Preamps
Preamps
Preamps
Preamps
Preamps
Preamps
Preamps
Preamps
Preamps
Preamps

Preamps

$149.00 $99.00 Save $50.00
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WHAT ARE PREAMPS?

The job of a Preamp, essentially, is to boost the output of a guitar pickup and lower impedance down so a mixer can see it.  Most performing musicians and stage players require a preamp because they’re running long cables to their amps and signals fade as they travel further and further lengths of wires, so they need a boost.

Preamps can be either installed inside acoustic guitars and wired between the pickup and the output jack for the cable to the amp, or they can be external preamps in a housing with an input cable coming from the guitar and an output cable going to your amp.  Either way works great, it just depends on your preferences.

WHAT ARE PREAMPS?

The job of a Preamp, essentially, is to boost the output of a guitar pickup and lower impedance down so a mixer can see it.  Most performing musicians and stage players require a preamp because they’re running long cables to their amps and signals fade as they travel further and further lengths of wires, so they need a boost.

Preamps can be either installed inside acoustic guitars and wired between the pickup and the output jack for the cable to the amp, or they can be external preamps in a housing with an input cable coming from the guitar and an output cable going to your amp.  Either way works great, it just depends on your preferences.

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To be or not to be...

Preamps

A lot of guitar players ask,

“Do I need a Preamp to make the Prismatone™ Pickup work?” 

The answer is a resounding “Yes” or “No” depending on where and how you’re going to be playing.  It all basically comes down to Studio or Stage? 

That is the question you must answer for the Prismatone™ guitar gods to decide which is best for your particular set-up.

Studio Or Stage

HOME & STUDIO: NO PREAMP

If you’re mostly going to be playing at home or in the studio then the Prismatone™ Pickup, by itself, without a preamp, just soldered to a sidejack or endpin jack with a short guitar cable (20’ or less in length) connected to your amp of choice is plenty loud. On our Baldwin C1 Amp we don’t have to turn the volume past 3 when recording test videos.  This is what’s known as the “Passive Configuration” and delivers the purest Prismatone™ sound without any added coloration or equalization.

Modern Endpin Jack Preamp with Battery Configuration

If you’re going to be playing on stage and using cables longer than, say, 20’ up to 100’ feet or more then you’ll want--and need--a preamp to boost the signal all the way through that long snaking cable to your amplifier so you’ll have the volume you need to rock out.  This is what’s known as the “Active Configuration” and it delivers an enhanced Prismatone™ sound with more power to all the fans at your sold-out stadium shows.

Vintage-Era Sidejack preamp and external battery box

Alternately if you’re always playing on stage, or are just a purist who wants the most authentic Prismatone™ set-up with an internal sidejack preamp inspired by the original, then go with our sidejack preamp and external battery box.

*External Battery Boxes are sold separately from the vintage-era preamps.

Battery Box With preamp for passive guitars

If you want to be able to play and hear the purest Prismatone™ sound, and you’re not going to be playing on stage anytime soon, or you already have your own preamp, consider choosing the Prismatone™ Pickup in Passive Configuration without an internal preamp, then you can still use our external battery box preamp if or when you need it.

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Vintage Preamps

Vintage-era Preamps are avaible with a sidejack, an endpin jack, or built into the battery box. The original Prismatone Pickup was sold with a sidejack preamp that required 22.5 volts of power delivered via phantom power from an amp or an external battery box. Our Vintage-era preamp is as close as possible to the original. Nowadays the 22.5 volt batteries are hard to come by so we've created a new battery box that uses three 9 volt batteries to power the vintage preamps.

External Battery Boxes are sold seperatley from the Vintage preamp sicde jack and Endpin jack. Battery Boxes are not needed to power our modern Preamp that requires only one 9-volt battery.

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