Beginners question here - do I understand other posts to say that some Stick pickups (e.g. the Stickup) have output impedance different to what most guitar amps and bass expect to see, which makes a preamp neccessary for optimal performance? If so, will an effects unit sort it out?

To be specific, my Stick has a Stickup. I have a Crate CA120D combo, which is designed for amplifying acoustic instruments. It has two identical channels, each with one 3.3M ohm high Z input (5mV sensitivity), and one 3K ohm low Z input (2mV sensitivity). Is there a mismatch between the Stickup and the amp inputs?

I also have a DiGitech BP80 effects unit with 1/4" unbalanced outputs - no input or output specs beyond that, but I assume the pedal output is what a guitar or bass amp expects to see. I mostly use a headphone amp at the moment, so don't have much practical experience of how all this works together. Will the effects pedal sort an impedance mismatch for me, or will it too demand the correct input impedance for optimal performance?

Thanks, Max

You're fine. Stick pickups are instrument level just like a guitar or bass. The only notable exception is that the output of an ACTV-2 is going to be hotter because of the preamp built into the pickup. But you'll run across this with any guitar or bass equipped with active pickups as well.

Thanks Glenn

Max