I’ve really been diggin’ doing some acoustic pedal reviews lately, as it’s opened my playing back up a bit, and it’s always fun to go back and rediscover all the rad things an acoustic can do. Playing electric so much with the majority of these reviews, I forget sometimes the tranquility and serenity that a nice acoustic guitar provides, and I’m glad I’ve been able to explore that more as of late. It also helps when you have an incredible piece of gear that makes everything sparkle and pop out of your amp, which is most definitely the case with the Session DI Acoustic Preamp from L.R. Baggs.
Seeking to capture a studio-grade sound and put it into a pedal for live use, L.R. Baggs has created an easy-to-use, always-on, beautiful-sounding preamp that will make you never want to put the old guitar down again! Volume starts off the control panel, obviously used to boost the overall output of the Session DI, according to the rest of your setup. The Notch knob helps to control unwanted feedback easily: just turn the knob until the feedback stops. Easy! The Saturate knob adds wonderful depth and warmth to your sound, and has been specifically designed towards acoustic guitars, making it a key ingredient in this DI. The Gain control is easy to set as well, especially with the VU meter right next to it. Crank the volume on your guitar, then set the Gain control to where it’s just below clipping according to the LED, and you’re set. The Comp/EQ is another beautiful feature on the Session DI, as it takes the combination of 3 internal compressors (low, mid and high) and essentially uses them as equalizers for your sound. This control is extremely touch sensitive, so you’ll want to play around with it for a bit to get it dialed in just right, depending on your particular playing and strumming style.
A Phase button inverts the phase of the DI. If there’s one on your guitar as well, see which one sounds better when engaged and stick with it. This is another function that really depends on the other gear you’re using to create your sound, but will play an important role if needed. If you’ve ever wanted to use batteries for any pedal, this is the one to do it with as well. The Session DI boasts a whooping 125 HOURS of playable time on one 9V battery! Plus, there’s even a battery check button, which lets you know when it’s time to change your battery through the VU meter. There’s also a High Pass Filter select switch on the side (40, 80, 120 and 200Hz), a Ground Lift switch in case you need it, and an XLR output to plug directly into a mixer, if you want to go that route. Just a couple of great additions to an already incredible pedal to make it that much more functional and easy to use.
In short, L.R. Baggs has come up with a way to accurately capture a true studio-quality sound in a well-designed and incredible-sounding preamp pedal. I would really like to find an acoustic player who doesn’t think this gives their tone and sound any enhancement, and if there is someone who claims such a thing, they’re a liar. Just kidding, but not really. Pop this thing between your guitar and amp, run it alongside the rest of your pedalboard, or plug it straight into a mixer and go – it’s so versatile and rich-sounding, you can’t go wrong in any application. Thanks so much to Mike and everyone at L.R. Baggs for allowing me to test this DI out with my acoustic rig. If you love to play your acoustic, but you’re missing that one sparkling aspect you can’t quite find, check out this pedal right away. I’m not sure it will ever leave my acoustic pedalboard, and why would I want it to?
Specs:
Analog Saturation enhances warmth and harmonic content
Compression / EQ smoothes out common problem frequencies
Garret Null notch filter tames resonate feedback
Variable high-pass filter attenuates extraneous low frequencies
VU meter visually optimizes gain for passive and active pickups
Ground lift switch effectively eliminates ground-loop noise
All discrete signal path with XLR and quarter inch outputs
48V phantom power, 9V battery or 9V DC powering options
Rugged enclosure constructed of aluminum, steel and ABS plastic
Mute footswitch for ¼” and XLR oututs
Submitted by Mike B, Website
Demo Rock pedalboard by West Coast Pedalboard
