Got it after getting tired of tweaking digital preamps without any success. This simply gets rid off most of the boominess on my acoustic nylon guitar and delivers a more "natural" sound.

I have wanted this pedal for years. After I burnt through two Fishman Loudbox Performers (old school metal covers) I knew I had to switch to the PZ Pre. This was Friday...by that Wednesday the new PZ Pre was at my door. Sweetwater again delivering the goods in record time! Not having seen many reviews on the newer model I initially saw that there was a way to keep the loop on without using the boost/loop button. It's a home run for any acoustic instrument!

It's hard to appreciate the beauty of this box without Seeing, feeling, and HEARING it for yourself. No Youtube video will do it justice. The PZ boost make a world of difference for violin type instruments. I am selling LR Baggs DI. The only thing I could see replacing the PZ Pre with is the PZ Pro.

After six years of performing in every kind of venue, here and in the UYK and Europe, and forays into other, perfectly fine alternatives, I can confidently say that this is both the most musical and toughest pedal you'll ever use. Allows for transparency and handles every kind of effects pedal without adding any noise or flutter to the signal. EQ and Notch actually work as intended. It's all bang for the buck and punches above it's reasonable price. I'm running it as the EQ and tuner loop after an LR Baggs Voice Print DI and have been able to create an acoustic sounding acoustic without woof and quack. Plenty of volume, plenty of flexibility. Also heavy enough to use as a Panini press and bulletproof.

Works well built well no noise issues ,

I use and LR Baggs venue di I oh, I also have an LR Baggs session di I, and I also have the LR Baggs para acoustic di I. My sound man got me to try out this pz pre acoustic instrument preamp By Radio during a live show and I was awed. I did some comparisons to the LR Baggs products side by side with the radio product and to my surprise the radio pz pre acoustic instrument preamp blew my LR Baggs products out of the water. I purchased one immediately the next day and my LR Baggs products are now for sale. Great Buy for me and I highly encourage anyone else out there to give it a try. You can't beat the price either. Thank you sweet water!

The unit is great and the construction is fantastic but my only complaint is there is not a 9V battery available. The company provides a yellow short cord for the power. The end of the cord is a two prong and therefore, not very secure. I returned the item and purchased a Grace Design Fleix.

I own both the PZ-Pre and The Pz-Deluxe. The PZ-Pre solved a feedback problem that I could not fix with the Deluxe. I play a Baltic Psaltery with a piezo pickup attached to the soundboard. Th PZ-Pre lets me cut lows and highs with precision to dial in that sweet sound. The notch filter let me surgically remove a booming band at around 200 hz. The tuner mute and the boost work as expected. The preamp is extremely quiet letting me get a great sound at any volume. The only reason that I didn't give it a 5 star rating is the choice of pots on the PZ-Pre versus the PZ-Deluxe. The Pz-Deluxe has pots without detents while the PZ-Pre has detents at the corresponding markings. The range of adjustment that I use on the low and high EQ pots is between 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock. A very small adjustment is this range covers a wide range of frequencies so a minute adjustment makes a noticeable difference. The detents on the PZ-Pre are therefore less desirable to me.

I play outdoor south Florida acoustic shows, where even humidity and pressure change tones of guitars. Since I play at Tiki places on the water the sounds for different venues varies so much and from day to day. This pedal has all the right adjustments and sounds awesome.
Reasons I love this pedal
1st why do most acoustic Pres not have low cuts,,,, come on that gets rid of top and pick noise and when
playing with others roll out all the mud that covers bass guitar...
this has 3 settings off, 70 and 200. Perfect. High pass
2nd the eq is actually set for live stage. And I can see it at a glance.
3rd. Phase switch right on top, I find with my Taylor this switch becomes my strumming
or fingerpicking go to.... I set this pedal on table beside me for easy even in
middle of song adjustments
4th boost. It is clean very clean and adjustable
5th this thing is a Swiss Army knife of connections loops multiple inputs like adding a magnetic soundhole
Pickup you could then blend in with piezio. Etc... eff loop. Tuner out mic out ground lift
This pedal has made playing out more enjoyable because I can get the sound I want easily and on the go.
It"s also built like a tank.....

