Radial Tonebone PZ PRE

[drive-south]

Anyone else using one of these preamps?

I bought one years ago, used it a few times, then started playing mostly electric guitar so the PZ PRE has been collecting dust. Lately I've been playing more acoustic, bought a Fishman Loudbox Artist and assembled a pedalboard that includes the PZ PRE, a Boss RV6 reverb, and an Ernie Ball vol pedal. I took time to read the manual for the PZ PRE and now understand the stengths and weaknesses of this preamp.

Strengths - Very full featured. 2 channels can be blended or switch from one source to another by tapping a foot switch. Each input has a booster that can be engaged or disengaged. You engage it for passive sources (K&K), and disengage for active sources.

It also has 3 outputs, 1/4" amp out, pre eq XLR, and post eq XLR.

Weakness- The effects loop is engaged by a foot switch that allows you to select between the loop, a boost function, or both. I'd much prefer an efx loop that is active all the time. I'd like my RV6 and VP to be always on and use the footswitch to boost the signal for solos. The only way to accomplish this is to place them before the preamp. That defeats the dual inputs. The workaround is to place then in the insert of my mixer or the efx loop on my Fishman amp.

[MrErikJ]

I use this preamp and agree with all of your input except that you are mistaken regarding the EFX loop. When you assign the switch to “Boost” that loop is automatically engaged. You can assign the EFX loop to the pedal switch to turn it On and Off but I have that switch assigned to “Boost” and use that to engage volume increases. I have a few pedals in the loop that I leave on all of the time or activate as needed so I don’t see the value in turning the entire loop on or off.

[drive-south]

I think there is 2 versions of the PZ PRE. I have the older version and the loop is only on when engaged via the foot switch. I'll look into it some more but so far this is what I'm dealing with.

[drive-south]

Yes it appears I have version 1 and the efx only work when assigned to the foot switch and turned on. So now I'm thinking of getting a simple clean boost and put it in the loop with my RV6 and VPJr.

Radial eliminated this issue with V2. Seems like V1 had a major oversight on their part.

[lschwart]

Originally Posted by drive-south

Yes it appears I have version 1 and the efx only work when assigned to the foot switch and turned on. So now I'm thinking of getting a simple clean boost and put it in the loop with my RV6 and VPJr.

Radial eliminated this issue with V2. Seems like V1 had a major oversight on their part.

Yes. The original had this limitation. For "always on" effects, if you wanted to switch the boost in and out, you had to put the effects in front of the unit, not in the loop. Or, as you suggest, use a boost pedal in the loop and ignore the onboard one (I used to use a Boss GE-7). I now have the new version, and it has a recessed "Loop On" switch that allows you to choose "always on" for the FX loop, so you can engage or disengage the just the boost.

Even without the new loop switch, the PZ-Pre is a pretty great preamp. The only other drawbacks it has are the size (it takes up a lot of real estate on a pedalboard) and the fact that it needs a 15v power supply. I'd also note that the power supply that came with my new one has a much more robust cable on it. I've never had my old one fail on me (and I still use the old unit and its old supply all the time on one of my pedalboards), but the thin cable made me so nervous that I bought a back up and always carried it with me. The new one looks a lot less likely to fail, but now I have three of those supplies so I don't worry!

Louis

[drive-south]

My PZ PRE is mounted to a Pedaltrain Classic Jr. I mounted a Cioks DC7 under the board and using it to power the PZ PRE as well as the other 9v pedals. Great power supply but not cheap.

[lschwart]

Originally Posted by drive-south

My PZ PRE is mounted to a Pedaltrain Classic Jr. I mounted a Cioks DC7 under the board and using it to power the PZ PRE as well as the other 9v pedals. Great power supply but not cheap.

I know. It's one of very few options out there. I have a Pedal Pad that has a fair amount of space in the under-compartment, so to save the bucks I just velcro-ed in a small power strip and I use the Radial wall wart--and a couple more for two EHX pedals that need more power than my little Gator supply can give (I use the Gator for the rest of the pedals, though, which all have pretty standard 9v needs).

Louis

[MikeBmusic]

Unless you need to use the XLR balanced output, use the 1/4" amp output from the PZ-Pre to your stompboxes, then 1/4" to your mixer/amp. That's the way I have mine set up when it's on the pedalboard - but I never had to do more than a 20' cable run to the mixer.
Does boost > FX sound different than FX > boost? Never tried it out to find out!

And I've used the pedalboard that way for electric guitar too, not for live use, but when recording so that I didn't have to disassemble any stompboxes from it when running to an amp.

[mandowilli]

I also used the Tone Bone for a few years and liked much about it but was always limited by the single eq for both channels.

Another drawback that became the deal breaker for me was the fact that both channels are always sending a signal to the tuner output regardless of which is selected. This is a problem for acoustic instruments not in use but plugged in as they are always picking up ambient noise through the soundhole and transmitting it to the unit, rendering the tuner output useless on stage.

[lschwart]

Originally Posted by mandowilli

I also used the Tone Bone for a few years and liked much about it but was always limited by the single eq for both channels.

Another drawback that became the deal breaker for me was the fact that both channels are always sending a signal to the tuner output regardless of which is selected. This is a problem for acoustic instruments not in use but plugged in as they are always picking up ambient noise through the soundhole and transmitting it to the unit, rendering the tuner output useless on stage.

I've never used the tuner out, so that's never been a problem for me. The single EQ needs a work around, though. I've been able to deal with it by using at least one active pickup system with onboard EQ when ever I've used the pedal for switching between instruments on stage. The onboard EQ allows one to be tweaked satisfactorily working from the base settings on the PZ-Pre. Not ideal, though. For ideal you need to pony up for a Grace Felix.

Louis

[drive-south]

I would have to be gigging a lot as an acoustic musician to consider the Grace Felix at $1000.

If I had all the money I've spent on preamps, I could buy a Felix. Ultrasound PDI, K&K XLR, LR Baggs Para DI, and Radial Tonebone. I still have all but the K&K. For the life of me I cant understand why the K&K XLR doesnt have a mid range control.

[mandowilli]

Originally Posted by lschwart

For ideal you need to pony up for a Grace Felix.

Louis

So true! And that's just what I did.

[MikeBmusic]

Originally Posted by mandowilli

I also used the Tone Bone for a few years and liked much about it but was always limited by the single eq for both channels.

Another drawback that became the deal breaker for me was the fact that both channels are always sending a signal to the tuner output regardless of which is selected. This is a problem for acoustic instruments not in use but plugged in as they are always picking up ambient noise through the soundhole and transmitting it to the unit, rendering the tuner output useless on stage.

I didn't know that about the tuner output, but the easy solution is to put the tuner on your 1/4" amp output circuit.
All my guitars have EQ, so it was easy to set up the PZ-Pre to work for both - mostly dialing out quack and notching a low frequency to prevent feedback.

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by drive-south

I think there is 2 versions of the PZ PRE. I have the older version and the loop is only on when engaged via the foot switch. I'll look into it some more but so far this is what I'm dealing with.

Well, ignore me then! I have the more recent version and couldn't be happier with it.

Ok, actually, I do think they should make up their mind if it's a dual-channel or dual source, preamp. Honestly, 2 EQ sections would be handy for both applications. I'd gladly pay a little extra for that feature as I think it's the ideal preamp otherwise.

[midwinter]

Originally Posted by drive-south

Anyone else using one of these preamps?

I use one for my banjo and mandolin. Works great. EQ points are good for EQing both instruments (same JJB pickup in both). Easy switching between instruments with a footswitch.