Acoustic Guitar Pickups

Guitarmom
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Sat May 02, 2009 1:25 pm

When playing in front of large congregations I have found that using a pickup in my guitar running to an amplifier (AER Compact 60-2) and taking line out to the church soundboard has provided the best sound control. I can, and have used, mics below the sound hole when I travel but I believe that there is more consistency with a pickup. With that being said, I have an L.R. Baggs iBeam on my older Martin 12 string and an L.R. Baggs iMix on my Martin D28 000EC.

I have purchased a new Voyage Air Orchestra and will be in the market for a new pickup. It has been a few years since I have purchased a pickup, and hoped the assembled braintrust would share their thoughts. With digital components, the product you purchase becomes obsolete within 6 months due to new innovations that raise the bar. Conversely, you cannot beat reliability and awesome sound from the components you have used and trust.

Lastly, do different pickups have target guitar types? Would a pickup for a Dreadnought work equally as well in an OM/Orchestra?

Best,

Rev Kate


AndyT
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Sun May 03, 2009 2:46 am

That is a good question Kate.
It pretty much comes down to personal preference. there is no one kind of pickup made especially for a certain kind of guitar. If its an acoustic pickup it will work on every acoustic.

Now, they do have different sound and features, but that is where the personality of the player comes in.

The biggest rule about obsolete electronics is, buy the best you can afford and it will be 'current' twice as long as the cheap one. Having said that, make sure your purchase is compatible with the rest of the equipment you use and you will be all set. 99% of guitar systems are standardized and do not change that often.


jeffbokc
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Fri May 08, 2009 8:47 am

Guitarmom wrote:

Lastly, do different pickups have target guitar types? Would a pickup for a Dreadnought work equally as well in an OM/Orchestra?

Best,

Rev Kate
As far as I know most pickups are not specific to guitar size. Although in my 000-28EC the luthier had to go to our second option for pickups because the first option wouldn't fit (something about the top braces being shifted). I am definitely NOT a pickup expert but I do have some preferences. I avoid most active pickups in which the battery cannot be replaced unless the strings are off. This is for the obvious reason that if the battery goes dead you have to change strings to replace it! So, I use a K&K Mini Western passive transducer that is glued to the bridge plate. Even though it is passive it can provide enough power to the amp for most applications. Nevertheless, I run it through an LR Baggs Paracoustic DI just to give it a boost, EQ, and filter out any offending frequencies.

I've heard a lot of people like combinations of pickups (under saddle transducer mixed with internal condenser mic, for example) but I haven't tried that yet. Good luck on your decision! By the way how do you like the LR Baggs pickups?


Guitarmom
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Fri May 08, 2009 10:12 am

Hi...

The LR Baggs iBeam is really good (in my D12-28), but I love the iMix in my 000-28EC. You are correct though, you have to take the strings off to get to the battery. I just make it a habit of buying a sleeve of 9V batteries when I'm at Costco, and every other time I change strings I change the battery. The only time the battery and preamp are engaged is when I plug into an amp, so it is fine for a long time. I could most likely go longer, but the last thing I want to do is have my guitar go dead in the middle of a song! 0:)


kauaidc
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Sun May 17, 2009 1:00 pm

Guitarmom wrote:
Hi...

You are correct though, you have to take the strings off to get to the battery. I just make it a habit of buying a sleeve of 9V batteries when I'm at Costco, and every other time I change strings I change the battery. The only time the battery and preamp are engaged is when I plug into an amp, so it is fine for a long time. I could most likely go longer, but the last thing I want to do is have my guitar go dead in the middle of a song! 0:)
Yes, they do last a long time. One of the concerns I have is going too long without using it and having the battery leak or corrode inside the guitar. This hasn't ever happened to me with guitar pickups thankfully, but it has with flashlights!

Also, and I know I'm being retentive with all of this, but there's something about having a battery pack inside my guitar that bothers me. It probably doesn't affect it much, but I still feel that anything placed inside your acoustic guitar's body is going to change its sound. I told you I was being anal retentive!


BigBear
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Sat May 23, 2009 8:13 pm

Gingold- I'm just getting ready to put a K&K mini Western on my Tayler 855 12-string. I recently heard Eric Tingstad perform and asked him about his setup and he gave me a glowing report on K&K. He's tried them all and swears by this small Coos Bay, Oregon company.

How do you like the K&K? Could you run this though an on-board preamp and not take it out to an external preamp? Do you know if you pre-amp on-board can you still send it through an outboard preamp for equalization?

Thanks for any thoughts you can provide!


Lavallee
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Sun May 24, 2009 9:53 am

I like it a lot. Of course I haven't had a lot of experience with other transducer systems but I trusted the advice of those who recommended K&K to me.

As for running it through an on-board preamp I don't know. K&K might make preamp versions. Do you have an existing on-board preamp on your guitar? As for going through two preamps (on-board and external) I also do not know. I can't imagine why not, except it might be overkill.


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