To Thread - Forum Home

The Mudcat Café TM
https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=133780
8 messages

Tech: After Market Acoustic Guitar Pick up???

22 Nov 10 - 12:44 PM (#3038066)
Subject: Tech: After Market Acoustic Guitar Pick up???
From: DonMeixner

I need to install a pick up in an old Guild acoustic guitar. I have a Pick Up The World on my banjo, a Fishmann under the saddle of my other Guild F 30, and a Fishmann Aura factory installed in my Martin JC 16.

Technology changes constantly. Does anyone recommend a specific after market pick up? I don't mind buying another Baggs Parametric DI. I want something that requires no greater than normal care.

$100.00 - $200.00 on the pick up is my budget.

Thanks in advance for the well thought out replies I know I''ll get.

Don


22 Nov 10 - 02:17 PM (#3038121)
Subject: RE: Tech: After Market Acoustic Guitar Pick up???
From: GUEST,Alan Whittle

I have fitted a couple of my guitars with K and K Pure Westerner transducers. Don't be put off by them being cheap _ jack Hudson recommended them to me.

They're great for live work. For recording, they work better ran through the simulators of an Yamaha AG Stomp (seems to take a little of the'spikiness' of the sound off it).

Get a good luthier to position it for you - someone with gynaecologists fingers for tweaking the position through the sound hole. One of my guitars isn't as good as the other due to the sorcerers apprentice doing the job.

best wishes

al


22 Nov 10 - 04:31 PM (#3038200)
Subject: RE: Tech: After Market Acoustic Guitar Pick up???
From: GUEST,jeff

The sound I heard was from a guy who had a combination of an old LR Baggs transducer and a Joe Mills mic. They were both wired thru a 9 volt battery and the Joe Mills was subject to the LR Baggs 3 band eq, but had it's own volume knob. Ahead of the Baggs, I presume. Then he had the whole system through a Rain 31 band mono to the board. Cleanest, fullest, most 'acoustically true' sound I've ever heard. Like Martin Simpson, only w/t high end a little softer.

When I get back to touring I'm going to add the Joe Mills to the Baggs in the Rainsong JM1000...only I think I'll skip the Rain eq and invest in a Boss inline tuner instead. ;-}


22 Nov 10 - 04:42 PM (#3038206)
Subject: RE: Tech: After Market Acoustic Guitar Pick up???
From: Backwoodsman

Another vote for the K&K Pure Mini - passive (so no battery in the guitar) but still a hot signal and very, very natural 'acoustic' sounding. As it's a bridgeplate transducer, you don't get the 'quack' of a UST, but it is slightly more feedback-prone, so you need to be careful in high-volume situations.

And don't try using a Baggs Para-DI with it - the impedance mis-match will give a less-than fantastic result. I have an Orchid Mutable DI which I use with mine, and it's all I need - I EQ on the amp (Roland AC-60) or on the PA desk if I DI straight in.

Orchid Electronics

K&K Pure Mini


22 Nov 10 - 07:10 PM (#3038309)
Subject: RE: Tech: After Market Acoustic Guitar Pick up???
From: open mike

The only pick up that I recommend is
Mini Flex


22 Nov 10 - 07:20 PM (#3038316)
Subject: RE: Tech: After Market Acoustic Guitar Pick up???
From: GUEST,Alan Whittle

the K and K that I've got on my guitars has five little contact mikes - so you get a spread of sound = rather than a bridge only job. it was about fifty quid, and it was a shock how good it was. having said that- I did get it fitted by a damn good luthier - Alan Marshall of Northworthy guitars.

Its an American company - so you will probably get it for the same number of dollars that it cost me in pounds. A couple of times, its blown martins and lowdens out of the water soundwise and its attached to a cheapo Faith Jupiter.

al


22 Nov 10 - 08:22 PM (#3038349)
Subject: RE: Tech: After Market Acoustic Guitar Pick up???
From: open mike

the mini flex is actually a microphone..
so you need to be mindful of playing with
a speaker pointing at you...and stay behind
the speakers to prevent feedback. The new
ones have the ability to get a stereo sound
with two mics...one near the sound hole and one
that you postion near the bridge...inside the
guitar... they require a AA battery which should
be changed or checked when you change strings.

these are invented and manufactured by a luthier
who knows guitars.


23 Nov 10 - 03:04 AM (#3038476)
Subject: RE: Tech: After Market Acoustic Guitar Pick up???
From: mandotim

Another vote for K&K. I use them on three instruments, including mandolin (which is notoriously difficult to get right). Cheap, but in no way nasty, and they reject feedback very well even in high volume situations. K&K also do a very good matched external preamp.