onboard device that can lower impedance?

[Will]

well is ther such a thing? I have seen a rotary knob thing with the active option
I could see this as convenient and to have it on a swithc for when the battery dies

[TwilightOdyssey]

Why not just make sure you have fresh batteries in your guitar in the first place? PDT_008

[WezV]

if you have passive pickups with an active pre-amp (like most basses with active electronics) then adding an active/passive switch that bypasses the pre-amp is no biggy.

if you have active pickups (with in built preamp like EMG's) i dont think there is any way to run them without the pre-amp so no way to run them without batteries

[Will]

yeah that is what  I am after I think, are they expensive/ any advice please?
and that is what lowers the impedance?

[WezV]

what are you trying to achieve by lowering the impedance?

and what pickups/electronics are you working with?  if we are working with active systems is it active pickups with normal controls or is it passive pickups with an active EQ.

a series/split/parallel switch will give you 3 different impedance levels from one pickup. but whever thats actually what you are after i am not sure

[FELINEGUITARS]

Will - explain a bit more what you are trying to achieve

You can put a buffer preamp in a guitar (will require a 9V battery) and this will  give you a low impedance output from your high impedance pickups
Some will also allow you to have a switchable boost
A good example of this is the EMG PA2 preamp booster - also used by Slayer's Kerry King etc
see details here

We keep these in stock if you need one

[Will]

errrm well there isn't much point in me buying one, as you probably know I have been talking to you about a build  
lower impedance to perform better with long cables / signal path basically
I don't desire a tonal change really

[noodleplugerine]

errrm well there isn't much point in me buying one, as you probably know I have been talking to you about a build  
lower impedance to perform better with long cables / signal path basically
I don't desire a tonal change really

That sort of thing is so tone-nazi that it's not worth hacking a hole in your guitar. Honestly - If you want a clear signal through your leads - Then buy better leads.

If you've got a cr@p lead - lowering your impedance won't help.

Once you've got a £200 lead and still don't think it's good enough then hack a hole in your guitar.

But honestly - Guitars aren't meant to have piano tone - If you distill your tone you lose the essence of the guitar.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Will - there are alsso pedals that do a really great job of this
Most non - hardwirebypass pedals have a buffer pre-amp in them so will do this

Or get a pedal like an HBE Uno Mos or Mos Dos
Ask Twilight Odyssey about them....he uses them

[Will]

errrm well there isn't much point in me buying one, as you probably know I have been talking to you about a build  
lower impedance to perform better with long cables / signal path basically
I don't desire a tonal change really

That sort of thing is so tone-nazi that it's not worth hacking a hole in your guitar. Honestly - If you want a clear signal through your leads - Then buy better leads.

If you've got a cr@p lead - lowering your impedance won't help.

Once you've got a £200 lead and still don't think it's good enough then hack a hole in your guitar.

But honestly - Guitars aren't meant to have piano tone - If you distill your tone you lose the essence of the guitar.

just what I was waiting for! should simplify things anyway. I had looked at the EMG thing before, but read reviews that it wasn't very transparent.

[Oli]

Or... be really sneaky and modify your EMG preamp so it's phantom powered by a pedal to deliver the power :) You could then build a little '2nd preamp' in it to boost the signal if it was going to go a long way from pedal -> amp.

But that's not really what you were after :P