I had been coveting this little box for far longer than I'd like to admit. Sure, I received the occasional compliment on the guitar tones I was getting during solo and duo shows.... but, It just seemed like I was never truly buying in to the acoustic tone I heard coming out of my PA. So, finally, I pulled the trigger and got the PZ Pre. The first time I plugged in and started finger picking, I was convinced a little man had crawled inside of my EONs with my Martin and was playing away. Really, the sound difference was THAT dramatic. I've put this thing through it's paces, utilizing the boost and loop functions, I've scoped out the frequency cuts available with the filter, dug in to the very musical "a little goes a long way" EQ. It's undoubtedly the biggest bang for the buck improvement in my live sound since adding a subwoofer. I haven't used it in a full band setting, but I could see the filter being incredibly useful in giving the bass player a nice mud free zone in which to do his or her thing. I am putting a cheapie backup guitar with an even cheaper soundhole pickup into the 2nd input as well. Initially, I was a bit concerned with the fact that the signal was so weak in comparison to the active pickups in my Martin. But, problem solved. The PZ Pre has a boost option, which is cleverly configured so that when you activate the boost, you can also activate the loop, or not. Thus, when I instantly switch to my 2nd guitar I have all of the gain that I need with one click. And, the tinny, tubby tone I was getting with the cheap guitar in open D tuning I was using suddenly became a head turning sound! Add to all of this the fact that it's made by Radial and is built so ruggedly that it may well outlast me? Do your tone a favor.....

Radial is a name we have learned to trust, and this is not an inexpensive product, so I assumed it would be simply good and straightforward. The FX loop is nice to put multiple drive pedals in, the built in boost is linear so it works nicely to drive a tube amp or as a volume-increase on very clean amps with acoustic instruments, the mute is handy and the PZ Boost works great - I'm using mine for a pickup on my cello. The notch filter successfully killed feedback problems I was having, but the unit introduces so much noise that I cannot keep it. It's a shame, really, because the form factor and features are excellent.

I called SweetWater tech support and someone there pulled a few units to test, planning on sending me a replacement, but he said that the units he tested were quite noisy too. Not a digital or radio type noise, just a TV-snow type white noise hiss. The EQ/filters did not affect the noise, so it is introduced post EQ, but that just means the output op amps are noisy.

This noise was happening without my cello plugged in, as well. If I powered it on and plugged the output from the ToneBone to the input of the next pedal in my chain (or straight to my amp), I get the hiss. If I plug in a stratocaster to it and turn the guitar volume to 0, I still get it. Any piezo pickup, same thing. I planned on putting my cello through one input and an ac/electric ukulele through the other.

Either way, for this kind of money, I think I can do better. L.R. Baggs or Fishman are what I actually see gigging musicians use, I will assume that they have higher standards than Radial for preamps. The DIs are great, but I've only used passive Radial boxes before, not sure where they failed on this design!

I've got a bunch of wonderful sounding guitars, but this PZ-Pre makes great sounding guitars sound even better...a full, rich sound, It came with a simple, easy to understand owners manual and the unit itself is quite intuitive and "user friendly." If you follow their suggestions I don't think one could be disappointed. I really like its layout. It's switches and in/outs are arranged and separated in a way that makes them quick and easy to visually and manually access. It's steel housing seems tank-like in durability. I've only had it for a few weeks now, so long term reliability remains to be seen. I'm usually fairly slow in evaluating and giving either a negative or positive review on any product, however, I'm very pleased with this PZ-Pre and the functionality and sound it provides.

i use in both acustic guitar,nylon and steel,and...incredible,super pré...thax

I play upright bass in a bluegrass band, and the PA gear is mine AND I try my best to run sound from the stage. Our guitar player doubles on mandolin and uses one Tonebon PZ-pre for both guitar and mandolin and sends me a single output to the board.

