. (there are a couple of others, of course - search on Amazon for "Acoustic transduceer guitar pickups" (and some newer ones I'll have to check out) Check out the NUX Mighty Space which has models of Acoustic Amps om their effect lists..
I was obsessed with this stuff for years. The main thing is to get rid of that under saddle style piezoelectric pickup. I use a passive KnK mini through a Yamaha AG stomp pedal. No quack. Sure you can avoid the D.i. You dont need a pre amp, when you have an amp.
I put a K&K in my Martin 000-28 and the high e string volume was way lower, seems to be a common problem with K&K in some guitars, so I don’t think that pickup is always the answer
@@dividedbytimestudios Agreed. I don't think that one brand or style is the best. It s good for me. It solved alot of problems. I think I may have a bit of the same problem with the high E string on my OM28 as you have. It's pretty subtle. I spent a lot of money in gear over the years trying to deal with that harsh quack, e.q. compression, limiting, and smothering it with effects. I'd have to shim the barn door on my guitars, with strip of foam, because they buzzed and vibrate, and then I had to make sure with some guitars that I didn't leave a jack plugged in, or the battery would die. I watched a video of a guy do some simple modification to the saddle area of the bridge, and it really worked. It made the piezo sound good, but I'm just done with it.
@ I currently use the Anthem SL, but I’m still on the hunt for a pedalboard specifically for acoustic stuff.. I was contemplating a Fractal VP4, or an HX Effects for the all in one, if not might go individual pedals
@@dividedbytimestudios I just finally gave in and bought a modeler for my electric rig. The tube amp pedal board set up became obsolete instantly for me. I'm not nostalgic anymore. I don't have the money, or the stature for hauling vintage tube amps around. The change has been fantastic. I like having drums, a bass simulator, a looper, tons of amps and cabinets in a box.
I was wondering about pre amps and what they do this explains things brilliantly.Ive got a semi acoustic and just plug it straight in to my NAD hifi amp.
@@jameslifetimelearner I've honestly never even touched the eq unless the system is weird! It always sounds so natural all you really need ever is to cut some treble at least for me on both instruments! If anything else needs to be done, yes FOH or PA system
There’s a lot of discussion on various media, talking about the effect of running an acoustic guitar with a pick up system, into an electric guitar amplifier. The suggestion is that an acoustic guitar sound thin, and basically not satisfactory. Most commentator will tell you that an acoustic guitar sounds better, when amplified through an acoustic amplifier. So, the question that comes to mind; what happens when you place a pedal, for example, a DI, or an EQ between the acoustic guitar and an electric guitar amp?
Just ordered something called a Caline CP-40, because it was cheapo....but overlooked the fact that it doesn't have the 9v battery inside like my old Baggs DI,....so i may have slipped up......
To my ears the only example that doesn't sound like piezo-plastic-crap is the Alix's... I know that the Hi-Fi is a soundboard transducer but in this video it sounds like plastic to me.
I have the Fishman Platinum Pro, it can sound so much better than this,. Looking at how it's plugged in and the dial placement, I'm wondering if it's actually just taking the direct out of the guitar to the XLR to feed a desk, where it is then mixed, as this really isn't a representative sound.
If you've already got a board with reverb, chorus, etc., pedals you really don't need this preamp stuff do you? You'd just be duplicating stuff you already like, have, and use.
Specialised EQ for handling piezo pickups and blending with magnetic pickups are great, as is the ability to use IRs (which you might have among your other pedals, such as the Boss IR-200 or the TC Electronics pedal (or the HX Stomp). Passive pickups in an acoustic instrument (like I have in my bouzouki) really need a preamp or DI box. My acoustic guitars with pickups have a preamp built in (like my Yamaha APX-T2) with a 9V battery, but if you're using a stick-on bug then a preamp is great too. So something like the LR Baggs would suit you, as you can use the effects loop for all your delays etc but have the EQ, the feedback killer, the big visible tuner and the DI output all in one pedal. So yes, it adds specialised acoustic support to your standard pedal board to make your acoustic sound better.
