Rane Stick Preamp

10 August 04 - Rod Smith (NJ), to Stickwire:
This is exactly what I do with my setup (SWR SM-500 and SP13). You can also run your bass effects, if any, from the effects send on your bass amp and bring them back in by using the Expand In on the SP13. The effects routing flexibility of the SP13 is one of the things I really like about it. Since I alternate between bass and Stick, I can also run both Stick signals into the SP13 and use my bass in the SM-500 front input, balancing the instruments using the Effects Blend control. Very cool.

22 January 04 - Glenn Turner (IL), to Stickwire:
The tone is crystal-clear. I've owned Sticks with all three pickup styles during the time I've had the SP 13, and have been very happy with it.

14 March 03 - Brian Behary (OH), to Stickwire:
I just played my first notes through my new Rane SP13 and my first impression is WOW!

10 October 02 - Qua Veda (OR), to Stickwire:
I'm not sure it's well documented, but in mono mode, the SP13 outputs summed A+B at all outputs, not just at OutputA. I have found this useful to get a clean A+B, as well as an A+B w/FX (compr, or reverb). Then I use the AuxSends to get clean A, and clean B, which can be routed to FX as needed. Simply amazing! ..It slices, it dices... The next rev. will solve the middle-east conflict!

13 March 02 - Chris Crain (IN), to Stickwire:
The SP-13 solved a major issue for me. I used to run my Stick through a mixer board and send my signal to a single channel bass amp. I would set up my reverb through the mixer loop and do my pre EQ on the mixer as well. Worked well, sounded okay, but not road worthy. When I would perform, I left the mixer at home and used an additional amp. I had a different sound than I was accustomed and didn't like it. The SP-13 allowed me to eliminate the extra amp for gigs, gave me 7 bands of EQ/channel vs. the 2 bands on the mixer, and I can stuff it in my rack. My sound is crisper and fuller... a real treat. If you need more info on this product, Glenn Poorman wrote an outstanding article regarding such. You can find it at www.detroitstick.com/writings/articles/sp13/. The Rane Corp. has also recently added the SP-13 to their web site. You can read and/or download the manual from there: www.rane.com/sp13.html.

2 February 02 - Kevin Genus, (MD), to Stickwire:
I know a lot of people focus on the Rane SP-13 because of the routing option for effects, however, there are two other items I will quickly point out that really make this a nice unit: * Headphone jack - Priceless, especially when your spouse / girlfriend / roommate(s) can't take your practicing anymore and want to jump out or throw you out the window (pick your poison). * EQ. The EQ on this unit is really nice, that's almost an understatement, although I'm still a fan of some type of parametric EQ. About the only thing I would knock Rane's products on are their power adapters using the RJ-45 adapter, but if you do not mess around with it much, that's not even an issue, and given the price, I seriously doubt you'll find a two-channel pre like this with all the features.

30 January 02 - Vance Gloster (CA), to Stickwire:
Passive pickups (which have no internal pre amplification) have a reasonably high impedance output. This makes the signal "fragile", and a good preamp can greatly improve your results. Active pickups have an internal very simple preamp, which makes their signal have a lower impedance and be less fragile. They do not need the preamp portion of the SP-13 as much as passive pickups do, but can still benefit just as much from the equalization, routing and other features.

26 January 02 - Kevin Muir (Canada), to Stickwire:
I got my SP-13 from SE last week, and I've gotta say - this is one sweet unit. I've been curious about them since Greg began using the AP-13 a few years ago. This baby solves so many problems I had with my rig, I can't describe them all. Most significantly, it's reduced the gear I need by three rack spaces. And no hum - it's deathly quiet. I love the routing options, which now allow me to get the most out my stereo effects unit, the Expand jack lets me mix in my Proteus 2000 synth unit (from the GK2A/GI-10 combo), and the graphic EQ - something I had real reservations about - is so good that I've ditched the Trace Elliot bass head I was using to EQ the bass side, and am just using the RANE EQ. For those who are interested in an "integrated" Stick sound, I think this is the way to go.

