Best Live Preamp for advanced fingerstyle?

[jennconducts]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

You can also combine an internal mic using Felix or SPS-1, which works very well (and is what many of the CandyRat players do)

That's what LJ is doing with the Felix these days, as I'm sure you know.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by jennconducts

That's what LJ is doing with the Felix these days, as I'm sure you know.

Yeah , I didn't mean to imply it's just CandyRat players that do this, I was just making a wild guess that this is what the OP means by "advanced fingerstyle". LJ, Tommy E, in fact, probably almost every fingerstyle player I know of who uses a pickup uses dual source, usually with an internal mic.

[varmonter]

Originally Posted by James Haigh

I'm no expert on preamps, perhaps somebody on here is?

I play a Lowden F35 Engelmann/Madagascan with a Highlander pickup.
I don't need any special effects just a quality realistic live sound for advanced fingerstyle. But how? So far from my research it would be between these preamps:

- The LR Baggs Venue
- The Tone Dexter
- AER colouriser 2 pocket tool
- Grace design bix/alix

My questions are:

1) which of these preamps (or other) would you recommend?

2) Would it be wiser for me to instead save up for a set up like a 2 channel pre such as the Grace Felix pre to mix say a Gefell M300 with my highlander pickup?

what is the impedance of the highlander pickup.
this might help with suggestions.
i have a felix and it's great . has lots of features
and flexibility. variable input impedance which is handy.
all the suggestions here are good ones. i am a grail
searcher so i have tried many many pup/pre combos.
i will reserve comment on tonedexter because i just bought one
and need more playtime with it. but it gets a lot of love here.
so if you have a grand to drop the felix to me is king.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by varmonter

what is the impedance of the highlander pickup.

Impedance only matters with passive pickups. The highlander is an active system, so it already includes an onboard preamp that buffers the raw pickup element. With an active pickup like the highlander, you can plug into almost anything within reason with no impedance issue.

[varmonter]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Impedance only matters with passive pickups. The highlander is an active system, so it already includes an onboard preamp that buffers the raw pickup element. With an active pickup like the highlander, you can plug into almost anything within reason with no impedance issue.

oh yea he did say it was active.

[JayBee1404]

@James Haigh - let us know here if you go the Tonedexter route? I'm very interested in one for myself, but I've never heard one in use. I'll make sure to come and have a listen when you're playing locally, solo or with the band, to check it out.

[Lapo]

Hey Doug, im curious if youve tried blending the tonedexter with your internal mic. Its a little clunky, but ive wondered in the past how it would sound with regards to phase. Thanks

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Lapo

Hey Doug, im curious if youve tried blending the tonedexter with your internal mic. Its a little clunky, but ive wondered in the past how it would sound with regards to phase. Thanks

I tried that early on when I first got the TD, but it was something I had to cobble together with a 2nd preamp and Y cables. I don't even recall how it sounded. Something I want to return to when I get a chance. Not clear that it's needed in most cases, with ToneDexter, but seems worth exploring.

[BluesKing777]

I have dropped my Fishman Rare Earth Blend into my D18e with inbuilt Aura system and just used the condenser part of the Fishman REB blended with the Aura - plugged through my mixer. It is just not needed. It may even cancel each other out a bit.
But you would NOT mic a dual system BEFORE the Aura or TD - it would go ‘gunky’...highly tech term...

BluesKing777.