Underwood / Ashdown combination

[Tony F]

I've finally decided to splash out on a decent amp of my own, having borrowed one for too long. There's an Ashdown Mag300 coming my way, and I'm wondering if I'm going to need a preamp with my Underwood pickup.

The current amp (tubeworks) sounds thin and weak and nasty without a preamp, and I've been using a Trace Elliot EQ and tone shaping pedal thing to give me the sound I want, and to boost the signal from the Underwood. Much as I like this preamp, I'd be happier to not need it, and could use the money for it to offset the cost of the amp! I used to use this pickup with my Trace Elliot amp in the UK, and no preamp was needed then.

I know lots of players use this combination of amp and pickup, so is a preamp vital or will the amp be man enough for the job?

Cheers,

Tony

[Ric Vice]

Originally Posted by Tony F

I've finally decided to splash out on a decent amp of my own, having borrowed one for too long. There's an Ashdown Mag300 coming my way, and I'm wondering if I'm going to need a preamp with my Underwood pickup.

Tony,
The Ashdown has a input impedance of 3.9 Megohms, so that should be more than aequate. Years ago, Walter Woods specifically matched the input of his MI-100-8 Amp to Don Underwoods pickup, using a 1 Megohm load.

Originally Posted by Tony F

I know lots of players use this combination of amp and pickup, so is a preamp vital or will the amp be man enough for the job?

Cheers,

Tony

[Tony F]

That's good news, thank you!

Cheers,

Tony