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#1
03-15-2015, 07:24 PM
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Preamp recommendations?
I have been using the Lr Baggs M80 in my Martin OM-15 for the past 8 months, and have really been happy with it. But I don't love the way it looks in my soundhole, and honestly the majority of the time I'm playing unplugged or through a mic when I play out.
So I am looking into switching to the less entrusive K&K pure mini. But I understand I will need a good preamp with it to smooth out and enhance the tone. I have heard good things about the Baggs para di, but am really open to anything. My budget is under $200. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help!
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Martin CEO-9 Martin OMC-18e Martin OM-15 Custom Taylor GS-Mini Koa Seagull S6 Folk 
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#2
03-15-2015, 09:18 PM
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Radial PZ-Deluxe
Fire-Eye Red Eye Ultrasound DI-Plus and now I'm blanking. Both the Red-Eye and PZ-Deluxe are fantastic. The PZ-Deluxe gives you more tone-shaping control. And of course, there are also the preamps from K&K.
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#3
03-15-2015, 09:24 PM
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Took a gamble with the sansamp para DI----��. A very versatile piece. It's both a DI and a Sansamp and can be blended between the two. Don't ditch that M80 before you try one. You can color the top of that M80 in with a sharpie.....I hate the cream color too.
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Emerald X7 Warmoth Swamp Ash Tele wi/Glazer B bender Epiphone '58 V w/Lawrence L90s
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#4
03-15-2015, 09:59 PM
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The new generation of preamps from Archangel looks promising. Loving getting to know my X7, but their first units with semi-parametric eq are due in the very near future, including dual-source.
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Grace and peace, Mike https://soundcloud.com/mcshepherd Axe (acoustic): 2013 Gibson J-45 Standard (w/hardware mods) Pickup: BGM Elevation SBT Preamp/DI: Archangel x7 (generation 7) Tube Amp: Peavey Delta Blues 115
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#5
03-15-2015, 10:49 PM
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If you switch to the K&K try it without a preamp first, you may like it. If you feel you need a preamp there are lots of choices and they all work fine, you just need to identify the feature set you need.
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#6
03-16-2015, 01:29 AM
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Preamp recommendations?
I agree with akafloyd, the Pure Mini sounds pretty good as it is, and the signal is hot enough to give a good level at any open mics etc. If you think you may be using it without a preamp I would humbly suggest getting the variant with a sound hole (passive) volume control so you can turn it down/off between tunes.
On the other hand the Pz-deluxe is a fab preamp (I have its big brother) and the eq features are great for dialling in your sound. I've done 4 Pure Mini installs and they all reflected the sound of the instrument with only one needing serious eq tweak when amplified (the OM can sound a little boxy). One of the neat features of the Tonebone preamps (amongst others) is the ability to change the impedance etc on the input (piezo buffer) allowing you to match it better to whatever you have going in. In my case it really warms up the sound and boosts the bass, though in some situations this has to be tamed again - though not as much so that it sounds like the un-buffered setting! And it has tuner out, mute and boost switches and a host of other cool features that are great for giving you control in unfamiliar situations.
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Gibson ES-335 Studio 2016; Furch OM34sr 2015; Fender MiJ Geddy Lee Jazz bass, 2009; Taylor 414CE 2005; Guild D35 NT 1976; Fender MIM Classic 60s Tele 2008; Fender US Standard Strat 1992; G&L ASAT classic hollowbody 2005; Ibanez RG350MDX 2010(?); Ibanez Musician fretless, 1980s; Seymour Duncan Tube 84-40; Vox AC4TV; Ex-pat Brit in Sweden
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#7
03-16-2015, 06:43 AM
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Another happy Red Eye user. I have the Twin model. I've run K&Ks through it with great results.
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2022 Martin D-18 Authentic 1937 VTS 2019 Guild F-512E 2016 Martin D-28 Authentic 1937 VTS 2015 Gibson J-45 Vintage 2007 Gibson SJ-200 True Vintage
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#8
03-16-2015, 07:35 AM
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I have a Red Eye and a Red Eye Twin. I would swear by these with K&K pm. the Twin i use when I blend the K&K pm with a Sunrise mag.
There are also usually used K&K pure preamps on the forum. I bought one recently and am not using it. PM me if you are interested. Also, +1 for the SansAmp. I have the original Acoustic DI and it is excellent with fattening up tone because of the sweepable midrange controls and especially the tube emulation. The Para Driver is the second generation of the Acoustic DI. I happen to like the look of the M80 because it is sort of retro. Many don't. Some have painted it - colored it and done a bunch of cosmetic alterations to change the look. I think it is an excellent mag pickup - second only to the Sunrise., not that there aren't other good ones out there as well though. Just MHO. davidc
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#9
03-16-2015, 09:07 AM
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I recently changed to K&K mini's ...
I've been using a Baggs Para DI, but bought a Red-eye to check it out. I did an A B test with a switcher ... the Red-Eye is indeed warmer and smoother. Not a lot, the Para DI works fine, but you can hear the difference for sure. I was hesitant because of the lack of controls. It works great, sometimes I dial up a little more treble to cut through if I'm playing with other people, but haven't wished it had more knobs than that.
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