Schaller Flagship Piezo Preamp - 5 way Toggle Switch

Flagship - Sounds you never thought possible

With this new and groundbreaking Class A preamp your music has never sounded better. Clear smooth highs, soulful mids and bodacious bass combined with an impressive dynamic range of 115dB will lead your inspiration to new levels.

With a true bandwidth of 1Hz to 20kHz at +/- 0 dB our state-of-the-art FlagShip circuitry provides unprecedented signal fidelity along with exceptional operational convenience.

And because of FlagShip‘s leading-edge Rail to Rail technology a single 9V alcaline battery will provide you with 1.000+ hours of play time.

Enjoy a self-sensing circuitry automatically switching in mono- or stereo-operation respectively by sensing which kind of chord you plugged in. In addition the FlagShip preamp offers an ultra-silent operation with a signal to noise-ratio of -115dB and a noise floor of just 20 dBV while Schaller‘s own FlagShip gold-contact 5-way Megaswitch lets you choose from a vast variety of piezo and magnetic switching-options and –combinations never seen in any preamp before.
Sound
Innovation
Performance

    Suitable for all piezo-pickup systems
    plug & play
    solderfree connections


5-Way Megaswitch Switching Options in Mono- and in Stereo-Mode:


Mono and stereo positions 2 through 5 feature identical controls and functions allowing for a transparent layout and easy handling. Pos 1 Mono and Pos 1 Stereo feature special utility settings.

Pos 1 mono: piezo raw-mode (1) / stereo: mute, silent-mode (2)
Pos 2 piezo into FlagShip preamp
Pos 3 magnetic pickups and piezo signal into FlagShip preamp
Pos 4 magnetic pickups into FlagShip preamp (buffered)
Pos 5 magnetic pickups pure and unaltered (hardwire-bypass)

(1) for reference purposes use this option to hear the raw piezo signal
(2) when playing live use this option for silently changing instruments
3-Way rotary switch  Switching Options in Mono- and Stereo-Mode:

The mono and stereo switching positions 2, 3 and 5 feature identical controls and switching functions for user-friendly layout.

MONO
Pos 2     acoustic active
Pos 3     magnetic + acoustic active
Pos 5     magnetic bypass


STEREO
Pos 2     acoustic active
Pos 3     magnetic + acoustic active
Pos 5     magnetic bypass
Features, Specifications & Benefits

    Advanced class A circuitry for sweet,transparent sound
    Compact, robust and perfectly shielded
    Attractive and protective casing with see-through window
    Original Schaller gold-contact 5-way Megaswitch for outstanding signal flow and switching options
    Stereo/mono selfsensing and –adjusting circuitry (no extra switch required)
    Rail to Rail energy effi ciency technology
    Reverse polarity and static discharge circuit protection
    Automatic power shut-off when cable is disconnected
    Plug-in contacts for easy solderfree installation
    1000+ hours of playtime on a single 9V alcaline battery
    True 1Hz - 20kHz bandwidth at +/-0 dB
    Ultra quiet -115 dB signal to noise-ratio
    Input impedance: magnetic 3 megohms / piezo 1 megohm
    Output impedance: 5 megohms
    All parts and components 100% made in Germany
    Comes complete with 5-way Megaswitch, mono-/stereo-jack, Schaller control potentiometer (22K-Ohm), wiring and plugs
    Weight in gramms: 49
    Size in mm: 89 x 24 x 7

(all specifications subject to change without notice)

Volume piezo bridge and passive pickup with variable adjustment.
Supplied with a stereo jack socket. This allows the piezo and pickup signal to be separated using a stereo splitter y-cable and then connected to two different amps or channels.

Caution: When a connection is made to pickups that are already live, the output signal increases automatically!

A 9 volt battery can be used as a general power supply.
Please note that piezo bridges are not earthed.
A comprehensive instruction and installation guide with additional detailed information and illustrations are available to download on our webseite under products/product help/flagship. 
 
Quick 10 Step Guide to FlagShip

01. signal to noise ratio
ratio describing the level of signal to the level of background noise in dB (higher is better)

02. dynamic range
measured gap from the loudest possible undistorted signal amplitude to the most quiet one in dB (higher is better)

03. bandwidth
span between the lowest (here 1 Hz) and the highest frequency (here 20 kHz) the preamp can linearly (meaning without distortion) amplify or reproduce

04. noise floor
signal created from the sum of all noise sources (lower is better)

05. hardwire-bypass or true bypass
pure and unaltered guitar signal by way of bypassing any form of active signal-processing

06. reverse polarity protection
circuitry protecting the electronic components from interchanging plus and minus polarity (here: protection from interchanging the +poles and -poles of the battery)

07. static discharge protection
circuitry protecting the electronic components from an electrical voltage spark or 'spike'

08. piezo pickup
piezo-electrical signal created by transforming pressure/vibration into output voltage

09. magnetic pickup
magnetic pickup signal is created by transforming string motion and magnetic resistance into output voltage

10. buffered signal
high impedance signal transformed into a low impedance signal, therefore unaffected by high capacitance of excessive signal-cable and/or patch-cable lengths

Another significant benefit of switching pos 4. is the buffered signal, i.e. the conversion of the high capacity passive pickup signal into a low capacity active pickup signal. This prevents sound degradation commonly associated with running extended cable lengths or using inferiour cable qualities. Your magnetic pickup signal will remain strong, clear and detailed even on the most unfavourable conditions.
(see: Quick 10 Step Guide to FlagShip)
 Schaller Flagship preamp – Stereo / Mono Operation

For mono and for stereo use the Flagship preamp features an advanced mono / stereo selfsensing output stage. The Flagship preamp senses whether a mono 1/4“ or a stereo 1/4“ plug is inserted and switches into the appropriate mode automatically. Not only does this prevent misuse so commonly known from mono/stereo toggle switches. It also allows for just one output jack (see stereo jack enclosed) in your guitar to operate the Flagship to its fullest potential.

In mono mode the sound of the magnetic pickups is mixed with the sound of the piezo pickups within the preamp. We recommend using a regular 1/4“ plug guitar cable. Please refer to the Flagship manual for all dedicated sound options in this mode.

In stereo mode the sound of the magnetic pickups and the sound of the piezo pickups are sent seperately to the stereo output jack. Please refer to the Flagship manual for all dedicated sound options in this mode.
We recommend two ways for routing the signals:

1. Using a stereo cable with two 1/4“ plugs for routing the magnetic and piezo signal seperately to a mixing console’s stereo input.

2. Using a Y-cable with two 1/4“ mono plugs and one 1/4“ stereo plug for splitting your signal between a guitar amp for the magnetic pickups and a PA or acoustic amp for the piezo signal.

The stereo and mono plugs should be connected as follows:


Tip of stereo plug goes to tip of mono plug left.

Ring of stereo plug goes to tip of mono plug right.

Sleeve of stereo plug goes to sleeve of mono plug left.

Sleeve of stereo plug goes to sleeve of mono plug right.

Please note that by connecting the grounds of two amps or an amp with a PA a low-frequency ground hum may occur. This is an inherent problem caused by ground loops and in no way a fault within the Flagship preamp.