I Beam question

Tomm Williams · #1 05-25-2015, 06:16 PM

I just acquired a pristine 70's Tak 12 string without electronics. I have an I-Beam sitting here with nothing to do. Any issue using it on a 12 string ?

Rick Shepherd · #2 05-26-2015, 02:40 PM

I see no reason why it wouldnt work as well as any other pickup. They are an easy install.

ljguitar · #3 05-26-2015, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomm Williams

I just acquired a pristine 70's Tak 12 string without electronics. I have an I-Beam sitting here with nothing to do. Any issue using it on a 12 string ?

Hi Tomm…

They are somewhat outdated (late Paleolithic period perhaps), and they really pre-dated the soundboard transducer trend which is popular now.

They are touchy, and tend to feed back ultra easy, but if you are just messing around why not give it a try.

I never personally had one in my personal instruments, because I heard a great guitar tech from Denver chatting with another tech who was asking how the iBeam install went and he answered "Great! We only had to move it three times to get it in the right spot."

Since I lived over 120 miles from the shop, I could see this would either mean a lot of not-so-good pickup sound, or a lot of driving.

If you do the experiment, tell us how it goes…

kydave · #4 05-27-2015, 01:54 PM

The ibeam uses a double sided adhesive install rather than superglue, so the repositioning is not as big a deal as it would be otherwise.

Do have a preamp handy, the output is not very hot.

The Tak is never going to be a pricey collectible, so if you drill out the endpin hole you're not devaluing a pricey guitar. Since you already have the guitar and the pickup, I'd say go for it; you've got nothing to lose except a bit of time playing around with it.

I had one in my old '59 0-18, but didn't really use it much. It was in the pre-K&K days and with the long saddle, a typical UST of the day was not an option I wanted to mess with so I bought the ibeam. As I said, though, that guitar was seldom played amped.

Earl49 · #5 05-27-2015, 02:10 PM

Years ago, I tried putting an i-Beam active in my Seagull 12 string. I ended up needing to move it so many times trying to get a good sound that I had to call and ask for more double-stick tape to secure it. It is very sensitive to position relative to the bridge. I also had trouble with sensitivity on the volume rotary switch at the sound hole. Volume went from almost off to WAY too loud in a fraction of a turn. I have not tried another one since. Since you have one already, it is sunk cost other than your time putting it in. The directions and jigs work pretty well. I hope you have better luck.

Tomm Williams · #6 05-27-2015, 05:16 PM

Well, bottom line is it works perfectly fine ! I had installed one of these once before on another 70's Tak (kind of a fan) and (at least to my ear) they sound great. I do have one of their Gigpro pre's. I was mainly concerned if the extra spread of a 12 was an issue.............apparently not. I DID however re-position it three times !!!!!!!!!

Mobilemike · #7 05-27-2015, 05:47 PM

Good to know!

I have one in my D15SM (I bought the guitar used with the pickup already in there) and although I get quite a bit of handling noise, the pickup sounds great IMO.

Glad to hear it works well on 12 strings too!

-Mike

kydave · #8 05-27-2015, 05:49 PM

Congrats!!!

Bluezguy · #9 01-30-2016, 05:48 AM

I've had one in my Epiphone Masterbilt for over ten years now and wouldn't hestitate installing another one into my next acoustic.

I started out with the preamp model. It was and still sounds GREAT! A few years later, I bought a couple Para DI units for two of my resonators. Curiousity got me so I chopped the preamp off to see what it would be like as a passive unit through the PDIs.

The difference was negligible when listened to flat so, I re-soldered it back together and have lived happily ever after with it.

Positioning the unit under the bridge is a bit of a trick but if you are happy with the factory placement per instructions, install is a breeze. Me, I wanted a bit more bottom end so I had to re-position the unit a couple times. No big deal either as the adhesive is very flexible and good to work with.

I play direct through the PA so I can't speak about how it sounds with an amplifier. Through the PA, feedback has never been an issue and this baby has done about 600 gigs in about 10 years of usage.

Doubleneck · #10 01-30-2016, 06:39 AM

I bought a used guitar last year and it came with a active Ibeam already installed. I just started using it with my Zoom A3 and have it dialed in to a very good sound. I have had no feedback issues. If you need more foam adhesive Baggs will send you some for free. The nice thing about them with that adhesive if it isn't what you like it's easy to remove. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Fusion01 · #11 01-30-2016, 07:19 AM

I have a Seagull Peppino I bought that will be arriving on Monday and it has an LR Baggs I-Beam and it's one of the models that has both the UST and mic blend. I guess it pre-dated Seagulls own Quantum II electronic. Fortunately I have an Artist Studio and S6 CW QII to compare the I-Beam with.

guitaniac · #12 01-30-2016, 10:16 AM

The iBeam has a decidedly mixed reputation. As a soundman, I've encountered some iBeam-equipped guitars which work very well at a moderate volume, and others which are troublesome.

One of my friends has an iBeam-equipped guitar which rings too loudly at a certain pitch (until muted) whenever he plays that pitch. This even occurs at a moderate amplification volume, unfortunately.

On the other hand, I've been fortunate with the iBeam which I super-glued to my D28's bridgeplate. I get a nice even response and no issues at moderate volume. (If that wasn't the case, Bondini Brush-on Remover would come in very handy.)

otavio · #13 01-30-2016, 10:41 AM

One question.
I have an ibeam active that was removed from my Taylor 510(replaced by matrix infinity).
Could i use, in a external way, for sound reinforcement in recordings?
The glue will damage the top?
Where in the top to put it?

Ps: i removed for live situation, but i used to liked for recordings, with a bit of eq was a great pair with some sdc

ljguitar · #14 01-30-2016, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by otavio

One question.
I have an ibeam active that was removed from my Taylor 510(replaced by matrix infinity).
Could i use, in a external way, for sound reinforcement in recordings?
The glue will damage the top?
Where in the top to put it?

Ps: i removed for live situation, but i used to liked for recordings, with a bit of eq was a great pair with some sdc

Hi o
Yes, the glue may damage the top of the guitar.

You'd be better off with an inexpensive condenser mic than trying to recycle the iBeam. A $50 condenser will sound more natural than the iBeam.