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Bought a used guitar with a Active I-Beam installed. Would like to make it work for me. I have had no feedback issues. This guitar is a 1/2 size so the box is small but very responsive. My issue is boominess or a bass that seems overpowering the other strings. The low E is the worse. I can EQ it but it is at the far reaches of my EQ to rain it in. Is there a way to reposition the pickup to reduce the bass?
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Hey 45flint,
Re-positioning the iBeam would definitely be the first place that I would start. However, without a reference of where the pickup is currently placed, I can't make any solid recommendations on where to move it to. The iBeam is definitely the most consistent sounding in the manual's recommended position. If it's a 1/2 size guitar though, then your options may be more limited.
If you would like to get a few more adhesive strips for re-positioning the pickup, just send me your mailing address at [email protected]. -
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Here is a picture of the I-Beam install. It is positioned 3/8? inch beyond the low E, even with the high E. Angled toward the Low E string pin. Remember you are looking at a mirror image in the guitar. How best to reposition to decrease bass especially the low E string? Also is a picture of the top to see the angle of the saddle.Last edited by 45flint; 09-25-2014, 09:47 AM.Comment
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Ok,
Thanks for the picture. That should actually be a pretty good position for the iBeam. I was concerned that there may not be enough room on the bridgeplate.
You can try to re-position it further towards the treble side, but the iBeam tends to be pretty inconsistent in how it reacts to placement, from one guitar to the other. I got those new adhesives in the mail for you today, so feel free to move it around and see how it responds.
The iBeam is boomy by nature, even with the active preamp attached. So if you can't reduce that boomy quality by placement, then EQ/Notching will likely be necessary. I had an iBeam Passive in my 0-body guitar for a while, and it had a really nice sound. The guitar has a punchy mid quality, and a big low end for a small guitar, so I ended up needing to cut some low mids on the iBeam in order to balance it out.
I hope that helps.Comment
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Thanks for the coming adhesives. I have been studying the placement and I wonder if you are not correct that it may be a good one? It may have been done by a pro, the guitar is high end. The base side is angled more toward the string pin end off the direct line of the saddle. I used my A3 Zoom EQ to make it pretty nice. Will use in church today. See if it works in live setting.Comment
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Took the guitar to church with the Praise band and used the two band parametric EQ from my A3 Zoom. Took two bands down; Bass and low mids and I was very happy with the sound. Got lots of complements from people about the acoustic sound. Zoom also added a Martin small guitar model and a little Hall reverb. Saved a patch so now its plug and play.Last edited by 45flint; 09-28-2014, 12:19 PM.Comment
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That's great to hear! I'm glad that you were able to find what EQ it needed and make it work for you. Having a saved preset sound extremely convenient for that kind of setting too.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know.Comment
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Just general comment, still very happy with sound. Have found that it seems key to have a fairly low input volume going into my amps. Two high a volume from the pickup, really starts to not sound as good. I found the same thing with my Fishman UST as well. Properly EQ'd this pickup is still a contender even though its not a spring chicken. I think it fills out the bass a little better than my Lyric. Would love to A/B them both in this guitar but not worth it since I am very happy with the I-Beam and the Lyric as well.
SteveLast edited by 45flint; 10-02-2014, 11:36 AM.Comment
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Hi,
I recently aquired a newish Gibson AJ Pro with Active Element. I am wondering if the jack is TRS, so that I could add my Sunrise pickup to the jack?
Also, I am considering adding the Ibeam and using Imix. Do I understand correctly that I will need to remove the Acitve Element in favor of the passive model in order to use the Imix? And is the included jack TRS with this system?
Anyone have any experience with this setup?aliiiiiComment
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