The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #59336   Message #989828
Posted By: GUEST,Whistle Stop
24-Jul-03 - 03:04 PM
Thread Name: New guitar recommendations
Subject: RE: New guitar recommendations
Congratulations on your Lowden! I've been the happy owner of an 0-32C for the past four years, and I like it better every time I play it. I trust you will as well; they're fine instruments.

As far as pickups are concerned, every one of them has its good and bad points, and I'm not sure it really has as much to do with matching it to a specific instrument as it does with matching it to your playing style and amplification needs. Some will work better in relatively low volume settings (sound board transducers, internal microphones), others can handle lots of decibels without producing feedback and other unpleasant sounds (magnetic). Some prefer a gentler attack (under-saddle transducers), others can handle a more robust playing style without "quacking". Sometimes a dual-source rig can help compensate for the shortcomings of each individual source, so these are worth considering. My Lowden is equipped with a Fishman Rare Earth Blend pickup, which is a combination of a magnetic pickup with an internal electret condenser microphone (and a dial to adjust the relative contribution of each to the overall sound). It's not the Holy Grail, but since I often play in high-volume settings, having the magnetic pickup was important to me; I can dial out the microphone altogether if feedback problems are getting the best of me, or add more in if that's not such an issue (ideally, I find that using both is best, in varying ratios depending on what sort of setting I'm in and whether I'm playing with other musicians). You'll get a lot of different opinions on this, and they generally reflect people's own playing styles and amplification needs to a great extent. If you have a chance, experiment with a few different kinds before making a decision. And don't go cutting into your instrument for the sake of the pickup -- Lowdens deserve better than that.

Good luck -- you got yourself a real nice guitar.