Barcus Berry preamp and pickup?

BoneDigger · #1 10-31-2019, 12:22 PM

I just picked up a low cost Washburn GA guitar from GC. The tone is great plugged in and acoustic. Very surprising given the cost! But, it comes with a Barcus Berry barn door type of pickup system. It honestly sounds good and has three band EQ. But, I worry about reliability and with it being a barn door type, it might be difficult to replace if it goes south. Any thoughts on this company and its pickups? Reliability? CS? I really can't find much online about them.

leew3 · #2 10-31-2019, 02:49 PM

I played an Alvarez Yairi with the original Barcus Berry hot dots (a precursor to the K & K pure mini) for over 30 years without issue. I'm not sure the reliability of the active pickup electronics that I'm sure are part of the barn door system you reference. However, the brand's quality and reliability certainly stood the test of time for me.

ljguitar · #3 10-31-2019, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoneDigger

I just picked up a low cost Washburn GA guitar from GC. The tone is great plugged in and acoustic. Very surprising given the cost! But, it comes with a Barcus Berry barn door type of pickup system. It honestly sounds good and has three band EQ. But, I worry about reliability and with it being a barn door type, it might be difficult to replace if it goes south. Any thoughts on this company and its pickups? Reliability? CS? I really can't find much online about them.

Hi BD

One of the 'original' acoustic pickup companies. I still have a passive 'Dentyne' style mounted externally on the bridge of a classical guitar, and it's at least 40 years old, and still works just fine. They were one of the only affordable choices till under saddle trasducers from Fishman and Martin came along.

If it sounds good, I'd go with it. That's what counts (sounding good to you). It would be very little issue to replace it later (leaving the barn door in place).

They are still made - just look them up and go to their website for info.

BoneDigger · #4 11-01-2019, 10:12 AM

Thanks guys! It does seem to sound pretty good to me. I compared it directly to the lower end Taylor and Martin electronics and found it to be just as good or better.

leew3 · #5 11-01-2019, 03:16 PM

I should also mention that the original hot dots came with a preamp in a sturdy aluminum case. The case had sides higher than the knobs so that say if you had it on the floor of a bar and a drunk guy fell on it, he might get hurt, but your preamp would be fine. Don't ask how I chose that very specific example

cxchd · #6 12-28-2023, 12:52 PM

Has anyone found a Barcus Berry preamp replacement?

ljguitar · #7 01-01-2024, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cxchd

Has anyone found a Barcus Berry preamp replacement?

Hi cxchd…
Do you have a Barcus Berry mounted in a guitar? There was nothing special about any of the Barcus Berry pickups - it's just they were the first company of many companies to provide alternatives to putting a mic in front of our guitar and trying to keep up with the band.

They were originally stuck on with double-sided tape (mine is glued to the outside of the bridge on a classical guitar).

My old Barcus Berry preamp was not as good as it's replacement (a Baggs ParaDI).

About any decent preamp will do the job. The Fishman Platinum Stage is a well featured, small preamp which can be routed to a stage amp and the PA at the same time (so can about any other decent modern preamp). It's in the $180 region.

But for less than $40, the Behringer V-TONE ACOUSTIC DRIVER DI ADI21 Acoustic Amp Modeler/Direct Recording Preamp/DI Box (fancy name for a plastic housed preamp pedal) will do as good.

Just step on the button, turn the BLEND all the way up and Level to where it's loud enough and set the tone. It's built of plastic (really tough road worthy plastic) and can run from a power supply or internal battery, and has XLR and ¼" out (simultaneously), and an adjustable frequency knob on the midrange.

P.S. - I still have the Dentyne stick Barcus on my classical, and it works either by itself (with tons of feedback readily available), and with any of the various preamps I have in my arsenal…including a Behringer ADI21 which is my 'loaner' preamp for friends and students who wonder if a preamp will improve their pickup.