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Joined:
March 2006
Posts: 5
Location: Lincoln/Omaha | I've been testing the idea of blending my built in pickup sound with the mic'd sound for home recording. I have a 1982 Legend in excellent condition, the sound is pretty darn good and the action is absolutely superb. It's the deep bowl, traditional sound hole, model 1667, so it does mic well, but the unadulterated pickup sound is less than stellar.
Problem is the built in preamp is not really clean enough or quiet enough to record anything other than heavy strumming in a big mix. For recording any solo finger picked stuff where all you will hear is guitar and a silent room, it sucks. It has a very soft but annoying noise in it, like half hiss and half hum. It is an active pickup, using a 9v power source, and I assume that is why it has noise?? The noise increases or decreases depending on the angle I am facing relative to the other electronics in the room. (just like an electric guitar might do) That's why I think it's the active electronics inside causing the nosie.
If I had a passive pickup in it - like a K&K or a Pickup The World - would it still have the noise? I have the LR Baggs Para DI, and I know that's not the source of the noise because the noise is the same if I plug the Ovation directly into the board.
How can I get rid of this noise without drilling holes in my guitar?
Do I just need a new 2006 preamp from Ovation to replace the 1982 original that's in there? Are the new preamps that much better? Or will I have this problem with any active pickup? Do I have to spring for the passive pickup to get rid of the noise? I really like the way the Baggs Para works, but I cant crank it to the "sweet spot" because it cranks this noise along with everything else.
Thanks in advance for any tips. - SC |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Well, if you're in the mood to experiment... you already have a passive pickup - it's connected to your preamp. You could disconnect your saddle pickup from the preamp, wire it direct to a jack and plug that into your Baggs and try it. At the least it should tell you if the noise is coming from the pickup (or possibly not-shielded-enough wiring), or the preamp.
BTW, which preamp is in it? |
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Joined:
March 2006
Posts: 5
Location: Lincoln/Omaha | Which preamp is it? I dont know. I have the model and serial number written down at home, that is how I found out the year and the style of the guitar, but the Ovation web site did not include any info about the preamp or the pickup.
The dealer I bought it from says it has the 6 piezo's under the strings at the bridge. It was the first time I've set foot in that store and they tried to persuade me NOT to buy anything, as in dont buy a pickup cuz there's nothing wrong with the piezo's that are built in to the bridge. (I was just this close to buying a PickupTheWorld #54!) They convinced me to let them clean it up first, tighten everything down and get rid of the static and cutouts in the sound, then take it home and toy with it some more. (Incidentally, they were unable to recreate the static or the cutting out, so it must have been my cords or my board input cutting out)
I should mention that I modded the guitar to remove the battery and instead use a supposedly "super regulated perfect flat 9v adapter" from The Sound Professionals. Maybe the output of their adapter is not as "perfectly flat" as they claim. So I will re-connect a new 9v battery to the guitar today just to see if that gets rid of the noise. And I will test out a monster cord, just for kicks.
But if neither one of those solves it, then I have already seriously considered disconnecting the preamp and connecting the pickup wires directly to the jack. In fact, I am actually kind of anxious to try that, cuz I really like the way this LR Baggs DI works.
Is there anything I need to know to make that wiring mod myself? I dont even know if there are 2 wires or 6 wires or whatever coming out of the pickup. I dont even know if my hand will fit in the hole. This guitar has only the "stacked" combination volume+tone knob on top, there is no eq or panel of any kind built in to this guitar. The pickup and preamp are completely concealed inside, all you see on the outside is the volume knob and the jack.
I'm pretty good with my fingers and with small electronics, so let me know if I can do this simple "fix" myself.
Thanks again for your time. Appreciate it! - SC |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Definitely try a battery first. And a good cable.
Ovation saddle piezo pickups have been the standard for years. They pretty much invented them. And thier preamps have mostly been superior as well, but any electronics can degrade with time. Another thing I would check is the quality of the connection to the 1/4" output jack. If the dealer was messing about with it, even try reversing the wires. Make sure you get a strong, clean connection.
The line from the pickup to the preamp should only have 2 wires (and maybe a ground shield). You can connect these directly to a 1/4" jack to test with your Baggs. If they're hard-wired to the preamp, be sure to leave yourself some wire on the preamp end in case you need to splice it back together. Remember this stuff is real susceptible to noise, so damage as little of the shielding as possible. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | I agree with Waskel. Ovation pick-ups and preamps are well designed and stand up even after decades of use. Usually, hiss and hum are from the connections. Go back to battery power, check all the connections (particularly the 1/4" output) and use a high quality cable.
BTW: I like your screen name-one of my fav YES tunes. |
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1982 Legend Preamp Noise Cure?
