Acoustic preamp for a magnetic pickup?

[Woody Sound]

Another query from Electronically Challenged. Can you use an on-board acoustic preamp with a magnetic pu on an archtop? (HB or SC?) Would the pu overdrive the preamo too much? Something like this:

[docsteve]

I would in fact recommend using a preamp. Magnetic pickups on acoustic guitars usually output a rather low signal, which should not overload the preamp or distort it. On the other hand, the preamp will probably add that extra that makes the guitar sound good, and acoustic, while plugging a magnetic pick up directly into an app usually just makes it sound like a bad electric guitar.

Just my experience


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[jim777]

In my limited experience, preamps simply add flexibility. I don't know of any archtops with those types of preamps though, but I suppose if you had one, and routed the wiring of a humbucker through it (floating or otherwise), you should get more versatility out of the pickup than you would with just the passive volume and tone controls.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

I would consider something outboard that offers more versatility, e.g.

Palmer POCKET AMP ACOUSTIC | Guitar Amplifiers | Palmer

[John A.]

Another query from Electronically Challenged. Can you use an on-board acoustic preamp with a magnetic pu on an archtop? (HB or SC?) Would the pu overdrive the preamo too much? Something like this:

If you’re talking about installing a preamp designed for an acoustic guitar with a piezoelectric pickup in an archtop that has a regular high impedance magnetic guitar pickup (as opposed to a soundhole pickup for an acoustic guitar), I doubt it would work. The mag pickup has too much output and you’d get a lot of distortion. There would also be an impedance mismatch.

What problem are you looking to b solve?

[Doctor Jeff]

My non-expert thought is that that is similar to the setup of a good acoustic amp like the Fishman Artist.

I happen to have a Fishman ProEq 2, which is noted for being compatible with both piezo and magnetic pickups.

American Express

My understanding is that it’s a very transparent preamp that boosts the signal and helps get rid of unwanted high tones, i.e., piezo quack.

I don’t think it would really add much to a magnetic pickup, unless you have no controls on the guitar or want to boost it a little. Won’t really overdrive per se though.

The ProEq2 comes with a belt clip. I guess another advantage is that if you’re a distance away from your amp or plugged into a sound system you can control the master volume and bass/treble from your instrument. That said, I got mine for a piezo pickup years ago and haven’t used it in a long time.

[Woody Sound]

What problem are you looking to b solve?

No real problem, just want to experiment with the tonal difference. Maybe get a little more acoustic archtop tone.

[Cavalier]

The main thing is that it needs a input gain control. Some preamps label this as sensitivity, this feature will let you use variable output pickups. Once that is dialed in and the EQ adjusted set the final output. The sensitivity will keep you from overdriving the preamp and the volume will keep you from overdriving the amp.

[John A.]

No real problem, just want to experiment with the tonal difference. Maybe get a little more acoustic archtop tone.

Probably not going to happen with a magnetic pickup. It would probably be more fruitful to look into acoustic pickups made for floating bridges. But if you want to play around, an external pre-amp/eq would work better and be much less effort (no guitar mods) than an onboard one.

[Cavalier]

I like the outboard approach but remember it is easy to install a onboard preamp in a box with jacks if you want to test before you cut into a guitar to mount one . Heck you could throw in a bypass switch too for testing, or wire a AB setup.....

[Woody Sound]

I like the outboard approach but remember it is easy to install a onboard preamp in a box with jacks if you want to test before you cut into a guitar to mount one . Heck you could throw in a bypass switch too for testing, or wire a AB setup.....

Yeah I would definitely test out everything first.

I have a note in to Fishman to see what they think.

[sgosnell]

I suspect Fishman will suggest a Fishman pickup.

[docsteve]

I got good results with the Fishman transducer bridge, or whatever it is called. Great acoustic sound through an acoustic amp.


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[RJVB]

Something like this:

I'd avoid those fugly barndoor preamps. For their looks, but the average archtop doesn't need another potential source of buzzes and rattles. Or rather, more potential sources, as every additional wire is one.

I've had a guitar with one of those Fishmans. It buzzed and rattled until I put a few layers of gaffer tape to immobilise the barndoor and I figured out that the spring in the battery compartment that keeps the battery from rattling will cause weird sounds if there's no battery installed.

Built-in preamps have the advantage that you can't forget (just) them, but their dependence on a battery offsets that largely IMHO.

[Woody Sound]

The main thing is that it needs a input gain control. Some preamps label this as sensitivity, this feature will let you use variable output pickups. Once that is dialed in and the EQ adjusted set the final output. The sensitivity will keep you from overdriving the preamp and the volume will keep you from overdriving the amp.

I guess sorta like this?:

[Tom Wright]

Magnetic pickup output is less than typical piezo. There is never a problem going from low to high impedance. Modern electronics are designed to accept the range. My new Quilter Superblock has an input impedance of 1 megohm, and it works fine with my acoustic instrument as well as my electric.

[Woody Sound]

The main thing is that it needs a input gain control. Some preamps label this as sensitivity, this feature will let you use variable output pickups. Once that is dialed in and the EQ adjusted set the final output. The sensitivity will keep you from overdriving the preamp and the volume will keep you from overdriving the amp.

The reply I received from Fishman echoes this exactly.

[John A.]

Magnetic pickup output is less than typical piezo. There is never a problem going from low to high impedance. Modern electronics are designed to accept the range. My new Quilter Superblock has an input impedance of 1 megohm, and it works fine with my acoustic instrument as well as my electric.

No, magnetic pickups typically have much higher output than piezoelectric pickups. Nearly all acoustic instruments that have built-in piezos also have built-in preamps to bring the level up to compensate. When you plug one into an amp, you’re feeding the amp a signal that has already been amplified.

[Cavalier]

I like my LR Baggs pre amp for the features, the gain is blink and you'll miss it tiny, the effects loop and notch filter are handy. The old Barcus Berry is my desert Island preamp, clean simple and unbelievable battery life.

These work great with magnetic pickups too, from old single coil low output up to hot humbucking when you want more control or to tame an output.
For transducers the hottest one is a LR Baggs violin bridge, it is like a hot humbucker and the preamp is to turn it down.
There are a lot of great onboard systems out there, I like the Ovation Op Pro Studio.
Preamps are great for compensating for playing styles to get good signal to noise ratios, light finger style bring it up, heavy pick bring it down.