23 January 02 - Brian Baggett (TX), to Stickwire:
I received my Rane SP-13 last Friday - about 24 hours before the first solo Stick gig I've played in almost a year. First of all, the SP-13 is great. My Stick sound is so "pure" for once. Playing through the Rane, then out mono into the Redhead finally allows me to hear the punchy and percussive aspects of real light touch tapping...hey, it sounds good. Very clear whether EQ'd properly or flat-lined. Whatever amp and speaker configuration you have, the Stick pre-amp is a sure deal. I'm sold.

20 December 01 - Qua Veda (OR), to Stickwire:
My understanding is that the Rane especially helps those with the passive pickups. My Grand with the standard passive pickup sounded a lot better, not just louder, with the Rane. Plus the SP 13 gives you really nice EQ a lot of new options for routing. I think the improvements in sound may be less noticeable with the active pickup models simply because they have a hotter output signal.

19 December 01 - John Rose (CA), to Stickwire:
The Rane preamp is awesome. It really gives excellent control over tone in various environments.

18 December 01 - Allan Hoeltje, (CA) to Stickwire;
I "discovered" a nice little feature of the SP-13. The tuner out jack has both A and B channels summed together. This means that you can use one tuner for both the bass and melody. Each SP-13 channel has its own send and return. In other words Channel B cannot be routed out Channel A's send. I use the SP-13 to send the bass and melody mono signals to separate effect and then use the SP-13 A/B returns and aux A/B ins to sum the two stereo return signals so that Channel A is left bass and melody and Channel B is right bass and melody. I then send the two SP-13 outputs to the Channel A and B returns on a Walter Woods stereo amp.

18 December 01 - Glenn Poorman (MI), to Stickwire:
The Rane is a real stereo preamp. The two channels are independent. Two graphic EQ panels, two input gain levels, two output levels, two effects sends, etc, etc. It really is the ideal Stick preamp.

20 September 01 - Glenn Poorman (MI), to Stickwire:
I've noticed that what you hear can influence what you think you feel. I'm definitely getting different tones running through the new Rane and the lower melody strings are sounding crisper high on the fretboard than they did before. My brain keeps trying to tell me that they feel like a lighter string even though I know they're the same strings I had on there before I got the new unit.

10 September 01 - Glenn Poorman (MI), to Stickwire:
I have to say that, right now, I'm really blown away. It's like night and day!! The clarity I'm hearing out of my own rig is unreal! Every little nuance is coming through. It's also bringing out the imperfections in my technique which I'm anticipating being good for me in the long run. And the dynamics!! I was hitting solo passages where I used to kick on the fuzz to add a little excitement toward the climax and today, I'm just doing it with my fingers and the instrument is responding in spades. I can't wait to re-program all my processing and start running a bunch of my tunes. I've a feeling this is going to turn out to be one of my all time best purchases aside from the instrument itself.

26 August 01 - Chuck Ivy (CA), to Stickwire:
The Rane SP 13 is a good preamp, and a lot of Stick players who like "natural" sounds have gravitated towards it. It was originally designed for acoustic guitars with both microphonic and magnetic pickups as the AP-13 (http://www.rane.com/ap13.html), hence the two channel configuration. Stick players asked to have it modified to match the impedance of the Stick pickup, and that model is now available as a factory mod from Stick Enterprises.

3 February 01 - Greg Howard (VA), to Jaap Kramer Stick player:
If you are using a Stick with the stock Stick Enterprises passive pickups, then I'd recommend using a Rane AP-13 preamp. It allows you to process two independent channels and merge them and their effects back together. Stick Enterprises has just ordered a modified version of this preamp, specifically altered for The Stick. The new model is the SP 13 Stick preamp.

17 February 00 - Greg Howard (VA), to Stickwire:
The problem is really one of impedance matching. The Stick is instrument level out, the mixer has a line level in. Some of the best Stick sounds I've heard were just plugging them straight into a guitar or bass amp input. But if you use an even higher impedance input than on those (units), something really amazing can happen to the sound. One unit I've mentioned before that makes an excellent preamp for The Stick is the Rane AP-13 (you can use a single TRS stereo cable as well). It has a very high impedance and the instrument sounds very clear and full without much eq-ing at all. It also has some great patching features and a nice eq, making it an ideal small, high-quality Stick pre-amp. You can find out more about the AP-13 at www.rane.com