pmancini100 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 once again, i turn to solid state technology for some sound advice. i wanna turn my acoustic into an acoustic electric. what pickups are the best? (sound, value, ease of installation, etc.) i dont want one of those pickups that has the cable attatched to it, i have one now and its annoying. but yeah, i was looking at the lr baggs, the one jeff uses. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dondoboy Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 I had a Fischman Rare Earth installed. The jack is set into the strap nut. I run it to a pre-amp and then to what ever pa I'm using (or the club has). Its great. The best review I can give it is, when I have everything set right on the pre amp and the board, it sounds exactly like it does when I'm sitting on the couch. Just a thousand times louder. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
In a little rowboat Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I hope no one is offended if i copy and paste...i just commented on the same topic in a recent thread: I so far as pickups go...i have tried as many as i could find as i play almost exclusively acoustic...i use Fishman Matrix Infinity pickups in my acoustics...they are simply the best sounding and most reliable in the majority of live settings (ever one being different)...USTs can sound quacky, but are solid sounding--a good eq or soundguy can really fix that (i use an Aphex acoustic exciter to get rid of that quack)...the fishman set up offers a bass boost, volume, and eq capabilities in the soundhole...you can add a second source as well as the jack is stereo http://www.fishman.com/products/details.asp?id=97 Many people swear by the LR Baggs M1a--tweedy uses them, but i have never found a magnetic soundhole pick up i liked the sound of, and the strings can sound shrill and unbalanced and the magnetic pickups can exclude the chunky, percussiveness of an acoustic guitar http://www.lrbaggs.com/html/products/pickups_m1-active.shtml K&K make what i think are the best and most natural sounding pickups ive ever used, and most guys on AGF and TGP use them...however they are extremely prone to feedback at upper volume levels...i think the K&K pure western is your best bet as long as you keep volume in check...also their customer service is top notch http://www.kksound.com/purewestern.html Blending sound sources generally allows for the best tweeking of youre live sound...i used to use a UST blended with an internal mic which sounded great...blending can get tricky however, especially when adding effects and outboard gear, and since every PA situation is different, you have to dial in every time you play...i gave up on this as too time consuming and distracting during performance I have had guitars with b-band systems in them and they sounded fine, so id recommend them too, but i think compared to other USTs (fishman) they arent as strong and pronounced because b-band uses a film transducer and most others use a piezo-electric ceramic element which in my experience provides more punch and a woodier tone... hope this helps! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigWheeledWagon Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I will also give my standard response on this one (and likewise apologize for not really answering the question). I have never found a pickup or other acoustic accessory that sounds as good as just using a microphone. I know Jeff likes the LR Baggs, but I really don't like the sound he gets live -- it just doesn't sound natural (sorry if that amounts to blasphemy around here). The sound of most, in not all, of these devices leaves something to be desired to my ear. I know that using a mic on an acoustic guitar can be hassle and is very much limiting to on-stage movement (with the exception of internal mics, but I still prefer the sound of external mics), but it seems to me that there is a reason most people, even those that love acoustic pickups live, still mic their guitars in the studio. As a teenager, I also had a horrible experience where an idiot in the band I was in tripped over the cable coming out of my acoustic pickup and seriously damaged the guitar's sound-hole. Anyway, I know this post isn't really of much help in answering the question -- I just wanted to throw my thoughts on the matter out there (I hadn't popped in on SST in a while and felt like visiting. What can I say? I miss ya'll). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
In a little rowboat Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I know that using a mic on an acoustic guitar can be hassle and is very much limiting to on-stage movement (with the exception of internal mics, but I still prefer the sound of external mics), but it seems to me that there is a reason most people, even those that love acoustic pickups live, still mic their guitars in the studio. (I hadn't popped in on SST in a while and felt like visiting. What can I say? I miss ya'll). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Golden Smoghead Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Totally agree about mic'ing as stated above. However, this is one more vote for a Fishman system. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattZ Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 does Jeff use the LRBaggs on the j-45 too? I suppose with a bit of effort I could figure this out myself, but if someone knows off the top of their head. Also, i know Gibson is making new J45s with electronics in them. Anyone have any thoughts on those? I would imagine that those that prefer mic'ing would still prefer that here, too. But I am curious if they are any good in general. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pmancini100 Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 jeff doesnt have the lr baggs on the j45. he used to have this big black one, but he switched to a different non-magnetic kind. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
In a little rowboat Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 jeff doesnt have the lr baggs on the j45. he used to have this big black one, but he switched to a different non-magnetic kind. i believe that was a sunrise pickup he had before... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sasstron Posted May 17, 2009 Share Posted May 17, 2009 In our band, our lead singer/rhythm guitar uses an L.R. Baggs I-Beam in his acoustic and runs it into the Baggs Para Acoustic DI as a preamp/eq. It sounds pretty darn good, but I think the key is to pick a pickup that works with the type of guitar you have. The I-Beam has a very bassy output, and he plays through a 000 sized Martin knockoff, so it makes up for that guitar's relatively mild low end. That said, it would probably be too boomy on a J45 or Jumbo. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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