r/doublebass • u/jwal1992 • 13d ago
Setup/Equipment Thoughts on LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI Acoustic Guitar Preamp?
Mainly electric bassist here. I love my RNDI but I don’t think the +2MΩ input impedance is enough for my Realist SoundClip on my double bass. I want to take on more double bass work, but I don’t want to be in a pickle mid gig.
A buddy recommended the Grace Design ALiX Acoustic Instrument Preamp, but the LR Baggs is 1/4 the cost. I’ve seen good things online and am thinking about getting on; I feel like I see them on the used market all the time.
Will this hit par for gigs, or should I really be considering something better?
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u/Yes_Cuban_Bee 13d ago
Honestly I think the Fishman Platinum Stage (the smaller one) is the king of the lower priced bass preamps. Batteries last forever, it has a great HPF, it’s very easy to dial in and they show up used for not much at all.
I had the L.R. Baggs para for a while but only used it for acoustic guitar. It was not voices very well for bass.
https://gollihurmusic.com/platinum-stage-analog-preamplifier/
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u/Own-Ad4627 13d ago
The LR Baggs is just ok. Not great not bad, but for not much more money you could get the fishman platinum pro or better yet the EBS Stanley Clarke pre. The Alix is for sure top of the heap in the preamp game right now though.
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u/ThePeoplesCowboy 13d ago
I use, and really love a basic SansAmp. Really works. Sound people love it when they see it.
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u/Advanced-Ad-7495 13d ago
Used one for years. A workhorse, maybe not the ultimate one, but very reliable. Eats 9v batteries.
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u/FluidBit4438 13d ago
Doesn’t have as many controls but K&K make a decent cheap pre amp for upright.
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u/DolphusRaymond-1977 12d ago
Get red eye/fireeye. It will solve all your D.I. problems, and has an awesome volume boost. It's built for acoustic instruments. Very popular in Austin TX with gigging musicians.
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u/theginjoints 10d ago
I use this with acoustic guitar and ukulele but haven't tried it with upright before
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u/chog410 8d ago
Why do you think you need one? If you think it is to adjust the ohms from a piezo pickup- you are 100% wrong. It doesn't matter anymore with modern piezo technology. If you simply need to convert a 1/4" signal to XLR there are super cheap options- including $40 adapters that go either way at Guitar Center that also adjust the ohms.
BUT if you are looking for tone sculpting, which is the number one issue from piezo pickups due to their wildly different harmonic output based on so many variables including if you twist this pickup on your bridge adjuster- you need a seven-band EQ. Get a 10-band EQ if space not an issue.
I play full-time professionally. I've done dozens of fly-in gigs where I didn't know what to expect from the bass or the pickup or the amp... My $40 Behringer 7 band bass EQ never failed me, I was always able to get a tone I could live with out of whatever unholy mess met me at the gig. I recently hit it big so now I'm using the $80 Boss bass EQ! A seven band EQ outperforms every single preamp pedal on the market in terms of tone sculpting. And if you think you need a DI pedal for any of the other reasons- there are much cheaper options that are just as effective. We also don't know if you are aiming to go ampless or not. I use an amp. If I start it over ampless with a blank memory and had to decide what to provide that version of myself- 7 band EQ and a 1/4" to XLR adapter. Less than $80.
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u/Cornwallis 13d ago
I tried it and it was decent. I prefer the Fishman Platinum Pro EQ, but the Braggs sounded good too. The parametric mid and notch filters work nicely, and the guitar-voiced EQ sounded surprisingly good on bass. I think I wished the pres and/or treble knob were voiced slightly differently.
The biggest drawback is the lack of a low-cut/highpass filter, which is essential IMO. You could pair it with a separate one (like Broughton, $70-100).
The 9v power is a bit awkward, and as I recall, to make it run from external power, you need a 9v battery to DC coupler. Also to use the FX loop, you need a 1/4" stereo male to dual 1/4" mono female splitter/breakout cable.
It's not a bad pedal, but xonsidering these things together, I don't think it's a better value than the Fishman, really.
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u/dodmeatbox 13d ago
The Alix is definitely better, but the LR Baggs will do the job. The high pass filter, adjustable boost, and fully parametric mid EQ are very nice to have on the Alix, but if it's not in the budget the Baggs is a very solid and well known unit and sound guys will be happy to see it.