First video using Dimarzio Black Angel

[VinceM]

Hi all,

A while back I was asking about pickups with a mini-jack interface like the passive Baggs M1, which I was looking to replace. It was pretty clear that the Black Angel was the main candidate. Thanks for all the responses and discussion on this! Especially to meb, who was particularly helpful.

Well, I did indeed purchase this pickup and finally got around to recording another video with this set up. I'm pretty happy with how it sounds. I do think it is somewhat of a "lateral" move sound wise relative to the M1, although the midrange seems less annoying. However, I still need to scoop it about the same.

What I really like though is that it has precut soft foam included so my soundhole is protected. It was annoying to me that Baggs didn't include anything - they just say to go buy some cork from a craft store and cut it out. Well I tried that but it is hard to cut that shape and the cork just falls out and breaks apart when you take the pickup off. I guess I'm not a very DIY type.

So anyway, here is my video! Hope y'all like it. The sound was recorded direct and I blended in the Dean Markley Artist transducer at about 50/50. This stick on transducer is a nice cheap way to get a blended sound. Live I just use the mag by itself.

[Stringmaster]

Sounds great—as does your playing!

[4-string]

+1.

Sounds great. [emoji1303]

[jricc]

Very nice sound, very nice playing. What kind of reverb you are using? Very atmospheric...

[VinceM]

Thanks Stringmaster, 4-string, and jricc! Glad you liked.

I'm recording direct to a TASCAM DP24. The reverb is coming from that unit. It's pretty nice and natural. I think it is the hall reverb. Also for full disclosure I also used a smidge of the DP24's "Exciter" effect on both pickups. It seemed to bring some clarity to the midrange that was nice. You have to be careful not to use too much though.

[geewhiz]

Very nice Vince! It almost sounds a bit Pat Metheny-ish (which is intended as a high complement!).

That pickup sounds good too. In the past I tried the Baggs M1 and M1a and neither sounded as natural as your Dimarzio.

[MaurysMusic]

Very nice - tone AND performance. 👍👍

[VinceM]

Originally Posted by geewhiz

Very nice Vince! It almost sounds a bit Pat Metheny-ish (which is intended as a high complement!).

That pickup sounds good too. In the past I tried the Baggs M1 and M1a and neither sounded as natural as your Dimarzio.

Wow thanks!! I take that as the highest compliment!! I'm a huge Metheny fan. His acoustic playing - his steel string fingerstyle in particular - really hit the mark with me.

And yes, the Black Angel is a really nice balanced mag pickup - and it's not too pricey either. I like that it's passive because I already have outboard gear that works well.

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by VinceM

Hi all,

A while back I was asking about pickups with a mini-jack interface like the passive Baggs M1, which I was looking to replace. It was pretty clear that the Black Angel was the main candidate. Thanks for all the responses and discussion on this! Especially to meb, who was particularly helpful.

Well, I did indeed purchase this pickup and finally got around to recording another video with this set up. I'm pretty happy with how it sounds. I do think it is somewhat of a "lateral" move sound wise relative to the M1, although the midrange seems less annoying. However, I still need to scoop it about the same.

What I really like though is that it has precut soft foam included so my soundhole is protected. It was annoying to me that Baggs didn't include anything - they just say to go buy some cork from a craft store and cut it out. Well I tried that but it is hard to cut that shape and the cork just falls out and breaks apart when you take the pickup off. I guess I'm not a very DIY type.

So anyway, here is my video! Hope y'all like it. The sound was recorded direct and I blended in the Dean Markley Artist transducer at about 50/50. This stick on transducer is a nice cheap way to get a blended sound. Live I just use the mag by itself.

This sounds great! I use the Fishman Rare Earth Blend but I always consider trying a passive dual source setup, like the Black Angel/Sunrise/or Blackstack with a SBT of some sort. I’m hesitant to tear anything out right now to start over but, in my opinion, that was the best dual source demo I’ve listened to of the Black Angel. Great work.

[VinceM]

Originally Posted by MrErikJ

This sounds great! I use the Fishman Rare Earth Blend but I always consider trying a passive dual source setup, like the Black Angel/Sunrise/or Blackstack with a SBT of some sort. I’m hesitant to tear anything out right now to start over but, in my opinion, that was the best dual source demo I’ve listened to of the Black Angel. Great work.

Thanks! It is interesting with this simple dual source (or any dual source I suppose) - each pickup kind of makes up for the weaknesses of the other, and you end up perceiving the strengths of each pickup. So the final result seems greater then the sum of the parts, if that makes any sense. Each pickup by itself doesn't sound all that great, but combining gets rid of the quirks and reveals a much more natural sound.

I would be interested in trying the Black Angel "Piezo" that goes under the bridgeplate - the DiMarzio demos on that sound pretty nice. Then I would be able to use this type of dual source in a live situation.

The Fishman Rare Earth Blend seems like a great solution though for the same reasons I described above. I've always been curious about trying these. Especially since you can separate the mag and mic and eq and blend them externally. And it's just one thing in your guitar. Are you not satisfied with its sound? Have you tried separating the signals like this?

Vince

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by VinceM

Thanks! It is interesting with this simple dual source (or any dual source I suppose) - each pickup kind of makes up for the weaknesses of the other, and you end up perceiving the strengths of each pickup. So the final result seems greater then the sum of the parts, if that makes any sense. Each pickup by itself doesn't sound all that great, but combining gets rid of the quirks and reveals a much more natural sound.

I would be interested in trying the Black Angel "Piezo" that goes under the bridgeplate - the DiMarzio demos on that sound pretty nice. Then I would be able to use this type of dual source in a live situation.

