Newbie Question on High or Low Impedance Instruments

[Douglas Schuch]

Hello,

I picked up a Zoom R16 at a good price recently and am wanting to start using it. I am a bit confused on the high impedance instruments vs. low impedance. So, I think a steel guitar wired straight in from the volume pedal is hi-Z, right? And I assume this holds true, even if playing through stomp boxes, an RP effects box, etc, right?

Electric guitars, or any other instrument that would plug straight into a guitar amp would be the same, I think.

Standard dynamic mics (Shure 57, 58, etc) go into any of the lo-Z channels via an XLR connector, right?

Last, other than specialized lo-Z pickups on basses, etc, what other instruments would go into a lo-Z connection? Keyboards?

So, if my assumptions are correct, a simple yes will do. If I am in error (hardly the first time!), please correct me. I've learned one thing already - I've learned how little I know!

Thanks!

Doug

[Georg Sørtun]

Only one input on the R16 that can be switched to High-Z - Ch1, and that High-Z input is for direct loading of high impedance pick-ups in instruments like guitars with no effect units added.

The output of guitar/steel/etc effect units/boxes are (relative speaking) low impedance, so instruments put through such units/boxes can, and should, be seen and coupled as high output / low-z instruments.
Plug them in unbalanced (via the jack), and adjust input sensitivity on the relevant R16 channel(s) somewhere around "low line-level" to get strong signal in with no risk for overload. Same for keyboards and similar.


Edited to add: I have an R24 myself, and the manual for R16 describes the above well enough - although not in as fine details as I would have liked.

[Glenn Uhler]

If you have a low Z input, which I think used to be 600 ohms, you can wind your own experimental pickups with much smaller numbers of windings. Just one use I can think of.

[Douglas Schuch]

Georg, thanks. Just doing my part to prove that ignorance is not always bliss!

Glen: I will remain "blissfully ignorant" for the time being about winding my own pickups!

Thanks

Doug