Do I need a preamp to plug my electric guitar to Kronos X?

[rujutsu]

What's up guys!

I'm getting a Kronos X and I wanted to know if I need to buy a preamp in order to be able to hook up my electric guitar (passive pickups) to the Kronos X input without any problems. Or is the Kronos X capable of amplifying the signal itself?

Thanks!

[MRedZac]

What's up guys!

I'm getting a Kronos X and I wanted to know if I need to buy a preamp in order to be able to hook up my electric guitar (passive pickups) to the Kronos X input without any problems. Or is the Kronos X capable of amplifying the signal itself?

Thanks!

Well, I would never connect my guitar directly to my Kronos without having a DI Box in between... But if you want to ruin your inputs, just connect it...

[.Jens]

Well, I would never connect my guitar directly to my Kronos without having a DI Box in between... But if you want to ruin your inputs, just connect it...

With a DI inbetween, there will be almost nothing left to amplify... He's talking about a guitar with passive pickups, not a guitar AMP
Just try, the worst thing happening (if it doesn't work from the beginning) could be a bad sound, noise or hum.
From the technical point of view (just talking about levels here), the Kronos should be able to take a passive pickup (as well as active pickups) with no problem - it handles mic levels to line levels. So, as a guitar is typically somewhere inbetween, it should work.

The other thing is, if it sounds great - but that depends on your desired sound and other things, not to forget taste.
Maybe a dedicated guitar pre-(!)-amp is worth considering later, but at first I would go straight ahead and try "naked".

[Scatter]

You NEED a preamp with passsive guitar pickups/electronics both for impedance reasons and to get a hotter input signal.

[.Jens]

You NEED a preamp with passsive guitar pickups/electronics both for impedance reasons and to get a hotter input signal.

Well, I see the point with impedance - somehow, as this mostly affects sound. The signal should be "hot" enough with the inputs in mic mode, at least. Sure, there is quite a mismatch if you consider a 6k impedance of a typical pickup and "only" 10k input impedance.

But thinking of the many guitar rig / amplitube users working without a preamp, that's nothing the Kronos wouldn't handle, too.

All the general purpose audio interfaces, where a guitar can mostly be connected directly without issues, have similar specs for their inputs as the K, often even lower input impedance.

At least it's worth a try even without a preamp - no danger to destroy anything AFAIC. If it's below expectations, there is another option before investing money in a dedicated preamp: try to use any stompbox WITHOUT a "true bypass" in between - it should buffer the input impedance sufficiently.

[SanderXpander]

PM Jamsire, he's a guitarist on here that uses the Kronos almost exclusively with guitar. I'm sure he has some good ideas as well as some tricks you wouldn't even have considered. I think he made a youtube demo as well?

[KronosX]

But the Kronos does not have presets.. You should buy a Pandora Mini with presets and professional customized effects.. Its pretty nice.. It will makes things so much easier and nicer. You can adjust affects on the fly vs on the Kronos you will need to mess around for hours to get the desired tone or sound your looking for in each creative masterpiece.

[Scatter]

You NEED a preamp with passsive guitar pickups/electronics both for impedance reasons and to get a hotter input signal.

Well, I see the point with impedance - somehow, as this mostly affects sound. The signal should be "hot" enough with the inputs in mic mode, at least. Sure, there is quite a mismatch if you consider a 6k impedance of a typical pickup and "only" 10k input impedance.

But thinking of the many guitar rig / amplitube users working without a preamp, that's nothing the Kronos wouldn't handle, too.

All the general purpose audio interfaces, where a guitar can mostly be connected directly without issues, have similar specs for their inputs as the K, often even lower input impedance.

At least it's worth a try even without a preamp - no danger to destroy anything AFAIC. If it's below expectations, there is another option before investing money in a dedicated preamp: try to use any stompbox WITHOUT a "true bypass" in between - it should buffer the input impedance sufficiently.

Well, I was assuming it was common knowledge that many stompboxes fulfill that role. The couple of times I plugged a guitar into the Kronos I just used a Boss EQ pedal for Z and gain. As for the tone-suck that occurs sans preamp; there are guitarists out there that cannot hear any differences between having the tone pot full on or off. They would be happy plugged into an old boombox...or straight into the back of a Kronos.

[rujutsu]

But the Kronos does not have presets.. You should buy a Pandora Mini with presets and professional customized effects.. Its pretty nice.. It will makes things so much easier and nicer. You can adjust affects on the fly vs on the Kronos you will need to mess around for hours to get the desired tone or sound your looking for in each creative masterpiece.

Will the Pandora Mini act as a "Preamp + Direct Box" in one?
(thereby eliminating the need for me to get a separate preamp or direct box)

[RonF]

The Kronos makes one of the most impressive effects systems for guitar (and other sources) I know of! Its fully routable, and the huge effects chains you can create are fantastic, with very cool modulation assignments. The "presets" in this case are called: Programs and Combis. Individual effects also have dedicated presets....and many guitar type programs have effects chain "presets" built in to them. All you need do is route the external audio through them.

You can definitely plug an electric guitar directly into the Kronos, and adjust the Level knob on the rear of the unit accordingly. You can also use a DI box , or other preamp/effect (such as a compressor) to obtain a (potentially) cleaner signal. However, I have recorded some great and satisfying guitars with a direct connect to the rear of the Kronos. Just watch your gain structure inside the unit. Given the choice, I would probably use some form of DI/preamp if available.