L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic D.I.

For the price and size, this has an excellent features set. A very nice sounding preamp, a lot of EQ flexibility (5 bands, 2 of them sweepable), a phase inverter for feedback control, and an XLR D.I. out. My only four (very mild) complaints so far are: (1) it's kind of ugly (but who cares, really?); (2) the knobs, as usual with these things, are really tiny; and (3) they (the knobs) don't have notches that stop at 12 o'clock, 3 and 9, which might make things easier. Other than that, it seems like a well-made tank.

I play a Santa Cruz Tony Rice model. It has a K&K Pure Western pickup in it. I recently bought this pickup with the K&K preamp, which I was not satisfied with. (More on this below.)

I play blues, bluegrass, rock and roll. I'm playing at the moment through a cheapish Crate acoustic amp and have managed to get quite a nice sound out of it. The EQ on the Para Acoustic DI allows you to tweak your sound to your heart's content. Now, I had heard many, many good things about the K&K Pure Western pickup, and I was really looking forward to hearing the guitar after it was installed. I have to say, my heart really sank when I heard it. No matter how I adjusted the EQ, the sound was muddy, lifeless, or tinny. After talking with some people about the K&K preamp, I decided to try out this LR Baggs box. The difference is night and day. I don't generally write reviews. This may be my first one. But I had to write this one, because it's often hard to get good buying advice on the web. And I'm not a tech-head or a gear-head or a compulsive reviewer. But even I can definitely hear a big difference with the new preamps and EQ controls. It just sounds more like an acoustic guitar. It sounds great, in fact. Clear, full, woody, lots of air in the sound. It may just be a synergy between this guitar and this box, but this is my experience.

I'd buy this again in a heartbeat if it was stolen. Been playing since 1968 (!). I don't think there's anything else in this price range that comes close. I tried out the Fishman Pro EQ Platinum Acoustic Guitar Preamp, and I wasn't crazy about the sound.

I'm looking forward to using this in performance.

My guitar is equipped with the LR BAGGS M1A (Active).
I do not have an onboard pream, just the M1A.

I have a Fender DG22S Acoustic GUitar.
I had my tech do me the installation of the LR BAGGS M1A for 10 BUCKS.
Check Lrbaggs website to know musicians using the LR BAGGS M1A and the PARA DI

The output level from my PIckup is already huge, but i Set to only 2 and then tweak the PARA DI to get my desired sound and tone. The para DI is a great pream, it really preamplifies your sound.
The Equalization in this unit is just wonderful! I never imagined I could have real transparent tayloring of my guitar sound.
If you have a piezo pickup, get this unit as soon as possible man!
If you have like me the LR baggs M1A or the Sunrise Humbucker or even the Fishman HUmbucker or The BBAND UST OR AST, get this DI Box to make ur sound huge and signed!
You have Balanced XLR OUtput and unbalanced Jack output! So shut up!
I tried this little baby with many kind sof pickups! IT suits everything! I will put online some samples soon and would update my review!
For god's sake don't use crap cables! I am recommending Monster CAbles or Cordial Pro LIne!
Oh yeah! I am also using a compressor in the FX LOOP to smoother my solos! And it is just awesome! You can go from Archtop tone to electric tone.
Warning: USing this box does not mean you will have a real acoustic sound but you will approach!

I don't give 10 cause I know there will be better in the future!
Imagine A DI with noise eliminator and compression built in! wow!

It can't be destroyed! You kill an army with it! U can destroy the knobs but not the box.
I have been playing fro 10 years! I am owning just an Ibanez AW model equipped with an AST B-BAND PIckup and a Fender DG22S NAT equipped with a LR BAGGS M1 A pickup. I plug the whole in A fender 212FMR Amp or A MARSHALL JCM 100 WATTS!
The sound I wanna get is electro-acoustic that is why I use electric guitar amps!
I love everything about it! I don't like the fact there is no Sector Power possiblity just like the stompboxes!
I compared it to many others It is the best in its category! Of course I did not compare it to 3000 ?? Studio preamps, ain't no need!
I wish It had Noise cancelling, becaause using the FX loop to plug in the compressor, the overdrive and all the other babies....

