DI Box for Acoustic Guitar?

rgjmce

Hey I posted on here before about boosting the signal of my acoustic cause it was too quiet. That was a while ago but I remember someone saying my best bet would be to get a DI box.

So what I'm wondering is, what would be the best DI Box for my needs. It doesn't have to be fancy, just do the job that I want. Also just in case people are curious, I just plug my guitar into the pa. I want as simple a set up as possible.

I preferably want something less than €100, although if there is something more expensive I still might consider it.

Gaspode

It depends a lot on what you are plugging your guitar into for amplification - are you going direct to a PA or into a guitar amp?
A typical passive DI may improve the signal quality a bit for PA but it wont necessarily give it a huge boost in volume.
If your signal is very low then a preamp might be of more benefit to you.
We have similar issues for the banjo and mandolin in our band, and the banjo player uses one of these to boost his input. It colours the tone a bit but at least we can hear him now!
Something like this may help too: http://www.thomann.de/ie/artec_acoustic_outboard_eq.htm

I've seen both of those items on sale in Dublin before, so at least you might be able to go and try them.

I'm sure you could pick up a decent pickup set for your guitar for less than 100, might be a better option?

rgjmce

Gaspode wrote: »

It depends a lot on what you are plugging your guitar into for amplification - are you going direct to a PA or into a guitar amp?
A typical passive DI may improve the signal quality a bit for PA but it wont necessarily give it a huge boost in volume.
If your signal is very low then a preamp might be of more benefit to you.
We have similar issues for the banjo and mandolin in our band, and the banjo player uses one of these to boost his input. It colours the tone a bit but at least we can hear him now!
Something like this may help too: http://www.thomann.de/ie/artec_acoustic_outboard_eq.htm

I've seen both of those items on sale in Dublin before, so at least you might be able to go and try them.

I'm sure you could pick up a decent pickup set for your guitar for less than 100, might be a better option?

Thanks I'll check out preamps. Also the pickup I have in my guitar was already pricey enough €100+

I'm plugging straight into pa btw

Gaspode

Is it a passive or an active pickup? Where is it installed - soundhole or under the bridge?
I'd suspect it's not installed properly if you're getting very little signal from 100 quids worth of pickup.

Might be better to get that checked out before spending money on anything else

rgjmce

Gaspode wrote: »

Is it a passive or an active pickup? Where is it installed - soundhole or under the bridge?
I'd suspect it's not installed properly if you're getting very little signal from 100 quids worth of pickup.

Might be better to get that checked out before spending money on anything else

it's active and fitting at soundhole. It could just need a new battery. I have had it for a year or two now and haven't replaced it.

Either way I think I would like to get something to put in between the guitar and pa.

biketard

I've got one of these, OP, and I'm very happy with it. You can use it either actively or passively (or power it from the phantom power provided by the amp). It's very versatile and surprisingly cheap. You can even use it for two instruments, though I've never done that.

Behringer Ultra-DI D120

http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/DI20.aspx