A bass DI that can be multi-dimensional and vibey, in addition to helping deliver great tone.
Clip 1 gentle - ’78 stock Fender P. Pedal off, then volume 1 o’clock, gain 1 o’clock, fat switch at +3 dB, attack 1 o’clock, growl 0, comp EQ 10 o’clock.
Clip 2 rough - ’78 stock Fender P. Pedal off, then volume 1 o’clock, gain 1 o’clock, fat switch at +3 dB, attack 5 o’clock, growl 5 o’clock, comp EQ 5 o’clock.
Clip 3 dirty- ’78 stock Fender P. Pedal off, then drive button engaged, volume 1 o’clock, gain 1 o’clock, fat switch at +3 dB, attack 5 o’clock, growl 5 o’clock, comp EQ 5 o’clock.
If you are reading this and happen to be a full-time bassist, then the L.R. Baggs name might not be totally familiar to you. That’s because L.R. Baggs has primarily been making well-regarded products for the acoustic guitar community for decades, not us low enders. Their engineering staff, however, is chock-full of bassists, and they wanted to develop a bass DI that would fill the gaps where a “regular” DI leaves players flat. It’s no secret that bassists often have few options when it comes to a DI, and generally plug into a passive, unsexy box with zero tonal consideration. The new L.R. Baggs Stadium electric bass DI says it doesn’t have to be that way.
Got to Bagg It Up
Out of the box, the Stadium DI made an impact before I even put eyes on it. That’s because it comes packed in a zippered hard-shell bag for easy transport, which made me wonder why all DIs don’t come with a travel bag. Once unpacked, the Stadium’s layout impressed me from the slim profile to the top-loaded XLR jack.
The Stadium’s five oval knobs are neatly arranged with a subtle, sliding “fat” switch to the right of the volume control, a VU meter to the left of the gain control, and a pair of push buttons tucked in between the rows of knobs. The button on the right is a battery tester (the results display in the VU meter window) and the left-side drive button is for adding OD dirt to the signal. More on that in a moment.
Four Seasons in a DI
I plugged a stock ’78 P into the Stadium DI and powered up a Warwick Quad IV amp head (set flat) into a matching 4x10 cabinet. Even with the pedal disengaged (but still on, as indicated with a small amber light), the VU meter danced as the gain control managed the signal. Note: Just because the pedal is “off” doesn’t mean it’s off, per se, but rather that the other features aren’t engaged.
Ratings
Pros:
Excellent overall sweetening. Nice OD tones. Handy battery tester.
Cons:
Lack of “traditional” EQ or compressor may turn some players away. OD would benefit from a footswitch.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$249
L.R. Baggs Stadium Electric Bass DI
lrbaggs.com
Starting with the dials at neutral (or off) and using just the 3-way fat control, I could add +3 dB or +6 dB at 150 Hz for a nice bass boost. I liked the +3 dB setting, so to build on that, I added some attack. (The attack control is essentially a high-mid boost/cut that’s off in the noon position.) When pushed all the way on the boost side, it really made my P come alive like a good, smooth scotch—vintage and warm. And to tighten up and even things out a bit, I dialed up the comp EQ to about the halfway point, which didn’t overcompress my tone at all.
The growl feature is a harmonic distortion that adds some grit to the mix, and when joined by my attack and comp EQ settings, I got to a thick sound that was a little dirty yet maintained all the great qualities of a warm bass tone. It was here that I turned the pedal off to A/B. While I love the sound of my P running direct, I loved it a whole lot more with this DI. It’s one of those situations where you don’t realize what you’re missing until you turn it off.
The Stadium has a second OD voicing that’s activated with the drive button located between the two rows of knobs. When I kicked in the drive button and dimed the attack, growl, and comp EQ, the Stadium DI suddenly provided sweet-sounding harmonic overdrive. It’s dirty and wonderful, but for most it probably won’t be a full-time bass tone. And that got me thinking that if I could change one feature on the Stadium, it would be the addition of a secondary footswitch and/or second channel. The OD tone is too good not to use, but it’s somewhat impractical to have to bend down and turn on/off.
