DiMarzio Black Angel

[VinceM]

Wow that's great to hear MrEricJ! That's some high praise comparing it to k&k. I wonder why it seems to fly under the radar. Sounds like it is indeed a great match for the Black Angel mag in a dual source setup, as they advertise it. It is strange as you mentioned that they don't offer it as a set.

Thanks for taking the plunge on these pickups!

[guitaniac]

Thanks for the follow-up report, MrEricJ. Its especially interesting to learn that the DiMarzio SBT is a worthy SBT option. I don't recall reading any other reports on that pickup here on the AGF.

[MrErikJ]

It's odd that that the Black Angel Piezo doesn't have more reviews as almost all the endorsing artist are using it in combination with the mag, but Dimarzio seems more focused on marketing the soundhole pickup. Personally, I was very impressed with its quality and found it cleaner than the K&K w/better highs. It also detects body taps and resonances so it has a little bit of dimension to the tone.

Of course, I'm running these through the Pendulum and that thing can make anything sound great. I scoop the midrange on the piezo slightly, with a wide Q, centered at 700hz. That pulls out any mud and then I notch 60hz out and boost the treble with a widish Q around 10khz. I've been supremely impressed with the Dimarzio Black Angel products and I can't imagine a more powerful preamp than the Pendulum.

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by MrErikJ

It's odd that that the Black Angel Piezo doesn't have more reviews as almost all the endorsing artist are using it in combination with the mag, but Dimarzio seems more focused on marketing the soundhole pickup. Personally, I was very impressed with its quality and found it cleaner than the K&K w/better highs. It also detects body taps and resonances so it has a little bit of dimension to the tone.

Of course, I'm running these through the Pendulum and that thing can make anything sound great. I scoop the midrange on the piezo slightly, with a wide Q, centered at 700hz. That pulls out any mud and then I notch 60hz out and boost the treble with a widish Q around 10khz. I've been supremely impressed with the Dimarzio Black Angel products and I can't imagine a more powerful preamp than the Pendulum.

My little ADI 21 doesn't have any calibration on the sweepable mid control, but I'd guess that my modest mid cut is also around 700Hz.

One thing which sets the Black Angel apart (from other mags) for me is that I really enjoy strumming with it. Its articulate enough to follow the fastest strumming. I doubt that I'll even need to add a second source for the quick setup stuff like open mics and showcases. I recently tried it solo at the weekly open mic which I host The recorded results were quite pleasing for my taste.
https://youtu.be/xNwTTgpBx-Y

I currently have a Zoom A1 Four on order and I'm curious to try that preamp with the Black Angel. When listening to Zoom A3 sound samples (before purchasing that preamp) I noticed that the Zoom guitar modeling seemed to be most helpful with mag pickups. And of course, the A1 Four also has extensive EQ options available.

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by guitaniac

My little ADI 21 doesn't have any calibration on the sweepable mid control, but I'd guess that my modest mid cut is also around 700Hz.

One thing which sets the Black Angel apart (from other mags) for me is that I really enjoy strumming with it. Its articulate enough to follow the fastest strumming. I doubt that I'll even need to add a second source for the quick setup stuff like open mics and showcases. I recently tried it solo at the weekly open mic which I host The recorded results were quite pleasing for my taste.
https://youtu.be/xNwTTgpBx-Y

I currently have a Zoom A1 Four on order and I'm curious to try that preamp with the Black Angel. When listening to Zoom A3 sound samples (before purchasing that preamp) I noticed that the Zoom guitar modeling seemed to be most helpful with mag pickups. And of course, the A1 Four also has extensive EQ options available.

Yeah, I would've been pretty happy with the BA mag on its own. Through my headphones, it has a nice, crisp, sound that is convincingly acoustic and that's enhanced when blended with the SBT. I don't find it to have that big bass people look for in mags like the Sunrise but it does have a stability and harmonic detail to its tone that makes it a great single source or blended source.

[amsmarle]

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

Just received it tonight after picking it up on sale. I played around with it a bit tonight through the JBL Eon One Compact. All I can say is that it is a fabulous pickup. I'm really considering picking up a second one and selling my Rare Earth Blend. I was really surprised at just how good it is!

Hi there, BoneDigger, how are you getting on with the 'Black Angel' are you seriously considering it over the Rare E B. I'm asking because I am playing a rare E Blend through a Fishman Aura Spectrum (a tad low on volume) and although I think it is OK I'm not exactly 100% with the sound. I have an Epiphone EF 500RCCE and sometimes use the built in Nanoflex piezo in that which is not so bad combined with the rare EB. But after reading you guys on the AGF I maybe might consider a Rare EB change out too.. is it the DiMarzio Black Angel DP234 that you are talking about..?

Best Regards
Alan

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by amsmarle

Hi there, BoneDigger, how are you getting on with the 'Black Angel' are you seriously considering it over the Rare E B. I'm asking because I am playing a rare E Blend through a Fishman Aura Spectrum (a tad low on volume) and although I think it is OK I'm not exactly 100% with the sound. I have an Epiphone EF 500RCCE and sometimes use the built in Nanoflex piezo in that which is not so bad combined with the rare EB. But after reading you guys on the AGF I maybe might consider a Rare EB change out too.. is it the DiMarzio Black Angel DP234 that you are talking about..?

