DI or effects pedal for Nylon string guitar??

[michael76]

Hello, I play a Takamine TH90 electro-nylon guitar and I want to add some effects/tone shaping when playing live.The guitar has the CTP1 preamp built in with a fairly nice tone but not as much natural as I like when connected into a PA.I've read about several DI's ,effects pedals(e.x Zoom A3,Zoom MS-70CDR),multi-effect processors but I really don't know where to start.I have a limited budget of about $200 so can you suggest any unit that works well with nylon strings for a start?I really want to be able to control EQ,dynamics,and some effects(reverb,delay,chorus) on my own instead of any other sound guy.Thanks a lot!

[Kip Carter]

My l r baggs Venue does an outstanding job with my nylon string guitar plugged in.

[michael76]

This is far too pricey.Any other suggestions for a good DI working nicely with nylon guitars??

[lschwart]

Say more about what you're trying to accomplish. Strictly speaking, you don't need a DI with that pickup system, since it has a preamp already inside it in the guitar. Any effect pedal or multi-effect unit will work for reverb, delay, or chorus. TC Electronics makes some good and not very expensive ones. The Zoom Multistomp 70 CDR would give you lots of choices for delay, reverb, and chorus. If what you're looking for is more EQ control there are lots of choices for that as well.

Louis

[michael76]

I thought a good DI is very important part of a guitarist's gear.If not then maybe an effect pedal will cover me.But then what is all that fuss about acoustic DI's such as L.R Baggs e.t.c many people are talking about?
I need some good effects and more natural tone when plugged in a PA.

[Kip Carter]

A DI is needed if the house input is xlr. That’s the main reason you want a DI.

Some venues will provide a DI you can plug your 1/4” feed into and some will not.

Always a nice thing to have in your guitarsonal!

[lschwart]

Originally Posted by michael76

I thought a good DI is very important part of a guitarist's gear.If not then maybe an effect pedal will cover me.But then what is all that fuss about acoustic DI's such as L.R Baggs e.t.c many people are talking about?
I need some good effects and more natural tone when plugged in a PA.

A couple of things are worth clarifying for yourself. A DI box (active or passive) is a device that does three things. It lowers the impedance of a signal, it steps the signal down to "mic level," and it balances the signal. These things allow you to use a balanced XLR cable to plug into a mic input on a mixer. That's an advantage if 1) your cable run is long, and/or 2) your pickup is a passive piezo. Balanced cables can go a very long way without losing signal or picking up noise. Passive pickups have very high impedance signals and have to go into inputs that have even higher input impedance (the usual recommendation is 10x higher). Mic inputs on a mixer have very low impedance and they expect the level of the signals coming in to be quite low (they offer a lot of gain to bring them up, and they can be easily overloaded by a stronger signal). Even the 1/4" line-level inputs on a mixer, even though they have higher impedances than the mic inputs, are still usually too low for a passive piezo pickup signal.

So: in your case, the first two things a DI does are already done for you by the preamp in your guitar. A DI would only be necessary if you have a very long cable run to the mixer. Otherwise the strong, preamped signal from your guitar's pickup system should do fine going a moderate distance into the line input on a mixer channel. If you're getting noise or if you have to go a long way, a DI box will let you use a mic cable and go into the XLR input.

Units like the L.R. Baggs "Venue DI" or the older "Para Acoustic DI" are not, strictly speaking, DI boxes. They are elaborate preamps, big versions of the box inside your guitar. They are called "DI's" by manufacturers because in addition to their preamp, EQ, and other functions, they include a DI output that sends a balanced version of your signal if you need to go into a mic input on a mixer. These units have some advantages even for players whose guitars send already preamped signals. They offer more elaborate and better quality EQ options than most onboard systems, they include effects loops, boost switches, mute switches, various signal routing options. Some have tuners, some offer compression or digital signal imaging, etc. These things might help you achieve a better sound; they might not. It depends on what problems you're trying to solve, which is why I asked you to say more about what you don't like about the sound you're getting from your Tak into the PA.

I hope that's helpful.

Louis

[ManyMartinMan]

Originally Posted by lschwart

A couple of things are worth clarifying for yourself. A DI box (active or passive) is a device that does three things. ..

Well said. Therefore, if it's effects you want, get a multi-effects stomp box. I've never played anywhere in over 30 years and never needed a DI box more than effects. Later when funds are available again, and you need a DI box then you can get one.

[michael76]

Thanks you guys for the clarification.I think I need an effects stompbox indeed.Basically I want to be able to add effects on the fly and have my sound settings stored so I can use them in any place I play.What do you think about Zoom MS-70CDR?Any other similar pedal?

[lschwart]

Originally Posted by michael76

Thanks you guys for the clarification.I think I need an effects stompbox indeed.Basically I want to be able to add effects on the fly and have my sound settings stored so I can use them in any place I play.What do you think about Zoom MS-70CDR?Any other similar pedal?

That Zoom is a good choice. Lots of delay, chorus, and reverb choices, which is mostly what you would use for acoustic guitar. I have the MS 50 and it's more aimed at an electric guitarist, with lots of overdrives, distortions, fuzzes, and amp models that don't work very easily with acoustic guitars. As you begin to get used to using effects and figure out what you really like, you may want to move to creating a small pedal board with a set of dedicated pedals that you particularly like, but the MS-70CDR is a good place to start if you want to spend some time trying out a lot of different effects. It will let you store presents and combine various effects in whatever order you like, etc. Each one has lots of tweak-ability, too. Easy to get lost going down a sort of effects rabbit hole, but you'll learn a lot!

Zoom also makes a very richly features preamp unit for acoustic players called the A3 that includes a similar array of effects, plus a digital effect that's designed to mimic the natural acoustic resonance of an acoustic guitar. It also has elaborate EQ and an input for a mic for blending-in with your pickup signal. DI out, too, in case you need it for a long cable run, etc.

Louis

[lpa53]

Michael Johnson, who played nylon almost exclusively, used the tried and true LR Baggs Para-Acoustic D.I. I heard him in concert with it three times and it sounded great. Of course, he had a great guitar and was a masterful player.

His gear was as follows:

Guitar: Kohno classical model “Professional – R” (1991)
Pickup: Baggs LB-6-X
D.I.: LR Baggs Para-Acoustic D.I.
Strings: D'Addario LP Composites Normal Tension, with a Savarez Alliance High Tension (Blue Card) for the third string.