I love LR Baggs... great stuff for most people. But I make a living on Broadway in Nashville with a 90's era Takamine plugged straight into the PA (ok, a Polytune is in the chain). People value a good human voice over a guitar tone. Work on your voice.
All of them are, essentially, one channel, one setting. Doesn't anyone make a preamp that allows for more than one sort of instrument? I have active instruments, which have specific output and EQ needs. I have passive instruments, which have specific output and EQ needs. The passive all have K&K pickups, which means I need to roll off a bit of top end and they have a lower output. The active pickup instruments have different output and EQ needs. No one seems to make a preamp like that.
@@jameslifetimelearner the only box I find looking for EDB-1 is by Headway, and it only has one setting for EQ. I need two. What I am looking for, since looking above I don't think i was quite clear, is an acoustic preamp with one input, because I switch instruments a lot and I don't want to juggle two cords, two channels each with separate EQ that you can toggle with a footswitch. Channel A set for the Taylor etc with active electronics and it's own EQ controls and Channel B with different EQ and a bit of boost. This does not seem to exist. There are a couple that have two channels, but you have to run two cords, or get a splitter.
@@CheshireMoonBand ok I’m seriously trying to understand and help if I can. You want to use one channel at a time,each set for different instrument. Why not plug them in two separate cords and leave each plugged in? Felix- Alix big brother- has that capability. You could get an A/B switch, but that switches one source for two outputs That’s a bunch of pedal pushing and cord Unplugging,
@@jameslifetimelearner because it’s more than 2 instruments. I don’t get around very well, and 1 cord is simpler than 2. If I was still playing on my feet, it might be different. Mostly I am trying to simplify my stage setup. I know that I am probably going to have to settle, the units that seem like they would do the job all have 2 inputs.
None of these rly make the guitar sound rich and “natural”. I would pick none of these cause guitar for $500 dollars would sound the same as guitar for $5000 :/
Shop the Preamps:
Fishman Platinum Pro EQ: sweetwater.sjv.io/zNYMWG
Grace Design ALiX: sweetwater.sjv.io/y276r2
LR Baggs Venue DI: sweetwater.sjv.io/Qy70m6
Orange Acoustic Pedal: sweetwater.sjv.io/75Z0by
Radial Acoustic PZ-Pro: sweetwater.sjv.io/1rJx6z
Tech 21 Acoustic Fly Rig: sweetwater.sjv.io/oqYMAW
Trace Acoustic Transit-A: sweetwater.sjv.io/Jz7n1v
I've got the Tech 21 Fly Rig Acoustic, the Zoom A3, the NUX Optima Air, the Korg Pandora P4XA (great to stick in a guitar case pocket but 1/4" only), the TC Helicon Play Live Acoustic and the HX Stomp. Each are great for different situations and different players.
you spent 99% of the video talking and still doesn't mention which ones are analog and which ones are digital, I'm kind of impressed
I use the Grace Alix, fantastic
Great video. Thanks for making it.
IMO, you begin with ah Adeline AD-85 which has a 1/4" jack and a volume/gain control. Mount it on a sweet spot on your guitar, and I think it sounds great out of the box - no piezo quack whatever, and plenty of output into a full on modeler (HX Stomp, GX-10, Ampero 2 stage, whatever...). Then tweak until you get tired, and just want to play. I have the Fishman Aura Pro's mounted in all my Cordoba Flamenco guitars, and a Takamine CT4-DX mounted in my Spanish Flamenco, and the distinctions between IR's are without differences, IMO, since the base sound from the AD-85 is so good.
