The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #146141   Message #3383224
Posted By: Richard Bridge
29-Jul-12 - 12:42 PM
Thread Name: Acoustic Guitar Pick -up advice
Subject: RE: Acoustic Guitar Pick -up advice
It really depends how loud you want to go.

Magnetics and undersaddles will go pretty loud but colour the sound to a greater or lesser degree. I've tried quite a few and I like the Headway snake, but I also got a good result with a Shadow Powersaddle into a Fishman preamp. B-band are a bit too self-effacing for my taste but are fairly true to the guitar (although I have had reliability issues).

Anything with a microphone in will be REALLY easy to trigger oscillatory feedback before you are half-loud and in principle the last place you want to put a microphone is inside something.

Things that stick onto the soundboard etc are also very prone to feedback, but many like the LR Baggs I-Beam. You can also use the LR Baggs I-blend which combines an undersaddle with a soundboard (well, to be accurate, inner bridge plate) stickon, and B-band can do that too.

I have never yet heard a soundhole pickup that sounded much better than a laundryline of wet socks - but I think the Fishmans are maybe the least bad.