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Old 06-16-2010, 06:33 PM
devonj devonj is offline
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Join Date: May 2010
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Default modding question

hello again all,
how much work would be involved in adding a preamp to an existing magnetic pickup?
don't so much want want an eq panel, just wanna give some oomph to my existing sound.


thanks
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Old 06-18-2010, 11:02 AM
Bob V Bob V is offline
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It's pretty easy to add a preamp to an existing pickup, or to upgrade to a new system where the components are made for each other. It starts to open up the possibilities of going into the board or house PA via a passive direct box without an outboard preamp. A few things to think about:

Do you already have an endpin jack or is the magnetic pickup just a soundhole clip-in with it's own wire running down the outside of the guitar? If you don't have an endpin jack, then you'll have to ream or plug and re-drill the endpin hole to accommodate a jack. Most preamp systems will mount there anyway, inside the guitar on the endpin block.

Do you want onboard controls? If so, where do you want them? Soundhole-accessible wheels to adjust volume and tone are nice but they can sometimes be visible from the front, and they might be in the way of a soundhole pickup, or the stealthy ones might be hard to reach (for instance the bracing on my Guild D30 makes it hard to put the knobs right up against the edge of the soundhole, so you have to dig under the top aways before you can twiddle the wheels). Personally I hate a dashboard on the side of the guitar, but some have digital displays and tuners built in. The little mushroom buttons that Taylor uses on the shoulder are growing on me.

Do you see yourself upgrading to a dual-sound system with a pickup (magnetic or soundboard orundersaddle) blended in with a microphone? Would you be just as happy with a belt-clip preamp unit hanging on your guitar strap that's got a few more bells and whistles like bass/mid/treble EQ? Or a stomp-box type unit that's maybe even got some effects on it? Sky's the limit. As you start to read up at LR Baggs or Fishman or Mi-Si you'll get an idea of all the possibilities so you can pick what's right for your rig and budget.

Then again, a unity gain buffer in a stomp box would do the trick, too.
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