best preamp for acoustic guitar

[Vancebo]

Billder99, You bring up a good point. How does dollars effect sound? Answer-It doesn't. But I love the topic...

Simply, if everyone was satisfied with the one guitar they own and they are satisfied whenever and wherever they plug in that guitar than there wouldn't be hundreds of dollars spent on this and everyone would be happy.

There is no formula for price is to tone as apples is to oranges. But what I am guessing most people are after is this: They like the sound of their acoustic guitar. They want that sound to come out of the speaker whenever and where ever they plug in that guitar. If they were truly honest, they eventually come to the realization that acoustic guitars don't sound like acoustic guitars when they are plugged in. They don't get the sound of their guitar "only bigger" that they are hoping for.

There are inherent multiple challenges to amplifying an acoustic guitar. I personally wish I could just plug in anywhere and accept what comes out as good and move on to playing.

Since I have listed I think every preamp I have owned in this thread I think it's fair to say that I wish I would have not spent the hundreds of dollars on all that gear in search of a 'better tone'. None of them totally satisfied my idea of the ideal tone. New products come out and walla, I have got to try it. There really isn't much of a difference in tone between most of them, just features and how it works with the rest of your gear, venues etc. Pick one and stick with it if it makes you happy than forget everything else.

Now, after saying all that, most here, who are SPS-1 owners are probably too modest or humble to admit this: There IS a large difference in everything else and the SPS-1. Hands down. BIG difference. I don't know why it's better, but it is by a large margin.

So, In all fun and games. If my $399 Baggs Venue gave me a nice tone and performed well for me as I plug in each week at church. The tuner was a little iffy but it was a very useful tool for me. Totally happy, no, but I resolved to the fact it would have to do. So did my DTAR Equinox. Good job, nice tone. So did my K4. Etc. They all sounded "acceptable" in one way or another.

One day my wife decided she would let me buy a new guitar at a dent to the family savings. Some time later, we both realized we were both going to get a pay cut and I became uneasy about spending so much on unnecessary things. Instead, I took a fraction of a new guitar and bought a used Pendulum here on the forum, found a used DPA mic, rack tuner and 4 space rack case all for around $1500 total. A lot less than a new hand made guitar. I am in guitar heaven! It was worth every penny! Why? Because I want to hear my great sounding guitar to sound great whenever and wherever I want to plug in. And I am not kidding, it delivers.

So, for nearly 4 times the price, was it worth it? Absolutely, If I knew it was going to be that good I would have bought a new one. But I was skeptical like many here are. I wish I did it years ago too. I will gladly sell off everything else I own too, don't need it. Well, maybe I'll keep something for back up.

I would encourage everyone to save up and buy an SPS-1 if they asked me. But, if that isn't possible, pick the one thing that has the needed features for you to do your thing and stick with it. It's probably not worth trying the new stuff because it's not going to provide large wholesale changes in your tone. It should probably be a feature driven item more than a tone shaping quest at that point.

[ntik]

by all the preamps I've tried, I liked the equinox, sps- 1 I have not tried, The combination of the equinox with solstice, or equinox with radial pz tonebone, could compete sps-1?

[ericcsong]

Originally Posted by Vancebo

Now, after saying all that, most here, who are SPS-1 owners are probably too modest or humble to admit this: There IS a large difference in everything else and the SPS-1. Hands down. BIG difference. I don't know why it's better, but it is by a large margin.

definitely night and day difference with the sps-1.

here are some inside pics of the sps-1 to give you an idea on the quality parts









I tried to talk myself out of it for years. and I think on the surface level, if you play with an sps-1 for a few minutes, you can talk yourself out of it.

For me, I took my DTAR over to a friends house and played with my gear side by side with the sps-1 for a few hours. after spending time with the sps-1, then going straight back to the DTAR, there was a huge night and day difference.

