Which acoustic pick up?

[Fritz]

Folks,

 

I'm after some advice around getting a pickup for my acoustic guitar. I have a Takamine F360S (nowhere near the top of the line in acoustics but I love the sound I get from it and that's what counts for me) which I would like to add a pick-up to. I would be very grateful for any advice/suggestions around brands and costs and what has worked for others when getting pick-ups put into their acoustic guitars.

 

All the best,

 

Fritz

 

[pmancini100]

i havent tried it, but the passive lr baggs is the one i want to get. it looks like the one jeff uses. run that through a decent preamp and you should be fine.

[In a little rowboat]

Have tons of experience here...ill try to nutshell it, but it very much depends on in what manner you'll be playing...home, on stage with a band, or solo acoustic in say a coffeehouse...

 

Basically pickups come in one of 3 types, or sometimes a combination of type (dual source), and anytime you use a pickup in an acoustic its a compromise...most start at around $100

 

--The UST is piezo-electric material that fits under the saddle and picks up the vibration of the strings, and about 10% of the body...it is by far the most prevalent type of acoustic pickup, because it works...

Brands: Fishman, BBand, LR Baggs, DTAR

Pros: Good output, sounds relatively accurate, decent volume before feeding back Cons: can sound quacky, brittle, will feed back at high volumes, can be tricky to install by amateur

 

--the sound hole (magnetic) pickup works like an electric guitar pickup in that it detects the string vibration magnetically and sends out a signal...there are several types

Brands: LRbaggs M1 and M1a, Sunrise, Duncan, Dean Markley, Fishman Rare Earth...In my experience the Baggs M1a is the best in this category (Tweedy uses this one matched with a UST)

Pros: Great output, high feedback resistance, easiest to install Cons: Can hum, hard to get proper string balance, doesnt sound as acoustic, more electric/metallic sounding

 

--the SBT is a soundboard transducer made of piezo-electric material similar to a UST, but attached to the underside of the top and bridgeplate if the guitar...

Brands: K&K (which is very good), Duncan, LRBaggs IBeam, Dean Markley

Pros: Most acoustic sounding, picks up more of the guitars' natural sound, easy to install and find sweet spot Cons: can easily be a feedback nightmare, can sound thin in band setting, least amount of output and they need a preamp

 

--dual source you can find combos of these with 2 sources, internal mics, and such Brands: Fishman Ellipse or Rare Earth Dual, Baggs, BBand

Pros: Better sound options, better flexibility Cons: difficult install, extra feedback concerns with 2 sources, takes time to dial in and tweek, EXPENSIVE

 

Based on those descriptions, decide what your needs are and Ill happily give advice on specifics...Ive been an acoustic musician for over ten years, doing installs on acoustics for almost as long, and have personally used nearly all of these products before...

 

 

For all of my instruments i use the Fishman Matrix Infinity system...its a UST type pickup with bass boost/cut, tone and volume controls with a discrete internal preamp and the option to add a second source...i can use it in any live situation and it has proven over the long run to be exceptionally flexible and usable...the novice can install it (although tech is a better idea) and it works well with most PA/amps...it is a value at around $130 Fishman Inifinity Matrix

[pmancini100]

Have tons of experience here...ill try to nutshell it, but it very much depends on in what manner you'll be playing...home, on stage with a band, or solo acoustic in say a coffeehouse...

 

Basically pickups come in one of 3 types, or sometimes a combination of type (dual source), and anytime you use a pickup in an acoustic its a compromise...most start at around $100

 

--The UST is piezo-electric material that fits under the saddle and picks up the vibration of the strings, and about 10% of the body...it is by far the most prevalent type of acoustic pickup, because it works...

