RARE EARTH VS NEO D + PREAMP?

[Snatch28]

I'm totally new with acoustic amplification, I'm undecided with this two options, all in one Rare Earth to start without a preamp (maybe one in the future, but not right now) or a passive pick up, most likely the Neo D HB with the Fishman platinum stage .
What would be the best starting point?
Is the Neo D HB the same of the Rare Earth HB without the preamp ?

[Sadie-f]

It's a single coil magnetic pickup, why would it need a pre-amp? I'm surprised their humbucker comes with a preamp -- again if it's a magnetic pickup, this is what guitar amplifiers are expecting to see.

[Snatch28]

Originally Posted by Sadie-f

It's a single coil magnetic pickup, why would it need a pre-amp? I'm surprised their humbucker comes with a preamp -- again if it's a magnetic pickup, this is what guitar amplifiers are expecting to see.

The models i'm talking about are both humbuckers not single coils, and the neo D is passive and for what I read if you go into a a pa system they may be too quiet.

[lkingston]

With a magnetic pickup on steel strings, both the string cores and the windings are magnetic and are captured by the pickup. This makes for a robust level with a god string to sting balance.

With acoustic strings, the bronze or 80/20 alloy windings are not magnetic. Only the steel cores are. Thus there is a lot less output from the wound strings, especially the wound G string, which has the skinniest core.

Different companies solve this problem different ways.

Some cheaper soundhole pickups don’t bother. Even string to string balance matters less if you are just strumming.

The LR Baggs M1 and M80 let you adjust the height of the pole pieces. They also let you swap out pole pieces with ones of different length (or leave them out entirely on louder strings. My experience as a jazzy finger picker was that this would get you closer, but not all the way to even string to string balance.

The Schertler AG6 has individual magnetic pickups for each of the six strings. Then there at seven class A preamps (the seventh is for the mic). This gives you even string to string balance and a robust final output level. This is what I use in my Martin.

[Snatch28]

Originally Posted by lkingston

With a magnetic pickup on steel strings, both the string cores and the windings are magnetic and are captured by the pickup. This makes for a robust level with a god string to sting balance.

With acoustic strings, the bronze or 80/20 alloy windings are not magnetic. Only the steel cores are. Thus there is a lot less output from the wound strings, especially the wound G string, which has the skinniest core.

Different companies solve this problem different ways.

Some cheaper soundhole pickups don’t bother. Even string to string balance matters less if you are just strumming.

The LR Baggs M1 and M80 let you adjust the height of the pole pieces. They also let you swap out pole pieces with ones of different length (or leave them out entirely on louder strings. My experience as a jazzy finger picker was that this would get you closer, but not all the way to even string to string balance.

The Schertler AG6 has individual magnetic pickups for each of the six strings. Then there at seven class A preamps (the seventh is for the mic). This gives you even string to string balance and a robust final output level.

Thanks, I wouldn't go that far yet...I'm pretty new in the acoustic world as a guitar player and not that experience player in general , I'd like to start reasonably simple and take it from there

[darkwave]

Hello - I can't tell you definitively if you NEED an external preamp, but I can share some comparisons that are relevant. I have three different guitars that have three pickups of interest here:

2003 Guild JF30-12 with a Fishman Active Matrix Undersaddle Piezo

This one is here for comparison, as it is likely to be a common scenario to run into when plugging into a PA (active on-board piezo). This one has no controls and is driven by a 9v battery at the neck block.
It is easily the loudest and brightest one of these three. It is a 12-string, don't know if that matters, and it is using pretty dead phosphor bronze set .010-.047.

1977 Gibson MK-35 with a Fishman Active Rare Earth Humbucker

Output is notably lower than the undersaddle. It sounds smooth and pretty natural, and is driven by two button cell batteries loaded into the bottom of the pickup (3v total - I don't believe there is a passive version). I have the pickup as close as it can be to the strings without fretting out at the highest fret, and am currently using an EB AluminumBronze set .012-.053.

2005 Rogue Biscuit Resonator with a Fishman Passive Neo-D humbucker through a Fishman Powerchip onboard blender

This is by far the lowest output of the three. With settings that made the Matrix awkwardly loud I wasn't even sure if the Neo-D was connected. It is worth noting that the Powerchip is active (uses a 9v battery) but is designed to keep the magnetic signal unbuffered, so this should be a reasonable comparison for your needs. This guitar has phosphor bronze strings at .011-.052.

Worth noting is that all three configurations were significantly different, so it is hard to directly compare tone, but I did get reasonable string to string balance in each though none offered individual adjustment. I say this as a user who isn't militant about balance, but I do adjust all my electrics to have even string output and got rid of a floating pickup on an archtop because I couldn't handle how poorly balanced it was (no screws to adjust on that one).