Radial Engineering R8007320 PZ-Deluxe Acoustic Preamp

Added some control, but gave the tone a pingy, tinny sound. Definitely not for me.

The high impedance coupled with the boost function is very useful. It works much better than coupling boost pedals with a Baggs Paracoustic. There is a tone shift when boosting. It is acceptable for what I play . I am going to work on minimizing it. The EQ 's are owrk really well on this tool. The recessed pot for adjusting the boost is just fine. I set it 3 - 4 weeks ago and haven't had to adjust it in hours of playing. The mute is quiet - no pings or snaps. This is really good gear but the notch filter present on the PZ PRE should be on it too. If I had known how well this works I would have spent the additional money for the PZ PRE.

Very musical and natural sound. Altough it is designed for acoustic instruments with piezo pickups, it works great as DI for electric bass.

I purchased this two months ago for the purpose of running the signal from a passive piezo pickup on my acoustic mandolin to the PA. I perform around town a few nights a week, usually with another acoustic guitar player, and sometimes we also have a bassist and drummer. This box does the job extremely well, creates a place in the mix for the mandolin, regardless of the room dimensions. I only run it right to the house via xlr, although one could also run it to an onstage amp or monitor. Professional warning: READ the booklet!! This is a real tool, and takes a bit of practice to learn to manipulate it on the fly without holding up progress on the gig. While I haven't tried my fancy acoustic guitar through it, I did run an active 5 string fretless bass guitar through it to the house (no bass amp!)on one recent gig, and the pz deluxe delivered again (this required a different setting, but not too much, the knobs are super sensitive/responsive!)So there's my review. Being an acoustic purist, I wish there were no need for all the electronic gizmos, but the reality is audience members like to talk while the band plays, so we must be heard! LOL! That said, I won't do a gig without this D.I., it is worth every penny! I've tried most of all the other preamps on the market, Radial's got it goin' on....