Taylor T5 with LR Baggs Anthem SL

[dustybottoms]

Howdy! I've been searching this sight and others constantly for 2 weeks trying to decide if I should put an Anthem SL in my T5. I wanted a better acoustic sound but I didn't want to compromise too much of the original guitar. There was minimal discussion on here about how a few have done and under saddle and put the jack in the extra button strap. I just decided to go with a double jack plate in case I wanted to run both outputs at the same time. (I just like the look better). Anyway, the install is done as of an hour ago. I know it "works" but I haven't had time to sit down and dial it all in yet. Anyway, I'm anxious to try it out and report back for anyone else that has ever considered the idea. I will try to get a couple of pics up too.

[jonfields45]

Aha! I answered your question in the other section! The T5 electronics have by far the shorter battery life between it and the Anthem. One way to even it out, and potentially get back to the 25 hours a T5 can do on its own with one battery and no Anthem, is to disconnect the power indicator LED which is roughly half the power consumption of the T5. It is the topmost connecter and only a simple squeeze and pull to remove (and just as easy to replace if you change your mind). It is a bit of a reach without unmounting the preamp board but you ought to be able to get there with long nose electronics pliers. This is assuming you ever use the native T5 pickups again :~).

[dcopper]

Let us know how that works for you. I have installed K&Ks in my T5 and T5z, so they are actually T6s. I also mount a Roland Synth pickup whenever I want to use some synth sounds, making them T7s.
The K&K works well but I have learned over the 12 years of owning and playing T5 guitars that the most important thing to understand is that a T5 is a T5, not an 814 and not a Les Paul. It has its own tone. Once you learn to work with that tone, life becomes simpler.
Even with the added pickups, which I do more for fun, I still use the T5 electronics most of the time.
Davidc

[dustybottoms]

So I did my first gig with this setup last night and it did not go well. I honestly don't give myself unreal expectations when I'm going into uncharted territory. I just really like experimenting and trying different things. I've actually had some excellent results by doing this (among some failures). This is all personal opinion I realize but this pickup with this guitar gets you a pretty similar sound a as position 1 on the taylor system. (Which I consider useless for my purposes). It's a little fatter and warmer but seemed mostly unusable for me. As others have said, I think it's just the nature of this thin bodied guitar. I was getting a "plinky" "plasticy" sound because I had the mic turned up to about 3/4. (I couldn't change it during the show because I have to take the back off). Because of the high volume, I was actually somehow getting a feedback loop going through my mic (it stopped when I went back to the taylor system halfway through the show). I had the mic turned up so loud because I didn't realize there was a frequency cut off on this system. I assumed the UST was just the plain ol baggs element. (I had to get the B E string in there. They were noticeably quieter at halfway dial) My bad. I think I'm going to try just a plain ol baggs element next. Should be an easy 15 minute swap out. I just through I'd share my findings for anyone interested.


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[jseth]

Dusty;

Although I did not (and would not) recommend the Anthem in a T5 (I own a T5, by the way...), I do happen to have the Anthem SL in both my "stage guitars". You didn't say whether you put the SL or the "Full" Anthem in your T5, but the bigger unit has such a sizeable control pod that I can't imagine sticking THAT THING inside your T5, so this is directed towards the SL version. (The full Anthem version can be incredibly difficult to adjust all the parameters of what it will do, and many users don't realize that potential...)

One REALLY IMPORTANT aspect of the Anthem is getting the balance between the UST portion and the TrueMic in a good spot... takes a bit of fiddling to dial it in with the SL version, because the adjustment screw is so tiny... but...

If you go with a LOT of mic in the output, you aren't gonna like what happens; pretty much what you described at your gig... shrill, tinny, prone to feedback... just... not ... good!

Try setting that adjustment screw all the way towards the UST, realizing that the UST is rigged with a crossover that has it handling just the frequencies below 140 hz. Now, the crossover point is not a "hard shelf", so other, higher frequencies are going to bleed through, but the lower tones are accentuated...

Then begin to adjust towards the TrueMic portion until you hit your own sweet spot for that guitar. On mine (which are full bodied acoustic 6 and 112 string), that point is just under or over the halfway point - under for the 12 string, over for the 6 string...

One reason that the UST only makes sense is that the T5 in position #1 HAS a body sensor in the mix, along with that buried neck humbucker... with the Anthem, it's as though you're adding another internal signal to the mix (in this case, the True Mic), and that may not be beneficial to the overall sound.

The Baggs Element seems a decent pickup, BUT installing it in my guitars definitely changed both the volume and tone of those guitars when played acoustically. I don't know if it would make a bit of difference in the T5 or not...

Hope this helps!