Problem is these two instruments need different EQ treatments, and it is difficult at best to get an even output level from both channels. I would prefer to get two separate signals from two separate DI's.

Overall, this is a great product ... but conceptually it does not make sense to have two inputs share a common EQ section.

Has most of the features you would ever want for live acoustic guitar use. The built-in boost is great for leads if you don't have a separate boost pedal. Mute button is quiet, and all the switches feel solid.
I only took 1/2 a star of the rating because the switch that you push in to activate both inputs at once is recessed and has to be engaged with a pointy pen or other device, and my first pedal this came loose, leaving both inputs on all the time.

I plan to use the Tonebone on a pedal board powered by a Pedaltrain 1250, a power supply with plenty of 9 volt outputs for my Fishman units and one selectable output that can run 9, 12, 15 or 18 volts. The Tonebone needs 15 volts, so the Pedaltrain 1250 looked perfect. I got the gear and then discovered that the Tonebone takes a special connector, the one on the cord from the wall wart that comes with the unit. I'll have to make my own cord to go from the PT1250 to the TB. That means splicing an ordinary connector from a 9V cord to the special Tonebone connector cut from the wall wart. It's either that or run an additional cord to the pedal board from the wall wart plugged into a power strip. Also, the wall wart from the Tonebone box was NG. Fortunately I had ordered one separately not realizing that there was one in the box. Otherwise, the unit is solid and useful for EQ's and boosting for solos.

This pedal does things I didn't even know I needed. I was originally just looking for a DI for my banjo and stumbled across it it because of the piezo DI feature. However, the fact that I can have two input with a single output makes my life much easier on stage. As with other reviewers, the only thing that is needed to bump this up to a 5.0 rating would be a separate EQ for each channel. I'm sure there must be some technical reason for the way it is made, but it's not perfect because the EQ setting I need for my acoustic with an on-board pre-amp is not optimized when I set it up for the banjo.

I have nothing to add to the descriptions of the product that other reviewers haven't mentioned. I will say, however, that, for me, the stand out feature of this DI is the shelving EQ. That in addition to the notch "Q" and control knob do something for the tone of my guitars that no other amp or pre-amp I've tried seems capable of. Most people who use piezo pickups understand how the highs can come across, but a number of my guitars over enhance the low mid to the point of feedback. Many products on the market designed to eliminate feedback do so at the overall expense of your tone. This is the piece of gear that gets it all done. You can zero in on the sound you want. As a bonus, you get a great DI, blender, etc.

I only have 2 regrets about it: That I waited so long to get it, and that I only have 1! It's every thing that it promises to be, and more. I've had it 2 weeks, and have already used it in several different applications. It greatly improves the tone of acoustic-simulating piezo pickups in electric guitars. Used in on gigs to combine both my electric's piezo channel and either my steel or nylon string acoustic. Currently using it in a pit-orchestra, with an archtop on one channel and a banjo on the other. It's great for killing noise. An audio tech pointed out to me the other day that while some might consider it expensive, well, everybody knows how good Radial products are, and this is like 4 of them combined into one! (Two DI's, a switcher and a preamp) so it's actually a real bargain. But I must say this: EVERY other box I've ever put in front of my Taylor 714 has made it sound worse. This actually made it sound better.

Can't believe I waited so long to get this. Made my piezo-bridge electric guitar sound more "acoustic-y" than ever, was easy to tweak the right freq's in and out. Usually acoustic processors (even good ones) weaken the original tone, but this actually improved, if not preserved it.
Most impressed by the boost...I found that noon was perfect, but you can crank it to 5' oclock, and it is still CLEAN clean.

This is a fine unit - rugged, flexible and super easy to use. The combined boost and external loop feature is a great bonus - allows me to kick in external effects on my acoustic with no perceive loss of punch or tone. Love the low pass and notch filters. Would be nice to have two independent eqs to make use of the A-B switching capability with having to add a separate eq for a second guitar, but great to have both pre and post eq low impedance line outs. Excellent piece of gear.

