Schatten HFN-S2 - Active vs Passive

Jan

Hi,

I have been a frequent visitor/reader but this is my first post so please go easy :P

I have a D500 and wish to add a pickup. For various reasons I have opted to go the Schatten route. I am wondering whether to get the active or passive model. I have a Baggs Para DI Preamp so normally speaking the choice is probably the passive model.

However, the active and passive models are pretty much the same price over here. Bearing this in mind, is there any disadvantage sound wise to having the active model. It would be useful for those occasions when I don't have the preamp available.

I've already read several accounts that the passive + baggs preamp is a better bet than the active on its own... but what is the active + preamp (just using the EQ) like I wonder?

Also, how good is the active without preamp in comparison? I've heard it is *hot* - spose that refers to a high output ... but what of the sound? I couldn't find any real references to that.

Does anyone have any suggestions/insights/advice?

djadam

Hi Jan, welcome to the forums!

It's hard to compare, since most of us have one or the other. I use the passive model (from before the re-design) in my DG250M with a Baggs pre and I have been able to get a nice, natural tone with considerable preamp tweaking. I even stuck a little picture of the proper settings on my Baggs pre so I wouldn't forget them.

I've heard the active model (from after the re-design) directly into a Compact 60 and while it sounds OK, I wouldn't use it without the preamp for the considerable EQ control. The built-in pre on the active model is definintely tweaked for improved EQ, but by itself it's not enough, in my opinion.

So assuming you'll be bringing the Baggs pre anywhere you are gigging, I'd say you probably can't go wrong either way. I can't comment on how the active version sounds through the Baggs EQ, but I can assure you that the passive version can get a nice tone.

Jan

> It's hard to compare, since most of us have one or the other.

Yes indeed. And most of you guys appear to go the passive+preamp route.

I haven't gone out and bought anything yet (although I'm itching to do so) ... I'm sorta hoping someone on this forum has the active version and can say if it's possible, and what it sounds like, putting it through a preamp.

You say that without a preamp it doesn't sound as good as passive+preamp. So the question now is simply... does putting the active pickup through the preamp improve the sound (to the level of passive+preamp)?

Any active pu users out there? Or is everyone passove+preamp?

djadam

Well I can tell you it is possible to use an active version with the Baggs, as it will automatically adjust to match the signal impedance. But since the passive+Baggs sounds better (to me) than the active pickup alone, I can't help but wonder if you're at an advantage with the passive model in terms of shaping the tone, as opposed to changing a tone which has already been preamped. Or maybe the hotter tone is easier to work with for all I know??

Again, you probably can't go wrong either way. That said, I don't like batteries for a number of reasons, so if I did it all over again, I'd go with the passive version again, since the Baggs doesn't require a battery if you use it with an amp which supplies phantom power.

Charlie Ayers

Has anyone taken a Schatten out of one guitar and put it in another?
Is it easy to do?

Charlie

Charlie Ayers

Has anyone taken a Schatten out of one guitar and put it in another?
Is it easy to do?

Charlie

Jan

I haven't put one in yet :P but from the instructions there appear to be 3 ways to install ... with putty, double-sided tape, and glue. I think if you use any of the former solutions then it would be very easy. The jack at the back would need to be replaced with a dummy jack or you'll be left with a big hole though.

If you glue the pickup in then depending on the glue used I think you can still remove it but would need to go to a good luthier. Bye the way, does anyone know any good glue that is easily removable?

I removed a K&K pickup once before which had been stuck down with double-sided tape and the problem there was only that the pickup elements were really small so difficult to get at and easy to damage working through the sound hole. It would appear the Schatten is easier to handle as it is a bigger pickup element.

Jan

I don't like batteries for a number of reasons, so if I did it all over again, I'd go with the passive version again, since the Baggs doesn't require a battery if you use it with an amp which supplies phantom power.

Yeah... I can see where you're coming from there. Well... I bit the bullet and bought the passive. I found a US dealer that will ship to Europe

Thanks for the advice. Now I will check out some of the other threads 8)

klaatu

djadam wrote:

I even stuck a little picture of the proper settings on my Baggs pre so I wouldn't forget them.

djadam,

Just out of curiosity, exactly what settings DO you use on your Baggs? I just had a Schatten installed in my Manouche.

Jan

klaatu wrote:

djadam wrote:

I even stuck a little picture of the proper settings on my Baggs pre so I wouldn't forget them.

djadam,

Just out of curiosity, exactly what settings DO you use on your Baggs? I just had a Schatten installed in my Manouche.

*lol* good question - I was going to ask but forgot :roll:

djadam

I haven't used my Gitane/Schatten since I got my Park in early 2007, but I've attached a picture of my most recent settings, although I'm not sure how helpful it will be because of so many variables...

It's a Schatten pre-re-design passive pickup
Gitane DG-250M Guitar
Compact 60 Amp, which has it's own color-shaping built-in

All in all these settings got me a nice, natural sound, which I obtained not through any kind of expertise, but through a great deal of experimentation. That said, even if you had the same setup, yours could end up sounding pretty different. But maybe that will give you a good starting point.

BTW, I found the little book which came with the Baggs to be very helpful in my experimentation process.