[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

The issue with piezo under saddle pickups is that the method of coupling (pickup directly below the saddle) imparts enough energy to the piezo element that it produces enough electronic energy on peaks to distort any preamp after it. A contact mic would most likely behave differently as the coupling between source energy and the pickup and is much less intimate. There is a good possibility that both overall and peak energy would be diminished.

Hi Bob...

Yes, and the K&K Pure Western Mini are also piezo elements, and most of us who use them feel they sound better than the under saddle piezos (even better than Baggs LB-6 and Hex pickups which put 6 piezos in the saddle slot supposedly lessening the pressured effect).

Yet, I've experimented with all of the different source options in studio, and two mics works better for me for recording decent guitars than combining any artificial/electronic signal, be it under saddle piezo (including multi-element), contact element, or magnetic elements.

Live, however, what the poster proposes is similar to a K&K dual source with the Pure Western Mini and internal mic. The sources are all external rather than internal.

In Studio...
I know Tommy E uses (or has in the past) his internal pickup/rig as one of 5 sources in studio (the other 4 are mics). He claims it gives the engineer more options. I've heard other pros do this as well, and though I don't prefer it, it is apparently frequently done.

There is often a 'hot spot' around the area of the bridge pictured in the link of the original post, and I get down on my knees and hunt for it with my ear about 1.5'' from the top of the guitar while the player plays and then that's where I locate the ''B'' mic of my A/B setups (the other being at the neck/body join).

On my personal guitars that spot varies from behind the bridge to just below it on different instruments, but apparently never wanders (it's always been in the same place the next time I record that instrument). If I were going to use a surface contact, that's where I'd likely locate it for starters.

The 'hot'-spot is more active in both volume and tone.

John Jorgenson (whom I've had the privilege to see live twice) uses a surface contact pickup in his Macafferri style instrument (nylon string) for live play. His backup guitarists don't always use them.

Not sure if he combines it with an internal pickup/mic as well...and I've never seen anything published about his recording setups. The 2 times I've seen him in person, and on videos, his stage amps and monitors vary a lot. He seems like an 'explorer' (read experimenter).

Hope this adds to the discussion.