Grace Design Bix EQ/DI/Pre-amp...

[JayBee1404]

Hi Jack, I had an Orchid Acoustic Pre-amp and sold it because I wanted a unit that would mount on my pedalboard, had a foot-operated mute button (for switching instruments and tuning), and would work with the 9V DC supply which powers the rest of my board. Although the Orchid had a mute button, it was mounted on the side of the box, so wasn’t possible to operate it by foot.

It’s a shame it didn’t meet my needs, because in every other respect it was a top-notch piece of kit. But it has to work for the player, of course!

And I’m sure the Felix and Alix are great, but they are beyond my budget unfortunately.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

Thanks for the detailed response, Rockabilly. Reading through all that I see that, as I suspected, your needs/requirements and mine are very different - I’m a folkie, I play and sing to folk-music audiences - often purely acoustic, no amplification at all - and even when we play amplified, a quick, straightforward set-up with the most basic of sound-checks is frequently called for. Add that to my natural inclination towards the KISS Principle, and you have the reason for my wanting to simplify.

You’re correct that the Source Audio has four pre-sets rather than channels but, when I was using two guitars and a mandolin, I had separate presets for each instrument and used one input cable which I switched to whichever instrument I was using. So, in effect, I had four ‘channels’ - I guess I should have been more selective in my choice of words.

Grace Design equipment is pretty rarely found here in the UK, and retail in the UK is a very different business to the US - we have far fewer dealers, and sales/discounts are rarely offered, so the Alix and Felix are out of the question cost-wise.

In answer to your question, no my mind wasn’t, and still isn’t, made up - I’d hoped to get some meaningful information about the performance of the BiX specifically but, unfortunately, nobody seems to have come up with any! I’ve also considered the FireEye RedEye, and a couple of other options but, on paper, the BiX seems to have everything I need.

I guess I’ll keep looking and checking, there are no gigs here at the moment due to the Covid Lockdown, so I’m in no great hurry.

If you're not locked into the BiX, I have a suggestion for a preamp, that is almost as simple, but way more powerful for when needed, and VERY GOOD SOUNDING!!!
The preamp is called the RADIAL PX-Deluxe. I think the newer version (black, white and red graphics) are even quieter than the originals.

I have a simple version (the AC DRIVER) on the end of the experimental board that I'm working on, and it sounds very good and it's not noisy. Besides, the only one I've heard complain about the noise on the PZ deluxe, or any Radial preamp, is forum member PETTY, so he may have got a bad unit. And if you look at the reviews on the Sweetwater site a few people with K&K minis said they really like the pre with their K&Ks!

Check it out... https://www.radialeng.com/product/pz-deluxe/features

Here is my experimental board, which may need a doctorate degree to operate correctly, so I better bust out the books. I use the little Radial AC Driver, to block any phantom power from a mixing board or amp in getting to the HX Stomp, and I use it for it's XLR out with ground lift...



Here is my version of KISS, on most of my gigs, the only knob that I generally move on the ALIX is the High Filter knob...

[JayBee1404]

That Radial looks very interesting and has everything I need except the 1 Meg input-Z to match with my K&Ks. Still, more food for thought....

In the meantime, when I started this thread I hoped to hear from actual users of the Grace Design BiX. Still living in hopes that such a someone might come along...come on now, don’t be shy!

[varmonter]

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

I am not a fan of K&K pickups and I've had them in 5 guitars, and no, I didn't put them in 5 guitars, 3 of the guitars came with K&Ks already installed. I don't care how good the input impedance is of the Bix with the TRS cable, it won't get the job done without parametric EQ. Playing with K&Ks was always a crap shoot for me, as they always had more problems frequencies than any other pickup I've used, other than the LR Baggs Lyric, which is in a perfect tie with the K&K for the pickup I most love to hate on.

But the company I most like to LOVE ON, is Grace, there stuff is bulletproof. With certain pickups I think the Bix would be alright. But if you insist on using a K&K, get the Alix, where you will have the necessary EQ tools to get the job done. And yes, as stated above, it has a 3 way impedance switch. I've been using both the Alix and Felix for almost as long as they've been available. They are both GREAT preamp/EQ/DIs.

this. an honest response. and i couldnt agree more. sell some stuff or bite the bullet and buy the alix or the felix. if just not for the impedance switch. The kk and the bix is not the best cocktail. grace makes great stuff." rare as rocking horse droppings..." love it..ha!!.
But if you do get the bix maybe a tuner pedal in front of it might match
your impedance rather than relying on a shorted trs .
Your needs are indeed
different than rockabillys or mine
for that matter. i think quiet intimate
venues are the place the kk shines.
loud noisey bars that require much
gear and 1000 watt pa systems is where the kk is at its worst. I think that is the nature of any SBT piezo pickup. Which is why ive moved
away from them. i bought them
in both my guitars and mandolin.
they seem to behave better in the mandolin. But ive stopped using them
in my guitars. Ive gone with magnetic
pickups and cant be happier.
One of the best kk preamps ive used
is kk pure xlr. its half the price
of the bix and is made especially
for the one megaohm pickup.
it runs on battery or 48v phantom.
has a 3 band eq. i still have
mine and still use it occasionally
for open mics. i use a helix stomp
and a grace felix with some other
stuff on a pedalboard. and its
too much to carry to an open mic.
the little kk pre is small and
fits in a coat pocket.
ive also used Orchids stuff and its
readily available in the UK.

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

That Radial looks very interesting and has everything I need except the 1 Meg input-Z to match with my K&Ks. Still, more food for thought....

In the meantime, when I started this thread I hoped to hear from actual users of the Grace Design BiX. Still living in hopes that such a someone might come along...come on now, don’t be shy!

I wouldn't let the 1M impedance thing scare you off the PZ Pre, there are many happy users of K&Ks with the PZ Deluxe and Tonebones. Maybe these users are rolling off the lows with the EQ, but they really seem to like the combo. It may be worth you hitting the stores and checking one out in person as I'm sure they are easier to find then Grace stuff over there! But I noticed another thing that may bother you, the power suppy (which is included) is 15 volts, and I saw that you wanted to power it from your 9 volt power supply. So that may be more of the deal breaker. Good luck on the search!

[Jack Orion]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

Hi Jack, I had an Orchid Acoustic Pre-amp and sold it because I wanted a unit that would mount on my pedalboard, had a foot-operated mute button (for switching instruments and tuning), and would work with the 9V DC supply which powers the rest of my board. Although the Orchid had a mute button, it was mounted on the side of the box, so wasn’t possible to operate it by foot.

It’s a shame it didn’t meet my needs, because in every other respect it was a top-notch piece of kit. But it has to work for the player, of course!

And I’m sure the Felix and Alix are great, but they are beyond my budget unfortunately.

Yeah sorry I totally get that the Felix and Alix are expensive and I wasn't trying to push them on you - but I will be honest in that I spent a good few months looking at 'cheaper' alternatives to getting the sound I wanted (here's a long thread about my journey - https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=513592) and ultimately I bought a Felix and a LR Baggs Venue DI knowing I could send one back and hired a rehearsal space for a few hours to try them out. As you probably guessed the Felix won so I found some gear I wasn't using and sold it to cover the cost...

Anyway - I think you might struggle to find the holy grail of 1M input, 9v psu, and footswitchable boost... if you've found that you don't need the added EQ for your guitar and K&K combo (a lot of people say they don't need notch filters or parametric EQ for their KK and I believe them if they say it works for them!) then maybe the Bix with a 1M tuner pedal in front would be a good option for you? The standard Boss TU3 has a 1M impedance.

Another option is the Tonedexter but that's a whole other kettle of fish...