The Fishman Rare Earth Blend seems like a great solution though for the same reasons I described above. I've always been curious about trying these. Especially since you can separate the mag and mic and eq and blend them externally. And it's just one thing in your guitar. Are you not satisfied with its sound? Have you tried separating the signals like this?

Vince

Yes, combining two sources and EQing each to its strengths is, in my opinion, still better than any single source option, including IR technology.

I haven’t been able to find much info or sound sample of the Black Angel piezo but I definitely like the idea. The few clips I’ve heard didn’t wow me but I was more disappointed in its price and that it doesn’t come in a set with the magnetic.

Re: the Rare Earth Blend, it’s really REALLY hard to beat. It sounds very nice, is very small & discrete, buffered with a small preamp (but not an overly hot signal), the mic has a built in hi-pass filter, and it can operate in a mono blend or stereo if a TRS cable is used. It is truly a remarkably engineered pickup.

THAT SAID...the Rare Earth mag is good but not exceptional and I’m not entirely convinced the internal mic is superior to a good SBT. The mic enhances the treble of the pickup but it doesn’t really have “body” either and it would benefit from even just a single piezo SBT. I’ve considered installing a K&K or the Fishman SBT-E to add that element to the tone but haven’t done so. Probably because the sound is more than good enough even if it isn’t “perfect.” That’s why I’m drawn to the Black Angel mag & piezo or have considered the Fishman Blackstack with a SBT.

[guitaniac]

MrEricJ, The reason for the active Rare Earth's relatively low output is the 3v power supply. That limits the amount of gain which can be used, as compared to pickup systems with a 9v power supply.

I have to admit, mag pickups continue to fascinate me, despite the fact that I've tried and rejected half a dozen popular models. Many good fingerstyle players tend to favor mags, and I myself have quite enjoyed using a mag/mic combo for fingerstyle. It just didn't please me as much for strumming.

I've never been sure as to exactly why mag pickups are so popular with fingerstyle players, but perhaps it has to do with touch response or extended sustain. I've also heard that mag pickups tend to be more compatible with the use of heavy effects. Thinking back on it, the heavy EFX users which I can recall often employed mag pickups.

Although I've already got more guitars and gear than I need, I'm once again getting the itch to experiment with a mag pickup. It will be a Black Angel this time, thanks to this thread and all the additional appreciation which the Black Angel has been getting recently on the forum.

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by guitaniac

MrEricJ, The reason for the active Rare Earth's relatively low output is the 3v power supply. That limits the amount of gain which can be used, as compared to pickup systems with a 9v power supply.

I have to admit, mag pickups continue to fascinate me, despite the fact that I've tried and rejected half a dozen popular models. Many good fingerstyle players tend to favor mags, and I myself have quite enjoyed using a mag/mic combo for fingerstyle. It just didn't please me as much for strumming.

I've never been sure as to exactly why mag pickups are so popular with fingerstyle players, but perhaps it has to do with touch response or extended sustain. I've also heard that mag pickups tend to be more compatible with the use of heavy effects. Thinking back on it, the heavy EFX users which I can recall often employed mag pickups.

Although I've already got more guitars and gear than I need, I'm once again getting the itch to experiment with a mag pickup. It will be a Black Angel this time, thanks to this thread and all the additional appreciation which the Black Angel has been getting recently on the forum.

Yeah, I’m aware that the RE Blend’s output is low because of its 3v power source but I don’t particularly mind. It’s nice to have a buffered signal that doesn’t make your outboard preamp tremble in fear

I got the impression fingerstyle guitarists like mags as they offer a dependable string tone and low end, much like USTs, but without the tendency to distort due to uneven and exponential frequency peaks. They also respond less quickly than a UST, which is somewhat befuddling in the speed it responds. I’ve also heard that mags capture harmonics better than piezos, which I’m sure is possible. USTs definitely have more acoustic texture but mags seem more manageable, and don’t complete overshadow a mic or SBT when configured in a dual source setup.

I think the RE Blend is really impressive and I have no NEED to change but I’m also kinda smitten with nice mags and have yet to try a Sunrise, BA, or Blackstack and how do I know if those aren’t my true loves if I don’t give them a go?

[meb]

Hello Vince, I am a little late to this thread, but I have been super busy
the last day or two. First of all, I really enjoyed you playing and your tune !!

I am glad you are enjoying the BA. Your combo sounds good. As we
discussed, I think the BA is a great workhorse pickup....and with the
phase switch, it is easy to dial in a second pickup. The semi-universal
minijack makes it compatible with other pickup harnesses.

MrErikJ---I want(ed) to sample the RE Blend but never did when I found it had
a very low output. If you ever try a BA or Blackstack or Sunrise, let us
know your impressions. I have all those on hand.

There was another thread I need to find and post my impressions of the 3
since I finally picked up a Blackstack..

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by meb

Hello Vince, I am a little late to this thread, but I have been super busy
the last day or two. First of all, I really enjoyed you playing and your tune !!

I am glad you are enjoying the BA. Your combo sounds good. As we
discussed, I think the BA is a great workhorse pickup....and with the
phase switch, it is easy to dial in a second pickup. The semi-universal
minijack makes it compatible with other pickup harnesses.

MrErikJ---I want(ed) to sample the RE Blend but never did when I found it had
a very low output. If you ever try a BA or Blackstack or Sunrise, let us
know your impressions. I have all those on hand.

There was another thread I need to find and post my impressions of the 3
since I finally picked up a Blackstack..

Yeah, the Blend isn’t very hot but if you’re going into a preamp or acoustic amp, it’s more than enough. Please give me your thoughts on the Blackstack when compared to the competition!