Originally Posted by ntik

by all the preamps I've tried, I liked the equinox, sps- 1 I have not tried, The combination of the equinox with solstice, or equinox with radial pz tonebone, could compete sps-1?

in my opinion, doesn't really come close to the transparency the sps-1 gives you

[arashaw]

Has anyone here done a side by side audio shootout they could post with say sps-1, tone bone, venue, bbe, DTAR, Rane? If not, I'd like to hear one with same guitar/pickup, preamp, direct out to same pa and or speaker, then recorded.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by arashaw

Has anyone here done a side by side audio shootout they could post with say sps-1, tone bone, venue, bbe, DTAR, Rane? If not, I'd like to hear one with same guitar/pickup, preamp, direct out to same pa and or speaker, then recorded.

Very difficult to do without recording different performances which tends to introduce more differences than the preamps. For a good idea of how subtle the differences in tone between preamps can be check out the AB Preamp CD

http://www.mercenary.com/3daudio3dprecd.html

these are recording preamps, but you'll get the idea. There are differences, but they are subtle. *Features* are much easier to demonstrate and understand.

[Vancebo]

Yes, I have compared my Equinox next to the SPS-1. Holy cow, big difference. How would I describe the difference? Hmmm.

Warmer, fatter, more put together, not brittle.
Or like this:
Taking a picture out of focus and comparing it to the same picture in focus.
Or like this:
The difference between a Ford Escort and a Ferrari.
Or like this:
On a scale of one to ten, all other preamps take up the 1 to 5 ratings, maybe 6 if you got something dialed in just right. The SPS-1 is the 10. That much difference.

[bizirk]

Unfortunately some of us have to drive our Ford Escort around town instead of our Ferrari, but we still get there. Some even have the ability to drive the Escort with better driving skills as to get the maximum performance that an Escort is capable of. Some have less driving skills where as the Ferrari makes them appear to be superior drivers. Some great drivers drive Ferrari's, some great drivers drive Escorts. Some great drivers can afford Ferrari's, some great drivers can only afford Escorts.
We all need or at least find appreciation, for our own transportation around town. When each is asked their preferred mode of transportation, we all probably have a preference that suits our needs and pocket book but are no less of a driver. We still get there, dreaming of the day we arrive in a Ferrari, Rolls, Porsche or what ever...but we still get there

[arashaw]

Originally Posted by Vancebo

Yes, I have compared my Equinox next to the SPS-1. Holy cow, big difference. How would I describe the difference? Hmmm.

Warmer, fatter, more put together, not brittle.
Or like this:
Taking a picture out of focus and comparing it to the same picture in focus.
Or like this:
The difference between a Ford Escort and a Ferrari.
Or like this:
On a scale of one to ten, all other preamps take up the 1 to 5 ratings, maybe 6 if you got something dialed in just right. The SPS-1 is the 10. That much difference.

Excellent! Do you have any recordings you can post? I do agree with Doug Young that performance causes some problems with a shootout but I'd still be interested.

"On a scale of one to ten, all other preamps take up the 1 to 5 ratings, maybe 6 if you got something dialed in just right. The SPS-1 is the 10. That much difference."

With this kind of statement maybe performance won't matter as much in a shootout?

Thanks

[sdelsolray]

I've tried over a dozen different acoustic guitar preamps and DIs side my side with the SPS-1. As others have said, it is simply at a level above the others. The closest in sonic quality I found is the Highlander PAMDI and the closest in features is the Rane AP-13. Nothing comes close in both sonics and features.

Of course, its best to check these things out with your own signal chain - guitar, pickup(s), amp and speakers. Recording them direct and replaying the recording through a live signal chain is pretty good too, just be careful to match levels.

[Vancebo]

Originally Posted by bizirk

Unfortunately some of us have to drive our Ford Escort around town instead of our Ferrari, but we still get there. Some even have the ability to drive the Escort with better driving skills as to get the maximum performance that an Escort is capable of. Some have less driving skills where as the Ferrari makes them appear to be superior drivers. Some great drivers drive Ferrari's, some great drivers drive Escorts. Some great drivers can afford Ferrari's, some great drivers can only afford Escorts.
We all need or at least find appreciation, for our own transportation around town. When each is asked their preferred mode of transportation, we all probably have a preference that suits our needs and pocket book but are no less of a driver. We still get there, dreaming of the day we arrive in a Ferrari, Rolls, Porsche or what ever...but we still get there

Bizirk, Love it!

