-
I want to amplify my acoustlc steel strung guitar. I have done a search on pickups and narrowed the choice down to the following---have you tried any of the pickups mentioned below--good results?
Shadow SH330
Seymour Duncan SA-HC Woody
Seymour Duncan SA 3SC Woody
Fishman Neo-D Singalcoil
Any other makes you have tried and liked?
Many thanks.
-
09-05-2020 05:49 AM
-
It's been a few years since I've looked into this but at the time I found that K&K made the best pickup to reproduce the acoustic sound of an acoustic guitar.
-
I also use K&K for my nylon string guitars. They are wonderful pickups if you are looking for accurate acoustic tone.
-
With any passive piezo pickup it's imperative that you follow the manufacturer's recommendation regarding input impedance. EQ and dynamics will suffer to a very noticeable degree if the input impedance is too low.
-
I'm on the K&K bandwagon too. I really recommend mounting under the bridge area from inside the guitar using superglue gel. With the right system matched to your guitar a preamp is nice but not a necessity for a natural sound.
-
I had a K&K in my classical. Nice
I have an Baggs I Beam passive in 1 Larrivee and a Baggs Lyric in another Larrivee.
The I Beam sounds good but the Lyric is much better. They are both not suitable for loud stages. They work great for moderate to low live settings or solo.
-
+1 on the K&K. Love it in my D-28.
-
not enough info here to give a recommendation. how much are you looking to spend? why are you looking to amplify? you playing alone or in a group? doing shows or just around the house? into an amp or a pa? finger style or strumming? how much effort and commitment are you willing to make? are you willing to drill out a jack, if need be? you want the pickup to do all the work, or are you ok with some pedals and/or digital wizardry involved? you going to try and record with it?
you know, that sort of thing.
-
I have I think this one for amplifying my one non-electric flattop:
Fishman Pro-Neo-D01 Magnetic Soundhole Pickup | Guitar Center
It seems to get the job done for a good price, especially with a good amp like the Fishman Artist for tweaking the sound.
Of course I'm not a professional. I'm sure you can spend more.
-
I am very happy with the ES2 system that came with the Taylor. Especially plugging it into an amp expecting a piezo. Those K&Ks sound great and would be high on the list if I wasn’t already satisfied.
-
I will agree that you can use one without a dedicated pre-amplifier. However, you do you need an input with sufficient input impedance. I have seen open mic hosts plug these into the first open 1/4" jack they find on a mixer totally disregarding input impedance. Loading down K&K substantially can really destroy it's sound.
Originally Posted by Cavalier
-
I prefer the more natural sound of the soundhole pickups over piezo, and have gigged with a variety of Duncan pups.
-
Ha ha, it is a long list for things open mic hosts have destroyed .... Originally Posted by DanielleOM
For such situations I have a LR Baggs Parametric DI, if you get a unexpected room feedback you can notch it out and put your own effects in its loop too, before it gets to the board.
Recently I dropped a Godin Q1 system into a budget beater Art and Lutherie Folk Cedar I got used. The idea was a rough and tumble work and beach guitar but the thing sounds and plays great acoustic and quite good plugged in. I am really quite impressed with what the elves up North have been doing.
-
The RL Baggs Lyric is pretty good for flat top guitar if you want the sound of a microphone. The internal microphone has some tricks to cancel out resonances. It wouldn’t be as feedback resistant as a magnetic sound hole pickup.
Lyric Acoustic Guitar Pickup Microphone | LR Baggs
The DeArmond (Guild) Tone Boss is a good magnetic sound hole pickup. Adjustable pole pieces mean you are less likely to have problems with string to string balance.
DeArmond Tone Boss | Guild GuitarsLast edited by KirkP; 09-06-2020 at 01:40 AM.
-
I have seen the Baggs Parametric DI in use. Originally Posted by Cavalier
I hosted an open mic myself for several years. I found watching gain and impedance were really key to getting good sound. Those early vintage under saddle pickups I found were a challenge. I couldn't tame what I call the nails on a chalkboard sound with my mixer alone without killing dynamics. Eventually I started putting those through a Studio Projects VTB-1 tube blend preamp. I found that worked quite well at taming the shrill sound of the passive undersaddle piezo without killing the dynamics.
-
I actually prefer the K&Ks without a preamp if I'm going into my own amp, but having one handy is best.
Under saddle pickups can be harsh, the K&Ks are amplifying the top tone under the bridge area which is much more natural. One preamp I really like, sounds great on undersaddles or anything else is an ancient Barcus Berry. Way back in the day they had the preamps and amps designed to tame the quack when people got their ducks in a row and plugged in. I use it when I don't have to worry about notches etc... because it is so easy to dial in. Using transducers to go electric on my violin years ago really got me on to getting a good sound, getting that one wrong can outshrill anything.
-
The other way is to use a standard piezo pickup and use a Tonedexter (fancy acoustic IR pedal.) This is the solution Molly Tuttle uses.
I’ve used it myself and was knocked out by the results.
-
Above, the Taylor ES was mentioned. I recently recorded with a new V class instrument with the ES direct and thought the result was quite good. FWIW, all fingerstyle playing.
-
When I go for the acoustic sound, K&K on flat-tops and archtops, and Big Tone on Gypsy Jazz guitars. I use a Grace Design BiX for a preamp. Works very well for my singer/solo guitarist gigs.
Reply With Quote
John McLaughlin and Joe Zawinul duet Zawinul’s...
Today, 10:50 AM in The Players