The Verdict
While the controls are simple and effective, it’s the different combinations of features that really reveal the basic reason behind the Stadium’s engineering: to give bassists lots of great tonal options and “fixes” in a DI. Rather than traditional EQ control, I like the approach of using sweeps and presets. And even though this DI doesn’t have a lot of controls, the tones that flow out run the gamut from smooth to dirty to lots of nice places in between. Again, I do wish the Stadium allowed me to turn the drive on and off by foot—rather than hand—but modern bassists will certainly appreciate all the options on tap. For bassists needing a solid, well-constructed DI with great tone and smart EQ, this DI might be your next stadium-rocker or gig-bag essential.
Watch the Review Demo:
Create, layer, and jam with the BOSS RC-1 Loop Station and BIC cable! Enter the I Love Pedals giveaway now and come back daily to increase your odds!
Boss RC-1 Loop Station Looper Pedal
The RC-1 Loop Station is the most intuitive looper pedal from BOSS. Its compact layout provides all the essential functions—record, playback, overdub, and undo/redo—encouraging instant creativity right out of the box.
The BIC 10-A cable from BOSS delivers uncompromising performance that faithfully transfers every nuance of tone and adds a vibrant touch with color options inspired by the brand's most iconic compact pedals.
The National New Yorker lived at the forefront of the emerging electric guitar industry, and in Memphis Minnie’s hands, it came alive.
This National electric is just the tip of the iceberg of electric guitar history.
On a summer day in 1897, a girl named Lizzie Douglas was born on a farm in the middle of nowhere in Mississippi, the first of 13 siblings. When she was seven, her family moved closer to Memphis, Tennessee, and little Lizzie took up the banjo. Banjo led to guitar, guitar led to gigs, and gigs led to dreams. She was a prodigious talent, and “Kid” Douglas ran away from home to play for tips on Beale Street when she was just a teenager. She began touring around the South, adopted the moniker Memphis Minnie, and eventually joined the circus for a few years.
(Are you not totally intrigued by the story of this incredible woman? Why did she run away from home? Why did she fall in love with the guitar? We haven’t even touched on how remarkable her songwriting is. This is a singular pioneer of guitar history, and we beseech you to read Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie’s Blues by Beth and Paul Garon.)
Following the end of World War I, Hawaiian music enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity. On their travels around the U.S., musicians like Sol Ho’opi’i became fans of Louis Armstrong and the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, leading to a great cross-pollination of Hawaiian music with jazz and blues. This potent combination proved popular and drew ever-larger audiences, which created a significant problem: How on earth would an audience of thousands hear the sound from a wimpy little acoustic guitar?
This art deco pickguard offers just a bit of pizzazz to an otherwise demure instrument.
In the late 1920s, George Beauchamp, John and Rudy Dopyera, Adolph Rickenbacker, and John Dopyera’s nephew Paul Barth endeavored to answer that question with a mechanically amplified guitar. Working together under Beauchamp and John Dopyera’s National String Instrument Corporation, they designed the first resonator guitar, which, like a Victrola, used a cone-shaped resonator built into the guitar to amplify the sound. It was definitely louder, but not quite loud enough—especially for the Hawaiian slide musicians. With the guitars laid on their laps, much of the sound projected straight up at the ceiling instead of toward the audience.
Barth and Beauchamp tackled this problem in the 1930s by designing a magnetic pickup, and Rickenbacker installed it in the first commercially successful electric instrument: a lap-steel guitar known affectionately as the “Frying Pan” due to its distinctive shape. Suddenly, any stringed instrument could be as loud as your amplifier allowed, setting off a flurry of innovation. Electric guitars were born!
“At the time it was positively futuristic, with its lack of f-holes and way-cool art deco design on the pickup.”
By this time, Memphis Minnie was a bona fide star. She recorded for Columbia, Vocalion, and Decca Records. Her song “Bumble Bee,” featuring her driving guitar technique, became hugely popular and earned her a new nickname: the Queen of Country Blues. She was officially royalty, and her subjects needed to hear her game-changing playing. This is where she crossed paths with our old pals over at National.
National and other companies began adding pickups to so-called Spanish guitars, which they naturally called “Electric Spanish.” (This term was famously abbreviated ES by the Gibson Guitar Corporation and used as a prefix on a wide variety of models.) In 1935, National made its first Electric Spanish guitar, renamed the New Yorker three years later. By today’s standards, it’s modestly appointed. At the time it was positively futuristic, with its lack of f-holes and way-cool art deco design on the pickup.
There’s buckle rash and the finish on the back of the neck is rubbed clean off in spots, but that just goes to show how well-loved this guitar has been.