I play a Taylor 514ce that I've had for over 12yrs .I used to plug into a Trace 30 acoustic amp .With some tweaking I could make it sound very good . I sold that amp and was temporarily using my JBL PA w the 15 inch speakers. It sounded passable but mostly brittle and not naturally pleasant. Once I connected the PZ-pre the" Magic " began to happen . I've been playing for 50 yrs and have never heard an amplified acoustic sound so beautiful and natural . On top of that you get so many options for live and studio applications that I just love to play through this pedal for any acoustic performance. Thanks Matt this was a great buy , a true joy to have such a musical tool .

I used this on stage for a madolin and a banjo (complete with a delay pedal - don't ask). Aside from having to tweahthe notch filter (which works REALLY well, btw), it was a seamless switch. I also love the fact that you can set the two channels to blend for instruments that have a bridge and body pickup. Only half-star off is this: Why give me two channels and only one EQ?

Got the pz-pre after trying several DIs and preamps throughout many years. The pz-pre is definitely the best out there, in my opinion. It really excels with both nylon and steel string guitars. Worth every penny!

Extremely versatile and easy to use.

However - advertising isn't consistent in visual presentation (photographs in print ads, website and even on the box). All visual ads show a different unit (color scheme and placement of controls and control and toggle descriptions). The screws are now Phillips instead of the preferable Allen screws shown in ads.

I replaced my Baggs Para DI with the Tonebone PZ-Pre because I switch between 2 axes (Dobro and guitar) and sometimes forget to nod at the soundman when I un-plug which creates understandable grimaces all around-especially, Mr. Soundman.

The Tonebone PZ-Pre (yeah--catchy name, eh?), other than having a terrible moniker, is a fine accessory. First, it has an A/B switch so I can seamlessly swap instruments. Second, it has a MUTE switch. Third, it has a Boost button. Those are all sweet features. It has 3 outputs-both 1/4" and 2@ XLR (pre-and post-EQ) with notch filter, Peizo booster, and decent EQ.

If you perform on stage AND you switch instruments, this (Radial Tonebone PZ-Pre) is a worthy companion. The price is a bit tall for a working musician...hopefully, Radial will do something about that issue.

I bought this item to use on my live gigs. I am a solo acoustic blues player and I usually gig with at least two guitars. The Tonebone PZ-Pre is perfect for what I do, allowing me to only cary one device that has two inputs and one output. I works great and the sound is outstanding. As a musician and live sound engineer I can honestly say that Radial equipment is the best for acoustic instruments!!

If you use two different acoustic guitars that have different output volumes, this little DI is perfect. The best thing about it is the sound. I was using a competitive DI product (the one with all the digitized microphones) and was not happy with this tone. The PZ-PRE gets 5.0 in the tone department for sure. I love the boost for solos. The only reason I did not give this box a total 5/5 is because I wish there was a switch to just keep the loop on all the time. In other words, the boost button gets assigned to the loop or the boost or both. I want to operate them independently or keep the loop on at all times. A simple switch with that a s feature would fix that. Anyway, if TONE is your #1 objective, look no further.

Of friend of mine suggested I try this piece, as he uses it as his main acoustic guitar preamp and his live sound is beautiful. So, I bought one on his recommendation.

I ended up using this pedal for the next three gigs I had - 1st night, as an upright acoustic bass (piezo pickup) pre, 2nd night for an acoustic guitarist with two guitars (love the switching and fb notch) and the 3rd night on an electric/acoustic bass. What a joy! Wonderful sound from all sources and many compliments.

Finally, used it again this past weekend on acoustic guitar for a national touring artist who has a rather complex rig (but was unhappy with her sound/tone). Well, the PZ Pre is now on her list of 'Must Buy' as it gave her a solid, full tone and cured several problems in the touring rig.

Try one, buy one - you won't regret the addition to your rig or backline 'toy box'.