Best Regards
Alan

Yes, that's the Black Angel pickup being discussed. I can't comment on how it compares to the Rare Earth Blend, but I can tell you why your output is low. The REB has a lower output than other active pickups because it runs on a 3v battery (as opposed to a 9v battery for most active systems). The Aura Spectrum only has a 2db maximum gain, so it can't boost the signal very much.

MrEricJ, who is still recently active in this thread, also is an REB user. You may want to ask him how the REB and Black Angel compare. If you happen to end up getting a passive Black Angel pickup, be advised that you'll need a preamp with plenty of gain to get the signal up to line level. The Aura Spectrum won't do a very good job of that. It was primarily designed to compliment active UST systems.

[amsmarle]

Originally Posted by guitaniac

Yes, that's the Black Angel pickup being discussed. I can't comment on how it compares to the Rare Earth Blend, but I can tell you why your output is low. The REB has a lower output than other active pickups because it runs on a 3v battery (as opposed to a 9v battery for most active systems). The Aura Spectrum only has a 2db maximum gain, so it can't boost the signal very much.

MrEricJ, who is still recently active in this thread, also is an REB user. You may want to ask him how the REB and Black Angel compare. If you happen to end up getting a passive Black Angel pickup, be advised that you'll need a preamp with plenty of gain to get the signal up to line level. The Aura Spectrum won't do a very good job of that. It was primarily designed to compliment active UST systems.

guitaniac, Thank you very much for you helpful comments.

I wonder if MrEric can offer me some advice on the REB & Black Angel in terms of how they compare.
Regards
Alan

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by amsmarle

guitaniac, Thank you very much for you helpful comments.

I wonder if MrEric can offer me some advice on the REB & Black Angel in terms of how they compare.
Regards
Alan

Hey There! The REB is very usable and while quiet for an active pickup, has more than enough juice for any decent outboard preamp. What I liked about the REB was that it was light and discrete and could setup and go quickly. What I didn't like was that the mic was too difficult to get satisfying tone from. The mag was fine but nothing remarkable and the mic was difficult to position to produce a sufficient treble without being shrill nor feedback prone. I found the tone was often too "steely" for my taste and the bass the mag produced wasn't satisfactory for me.

I recently put the Black Angel mag & piezo into my primary gigging guitar and was much more pleased. The mag has a superior tone to the REB's mag, to my taste, with a better "read" of the strings that's more crisp and snappy with a good bit of detail and harmonics. It doesn't have a mega-bass like the famous Sunrise but it has a better bass than the REB. The piezo SBT, in my opinion, sounds superior to the REB's mic as it's natural in timbre and woody with some resonance/air thrown in. It requires EQ but all pickups do.

The BA mag isn't terribly loud but any outboard preamp will fix that. Initially, I tested them by running the two pickups to my Fishman LB Minis and had no issue getting satisfactory levels and mixes. I've been listening to it through headphones while mixing it with my Pendulum SPS-1 w/endpin module and can't find anything to complain about. Each pickup is perfectly usable on its own and takes well to EQ and blends superbly.

Now, I do like the REB and I think it could work well if run in stereo to two separate preamps. Jon Gomm inspired me to try it but he uses 3 sources: The REB's humbucker, the REB's mic, and a Fishman BP-100 (their old upright bass SBT). Each goes to its own EQ pedal and effects, so his tone is very complete. I purchased a K&K to add to my REB equipped guitar bc I felt that it was lacking the midrange warmth and woodiness that a SBT can provide but I decided to not install it. In my opinion, two sources is enough and I think I get all I need from the Black Angel mag & piezo.

[Vtckf]

That's great you are enjoying the BA dual source Erik!
I think adding the Pendulum made a pretty big difference to the signal chain that the REB didn't benefit from.
The Pendulum is the top of the line preamp that would drastically improve anyone's signal chain. Just want everyone to see that before they run out and get the BA Piezo and mag...without the preamp it won't quite be a similar comparison.

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by Vtckf

That's great you are enjoying the BA dual source Erik!
I think adding the Pendulum made a pretty big difference to the signal chain that the REB didn't benefit from.
The Pendulum is the top of the line preamp that would drastically improve anyone's signal chain. Just want everyone to see that before they run out and get the BA Piezo and mag...without the preamp it won't quite be a similar comparison.

This is true but please note that I initially tested them through two Fishman LB Minis without any additional pre-amplification. I've been using the Pendulum and some headphones to really get to know the BA pickups and learn which frequencies require care but they worked exceptionally well running straight to my amps.

The Pendulum is a great piece of gear and gives all passive pickups an unfair advantage in testing but that wasn't the only means in which these were trialed.

[Vtckf]

Thanks for pointing that out!

[guitaniac]

Once again, the Fishman Aura Spectrum only has a max gain of 2db. I know this because I used to own one and because I just re-checked the User's Manual. Its certainly a decent preamp for its intended purpose, but its not a good preamp for low output passive pickups. A Fishman Loudbox Mini, on the other hand, is designed to accommodate a wide range of active and passive pickups.

My Mackie mixer has four high gain 1/4" inputs which could easily deal with the Black Angel/Aura Spectrum combo, but you may well run into problems where an inexpensive powered mixer is being used and the system levels are set for guitars with higher outputs. (I've run into this at various open mics.)