for a video, check :

www.fingerpick.com

TO THE ANONYMOUS POSTER 03/14/2004 at 01:00pm AND FOR PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS. SAYING THE PARA DI IS NOISY IS A RESULT OF ONE OF THREE THINGS:

1. IT WAS A FAULTY UNIT (EXCHANGE IT FOR A NON-FAULTY UNIT)
2. IT WAS SET UP WRONGLY - INTERNAL GAIN SETTING WAS PERHAPS TOO LOW?
3. YOU HAVE THE HEARING ABILITY OF A DOG

THE PARA DI IS VERY QUIET - PROBABLY NOT AS QUIET AS A PIECE OF NEVE EQUIPMENT (AS THE POSTER USES AS A COMPARITIVE PIECE OF GEAR - GO FIGURE) - AND GETS THE JOB DONE. IT'S MID EQ IS A LITTLE MILD FOR MY LIKING, BUT OVERALL, IT'S A SOLID PIECE OF KIT AND FITS RIGHT IN YOUR GIG CASE.

JUST TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT.

Five eq bands, two with sweepable notch filters, volume control, gain control that should be preset to maximum output just short of distortion, then pretty much left alone. Phase invert and fx loop. Runs on 9v battery or phantom power. Extremely rugged steel construction.

Gurian Jumbo Rosewood, Taylor 355 12-string, Taylor 307 Big Baby. The Gurian has an older LR Baggs I-Beam active, and the Taylors have newer I-Beam actives with soundhole volume control. I also use it as the house DI for a weekly open mic, and I only occasionally need to make adjustments for the wide variety of acoustic-electrics, pure electrics, and even the odd bass now and then that come to the stage.

Lots of output from its really clean pre-amp. Adjust the gain knob to the point of distortion, then back it off slightly to free up a wide range of level control from the volume knob. I use it to feed high-impedance pickup output to a regular mic channel on a Mackie DFX12 and CFX12. I've also used it for recording to feed the console's mic inputs. I've used the FX loop for a Boss chorus pedal and a Korg acoustic guitar effects processor. The tone is whatever you want it to be. My Gurian comes out a little bassy, so I cut the lowest two eq bands a bit and boost the top three to brighten the sound; helluva difference. The Taylor 12 has that brassy, jangly sound, so I trim the tops back a bit and fatten up the lowers. I play acoustic-electric country folk-rock and have for more than 40 years.

I would definitely replace it at once if something happened to it. Singer-songwriter for more than 40 years. Three guitars, inexpensive keyboard, Bose PAS sound system, Boss chorus, Korg acoustic guitar processor, Mackie mixers, QSC amps, E-V speakers (from 5" S-40s to 1502 PA boxes), Digitech harmonizer, Presonus tube pre-amp, Audix OM-5 and Sennheiser 835 mics. Lots to love and nothing to hate. I have two other DIs (Whirlwind and A.R.T.) for backup and inputting more guitars. Chose it because of Baggs reputation and my experience with their products; it just provides a lot more potential than the passive boxes and is built to last forever.

Pickup features: This product is also reviewed under "guitar effects"
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass:
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: If you play a piezo-equipped acoustic guitar, this should be in your case. Fool with it until you find your sound; I assure ou, it's in there.
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: With the Marshall 50 watt acoustic amp, tonal posibilities are nearly endless. Less so through a PA, but every soundman in town smiles when he sees me pull this out of the gigbag. Put your tone back into your own hands, people.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I do singer/songwriter solo stuff, open mikes, small rooms, etc. I call this the "equalizer," in that it makes every venue, every crappy PA, and every weird room "equal." There's nowhere that I can't get a good guitar tone when I use this. Even through a tube guitar amp, it can be done.

Comments: See above. If you play an amplified acoustic guitar, this is required. I don't care how nice your Genz-Benz acoustic amp sounds, this WILL make it sound better.

Pickup features: Pre-Amp with EQ
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Martin HD-28
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: Baggs M-1 Passive
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Folk, Bluegrass, Celtic
Reason for pickup change: I was using SansAmp Acoustic DI. When the xlr jack on the SansAmp after several years or frequent use, I decided to replace it with somethign different.

