Anyone else do this??? Baggs M80 vs Lyric...

[Shades of Blue]

Does anyone else use amplication for at home playing just to feel a little more rumble, reverb, and overall room sound? I have a Helix and have a patch setup with some reverb and EQ and I LOVE to fill the room ever so slightly through my 8" Monitors.....Just sounds amazing.

Now the question....for my 000-17, what would be the best/least invasive pickup option just to do the same thing with the Martin as I do with the Taylor?

I'm thinking M80 or Lyric. I imagine the Lyric sounds better, but I like the fact that I could use the M80 with multiple guitars without drilling any holes yet....plus the cool factor of having those cream soundhole pickups is a plus!

I may be in the minority, but I don't mind the sound of piezos/pickups. I grew up with that "live" acoustic tone from visiting local open mic nights and coffee shops and it just sounds like a live setup to me.....No, I'm not a fan of pure piezo tone, but a little mix of it isn't a bad thing IMO.

[rokdog49]

I don't know if the Baggs Anthem or Anthem SL would meet your "less invasive" requirements and a lot depends on whether you play in a band scenario much.
The M80 would be a great choice for that. My opinion of the Lyric is that it restricts a person to solo performances...feedback issues can be an issue. If you like the sound of a Piezo, you may not like the Lyric.
With the Anthem or Anthem SL you get a UST and a microphone.
I find it to be one solution. A lot of folks here like the K & K products and I think by the number who use them it's a good option for you as well.

[Al Acuff]

Least invasive is going to be a sound hole pickup with a long cord attached. I recently bought a DiMarzio Black Angel for my 1949 Gibson that I don't want to drill or otherwise devalue. I also have Sunrise and LR Baggs sound hole pickups. The Black Angel is my current favorite.

More invasive but also more natural and acoustic sounding is the Anthem SL. It requires you to install an endpin jack and an under saddle Element pickup. My tech recently talked me into putting an Anthem SL in my little Waterloo guitar and it sounds amazing.

[Shades of Blue]

Does anyone know if the endpin hole is opened up to allow for an endpin jack installation, will the press fit endpin that ships with Martins still be used if I decided to take out the electronics if I sold the guitar? Guitar is a 000-17

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

Does anyone know if the endpin hole is opened up to allow for an endpin jack installation, will the press fit endpin that ships with Martins still be used if I decided to take out the electronics if I sold the guitar? Guitar is a 000-17

No. But there are suitable replacements for just that purpose. There's also a "Vintage Jack" from Tapastring that is the same shape as the stock end pin. The drawback, to my thinking is the size of the jack and the special cable. It requires a 1/8" plug at the guitar (pigtail, whatever) and will of course, have to terminate in 1/4" plug. Nothing special about the construction of the cable, and the ends are standard sizes ... but nearly no one carries an extra cable of this sort in their gig bags, while 1/4 to 1/4 are everywhere.