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[Scott Wagner]

One thing I've noticed with many acoustic players is that an extremely high percentage are clueless (oblivious) about the tone-shaping controls on their guitar.  Giving them a DI/pre-amp with even more arcane controls will not improve the sound - most of the controls in non caring i.e., inexperienced hands turn into "suck" knobs.  The more controls, the less the ability to find the sweet spot.


That said, I have worked with a few who've used LR Baggs Para-acoustic with excellent results.  They also know their instrument, the voice they want it to have. They also are fearless in adjusting the controls, tempered with the ear and analytical skills to understand what is missing or in excess in the sound and how to correct the imbalance.


Unfortunately, those skills are not inherent to being a good instrumentalist - in many cases, just the opposite - whatever voodoo they used to come up with settings (how it came out of the box, friends, position of stars, etc) regardless of how it may sound, is what they will stick to regardless.  Many are afraid to touch anything - some do not have the analytical skills to work the controls, some don't have the ear.


So, if they MUST have an adjustable DI, the Paracoustic works well.  If you can talk them into a Radial J48 or Countryman Type 85, they may be happier.

I'll add that the player needs to adjust their tone where they can actually hear it (the studio monitor mentioned above). I see too many musicians adjusting their EQ from the stage, usually with "ice pick to the forehead" results. The worst offenders will do this throughout the set. On those days, I'm not happy until the truck is loaded.

[don mcmeckan]

I'll add that the player needs to adjust their tone where they can actually hear it (the studio monitor mentioned above). I see too many musicians adjusting their EQ from the stage, usually with "ice pick to the forehead" results. The worst offenders will do this throughout the set. On those days, I'm not happy until the truck is loaded.

I have three acoustic guitars I use on gigs: Custom built small body ( Santa Cruz quality ), a Northwood with a piezo pickup ( list price: $3600 ), and a 1949 J45.
All pickups are fishman, Northwood needs active DI, others do not.

None of them has EQ on board, they all sound fantastic through the PA.

In this area there are about 35 acoustic players with the LR Baggs, and there are only 2 or 3 who don't mess up their EQ or give me too much level.

One in particular gives me such a hot level that it sounds like a buzz saw, a monster player but sounds terrible!

I use a BSS 133 or a J48 or a Studio Projects active DI ( 1981 vintage ) with excellent results!

Thanks,        Don

[Scott Wagner]

I have three acoustic guitars I use on gigs: Custom built small body ( Santa Cruz quality ), a Northwood with a piezo pickup ( list price: $3600 ), and a 1949 J45.
All pickups are fishman, Northwood needs active DI, others do not.

None of them has EQ on board, they all sound fantastic through the PA.

In this area there are about 35 acoustic players with the LR Baggs, and there are only 2 or 3 who don't mess up their EQ or give me too much level.

One in particular gives me such a hot level that it sounds like a buzz saw, a monster player but sounds terrible!

I use a BSS 133 or a J48 or a Studio Projects active DI ( 1981 vintage ) with excellent results!

My D-18 / Fishman Rare Earth Blend combination ALWAYS sounds good. No level or EQ controls - only a blend knob between the humbucker and mic (which I adjust through studio monitors pre-gig).

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

I have three acoustic guitars I use on gigs: Custom built small body ( Santa Cruz quality ), a Northwood with a piezo pickup ( list price: $3600 ), and a 1949 J45.
All pickups are fishman, Northwood needs active DI, others do not.

None of them has EQ on board, they all sound fantastic through the PA.

In this area there are about 35 acoustic players with the LR Baggs, and there are only 2 or 3 who don't mess up their EQ or give me too much level.

One in particular gives me such a hot level that it sounds like a buzz saw, a monster player but sounds terrible!

I use a BSS 133 or a J48 or a Studio Projects active DI ( 1981 vintage ) with excellent results!

Thanks,        Don

Yup.  Nice instruments. 

I also use the 133's and own one J48.  I love the BSS.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

My D-18 / Fishman Rare Earth Blend combination ALWAYS sounds good. No level or EQ controls - only a blend knob between the humbucker and mic (which I adjust through studio monitors pre-gig).

Gotta love the mahogany!!!

