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Posts: 143
Location: Colorado Springs, CO | I just recieved Al's beautiful Adamas 1587-2.
Can anyone discribe how to use the special ovation xlr cable and how it works?
I don't understand it or how it is used at all. This Adamas 1587-2 has a regular guitar jack with a jack that looks like a mic jack.
I have not come across this before and I have no clue what to do with this! Is it to be used in addition to the regular guitar cable? I have a roland kc500 keyboard amp with mic input jacks and a fender ultimate chorus amp as well. would it blow up the world if I used both at the same time?
I noticed on a Cat Stevens video on youtube that his guitar had two cords coming out of it with a microphone in front of the guitar as well
If anyone can give me advice about this I would appreciate it.
Thanks Duane |
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Posts: 12755
Location: Boise, Idaho | I didn't know there was a special Ovation xlr cable. If there are 2 jacks, one standard 1/4 and the other like a mic cable, plug the xlr cable into the mic (xlr) jack and into the amp. The preamp probably doesn't turn on unless you use the 1/4 plug, however, so you have to get a "dummy plug" and plug it in to get the xlr cable to work. You can try it by just putting a 1/4 cable in and not hooking it up to the amp, but plugging the xlr into the guitar and amp. If that works, get a 1/4 to ac adapter plug or a 1/4 plug off an old cable and use it. Do a search for dummy plug on this site and you might find more details. I think some xlr plugs might work without the dummy plug if you have phantom power on your amp. |
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Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | You use a regular 1/4 inch plug by itself.
just like any other guitar.
If you want to use the balance line out you can do that in 2 ways.
1)place a 1/4 inch dummy plug Ovation P/N 9659-0 in and use any XLR mic cable
2)You can get any XLR cable with a ground-to-shell connection (Ovation P/N 9658-0) and use that alone.
Personally I think the dummy plug is easier,
plus taking it out saves the battery.
The XLR signal is much much stronger (2 to 3 times the volume). In my opinion it sounds better. |
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Posts: 143
Location: Colorado Springs, CO | OK. Thanks
Anyone know where I can get on of these dummy plugs? There are none on ebay
I guess I'm the dummy |
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Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | Ovation dealers may have them.
You can order them from the factory.
Likily cheaper at the dealer. |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | The preamp will run off phantom power (if supplied by the mixer or amp) if you use a mic cable that has pin 1 connected to the shell. You don't need a dummy plug in this situation.
And yes, it does sound better. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I run it into an alesis 6fx mixer. |
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July 2003
Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | Originally posted by saccaguea:
OK. Thanks
Anyone know where I can get on of these dummy plugs? There are none on ebay
I guess I'm the dummy No you not the dummy.....
I had my 1719 a while before I figured it out. |
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Posts: 1126
Location: Omaha, NE | You can get a dummy plug at any Radio Shack. Its just a 1/4" male connector. |
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May 2005
Posts: 486
Location: North Carolina | Just cut a 1/4" plug off an old unused or broken cable. I cut one from one of those useless cables you sometimes get free when you buy an instrument. |
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April 2007
Posts: 143
Location: Colorado Springs, CO | Well I got my dummy plug and xlr cable at guitar center and discovered neither of my amps has an input for an xlr cable.
Do I have to buy an alesis 6fx mixer now to make this work? And I also found the xlr cable had one male end and one feamale end. The guitar and the picture of the alesis 6fx mixer both have male ends on the inputs.
Sorry but I am confused as to how I can make this work. Any guidence will be greatly appreciated. |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | You should go over to the "FOR SALE" section and buy the Fender Acoustasonic SFX II amp I have for sale (shameless plug :D )
It has the XLR connections and sounds terrific whether in your bedroom or a small venue. Sounds terrific with the guitar and a mic plugged in for vocals. |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I know nothing about this stuff...
But Radio Shack can fix anything!
This will connect a balanced-low-impedance cable to that crap we all use...
Or so they say. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Originally posted by PEZ:
The XLR signal is much much stronger (2 to 3 times the volume). In my opinion it sounds better. Actually the output of the XLR is mic-level, therefore is considerably weaker than the line-level jack output. It's the fact that balanced XLR input pre-amps have higher sensitivity that gives the impression that the XLR has a higher output. Unless you have exceptionally long or poor-quality guitar cords there should be no difference between the sound of the two.
The Optima preamp does not need the ground-to-shell mod, it will work with a standard XLR, so the only time you will need a dummy plug is you go into an XLR input without a phantom power facilty, or if you go XLR to jack. The XLR to jack option is frankly a waste of time unless it's going to a mic-level TRS input, in which case it's worth having a TRS jack which will keep the signal balanced. |
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Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | I've got one of those and it seems to work. But Temp says to use a direct imput (D.I.) box. The box matches the whatever it is that needs to be matched between the 1/4" and the XLR. You can buy them at the guitar center for about $30..... |
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Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Paul, to clarify, I suggested you get the direct box for your guitars which do not have the XLR output (such as your OFC) An Ovation with an XLR is effectively a guitar with an onboard active DI.
In reality, the only time you would need to use the DI output is if you are going to a board via a stagebox and multi-core. Given a standard-length cable-run into an acoustic amp, or an onstage board it's not going to make a whole lot of difference. Using a short guitar cord, with a DI box at your feet amounts to the same as using the XLR out on the guitar. |
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Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Right. That's what I meant...... |
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Posts: 5330
Location: Cicero, NY | And that's exactly what we thought you meant, Paul. |
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April 2007
Posts: 143
Location: Colorado Springs, CO | I am old and out of touch with this stuff, so are you guys saying just use the reqular guitar cable if I'm just playing at home and it will sound just as good? |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Yes. I have a few Ovation guitars with XLR-equipped preamps, but even onstage I just use short cable runs to a submix, which then goes to the PA on a balanced line. I rarely plug-in at home, but when I do don't see the need to use the XLR out. If you have the facilty to do so (and I have) then fine, but don't go spending a bunch of dough unneccesarily |
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Posts: 143
Location: Colorado Springs, CO | Thank you Paul and everyone else. |
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Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Temp, I think he was thanking me (well, maybe not).... |
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Posts: 5330
Location: Cicero, NY | Yeah, maybe not. |
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special ovation xlr cable ?