Memphis Minnie had finally found an axe fit for a Queen. She was among the first blues guitarists to go electric, and the New Yorker fueled her already-upward trajectory. She recorded over 200 songs in her 25-year career, cementing her and the National New Yorker’s place in musical history.
Our National New Yorker was made in 1939 and shows perfect play wear as far as we’re concerned. Sure, there’s buckle rash and the finish on the back of the neck is rubbed clean off in spots, but structurally, this guitar is in great shape. It’s easy to imagine this guitar was lovingly wiped down each time it was put back in the case.
There’s magic in this guitar, y’all. Every time we pick it up, we can feel Memphis Minnie’s spirit enter the room. This guitar sounds fearless. It’s a survivor. This is a guitar that could inspire you to run away and join the circus, transcend genre and gender, and leave your own mark on music history. As a guitar store, watching guitars pass from musician to musician gives us a beautiful physical reminder of how history moves through generations. We can’t wait to see who joins this guitar’s remarkable legacy.
SOURCES: blackpast.org, nps.gov, worldmusic.net, historylink.org, Memphis Music Hall of Fame, “Memphis Minnie’s ‘Scientific Sound’: Afro-Sonic Modernity and the Jukebox Era of the Blues” from American Quarterly, “The History of the Development of Electric Stringed Musical Instruments” by Stephen Errede, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL.
In our third installment with Santa Cruz Guitar Company founder Richard Hoover, the master luthier shows PG's John Bohlinger how his team of builders assemble and construct guitars like a chef preparing food pairings. Hoover explains that the finer details like binding, headstock size and shape, internal bracing, and adhesives are critical players in shaping an instrument's sound. Finally, Richard explains how SCGC uses every inch of wood for making acoustic guitars or outside ventures like surfboards and art.
Featuring torrefied solid Sitka Spruce tops, mahogany neck, back, and sides, and Fishman Presys VT EQ System, these guitars are designed to deliver quality tone and playability at an affordable price point.
Cort Guitars, acclaimed for creating instruments that exceed in value and quality, introduces the Essence Series. This stunning set of acoustic guitars is designed for musicians looking for the quintessential classic acoustic guitar with fabulous tone all at an exceptional price point. The Essence Series features two distinct body shapes: The Grand Auditorium and the OM Cutaway. Whatever the flavor, the Essence Series has the style to suit.
The Essence-GA-4 is the perfect Grand Auditorium acoustic. Wider than a dreadnought, the Essence-GA-4 features a deep body with a narrower waist and a width of 1 ¾” (45mm) at the nut. The result is an instrument that is ideal for any number of playing styles: Picking… strumming… the Essence GA-4 is completely up for the task.
The Essence-OM-4 features a shallower body creating a closer connection to the player allowing for ease of use on stage. With its 1 11/16’th (43mm) nut width, this Orchestra Model is great for fingerpickers or singer/guitarists looking for better body contact for an overall better playing experience.
Both acoustics are topped with a torrefied solid Sitka Spruce top using Cort’s ATV process. The ATV process or “Aged to Vintage”, “ages” the Spruce top to give it the big and open tone of older, highly-sought-after acoustics. To further enhance those vintage tones, the tops bracing is also made of torrefied spruce. The mahogany neck, back, and sides create a warm, robust midrange and bright highs. A rosewood fingerboard and bridge add for a more balanced sound and sustain. The result is amazing tone at first strum. 18:1 Vintage Open Gear Tuners on the mahogany headstock offer precise tuning with vintage styling. The herringbone rosette & purfling accentuates the aesthetics of these instruments adding to their appeal. Both acoustics come in two choices of finish. Natural Semi-Gloss allows the Sitka spruce’s natural beauty to shine through and classic Black Top Semi-Gloss.
A Fishman® Presys VT EQ System is installed inside the body versus other systems that cut into the body to be installed. This means the instrument keeps its natural resonance and acoustic flair. The Presys VT EQ System keeps it simple with only Volume and Tone controls resulting in a true, crisp acoustic sound. Lastly, Elixir® Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze Light .012-.053 Acoustic Strings round out these acoustics. This Number 1 acoustic guitar string delivers consistent performance and extended tone life with phosphor bronze sparkle and warmth. The Essence Series takes all these elements, combines them, and exceeds in playability, looks, and affordability.
Street Price: $449.00
For more information, please visit cortguitars.com.