I'm looking into an old Rane AP13 acoustic preamp. I know the Rane SP preamp was "tweaked" for use with the Stick but would the AP13 still work good with the Stick? I simply can't afford a Step-A-Bout so this seems the cheapest way for me to get more tone out of my Stickup pickup.

Opinions please!

Hi Ray,

I started out with an AP-13. The input impedance on the mic channel is pretty high, but it sounds good with a Stickup (you might have to roll off a little on the top eq band)

If it's a good price, I don't think you'll be disappointed, it's a very versatile unit.

But, I will say that the least expensive way is the little preamp box that Eric and Japhlet have been posting about.

SIDENOTE
This is the 4000th post on the new forum in just a little over 4 months. Thanks, Manny, for providing us with such a great resource!

Hi Ray,

Other options worth looking at might be:

http://www.d-tar.com/solstice.shtml

http://www.ebs.bass.se/2007/microbass.htm

Both of these units offer some of the routing flexibility of a StepAbout (the DTar in particular) at roughly half the price. However, both units have some limitations relating to EQ etc.

A much cheaper option would be a couple of simple buffer preamps from:
http://stores.ebay.com/Music-ElectroniX

Their units all have 4.7 MOhms inputs AFAIK. Could be the way to go while you save up for the StepAbout.

Or a couple of classic Countryman DIs (very high impedance inputs @ 10 Mohms):
http://www.countryman.com/store/?catid=3

Always useful to have around anyway.

Personally, I find a 1M Ohm input sufficient for the Stickup. This would be the typical input impedance on most multi-effects boxes. You should be able to get a good, usable sound out of one of these units..?

Cheers,
Andy

I said the same thing, until I tried 3MOhms. I was able to make direct comparisons and the 3MOhms just sounded much better. It also depends on what rig you are plugging into. But anyone I've heard from who's tried a StepABout or the little DIY preamp that I and Japhlet make have really liked it.

-Eric

Guys ... Thanks very much for your opinions!!!!