A buddy of mine has a 12 string Martin acoustic but we play out a lot and the dean markley ("woody"?)pickup sounds like shit. Anyone have luck with something else. We are trying to avoid cutting into the guitar and inserting a pickup and all that shit like a regular acoustic/electric. I have a Takamine with a great built in pickup. trying to find a good one for him. any suggestions? thanks all. the dude.
GOOD Acoustic guitar pickup
- Thread starter the dude
- Start date
cstockdale
supafly killa homey
just get a Fishman piezo... no cutting, it just goes under your bridge, and insert a plugin at the knob on the end where your strap goes. Use an outboard preamp, and you don't need to cut anything to put in the EQ/Volume.
http://www.fishman.com/products/displayProduct.asp?product=1
http://www.fishman.com/products/displayProduct.asp?product=25
http://www.fishman.com/products/displayProduct.asp?product=1
http://www.fishman.com/products/displayProduct.asp?product=25
Light
New member
We sell more Fishmans than anything else. They are very good pickups, and are priced quite resonably. There is no damage to the value of the instrument, so you don't need to worry about that. The pickup itself costs about $125, and the installation is about the same. You could also go with a better magnetic pickup, like a Sunrise or a Fishman Rare Earth. These are a little cheaper, and are very good pickups.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
onlyfingers
New member
LR Baggs?
I have a 12-string Guild. Now I am micing it. Before I went and spent all my allowance for a couple of years to come on an archtop, I looked at getting a pickup for the 12-string. I was looking at the LR Baggs Active, which puts the pre-amp and plug in the end-pin hole (which must be widened, I think.) Cstockdale and light: any opinions or experience with LR Baggs on a jumbo 12-string?
With thanks.
http://www.lrbaggs.com/html/products/systems_ibeam.shtml
I have a 12-string Guild. Now I am micing it. Before I went and spent all my allowance for a couple of years to come on an archtop, I looked at getting a pickup for the 12-string. I was looking at the LR Baggs Active, which puts the pre-amp and plug in the end-pin hole (which must be widened, I think.) Cstockdale and light: any opinions or experience with LR Baggs on a jumbo 12-string?
With thanks.
http://www.lrbaggs.com/html/products/systems_ibeam.shtml
dtb
Well-known member
cstockdale
supafly killa homey
Re: LR Baggs?
fraid not... I just know the Fishman because that is what I have.onlyfingers said:
Light
New member
Re: LR Baggs?
Baggs makes fine pickups, but they are a pain in the behind to install, because the saddle is an integral part of the pickup. I do not think there is any advantage to this system over a properly installed Fishman, and the installation is more expensive. It is also much more difficult to adjust. We have installed many of them, and we much prefer the Fishman.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
onlyfingers said:
Baggs makes fine pickups, but they are a pain in the behind to install, because the saddle is an integral part of the pickup. I do not think there is any advantage to this system over a properly installed Fishman, and the installation is more expensive. It is also much more difficult to adjust. We have installed many of them, and we much prefer the Fishman.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
TexRoadkill
Audio Bum
I have a Fishman in my Larivee and the sound isn't too bad. It's not as 'rubbery' sounding as some.
dragonworks
Banned
I put a fishman in my Guild D17M. Sounds great, installed it myself, pretty easy installation. Had to buy a coulple of extra saddles ($5.00) and sand them down till I obtained just the right height to replace the one I put the pickup under.
Pickup cost me 106 bucks.
Pickup cost me 106 bucks.
Light
New member
dragonworks said:
Obviously, owning a repair shop, I am a bit biased in this, but I would not recommend installing it yourself. There is more to doing it right than it seems. It is necessary to insure the bottom of the saddle slot is flat, and this requires routing out the bottom of the slot, which requires a special jig and a great deal of experience. Doing it wrong will result in anything from an inconsistent levels between the strings to severe damage of the guitar.
Be very careful with this.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
dragonworks
Banned
I didnt rout out anything, fit perfectly and sounds great??
onlyfingers
New member
Re: Re: LR Baggs?
The way it looks in the picture, the Baggs may be a pain to install because it must be installed sort of blind, inside the guitar on the underside of the soundboard. I want to find someone with experience because I've heard that position is a big deal.
onlyfingers
Light said:
The way it looks in the picture, the Baggs may be a pain to install because it must be installed sort of blind, inside the guitar on the underside of the soundboard. I want to find someone with experience because I've heard that position is a big deal.
onlyfingers
freshmattyp
New member
I'll second the vote for a soundhole pickup. I use both the Fishman Rare Earth and the EMG ACS. I'm currently saving for a Sunrise.
Light
New member
Re: Re: Re: LR Baggs?
You are talking about the Baggs iBeam. They are fine pickups, but they do not give the volume or resistance to feedback that you get with an under saddle pickup, as the pezio material is not under pressure. They are actually not that bad to install, as they sell a jig which positions it correctly. We have done several of these, and the customers seem to be happy with the results.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
onlyfingers said:
You are talking about the Baggs iBeam. They are fine pickups, but they do not give the volume or resistance to feedback that you get with an under saddle pickup, as the pezio material is not under pressure. They are actually not that bad to install, as they sell a jig which positions it correctly. We have done several of these, and the customers seem to be happy with the results.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
dragonworks
Banned
Light said:
I doubt it voided my warranty. And I also trust that the Guild guitar comapny routed the bridge for the saddle properly and that it was flat. After all, they are master luthiers and have the proper tools.
Light
New member
dragonworks said:
Actually, as a Guild warranty shop, I know that you DID void your warranty, if it was still in effect. Any work which is not done by a warranty shop (and that includes installing pickups) voids the warranty, at least for that part of the guitar. You have voided the warranty for the bridge. If you need a neck reset within the warranty period, you
Of course they routed the slot flat, most of the time. That is not the issue. The problem is that it does not STAY flat. Your strings put about 175 pounds of pressure on the bridge. This makes the top and bridge bow. This is why most acoustic guitars have a little bulge behind the bridge. The saddle is a different density and flexibility than the top or the bridge, and it does not bend the same as the wood. In order to insure good contact, you need to relate the bottom of the saddle slot. If it worked for you, that is great, but it will not work for everyone, and it does void the warranty on a guitar that would otherwise be covered.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
dragonworks
Banned
They must have done pretty good cause the guitar was made in 74 and everything is working ok, I guess I just got lucky.