What Pick Up for a D18??

[rokdog49]

I have an LR Baggs Anthem SL in one guitar, LR Baggs I-Beam in another, Fishman Matrix in two others.
I thought about the the K and K or JJB for a D18 but a lot of the K and K videos seem awfully quacky to me. In fact quackier than my Baggs I beam UST.
Thoughts, experience? Suggestions?

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I have an LR Baggs Anthem SL in one guitar, LR Baggs I-Beam in another, Fishman Matrix in two others.
I thought about the the K and K or JJB for a D18 but a lot of the K and K videos seem awfully quacky to me. In fact quackier than my Baggs I beam UST.
Thoughts, experience? Suggestions?

I could recommend the Trance Amulet M system but won't even though I've had success with it in several guitars including the Martin D-18. Keep your life simple and install the K&K and use a good preamp to make it work for you and don't bother with other systems, I write a bit facetiously.

[MrErikJ]

On this forum, many users will tell you that K&K is the solution to all issues, including gout. So if you don't like it, expect to have it recommended anyway.

It is a good pickup but I don't particularly care for the K&K (too boxy sounding and muddy to my ears). If you're interested in a SBT, I find the Dazzo to be the best passive SBT I've heard. I recently acquired a passive iBeam for my "strummer" guitar as my normal pickup excels at fingerpicking and light strumming but not Richie Havens stuff. I'll update when I give it a try.

I will say that I think the K&K works well when blended with a mag like the Sunrise or Dimarzio Angel/Black Angel. If you EQ out the mud and let the mag provide the low-end and the SBT provides the highs and just reinforces the bass texture, that seems to be the best of both worlds.

[doublescale1]

I just had a Fishman Ellipse pickup installed in my new-to-me '14 Martin 000-18. There was no pickup in the guitar when I bought it. The Fishman Ellipse will store 4 Aura Mic images(Neuman KM84, Neuman TLM193, Schoeps CMC64G, Schoeps CMC64G(xy). There is anit-feedback built in too. You can blend in the correct Aura modeled mic of your guitar model with the undersaddle pickup and very easily and quickly dial out any quack - the Fishman Aura system is a very natural mic'd tone system for acoustics. This will be the simple version of the full Aura system they install at the Martin factory. I have that full system on a GPCPA3 Martin and while it goes very deep, I find that I have landed on maybe three base mic image settings I find I like the best. I had a D15M with a full Anthem in it, and while it was very good, I like the overall mic'd amplified sound of the Fishman Ellipse for an aftermarket pickup. Good Hunting.

[SalFromChatham]

My D18 has a K&K, and I’m a fan. I have experimented with nineteen preamps. Best sound still is right through a Fire Eye Red Eye.

I plug into a Fishman SA 330 by the way.

Good luck with your choices.

By the way I also have a few guitars with USTs including a Gibson LG2.they need a preamp or enhancer... like the Boss AD-2.

[Mandobart]

Another plug for a good SBT with the Redeye. It is pretty simple plug and play. And the Redeye will run off 48 V phantom power, further simplifying things. I only tried 3 Other preamps before settling on the Redeye.

[Tony Done]

I've gone with soundhole pickups the past few years for a smoother sound. I used to used combined magnetic and piezo into a outboard praamp/mixer.

The K&K with Fire Eye or Red Eye gets a lot of recommendations.

[noledog]

I gig with a D18 yet wanted to keep it organic/unaltered from ust etc and found with some tweaking the Baggs M80 sounds warm and natural, especially combined with my Boss AD 2 which tweaks the mids and adds a bit of air...zero quack, zero feedback, looks cool, does not affect unplugged tone and is removable tho I keep mine in always.

eric

[Groberts]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

Another plug for a good SBT with the Redeye. It is pretty simple plug and play. And the Redeye will run off 48 V phantom power, further simplifying things. I only tried 3 Other preamps before settling on the Redeye.

My main wish for the red eye is that it would include a 9V power inlet so I could leave it plugged back n on my pedal board. I don’t use phantom power so that doesn’t help.