Venu DI Preamp for Bluegrass Problem

[Tim Kelley]

Guitar: Taylor 110E
Pickup: Expression System 2

When we hooked the venu up to a small single speaker to try out it sounded like we hoped. The natural sound of the guitar but louder.

However when we got to the concert and setup, we were surprised that we couldn't work out the electric sound out of the mix. Adjusting the EQ on the Allen Heath Zed 16 nor the Venu DI controls, we were not able to get that natural sound of the guitar. Way to electric sound for bluegrass.

What are we missing?
Wrong pickup?

Tim

[Caleb_Elling]

Hey Tim,
It's definitely odd that you got such a different response from one speaker vs. a full PA. Although every system and every room is different.

In my experience, if the Venue DI can't get you the sound you want, or close to it, then you might need to re-evaluate your pickup.

I've used the ES2 before, and it is significantly better sounding than the ES1. With the right settings on the guitar, and the right EQ on the Venue, you should be able to get a pretty usable sound in most rooms.

I think that it might be worth trying the ES2 with the Venue a few more times with a few more PA's. If you regularly have issues with your tone, then I would consider changing the pickup out. You may end up finding that your most recent gig was a fluke experience.