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Location: New South Wales, Australia | G'day everyone. I have several dumb questions which I'll probably post over the next few days.
As a guitar player for nearly 30 years I should have more knowledge but somehow it slipped me by. So my first dumb question is --- what's a preamp?
Be gentle with me :) |
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May 2003
Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | A preamp is a young adolesent amplifier that hasnt yet reached adulthood.
No but seriously a preamp is a small low powered (usually battery powered) amplifier that boosts a signal before it is put into a larger amp or PA system.
Almost all modern Ovations (and some not so modern ones for that matter) have battery powered preamps built into the guitar. Pre-amps also usually have volume or tone controls or more elaborate graphic equalizers. Preamps are also usually used to boost signals from microphones as well. |
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Location: New South Wales, Australia | Thanks Brian...so the FET3 I have in my 1860 is a preamp? What about the pickup....oh hang on..that was going to be dumb question no.2 :) |
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Location: Scotland | In order for any pickup or microphone to work effectively it's output impedance must be lower than the input impedance of the amplifier. Piezo pickups have a massively high output impedance, much higher than most standard amp or mixer inputs. This mis-match causes the pickup to be loaded by the input impedance producing a thin, weak tone. So, the primary function of preamps for piezo-equipped instruments is not necessarily to boost or amplify the signal, but to match the output impedance of the pickups to amp/mixer/DI Box input impedance. |
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Location: south east Michigan | I was just gonna say that. :rolleyes: |
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Location: big island | and in case you didn't know what impedance is: impedance is a measure of opposition to a sinusoidal alternating electric current. The concept of electrical impedance generalizes Ohm's law to AC circuit analysis. Unlike electrical resistance, the impedance of an electric circuit can be a complex number, but the same unit, the ohm, is used for both quantities. Oliver Heaviside coined the term "impedance" in July of 1886. |
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Location: Up North | Wow, my brain hurts! |
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Location: New South Wales, Australia | ...note to self...dumb question no.3 --- impedance --- can't you get a nasal spray for that these days? |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Aftershave is good for cleaning contacts...the humdrum I get to hear about electricity here is mind wobbling... |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Impedance comes from the word impede, meaning to slow down, tangle, interfere or block the path of something.
To my glib understanding, a pre-amp essentially grabs your signal for an ever so small moment, to make it compatable with your amplifier. Though to my simple brain, the effect is to make the signal warmer, fuller and stronger before sending it to the amplifier.
To my ear, those old ovation FET-3 pre-amps are wonderfully warm sounding.
It was a good question ozwatto, keep 'em coming. Actually, a relief. |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | ...and FET = Field Effect Transistor... |
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Location: East Tennessee | OK. My brain is full for today.
If there are any more posts to this topic, I'll read them tomorrow. :D
BTW; A lot of good information.
Ovation has had some of the leading technology for pickups in guitars.
Thank you Glen Campbell for playing that Baldwin on TV and scaring the H** out of the engineering team at Ovation. |
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Location: big island | Originally posted by Gospel Guitar Guy:
Thank you Glen Campbell for playing that Baldwin on TV and scaring the H** out of the engineering team at Ovation. i just read about that in the O book CrimsonLake sent me. |
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Location: New South Wales, Australia | Originally posted by an4340:
To my ear, those old ovation FET-3 pre-amps are wonderfully warm sounding.
It was a good question ozwatto, keep 'em coming. Actually, a relief. So is it the pre-amp or the pickup that produces that sound. Dumb questions....I've got a million of them :) |
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Location: ranson,wva | i also enjoy the sound of the fet-3 preamps..ive got them in several of my guiatrs......jason |
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Location: Keller, TX | Originally posted by ozwatto:
...note to self...dumb question no.3 --- impedance --- can't you get a nasal spray for that these days? No. It's a little blue pill.
And it doesn't go in your nose. |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Strings + Guitar + P U + pre-amp + Amp.+ Speaker.....and maybe You + a 6 pack :)
Vic :cool: |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | There is no such thing as a dumb question!
Dumb answers, on the other hand, are the lifeblood of this place.
Or maybe just the catsup. |
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Location: New South Wales, Australia | Originally posted by Enfant Terrible aka V-Elite:
Strings + Guitar + P U + pre-amp + Amp.+ Speaker.....and maybe You + a 6 pack :)
Vic :cool: The 6 pack is mandatory Vic. And the quicker I get through that 6 pack the better I sound :D |
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January 2007
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Location: New South Wales, Australia | Originally posted by fillhixx:
There is no such thing as a dumb question!
Dumb answers, on the other hand, are the lifeblood of this place.
Or maybe just the catsup. Thanks for your support fillhixx. It can be a bit intimidating for a newer member such as myself to ask a question that most people know the answer to.
But I'm here to get to know people and learn as much as I can and I appreciate all responses, and if you don't ask, you'll never know.
"Dumb" answers are good too...you gotta have something to laugh about :D |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | We should have a FAQ section for these ¨dumb¨ questions. I´d have a bunch in it. |
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| We need to explain 'active' preamp versus 'passive' preamp... |
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January 2007
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Location: New South Wales, Australia | Originally posted by Steve:
We need to explain 'active' preamp versus 'passive' preamp... I may regret this, but what the hell.........Steve, go right ahead :) |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | One has a battery, One don't? |
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Posts: 1900
| A passive preamp provides a line-signal without AC, has weaker dynamics, similar to a speaker signal without an attenuator....
Of course we could talk about passive-aggressive amps with emotional problems... ;) (..I know, all the comedians out of work and I'm tring to tell jokes..) |
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Location: NW Washington State | "Passive preamp" is an oxymoron. An onboard pre-amplifier requires battery power and is active. A passive pickup system doesn't have an amplifier (although it might have a matching transformer).
Some people swear that FETs (discrete transistors) sound better than op-amps (integrated circuits). A good preamp can be built with either.
-Steve W. |
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January 2007
Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | Well, the day downunder has just about come to an end and I'm about to hit the sack. Tonight I'm gonna dream about impedance, sinusoidal alternating electric current, Oliver Heaviside, viagra and active and passive preamps.
Thanks to everyone for your input. I actually think I learned a few things today.
If your patience permits I have several more dumb questions I'd like to post in the coming weeks. |
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Dumb question no.1