Brands: Fishman, BBand, LR Baggs, DTAR

Pros: Good output, sounds relatively accurate, decent volume before feeding back Cons: can sound quacky, brittle, will feed back at high volumes, can be tricky to install by amateur

 

--the sound hole (magnetic) pickup works like an electric guitar pickup in that it detects the string vibration magnetically and sends out a signal...there are several types

Brands: LRbaggs M1 and M1a, Sunrise, Duncan, Dean Markley, Fishman Rare Earth...In my experience the Baggs M1a is the best in this category (Tweedy uses this one matched with a UST)

Pros: Great output, high feedback resistance, easiest to install Cons: Can hum, hard to get proper string balance, doesnt sound as acoustic, more electric/metallic sounding

 

--the SBT is a soundboard transducer made of piezo-electric material similar to a UST, but attached to the underside of the top and bridgeplate if the guitar...

Brands: K&K (which is very good), Duncan, LRBaggs IBeam, Dean Markley

Pros: Most acoustic sounding, picks up more of the guitars' natural sound, easy to install and find sweet spot Cons: can easily be a feedback nightmare, can sound thin in band setting, least amount of output and they need a preamp

 

--dual source you can find combos of these with 2 sources, internal mics, and such Brands: Fishman Ellipse or Rare Earth Dual, Baggs, BBand

Pros: Better sound options, better flexibility Cons: difficult install, extra feedback concerns with 2 sources, takes time to dial in and tweek, EXPENSIVE

 

Based on those descriptions, decide what your needs are and Ill happily give advice on specifics...Ive been an acoustic musician for over ten years, doing installs on acoustics for almost as long, and have personally used nearly all of these products before...

 

 

For all of my instruments i use the Fishman Matrix Infinity system...its a UST type pickup with bass boost/cut, tone and volume controls with a discrete internal preamp and the option to add a second source...i can use it in any live situation and it has proven over the long run to be exceptionally flexible and usable...the novice can install it (although tech is a better idea) and it works well with most PA/amps...it is a value at around $130 Fishman Inifinity Matrix

 

damn, man. that was helpful, haha.

[Fritz]

damn, man. that was helpful, haha.

 

Thank you so much. You've both been extremely helpful.

[In a little rowboat]

--------Hey there,

 

Thanks so much for your in-depth advice. Clearest musician advice I've read in a long time!

 

After your recommendation I've been looking at the Fishman pickups and have found three types: narrow, split bridge and wide formats. You've been a huge help so far but I've got one more question: what's the difference between all three? I'm only looking at playing in small settings: home recordings and small room/quiet shows.

 

Thanks so much,

 

Anthony-----------

 

oh man my pleasure...cool d-28 style guitar you have...with the fishman you are looking to match the width of your saddle to the piezo element...i could not find the exact measurements online for your saddle but it looks to be wide format...the split is for the 2 piece saddle the takemine n series has, the narrow for something like a martin OM...

 

My guess is the Infinity would serve you quite well for those settings, for recording I prefer a mic, or a mic/pickup mix....small set up gigs you'd be good and the volume/tone will allow you to dial in nicely...I really like the K&K pure western pickups (http://www.kksound.com/) for anything short of an ensemble, any question you might have you should email to Dieter, the customer service there is top notch...

[Fritz]

Again,

 

Thanks so much for the advice and guidance. Very very helpful!

 

Anthony

 

--------Hey there,

 

Thanks so much for your in-depth advice. Clearest musician advice I've read in a long time!

 

After your recommendation I've been looking at the Fishman pickups and have found three types: narrow, split bridge and wide formats. You've been a huge help so far but I've got one more question: what's the difference between all three? I'm only looking at playing in small settings: home recordings and small room/quiet shows.

 

Thanks so much,

 

Anthony-----------

 

oh man my pleasure...cool d-28 style guitar you have...with the fishman you are looking to match the width of your saddle to the piezo element...i could not find the exact measurements online for your saddle but it looks to be wide format...the split is for the 2 piece saddle the takemine n series has, the narrow for something like a martin OM...

 

My guess is the Infinity would serve you quite well for those settings, for recording I prefer a mic, or a mic/pickup mix....small set up gigs you'd be good and the volume/tone will allow you to dial in nicely...I really like the K&K pure western pickups (http://www.kksound.com/) for anything short of an ensemble, any question you might have you should email to Dieter, the customer service there is top notch...