[dustybottoms]

Originally Posted by jseth

Dusty;

Although I did not (and would not) recommend the Anthem in a T5 (I own a T5, by the way...), I do happen to have the Anthem SL in both my "stage guitars". You didn't say whether you put the SL or the "Full" Anthem in your T5, but the bigger unit has such a sizeable control pod that I can't imagine sticking THAT THING inside your T5, so this is directed towards the SL version. (The full Anthem version can be incredibly difficult to adjust all the parameters of what it will do, and many users don't realize that potential...)

One REALLY IMPORTANT aspect of the Anthem is getting the balance between the UST portion and the TrueMic in a good spot... takes a bit of fiddling to dial it in with the SL version, because the adjustment screw is so tiny... but...

If you go with a LOT of mic in the output, you aren't gonna like what happens; pretty much what you described at your gig... shrill, tinny, prone to feedback... just... not ... good!

Try setting that adjustment screw all the way towards the UST, realizing that the UST is rigged with a crossover that has it handling just the frequencies below 140 hz. Now, the crossover point is not a "hard shelf", so other, higher frequencies are going to bleed through, but the lower tones are accentuated...

Then begin to adjust towards the TrueMic portion until you hit your own sweet spot for that guitar. On mine (which are full bodied acoustic 6 and 112 string), that point is just under or over the halfway point - under for the 12 string, over for the 6 string...

One reason that the UST only makes sense is that the T5 in position #1 HAS a body sensor in the mix, along with that buried neck humbucker... with the Anthem, it's as though you're adding another internal signal to the mix (in this case, the True Mic), and that may not be beneficial to the overall sound.

The Baggs Element seems a decent pickup, BUT installing it in my guitars definitely changed both the volume and tone of those guitars when played acoustically. I don't know if it would make a bit of difference in the T5 or not...

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the thoughtful response! You've inspired me to mess with it some more. Perhaps I threw my hands up too quick. However, I've noticed that I'm a little different that others when it comes to natural vs quack sound. I'm basically an open chord player and percussively smack the 2 and 4 back beat a lot on my guitar at my shows ( I do covers acoustically but try to rock them as hard as I can). My playing style doesn't necessarily go for the delicate naturals intricacies that many seek after in and acoustic tone. I generally go for a pretty scooped tone so I can create a "boom" and "crack" to generate more of a "band" feel if that makes any sense. Haha I almost rely on the the quack. If I don't have that, it feels like someone put a blanket over my "snare drum". So anyway, yeah, I'm going to keep playing with it and try your suggestions. I'll keep updating. Thanks!


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[guitaniac]

I like the Anthem SL in one of my acoustic guitars, but I don't find any mic level "sweet spot" where the tone is balanced perfectly. I need to use a Zoom A3's digital EQs (a six band graphic EQ in series with a 2 band parametric EQ) to get the tone which I like. I have to EQ down some low end muddiness AND some high end brittleness to get a pleasing (for my taste) tone.

I don't doubt that some users can find a sweet spot for their particular guitars and their tastes in tone, but it isn't always the case. It might help you to experiment with an EQ device.

If you DO decide to replace the Anthem SL with a UST, consider the DTAR Wavelength. Its the same exact transducer (Baggs sells them to DTAR) and a better overall pickup system than the Element, in my opinion. It offers higher headroom, and has a couple of screws on the preamp which can be used for a modest bit of tone adjustment.

Other T5 users have modded their T5s with the Wavelength, and its been reported on in this forum. Here's one old thread that I found, though the pics have been removed.
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...TAR+Wavelength

[dustybottoms]

Originally Posted by guitaniac

I like the Anthem SL in one of my acoustic guitars, but I don't find any mic level "sweet spot" where the tone is balanced perfectly. I need to use a Zoom A3's digital EQs (a six band graphic EQ in series with a 2 band parametric EQ) to get the tone which I like. I have to EQ down some low end muddiness AND some high end brittleness to get a pleasing (for my taste) tone.

I don't doubt that some users can find a sweet spot for their particular guitars and their tastes in tone, but it isn't always the case. It might help you to experiment with an EQ device.

If you DO decide to replace the Anthem SL with a UST, consider the DTAR Wavelength. Its the same exact transducer (Baggs sells them to DTAR) and a better overall pickup system than the Element, in my opinion. It offers higher headroom, and has a couple of screws on the preamp which can be used for a modest bit of tone adjustment.

Other T5 users have modded their T5s with the Wavelength, and its been reported on in this forum. Here's one old thread that I found, though the pics have been removed.
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...TAR+Wavelength

Funny you mention the Dtar. I have read great stuff about it already and was really considering this. My big hang up with it is the AA battery box. I have things set up really nice and clean right now where I can run both preamps off of the stock battery box in the T5. I'd have to put a whole other battery pack in and remove the back every time I wanted to change batteries. Anything with a 9v battery and preamp jack will retrofit without any additional work or modification. That's honestly the only reason I'm leaning toward the element instead of the Dtar. Unless anyone has a simple workaround for the battery box. Can the Dtar be operated off of a 9v? I would assume not.