I spent a lot of money on Aoustic DI's troying to get a good sound from my Barcus-Berry pickups, internal mic's (which always had a boomy sound due to proximity effect that couldn't be dialed out. Then I discovered the Adelines - and all my problems are solved. And I can even due Heavy Metal on a nyulon string guitar (but in that case, I do have to worry about feedback..... :)
YMMV, of ocurse, and if you have paid for one of these Acoustic simulators, I'm sure you can hear differnces that are important to you
But for $65 for the Adeline (and, well ok, lots of money for the modelers, but look what they do! But you can spend just as much irunning around in rabbit holes trying to compensate for your pickkup when the AD-85 might just work fiine. (there are a couple of others, of course - search on Amazon for "Acoustic transduceer guitar pickups" (and some newer ones I'll have to check out)
Check out the NUX Mighty Space which has models of Acoustic Amps om their effect lists..
Fantastic video!
Do I need anything to plug into my Fishman artist to improve the sound or will the artist be enough?
What's the pick up in your acoustic guitar? Is that Martin 0005M?
I was obsessed with this stuff for years. The main thing is to get rid of that under saddle style piezoelectric pickup. I use a passive KnK mini through a Yamaha AG stomp pedal. No quack. Sure you can avoid the D.i. You dont need a pre amp, when you have an amp.
Sticking a great pickup through a great amp (like an AER) sounds fantastic. But of course you can add shaping, effects, a tuner etc. with pedals.
I put a K&K in my Martin 000-28 and the high e string volume was way lower, seems to be a common problem with K&K in some guitars, so I don’t think that pickup is always the answer
@@dividedbytimestudios Agreed. I don't think that one brand or style is the best. It s good for me. It solved alot of problems. I think I may have a bit of the same problem with the high E string on my OM28 as you have. It's pretty subtle. I spent a lot of money in gear over the years trying to deal with that harsh quack, e.q. compression, limiting, and smothering it with effects. I'd have to shim the barn door on my guitars, with strip of foam, because they buzzed and vibrate, and then I had to make sure with some guitars that I didn't leave a jack plugged in, or the battery would die. I watched a video of a guy do some simple modification to the saddle area of the bridge, and it really worked. It made the piezo sound good, but I'm just done with it.
@ I currently use the Anthem SL, but I’m still on the hunt for a pedalboard specifically for acoustic stuff.. I was contemplating a Fractal VP4, or an HX Effects for the all in one, if not might go individual pedals
@@dividedbytimestudios I just finally gave in and bought a modeler for my electric rig. The tube amp pedal board set up became obsolete instantly for me. I'm not nostalgic anymore. I don't have the money, or the stature for hauling vintage tube amps around. The change has been fantastic. I like having drums, a bass simulator, a looper, tons of amps and cabinets in a box.
I was wondering about pre amps and what they do this explains things brilliantly.Ive got a semi acoustic and just plug it straight in to my NAD hifi amp.
Toured with a bluegrass band. Tried all of these. Hands down it’s the red eye all days everyday. The most natural for fiddle or guitar.
@@crosbycofod5052 Yes. Put a Colour Box in effects loop
@@crosbycofod5052 So FOH does the EQ,Red Eye does treble boost?
@@jameslifetimelearner I've honestly never even touched the eq unless the system is weird! It always sounds so natural all you really need ever is to cut some treble at least for me on both instruments! If anything else needs to be done, yes FOH or PA system
Grace Design!
There’s a lot of discussion on various media, talking about the effect of running an acoustic guitar with a pick up system, into an electric guitar amplifier.
The suggestion is that an acoustic guitar sound thin, and basically not satisfactory.
Most commentator will tell you that an acoustic guitar sounds better, when amplified through an acoustic amplifier.
So, the question that comes to mind; what happens when you place a pedal, for example, a DI, or an EQ between the acoustic guitar and an electric guitar amp?
My answer would be line in at effects return
Just ordered something called a Caline CP-40, because it was cheapo....but overlooked the fact that it doesn't have the 9v battery inside like my old Baggs DI,....so i may have slipped up......
To my ears the only example that doesn't sound like piezo-plastic-crap is the Alix's... I know that the Hi-Fi is a soundboard transducer but in this video it sounds like plastic to me.
