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Old 10-22-2011, 09:06 PM
jordans0nly jordans0nly is offline
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Default Want to tell you what happened today..plus questions.

While at church today, I was fooling aroun with my BehrInger DI box and got some good tones from it with my Martin. Now, before I never used the button that cut on the little red light, why not? Not sure. Feedback issues maybe. Well, got that fixed, now it works fine.

So, I put new Martin SP's on my Recording King after practice at church. The Martin has the JJB Artist Prestige in it and the RK has an LR Baggs Element active. Not sure why but, after fooling with that DI box, that Element blows that Prestige AWAY!

Everything was so crisp and clear. Now, the question is, could I use the volume and tone controls from the Baggs for the prestige? Or have to get a new Element system in the Martin?
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Old 10-22-2011, 10:49 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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Jordan - if you were a techy-type with electronics, you could probably use those controls... but, if you were, you would not have asked the question the way you did, I'm guessing...

If the volume and tone controls are IN the RK, mounted inside the soundhole, then NO, you can't... it's part of the Baggs system and is probably the reason why it sounds better than the other. Does the JJB Prestige have a battery or phantom power? If not, and the Element system DOES have a battery, that's probably the big difference right there...

Having a battery is an indication of the pick-up having a pre-amplifier built in with it; a pre-amp'd signal is going to be a lot hotter than a passive pick-up, even when run through a DI...

If neither (or both) have a battery, then it's just a case where the Baggs has a higher (hotter signal) output than the JJB...

Hope that helps with your question!

play on.............................................>

John
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Old 10-23-2011, 04:37 AM
jordans0nly jordans0nly is offline
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John, the Element has a battery. Guess I'll have to sell the JJB, lol.
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Old 10-23-2011, 06:16 AM
lschwart lschwart is offline
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What kind of DI box is that Behringer?

Louis
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Old 10-23-2011, 07:25 AM
jordans0nly jordans0nly is offline
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The ADI21.
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Old 10-23-2011, 10:13 AM
lschwart lschwart is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jordans0nly View Post
The ADI21.
And from that into what?

As far as the ADI21 is concerned: How much of the digital mic emulation are you blending into your signal? It may be that you need to take a different approach with the two different pickup types. I've never used one of those units, so I can give you any direct practical advice, but the Element is an undersaddle tranducer and the JJB is a soundboard transducer. They're going to interact with the emulation differently. Also, you should try messing around with different EQ settings on the ADI21 and/or whatever you're plugging into next before your decide to toss out that JJB. Unless it's installed wrong, there's no reason why it shouldn't sound good.

Louis
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Old 10-23-2011, 12:02 PM
jordans0nly jordans0nly is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lschwart View Post
And from that into what?

As far as the ADI21 is concerned: How much of the digital mic emulation are you blending into your signal? It may be that you need to take a different approach with the two different pickup types. I've never used one of those units, so I can give you any direct practical advice, but the Element is an undersaddle tranducer and the JJB is a soundboard transducer. They're going to interact with the emulation differently. Also, you should try messing around with different EQ settings on the ADI21 and/or whatever you're plugging into next before your decide to toss out that JJB. Unless it's installed wrong, there's no reason why it shouldn't sound good.

Louis
It runs into the soundboard. I do know I have to tweak the DI box when going from one to the other. But it's tough to dial it in, during a live setting, switching between the two guitars with different pickups.
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Old 10-23-2011, 12:13 PM
lschwart lschwart is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jordans0nly View Post
It runs into the soundboard. I do know I have to tweak the DI box when going from one to the other. But it's tough to dial it in, during a live setting, switching between the two guitars with different pickups.
If you need to bring both of them to gigs for different purposes, buy two ADI21s and set them up differently. If you like those units, they're only $30. Either that or look into a two channel DI or DI/preamp. That will solve your problem, and after all there's no guarrantee that an Element will sound the same in the Martin as it does in the RK.

Louis
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Old 10-23-2011, 01:21 PM
jordans0nly jordans0nly is offline
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Can you run two acoustics through the LR Baggs Para DI?
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Old 10-23-2011, 04:33 PM
lschwart lschwart is offline
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No. Only one at a time. To run two at the same time you need a two channel DI or DI/preamp, one with separate EQ controls for each channel if you want different settings for each.

Louis
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Old 10-23-2011, 05:08 PM
Rodger Rodger is offline
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Jordan,

I know you asked a question about electronics, but I'm wondering about something else. You mentioned putting new strings on the Recording King. I don't know how old the Martin's strings are, but it might be possible that the new strings contributed to its sounding clearer and crisper. Just a thought.
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Old 10-23-2011, 06:01 PM
jordans0nly jordans0nly is offline
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What are some two channel DI's?
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Old 10-23-2011, 09:09 PM
lschwart lschwart is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jordans0nly View Post
What are some two channel DI's?
Do you want just a DI or do you want a preamp with both DI and other functions like the ADI21? There are several 2 channel preamps out there that will allow you to plug-in both guitars, add whatever gain the signals need, EQ them either individually or together, and then send the signals to the PA through an XLR cable in low impedance and balanced form.

They range from expensive units like the Pendulum SPS-1 to more moderately priced units like the D-Tar Solstice, the Radial PZ Pre, the Headway EDB-1, and the Ultrasound DI Max. And there are others.

If you just want a 2 channel DI box. Most of the companies that make DIs (both active and passive) make 2 channel versions--and in various price ranges. You can find most of the usual suspects on these pages over at Sweetwater:

http://www.sweetwater.com/c957--Direct_Boxes

You should however get some advice from people who have used both of the pickups you've got to see what they use. Since the Element in your RK is active, that would usually go through a passive DI, but if the JJB is passive, that would usually go through an active DI or a preamp, but others with direct experience of these pickups could tell you better what works. In most cases, there's no harm in using an active DI or a preamp with an active pickup system, as long as you're careful to set up your gain structure correctly. You'll probably, from what I've read and heard, find something like the Solstice or the DI Max a perfectly good way to plug-in both guitars. If you like the emulation function of the ADI21, you'll need to look for units that provide that, however. I don't know if there are any that are two channel.

Louis
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Old 10-23-2011, 10:17 PM
jordans0nly jordans0nly is offline
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I like what the Ultrasound DI offers. Looks great to me. I can dial in both acoustics and just leave them be. It's somewhat frustrating to have two great guitars to play live, but to have your DI box hinder you, lol.
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  #15  
Old 10-24-2011, 10:00 AM
jordans0nly jordans0nly is offline
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It seems that I need a two channel DI box with a switchable button between both guitars. Looks like the Radial Tonebone PZ-DI box might be the way to go, but a little expensive, but looks worth it.
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