Classical guitar

[lhalton1]

Hello LR Baggs

I would like to ask your advice please:

I have an Alhambra classical guitar.

I have heard good things about the Anthem Classical and the IBeam. I
would just like to confirm that they are for classical guitars?

In addition to that, the PARA DI or the VENUE DI: Are these suitable for classical guitars?

Any combination that you could reccomend? I would greatly appreciate your input and advice, I love my classical guitar and would hate to mess this up! Especially if guitar surgery is involved.
Thank you

[Bryan McManus]

Hi LHalton,

There is an iBeam for classical guitar, model name iBeam-C. It's also available with an active endpin preamp, model name iBAS-C.

Some of the greater differences between the iBeam and the Anthem are as follows:

The iBeam requires slightly less modification to install but is generally not as feedback resistant.

With the Anthem-SL-C, the Tru-Mic portion is much more forgiving regarding placement than the iBeam so it can be applied to classical guitars with unconventional bracing patterns(more than 7 fan braces, for example).

Due to the undersaddle transducer, the Anthem-SL-C can be expected to have more presence in the mix if you play in a band.

If you plan to play plugged-in a lot more than unplugged, the Anthem-SL-C would be the clear choice. If you expect to play unplugged the vast majority of the time, the iBeam could be the preferred option.

Please reply if I can clarify any of that or if you have further questions.

[lhalton1]

Thank you for your reply.

Which DI would you recommend in addition to the Anthem SL C pickup? Is it necessary?

[Bryan McManus]

Hi LHalton,

A DI device has the greatest benefit if you will be playing far away from the input of your PA system. An unbalanced signal can collect interference along the lead between the preamp and the PA channel input while a balanced signal will cancel most of that noise and retain a high signal-to-noise ratio.

If you plan to connect to BOTH a PA channel and an amp to use as a monitor, I will recommend the Venue DI because of its built-in transformer-coupled ground lift.

The Para DI does not have a ground lift so, if you were to encounter a ground loop with the connections mentioned above, it would not be able to eliminate the hum.

If you plan to run a single path, using only one of the two outputs, the Para DI and Venue DI will work just as well. It's a matter of what features you want versus how much you wish to spend.