I have the Fishman Platinum Pro, it can sound so much better than this,. Looking at how it's plugged in and the dial placement, I'm wondering if it's actually just taking the direct out of the guitar to the XLR to feed a desk, where it is then mixed, as this really isn't a representative sound.
If you've already got a board with reverb, chorus, etc., pedals you really don't need this preamp stuff do you? You'd just be duplicating stuff you already like, have, and use.
Specialised EQ for handling piezo pickups and blending with magnetic pickups are great, as is the ability to use IRs (which you might have among your other pedals, such as the Boss IR-200 or the TC Electronics pedal (or the HX Stomp). Passive pickups in an acoustic instrument (like I have in my bouzouki) really need a preamp or DI box. My acoustic guitars with pickups have a preamp built in (like my Yamaha APX-T2) with a 9V battery, but if you're using a stick-on bug then a preamp is great too.
So something like the LR Baggs would suit you, as you can use the effects loop for all your delays etc but have the EQ, the feedback killer, the big visible tuner and the DI output all in one pedal.
So yes, it adds specialised acoustic support to your standard pedal board to make your acoustic sound better.
Thanks for the video but all I learned from it was I don’t want any of these pedals if it makes my guitar sound that quacky.
I love LR Baggs... great stuff for most people. But I make a living on Broadway in Nashville with a 90's era Takamine plugged straight into the PA (ok, a Polytune is in the chain). People value a good human voice over a guitar tone. Work on your voice.
To my ears only one worth buying is the Grace in terms of sound. I’ve owned and quickly sold several of these.
Acoustic preamps are like rollerblades, your parents don’t like you for a reason, that reason is you, Jose
And yet the Boss G-E7 puts them all to shame.
Add a Stage Bug and you're golden.
Crappy acoustic sound in the Demo
Correct
Where is Tonedexter?
As a curve ball, PG could add another category for IR loading devices.
Or the EDB series
All of them are, essentially, one channel, one setting. Doesn't anyone make a preamp that allows for more than one sort of instrument?
I have active instruments, which have specific output and EQ needs. I have passive instruments, which have specific output and EQ needs. The passive all have K&K pickups, which means I need to roll off a bit of top end and they have a lower output. The active pickup instruments have different output and EQ needs.
No one seems to make a preamp like that.
The Felix and Radial would work. I use an EDB-1,which is a 2 channel summing mixer wit variable EQ ranges.
@@jameslifetimelearner the only box I find looking for EDB-1 is by Headway, and it only has one setting for EQ. I need two.
What I am looking for, since looking above I don't think i was quite clear, is an acoustic preamp with one input, because I switch instruments a lot and I don't want to juggle two cords, two channels each with separate EQ that you can toggle with a footswitch. Channel A set for the Taylor etc with active electronics and it's own EQ controls and Channel B with different EQ and a bit of boost.
This does not seem to exist. There are a couple that have two channels, but you have to run two cords, or get a splitter.
@@CheshireMoonBand ok I’m seriously trying to understand and help if I can. You want to use one channel at a time,each set for different instrument. Why not plug them in two separate cords and leave each plugged in?
Felix- Alix big brother- has that capability.
You could get an A/B switch, but that switches one source for two outputs
That’s a bunch of pedal pushing and cord Unplugging,
@@jameslifetimelearner because it’s more than 2 instruments. I don’t get around very well, and 1 cord is simpler than 2. If I was still playing on my feet, it might be different. Mostly I am trying to simplify my stage setup.
I know that I am probably going to have to settle, the units that seem like they would do the job all have 2 inputs.
@@CheshireMoonBand ok Zoom makes stage pres with switchable EQ presets so you unplug/ plug/switch and play. A1X Four
Are you interested in testing the AZOR effect? I can give it to you for free
None of these rly make the guitar sound rich and “natural”. I would pick none of these cause guitar for $500 dollars would sound the same as guitar for $5000 :/
Showing just one setting with 2 seconds sound demo is not enough for some.
🤘👍🏿
What a waste of money
Yeah,learn to Love the Quack!