[Rick Shepherd]

The question was: What is the best acoustic guitar preamp? The answer is, the SPS-1. People generally drive what they can afford. It is a good idea to strive to be a good driver of whatever preamp you have and get the best performance out of it.

[arashaw]

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

I've tried over a dozen different acoustic guitar preamps and DIs side my side with the SPS-1. As others have said, it is simply at a level above the others. The closest in sonic quality I found is the Highlander PAMDI and the closest in features is the Rane AP-13. Nothing comes close in both sonics and features.

Of course, its best to check these things out with your own signal chain - guitar, pickup(s), amp and speakers. Recording them direct and replaying the recording through a live signal chain is pretty good too, just be careful to match levels.

Do you have any recordings of SPS-1 and or PAMDI? On just a sonic level (not features) I'm interested to hear the difference.

[ntik]

nice, sps- 1 is the best preamp, but is too expensive, if you go into something more cheap, what would you prefer after sps-1?

[Vancebo]

I guess the point I am making is that if I took all the money I spent on purchasing all of the other preamps alone, I would have had enough to by a SPS-1. If people are looking for the best tone they can achieve they should a) save their money long enough and buy an SPS-1 and be done with it. or b) pick one of the many other preamps out their based on the features they need and then still be done with it. For me, I learned that the "next thing" didn't ever really satisfy my ear. It is a fault of mine I guess.

The reason I never bought an SPS-1 was because I couldn't believe it was that much better and it couldn't possibly be worth the money. People on this forum always said it was good but I just couldn't believe it enough to justify it. People want to know how much better. Well, that's a hard question to answer. It's a quirky thing of mine to attempt to make a descriptive answer. Let me explain:

Warning: You can just skip this next part if you want to.

For 22 years, I have been a band director. So, by nature, evaluating the tone of many different acoustic instruments has been part of my job. Participating in and judging band contests are a part of my experience besides just the daily work. In contests, scores are derived from various musical categories, one of them being "Quality of Sound". There are inherent developmental hurdles to overcome when working with young musicians. The practice and process of identifying and working through those issues has probably caused me to have a more discerning ear than most. It's a curse really. For example, I can't enjoy a concert/performance if it's a bad sound. I'm always analyzing it and critiquing...I mean everything. So, when I started playing guitar, then decided to start plugging in so others could here me play, there began a journey than didn't necessarily yield results the more money I threw at it. I believe an amplified acoustic guitar has it's own unique challenges that other instrumentalists do not have to deal with. A plugged in acoustic guitar doesn't sound like an acoustic guitar. It's simply a close facsimile and that's not the sound I want to hear. I want to hear my guitar.

I know there are many here that seem to be desiring the same thing. They want to hear their guitar but only louder. People seem to be making lots of efforts toward that end and some are coming close enough to a magical combination that they finally say "I think I've got it". Then the rest of us pounce on it and want to know the magical cure. Kind of like fad diets. So 2 months ago, I took the plunge and found the cure and now I want to share my results with all of you.

No, I don't have recordings of the SPS-1 to compare to any of the other preamps in my closet.

The second best preamp? Depends on the specific features you need. You can always dial in a more than acceptable sound with almost any of them.

If you want a floor pedal with a built in tuner the Baggs Venue is great but the tuner is a little iffy. I still had to use my ear instead of my eyes sometimes. Has a cool solo boost switch.

The best tone shaping capabilites was the DTAR Equinox. It has a fully parametric EQ and two notch filters. I had it mounted on a mic stand. I liked adding the Mama Bear to it when I was running just a UST only.

The K4 had similar features to the DTAR and was a very warm sound with the best bottom end.

Owned a Rane AP13 many years ago but didn't know how to use it. Owned a couple of Raven Labs products that were good but again were hampered I think by the user. All these not being made anymore.

[Vancebo]

Ericsong, I haven't opened up the SPS-1 but I have opened the Equinox. I really don't know what I am looking at to know the difference between the two. Who can explain whats in the pictures above?

I thought it was really "Magic". At least that's what Greg says about his preamp module.