Does anyone have this in their guitar? I just sent my J45 in for a bunch of major repairs and I decided to get the iMix installed also. It already has the iBeam, so the undersaddle part and preamp will be added. Anyone gigged with that pickup? Opinions? Thanks!
I put the onboard version a while back in my Taylor 314ce. It replaced the stock Fishman piezo. It was a huge improvement. I love what the I-beam brings to the table. I personaly hate the piezo sound but it does have its purpose in loud settings where feedback is a issue. I usually have it on 80/20 Ibeam/piezo. Never had a problem gigging in a acoustic duo or sitting in with a friends band. Enjoy
Yeah, that's my main reason for installing it...playing louder sound stages. The iBeam sounds decent, if a little dull, in low volume situations, but for the louder stuff a saddle piezo is definitely needed. The blend option is really cool. I take it the balance of output is easy to adjust between the two pickups? I'd guess initially the piezo overpowers the iBeam?
The iMix (in stock configuration) has a volume knob and a blend knob that mount just inside the sound hole... nothin to it. You can also set the preamp to stereo out and blend 'em with an offboard preamp or mixer if you like.
Yep, very easy to blend. As far as the ibeam being dull, keep in mind that the placement of it makes a huge difference on the sound. When I installed mine, I tried about 10 different locations till I was happy. I was very easy to make it sound boomy and/or muddy.
it also works very nicely if you swap out the element for a good soundhole pickup, which sort of does the same job, namely reading the strings for high-volume no-feedback uses. i use the dimarzio reference acoustic, and have wired up a sunrise for a customer with great results. baggs suggests (of course) the passive m1 for this idea.
Wow, great timing! I have been strongly considering the iMix for my Martin HD-28. Would it be redundant to run it through a PADI? Brian
I have a Composite Acoustics X Performer that came with the iMix system installed at the factory. Probably a little different situation compared to installing it in a convention guitar, but I've very pleased with it. In fact, it's the best sounding plugged-in acoustic I've ever played. Joe
Not at all. Unless you have the OnBoard version (which requires cutting a hole in the side of your guitar), there's no onboard EQ. It is an active system, so you don't really need the preamp and buffering, but the PADI can still be useful for sound shaping. I usually use either a PADI or a Fishman Dual Para DI with mine. Joe
Yep. I have an iMix in...a J45. My J45 is fairly recent (2002) and came with a factory Fishman system that I never got along with much. I'm really happy with the iMix it's a versatile good sounding system. I tend to run about 50/50 iBeam/Element in most situations but lean more towards the Element if feedback is problematic. I also run through a para DI for extra room tweaking.
Great info so far. I have struggled with acoustic pickups for 20+ years, never really liking any of them! But I got talked into the iMix and am game for anything at this point. The guitar is a '49 so I've never put a saddle transducer in it (thru-saddle bridge) but the guy doing the repairs is a guru, so I trust his word. I did try the new Aura box and it sounded great with a McPherson, which has the Element pickup in it, so I'm pretty stoked to get it back and try it with the whole iMix system. I usually just run through a dual para DI, for minimal EQ adjusting, but that Aura had really nice transient correction in it...very 'mic-like'. Anyone using that with the element?
that's exactly what i have! well, it's a '49 j-50, but same thing! i use the imix with the dimarzio reference acoustic in place of the element (thru-saddle, after all, and quack-free) into a fishman dual parametric di! that's a great box, so of course, fishman discontinued it. baggs para di's are also great, but i found the two notch filters were so narrow that they weren't usable for tone-shaping like the fully parametric fishman box. you'll probably find that you need to knock out a low-mid "honk" on the ibeam with your parametric, but once that's done, it will be very mic-like, while being more feedback resistant. i run mine about 80% ibeam and 20% mag pickup, and i can use it through a carl martin compressor boosted for sustainy leads with little trouble. i'm sure the element would do fine through an aura. i haven't tried non-UST pickups through one yet, so i don't know about mags or contact pickups through one.
walter - isn't that funny how the good stuff gets discontinued...I had a Baggs para-acous for a while and totally agree on the narrow sweep. Alpha music eh? Tell HL John McNiel says hey! Yeah I'm itching to get this thing done...the whole saddle-pickup-install-with-thru-saddle is pretty nerve wracking but I trust the guy doing it.