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[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by dustybottoms

Funny you mention the Dtar. I have read great stuff about it already and was really considering this. My big hang up with it is the AA battery box. I have things set up really nice and clean right now where I can run both preamps off of the stock battery box in the T5. I'd have to put a whole other battery pack in and remove the back every time I wanted to change batteries. Anything with a 9v battery and preamp jack will retrofit without any additional work or modification. That's honestly the only reason I'm leaning toward the element instead of the Dtar. Unless anyone has a simple workaround for the battery box. Can the Dtar be operated off of a 9v? I would assume not.


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I presume that one could run the Wavelength power supply leads directly to the terminals of a 9v battery, as opposed to the output terminals of the AA battery holder with 6X voltage multiplier assembly. You'll have much less headroom to deal with signal spikes, however. I suspect that users appreciate the fact that the Wavelength responds well to variations in the string attack. (I perceive it as a "zippy" pickup.) I believe that quality is related to the extra headroom.

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by dustybottoms

So I did my first gig with this setup last night and it did not go well. I honestly don't give myself unreal expectations when I'm going into uncharted territory. I just really like experimenting and trying different things. I've actually had some excellent results by doing this (among some failures). This is all personal opinion I realize but this pickup with this guitar gets you a pretty similar sound a as position 1 on the taylor system. (Which I consider useless for my purposes). It's a little fatter and warmer but seemed mostly unusable for me. As others have said, I think it's just the nature of this thin bodied guitar. I was getting a "plinky" "plasticy" sound because I had the mic turned up to about 3/4. (I couldn't change it during the show because I have to take the back off). Because of the high volume, I was actually somehow getting a feedback loop going through my mic (it stopped when I went back to the taylor system halfway through the show). I had the mic turned up so loud because I didn't realize there was a frequency cut off on this system. I assumed the UST was just the plain ol baggs element. (I had to get the B E string in there. They were noticeably quieter at halfway dial) My bad. I think I'm going to try just a plain ol baggs element next. Should be an easy 15 minute swap out. I just through I'd share my findings for anyone interested.


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I would think a good ust alone would yield the best results. If needed, run it through an aura or bodyrez pedal to tame the piezo.

[dustybottoms]

For the sake of easy, I think I'll try the Element next and hope I like it well enough. If I don't, I'll go with the Dtar. This is turning out to be quite the adventure. [emoji3] I appreciate all if the input. It's fun.


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[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by dustybottoms

For the sake of easy, I think I'll try the Element next and hope I like it well enough. If I don't, I'll go with the Dtar. This is turning out to be quite the adventure. [emoji3] I appreciate all if the input. It's fun.


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If the Element system doesn't work out for you, Pick-up the World's I/O UST can be mated with a preamp which runs off a 9v battery. On the plus side, its the best UST out there of the many USTs (including the Wavelength system) that I've tried. Also, its about the same thickness as the Element and Wavelength transducers. On the downside, its very expensive - probably $200 or more once the PUTW folks have added the appropriate preamp to it. (You'd need to contact them and explain that you want the pickup connected to a strap-jack preamp which is powered by a 9v battery.)

Here's a link:
https://www.pickup.world/product-cat...oustic-guitar/

[dustybottoms]

I had already ordered the element and had it installed in 10 minutes since all the modding had been done on the anthem instal. At first listen through a cheap little fender acoustic amp it's way bigger sounding already. Which is good. That's easy to dial back. I had to eq quite a bit of top end in as well. Overall, it felt like a better fit for this guitar. However, I'm curious to try it out at my gig tonight. That's the real test. I'll report back!


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[dcopper]

I have had an LR Baggs Element and a DTAR Wavelength installed in two different T5s. The Element actually sounded pretty good. The Wavelength required setting the preamp correctly. I now have K&K pms in my T5 and T5z guitars. That works well but since it is a thin bodied guitar - I suggest a good preamp, like the RedEye, which works very well with K&K pickups.
Davidc

[dustybottoms]

Ok..... WOW. 100% happy with the element now! This should just be a standard feature in this guitar. It takes absolutely nothing away but adds a whole other dimension. As others have said, you can't expect to get a big bodied acoustic sound from this guitar because it's not one. However, The element is pretty bassy so it added a ton of thump to the acoustic sound. Overall, it's not perfect, but it's a significant acoustic sound upgrade for this guitar. I played a gig Friday night and ran the element direct to PA and the T5 bridge pup to my tube amp with overdrive. I sounded like 2 dudes at once! [emoji3] So now I'm really curious to hear this A/B with a crowdster. What pup do they use in the crowdster anyway? I have no doubts that they are magical as people say but what makes them so special? Im talking from technical sound standpoint. Not playability. I'm just curious about the type of unicorns they have under the hood. I really think Taylor's could compete with them much harder if they would just make the baggs standard issue in the T5.


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