[Scott Wagner]

Gotta love the mahogany!!!

I sure do. I call this particular instrument my "magic guitar". I have pretty decent technique after 43 years of guitars, but this one takes it all to a different level.

[Bob Leonard]

Not that long ago I picked up a pair of Fishman Aura DI's. Much more than I needed but what a fantastic DI / tone shaping system. No quacking at all. I also picked up a Radial rack mount DI with the DI's for sound modules. Another story, and a true success in taming the sound modules, but, it works fine for acoustic instruments. And by that I mean a D28, D18, Hummingbird and a J45. All of them sound great through either the Fishman or RAdial.

I'll caution the OP concerning the purchase of low cost and budget DI's. One word, DON'T. Buy the best you can and audition them if possible. Stay away from Behringer, Imp, and cheap crap like that. Also, the guitar, DI, and the board are a package. Any of them is only as good as the other and your ability to use them properly.

[gordonmcgregor]

This thing works well, the tone controls  are gentle for the want of a better description so they can't do too much harm but are effective enough to smooth out differences between different guitars or playing styles, they will ship to the US G
http://www.orchid-electronics.co.uk/acoustic.htm

[DavidTurner]

The LR Baggs is the way to go. Have used them for years on  tours with artists known for their acoustic guitar driven music. Add a Baggs dual source pick up and your are gold. Get him to let you help with the eq and the blend between mic. and pick up.

A friend is looking to buy a DI for his acoustic guitar (country band) and I'm asking for suggestions from experienced forum guitar players that I can pass on to him.  He prefers that it have EQ.  Do any particular companies/models stand above the rest?  Thanks.

[Luke Geis]

I have yet to come across a piezo loaded acoustic that sounds natural. I have come across a few that sound good though. After some studies of my own and many years of using DI's of every sort, I can say that these days from a sonic performance perspective a cheap DI will not negatively impact your sound in any way. The things that seem to make or break a DI is simple really. The input impedance and the quality of construction. The input impedance is probably the biggest factor to quality of sound. Most DI's are about 1meg which is about what any amp would introduce, but not all are. I have extensively tested some cheap ( like $25 cheap ) rolls DB series boxes and they are 100% flat from 20-20 well above line level signal. They sound just the same as any DI I have used at 3-6 times the cost.........

I have come into more issues with active DI boxes than any cheap one I have ever used. Once something in the complex circuitry of an active DI goes boink, it is a paper weight. With a passive DI there is so little to the circuitry that it's hard to screw it up. I have two Radial ( one active and one passive ) that are both dead. My cheap Rolls are still going strong after 15 years and they sound great.

Of the acoustic processors that I have come across, the LR-Baggs is about the best in the right hands. It can go both ways. What I do like about it is that it is not trying to make a guitar sound like something it is not. DO NOT GET AN ACOUSTIC MODELING PROCESSOR.............. Do not try and make a Samick sound like a J45,or a dreadnought...... It is not and will never be. Most built in acoustic preamps are capable of getting you about 70% of the way there. Some do sound better than others, but my experience is that the dual input ( one bridge Piezo and One mic or soundboard piezo ) will offer the most realistic and tuneable sound. NONE will make a guitar sound like it's mic'd in a studio.

So my vote is a dual pickup and a Baggs acoustic preamp either in a floor or on-board model. If you don't go that route, or can't, do not get super tied up on active or silly expensive DI's. Take a few minutes and go to a shop that has a selection and plug the guitar into several through a PA in the store and do not use the PA to shape sound. Let the guitar and the DI do the work. My bet is you will find very little to no difference between any DI. Acoustic specific processors you will find a difference right away.

I own a cheap Ibanez with a Fishman setup. It actually sounds ok. The best results I have ever gotten from it are going from the XLR out ( yes this guitar has an XLR out ) into a digital desk that has 4 bands of parametric EQ and had some time to Eq it well. The onboard Eq is effective and like I said, gets the guitar 70% of the way there.

The thing to realize is that you have to get it right from the source. If it sounds like crap there it only gets marginally better from then on. It doesn't matter if you have 1K worth of preamps, processors and DI's, if it isn't right at the guitar, it will never be.

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