Perceived output level: Output level is hot enough to work well with a mixing board.
Tone: The Para Acoustic DI is fairly transparent when the settings are flat.
Sonic evaluation: This is a nice transparant box with ample signal boost and good eq.
The EQ lets you notch out frequencies that are feeding back, and roll of some of those unnatural highs that come with many pickups. I play rhythm with a heavy right hand, and I am able to get a relatively natural (for a pickup) sound that is crisp without being brittle.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This should work for all types of music.

Comments: I like this box. It is a great match for my Baggs M-1 pickup. If I were still using a piezo pickup, I might want a box with some sort of effect (such as my SansAmp has) to smooth out the piezo "quack." However, if you like the sound of your pickup and want a box that will allow you boost your signal and make subtle enhancements to the sound, then this is a great one.
The only down side is that there's no option for an AC adapter. This not a big deal for me because when I plug in, I usually have phantom power. However, it would be nice if AC was an option.

Pickup features: Preamp/Direct Inject box.
Impedence or other specs: Matches impedances, gain pot, etc, etc.

Model of guitar or bass: Resonator, Parlor guitar, and mini-jumbo.
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: All passive piezo pickups, they needed a preamp.
Other pickups on guitar: Fishman Resophonic, Fishman undersaddle.
Artists using this pickup: Don't know.
You musical style(s): Delta Blues. Alot of slide and fingerstyle.
Reason for pickup change: Couldn't get loud enough with a mic, plus feedback was an issue. Piezo quack needed some taming.

Perceived output level: USE THE GAIN "SCREW" FOLKS. Active, passive, and all pickups between need to be adjusted to the loudest, "pre-distortion" point. Output is balanced if you use the damn thing right - stop crying and read the instructions.
Tone: Smoothed out a bit of the piezo quack. REALLY HELPED WITH TAMING the high end "pings" on my reso pickup.
Sonic evaluation: Some Mixers can add a ton of noise. Plugging the DI directly into an Active JBL PA cab resulted in noiseless happiness. Plugging it into a mixing board, then into the PA cab resulted in alot of noise. THIS IS NOT THE BAGGS FAULT. Previous posters had experienced noise... I use PASSIVE acoustic pickups and had NO noise until a cheap mixer was added to the signal chain. READ AND LEARN about Parametric type of controls. Also, listen with a hyper critical ear for the "sweet spot" on the gain... stop crying and LEARN ABOUT YOUR CRAFT PEOPLE, stop relying on manual "preset" recommendations! The manual had all pertinent info, but will not babysit retards - do your own work. When my glass, or even brass slides were missing, the DI tamed the shrillness of even harsh chrome/steel slides. Kept the top end "bite" and crisp attack of the strings, while not being to trebly or harsh. Tamed the reso pickup of it's ultra high end harshness, but at small cost of dulling it's brightness. I WOULD NEVER BE CAUGHT PLAYING ACOUSTIC (LIVE) WITHOUT THIS AWESOME LITTLE BOX. It is of inestimable value onstage - I will NEVER be without one ever again.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play blues with a slide. Nice mellow glass, or even brass slides. LISTEN UP YOU DAMN "CHRISTIAN" CHURCH "ROCK" BANDS AND "WORSHIP" FOLKS. Take your damn Bush voting, "everyone else's values" hating, hippie crap and shove it. Music has it's place in worship but "Rock" should be kept out - show God respect. Would you wear cutoff jeans and yer mullet to your cousin's wedding (I guess them folks would)?! Rock is great, God is better, but don't befoul them both by mixing them where they do not belong. Back to the review - this DI is perfect for getting volume and close to real acoustic sounds. Until piezo is replaced by tech that captures the sound more truly, this box should be in every acoustic guitar's case.

Comments: If it were lost or broken, I would replace it. I would have a backup just in case (it is built very sturdily), since if for any reason it broke I could survive the show with the backup. It is that important to live acoustic musicians. In the studio it's ONLY recommended use could be as a DI for an electric bass guitar. Nobody should EVER be recording acoustic guitars via pickups! Regardless of pickup (reso or undersaddle) or brand, this improves the sound a great deal. DO NOT EXPECT anything to magically make your piezo technology sound EXACTLY like a real acoustic - this helps smooth the edges, but until piezo is replaced by something better - this box will be a best friend. This is the closest to an honest and critical Ten you could hope for considering all things.

