Pre amps

Posted by The Capo Kid on September 9, 2013 at 3:54pm

I want to add a pre amp to my next build to go with my rod piezo , what I want to know what's the difference between a active or passive wiring apart from the fact that one uses a battery

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Replies

  • David L. September 10, 2013 at 7:10am
    The passive preamps are poorly named. They consist of a volume control and a tone control that has minimal effect on cutting the higher frequencies.

    Active preamps lower the impedance and can cut or boost the various frequencies so you get a warmer sound. A feature worth looking for is a preamp with tuner so it is easy to try different tunings quickly.

    If you are short on space you can get smaller preamps on eBay if you search for ukulele preamp.
    I have one like this in a uke I restrung with guitar strings - the little tuner is great for quick tuning http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Ukulele-EQ-Chromatic-Tuner-2-Band-W-S...

    Regards,
    David
    PS if you order from Hong Kong to the UK keep below £15 or you risk import duty.
    • The Capo Kid > David L. September 15, 2013 at 6:24am

       This pre-amp is still too big for the box depth , i'm just going to use a 500k vol pot , keep this build simple .

  • Jillian Holladay September 9, 2013 at 4:51pm

    I am not an expert but my understanding is that a passive EQ uses resistors, capacitors, inductors, and the like to do the work. This means that the signal coming out will always be lower than that which went in. Active EQ would employ circuitry that could boost the signal.

    • The Capo Kid > Jillian Holladay September 10, 2013 at 6:38am

       Ok thanks , so what I don't understand is what is the point of a passive  pre-amp if I does'nt give any boost to the output , this build uses a short scale smaller box than I normally use so there's not a lot of room for a active pre-amp and battery box

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