Quote:
Originally Posted by El Conquistador
OK, I try my best not to post negatives, but, you ask an opinion, so, here is mine.
I have chosen not to go the Anthem route in my luthier built guitar and will use the K&K system instead. The reasons are:
1. The K&K is the least invasive system available. I simply am not comfortable attaching microphones and control panels to my guitars that builders have spent their hours and talent maximizing the responsiveness.
2. I do not like batteries inside my guitar.
3. Since 90% of my playing is unplugged, I am not comfortable placing a woven strip of fiber between my bone saddle and my carefully hand-fitted bridge.
4. I get glowing reviews of the tone of my K&K equipped guitars.
Please notice that none of my reasons are in any way a criticism of the Anthem's ability to produce good tone. I have only played one Anthem equipped guitar and honestly felt that it was not superior to the K&K system. If it is superior, my experience is that 99.99% of the audience will never hear that difference and is, therefor, simply not worth it to me.
So, I guess as in all things, it is not "thumbs up all around".
Good luck with your quest,
Steve
Steve
|
Yea Steve I think everyone expects/envisions different things from amplifying an acoustic guitar.
I do however want to point out that "sometimes" judging a pickup system is not singularly about comparing tone. I've made the argument from the first night I played an Anthem that it's strengths are NOT the age old impossibility of "my guitar only louder" but instead the Anthem is a very musical system that EXCELS at volume. I've said it before but it's the only acoustic PU that makes me want to turn up. That for me is refreshing!
I think you could make an argument that a K&K (particularly in low volume situations) is as acoustic sounding or more than an Anthem. It (the K&K) however begins to lose traction at louder volumes and that, in and of itself, is a deal breaker for some.
I'm not disagreeing with your position for sure but for the benefit of someone still trying to weed through this jungle it is an aspect of these systems that needs to be pointed out and is often not.
YMMV.