Pickup features: 4 band EQ with sweepable mid, variable notch filter, phantom power, phase invert, effects loop, XLR and 1/4" outs
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Simon and Patrick SP6 Spruce with K&K Pure Western (see other review)
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: This replaces the pickup that is a part of my old FIshman Rare Earth
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock/Folk and various other bits and pieces
Reason for pickup change: "Needed" a preamp for my passive K&K. Chose this one because of the rave reviews of tone and because of the features.

Perceived output level: Very good... more than I'm likely to use!
Tone: Clear. It won't transform the sound of your guitar just from being plugged in, which can be good or bad.
Sonic evaluation: I use this with my SP6 + K&K pickup into my Roland AC-60 and/or my church's really good PA.
Like I said, it won't change things all around in terms of tone. It does make it that little bit smoother, but it doesn't really colour the tone. The EQ controls are fantastic though and really allow you to shape a difficult tone. They don't make your guitar sound weird either, just more bassy, more defined, whatever.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: I think this is perfect for me given the price I paid. I couldn't ask for more at this price (though the RRP is more). Some will be disappointed that it doesn't colour your sound more noticably just from being a link in the sonic chain. When you've got a boring tone already you'd like a preamp to add something to it, but that something could be bad for other users. A preamp should not colour your sound without EQing. It shouldn't really be used to fix a bad pickup or something. That's why I will rate this highly: it does exactly what it should. To some that is not what they will want, so be aware that I rate this on perhaps different criteria than others.

Pickup features: N.A
Impedence or other specs: N/A

Model of guitar or bass: Acoustic guitar - Takamine w/DSP preamp
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: Factory Palathetic
Artists using this pickup: James Taylor, Glen Frey (Eagles), John Jorgenson
You musical style(s): 50's & 60's rock'n'roll, crooner-tunes, modern rock, progressive jazz
Reason for pickup change: I needed something to boost my signal level.

Perceived output level: Fairly hot, but with WAY too much hum & hiss @ normal mixer-level volume
Tone: Just a tweaked version of yr original sound
Sonic evaluation: I'm using this unit with both a Takamine Nashville Series guitar with an onboard DSP and Palathetic pickup, and also on a Fishman soundhole pickup in a Martin D-28. I play with another rhythm guitarist which leaves me to play slide, fingerstyle and lead guitar. I purchased this unit b/c my other guitarist strums very hard and I was unable to get above him volume-wise in most live situations. This level does get enable a fairly healthy signal level to get to a mixer, but despite all of my tweaking and referring to the manual (incl. returning my first unit b/c I thought it was broken), the hiss and hum levels that come out of this unit are unacceptable - even by live P.A standards ! I honestly don't know how L.R Baggs can say that this unit is made from Class A circuitry - I've heard Class A boards in the Neve "Channel In A Box", and this unit comes no where near the quietness of the Neve product.
Admittedly, it does allow some tweaking of yr signal, but do not expect it to make a cheap guitar sound like an expensive one - it won't (from my experience anyway....)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rhythm guitar, or solo instrumental when you are not competing with other instruments

Comments: I wouldn't replace it if it was stolen. I've been playing live and in studios all over the world for the past 10 years, and I currently gig most nights. I own a beautuful Takamine ENV460SC, a couple of EVH Signature Ernie Balls, a Gibson 335 & Flying V and a whole bunch of amps (Marshall JMP series, Fender Twin, Dr Z) and this gear is the biggest waste of money that I've spent in quite a while.
Ultimately, my advice to any prospective buyer is unfortunately, to look elsewhere - I've actually tried returning mine, but all the store will say is that they can only exchange it and that the manufacturer does not offer a money back guarantee.

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass:
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: I use this with my Taylor 510, Fishman Acoustic Matrix II pickup running into either the church "house" sound or into my VOX Valvetronix amp. In both cases this thing is great. I can dial in any sound I want. The controls are excellent and provide max flexibility. Here is the bottom line, if you want ultimate control of the sound leaving your guitar, then this is an excellent choice.
At first I was worried that it being a stand alone unit would present a pain in the butt. Well it hasn't worked out that way. Its been great to use and a pleasure to hear. If your sitting on the fence wondering if you should buy it, then my vote is yes! Try Maury Ritch Music for a price far better than the other larger on-line retailers are offering... Just an innocent plug, they didn't pay me to say that :)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: