Best acoustic guitar pickup?

mflem

New member
Hi all

I'm looking to invest in a pickup for my acoustic guitar so that I can connect it to amps/recording applications etc.

Does anyone use these/have any good recommendations? I want one that I can simply put under the strings on my acoustic and plug straight in. I've been looking at Fishman and Seymour Duncan models in various forms. Any thoughts?

Thanks!
M
 
I can't offer hands on experience with this, but it looks good and the demos sound great (don't they all).

This was recently mentioned in another thread here : IK Multimedia - iRig Acoustic Stage

(www) ikmultimedia.com/products/irigacousticstage/
 
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This link immediately closed itself on my iphone (not after getting me to accept the cookies) and sent me to a warning page about hackers trying to steal information on the desktop PC... what was the date of the thread and was it on this folder? I'll try to find it scrolling through the site...
 
Pickups that sound good live and work for recording are not common, and a soundhole pickup iike that is rarer. So much that I don't ever record acoustic guitar with a pickup except at live venues. The Baggs M1A is the only one I've heard that comes sorta close. Haven't heard the Seymour Duncan SA-6, if that's what you're looking at. The ones without any mic at all (Fishman and Duncan) "work" but they don't sound acoustic at all to my ear. They're pretty good at playing live at volume though, and the humbucker designs are pretty quiet.

The best ones I've heard are not under-string, but combinations of an internal mic and usually UST or some other piezo-ish contraption. Some are very good when coupled with the correct preamp, but require correct installation. And, the mic part of the design means they can feedback sooner than pure magnetic type pickups, so a preamp with some kind of notch filter is good to have for live use.
 
Acoustic pickups are for live sound use, not recording. None are going to sound as good as miking the guitar.
 
Acoustic pickups are for live sound use, not recording. None are going to sound as good as miking the guitar.
This is exactly right. However I have used my DM on an acoustic twelve string that was buried somewhat in the mix as it didn't need to sound like and acoustic guitar! Plus I like to plug acoustics into distorting amps for well , for the hell of it really cuz it's another sound. If you are trying to get a solo acoustic guitar sound recording that is listenable, a mic is the right way to go. Even the high end pickups through an expensive "acoustic guitar amplifier" are not going to sound better on a recording than a good mic on a good guitar in a good room. Or even a not so good one come to think of it.
 
I use a Dean Markley and have always been happy with it.

Years ago, on Jon Anderson's acoustic, I installed a Dean Markley "woody". That night he used it at the show and I was very impressed at how 'acoustic' it sounded.

Now, granted i have no knowledge of what the signal chain was and what the soundman did, but it sounded legit.
(btw, he's in the band Yes)

If for live use, I can recommend them. No mods to your guitar, and I know they can work very well. I'd pair it up with a dedicated acoustic amp where you have very good frequency control.

For recording, I wouldnt bother with ANY acoustic pickup. (Unless its just for a scratch track, or you want a 'fake' acoustic sound on purpose)

But the formula for a good recorded acoustic sound has always been;

A good acoustic, a good player, a good room, a good mic and a good engineer.
Take one of those away and you'll get something mediocre.

:D
 
I've got a DM Woody, too, and its ok for live work - when the guitar doesn't have a good pickup system of its own.
Recently I tried it on my cheap Ibanez 12 string, plugged into a Line6 amp with some chorus and grit dialed into it, trying to get an electric 12 string sound. Miked it. Also DIed the guitar's pickup and ended up using that track (with PodFarm FX) instead.
 
For recording, like everyone said, use a mic. But if you aren't getting the sound you want with the mics you have or the room you're in, then yeah, maybe some artificial tone shaping might be in order.

Instead of looking at pickups, look at acoustic guitar preamps like the Fishman Aura or the LR Baggs Venue.

These units are meant for live application, but will work in the studio too. Then you go back to your original question... which pickup to use.

Not helpful, sorry. :o
 
Not helpful, sorry. :o

No, actually very helpful. You bring up a key point.
Especially with piezo pickups, they're pretty much all the same. Cheap one, expensive one, it don't matter.

Where the magic happens is in the preamp.
A good preamp makes a world of difference.
:D
 
Don’t let Anybody tell you that you have to use a mic and never a pickup for acoustic recording. It can be done, it just depends on what kind of sound you are looking for.

Personally the best I’ve ever used is an L.R.Baggs Anthem. I record with it all the time. That being said the sound works for me and may not work for you.

I also love to put a sound hole humbucker thru a mildly overdriven amp.
 
What is the guitar, and what is your type of playing, IE strum, fingerpick, both, single string ??
some pickups do not like strumming, they pick up way too much scratchyness from the hand movement, and sometimes pick noise as well....
A quality Pre-amp can do loads to make your sound big and full, usually having a good parameter of adjustment to volume, gain etc...and the strings you use should be reletively new for depicting what the player and instrument are capable of. Many good tips here, it really depends on what you are after,.... true acoustic sound VS other types, like slightly overdriven etc... also makes a difference if you are recording direct in, or micing an amp, or doing live performance things....some pickups can do all of those, some are not able to do all ...
S
 
agree with the same... recording = use a mic
Had a Roland Fender Strat that had a sim-sound that sounded more acoustic, than my acoustic amp/pickup.
Thought I could get a electric acoustic DI thing and avoid my shit room but the pickups I tried all sounded like rubber band strings, unnatural and odd. I even tried the Neve Acoustic rare preamp thing to no real change.
 
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