Anyone use an LR Baggs LB6? - Page 3

jbryant · #31 03-04-2008, 01:10 PM

Paul...I spoke with someone at Baggs this morning and he told me about it. Here's a link to a place that I'm going to order one through.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LR-Baggs-Endpin-...QQcmdZViewItem

They were very nice to deal with.

BTW...the Colosi bone/LB6 thing sounds fantastic. If mine weren't already installed I would certainly entertain that option.

Jim B.

ljguitar · #32 03-04-2008, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbryant

...Baggs says you can get enough signal from the LB6 without a pre but not recommended. I found it to be useless without a pre.

Hi folks...
Several pickups have a strong enough output to not ''require'' a preamp to boost levels. But they usually sound terrible without a preamp.

Both the LB-6 and K&K pure western mini are this way. The K&K is more tolerable without a preamp, but benefits greatly with one. The LB-6 really requires one for me to be happy with the tone.

steverok · #33 03-04-2008, 01:55 PM

Hey, this is the kind of feedback I'm looking for ! Keyshore, do you rev it up with some strumming when you play live? From my experience the LB6 kicks but for this.

steverok · #34 03-04-2008, 02:18 PM

Just ordered my LB6/Bone. I am hoping for some serious sound !

keyshore · #35 03-04-2008, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steverok

Hey, this is the kind of feedback I'm looking for ! Keyshore, do you rev it up with some strumming when you play live? From my experience the LB6 kicks but for this.

Steve,

About 90% of my repertoire is fingerstyle although i do strum aggresively for some songs. The LB6 not only copes with this there is no hint of the piezo quack. Best of all is no batteries, no circuits in the guitar, just lovely sound.

You need to get a good installer to fit the LB6, contact Bryan Mcmanus at lr Baggs for suggestions. Bryan is a very nice person to deal with. Also i think you may have to wait a while to get your Bone LB6 as the production of the LB6 at Baggs was delayed due to some issues with material. I had to wait for over 8 weeks to get the Bone LB6 for my Bourgeois.Anyway Bob C will give you the correct picture.

All the best, please keep me posted with your expirences of the Bone LB6

Best,

Keyshore

steverok · #36 03-04-2008, 11:06 PM

The guitar store that recommended the LB6 has a guy who is a pro performer who says he has installed lots and lots of them. Many of the guitars in his shop have them installed by him, and the ones I tried played and sounded fantastic. My LB6/Bone is being shipped tomorrow, so I'm all set.

keyshore · #37 03-05-2008, 12:20 PM

well you are lucky to find an expirenced person to do the install. I tried at least 2 repairers in the US to get them to instal the LB6 on my Larrivee, both were very reluctant and tried to get me into the I-beam. Why go for a 20 year old pickup they said.
I finally got it done in India itself.

good luck

Keyshore

steverok · #38 03-07-2008, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljguitar

The Micarta LB-6 will take away from the acoustic sound of the guitar over a bone saddle, which is why I mentioned that someone here in the forum had Bob Colosi build the bone upper section and sent it to Baggs who bonded that into an LB-6 for them.

When I removed the LB-6 from my Olson, which I'd played over a dozen years, I was very surprised how much better the bone saddle made it sound. When I mentioned it to James Olson later (the builder), he said ''Sure, I'd expect a bone saddle to sound a lot better than a Micarta one''. It increased both articulation on individual notes and clarity.

If y'all is still listening, I received my LB6/Bone today. I'm a little worried about the acoustic tone changing with this, as I am beginning to think that this custom J-45 has a plastic saddle now, and I love the acoustic sound. The current saddle doesn't seem like the bone, it seems more synthetic. I tap on it with a pick and it feels different. I have read that bone can make a guitar brighter and perhaps more shrill sounding, at first. I don't think I'm interested in changing the acoustic tone if it's gonna get more trebly sounding, so I'm thinking of going with just the standard LB6 with micarta, instead. Please chime in if you are still up for helping me out with your experience and insight.

steverok · #39 03-07-2008, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbryant

Baggs says you can get enough signal from the LB6 without a pre but not recommended. I found it to be useless without a pre.
Jim B.

Can you plug into a tuner, without the pre-amp, and the tuner reads it ?

ljguitar · #40 03-07-2008, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steverok

If y'all is still listening, I received my LB6/Bone today. I'm a little worried about the acoustic tone changing with this, as I am beginning to think that this custom J-45 has a plastic saddle now, and I love the acoustic sound. The current saddle doesn't seem like the bone, it seems more synthetic. I tap on it with a pick and it feels different. I have read that bone can make a guitar brighter and perhaps more shrill sounding, at first. I don't think I'm interested in changing the acoustic tone if it's gonna get more trebly sounding, so I'm thinking of going with just the standard LB6 with micarta, instead. Please chime in if you are still up for helping me out with your experience and insight.

Hi Steve...
I'm sorry, but I've never heard a guitar become shrill, or trebly with bone. And contrary to the experience of an extremely small handful of people who claim otherwise, I've never replaced synthetic saddle blanks with bone and had it be a setback or backwards step. It has brought better definition and clarity to the tone, but no kind of edge -- ever.

The vast amount of experience is that bone is better than synthetic for a reason. Was better in my Olson Dreadnaught Rosewood/Cedar, was better in my Kronbauer Koa/Sitka, was better in my Seagull S-6 Cedar top, was in my Taylor 714ce Rosewood/Cedar, was in my friend's Guild D-40. I didn't take the step backwards to put a synthetic saddle in my Bashkin to compare - it came with bone for a reason.

There are sound reasons most luthiers prefer to build guitars with bone saddles (or ivory) and not with artificial materials.

If you are really that concerned, just get a Micarta LB-6 and plug it into the saddle and play it for a day or two (unwired). Then change strings and swap it out for the bone model LB-6 (before either is wired) and see which is best to your ear. If you made the choice to install an LB-6, then that should be easy to compare after the slot is enlarged and leveled.

steverok · #41 03-07-2008, 05:57 PM

Thanks LJ. At this point, I'm not up for trying two different kinds of LB6's, but I am trying to reduce my variables. I have tinkered with my guitars to the point that I have sometimes regretted some of the choices I've made, and this one is a little more permanent, since he is lengthening the saddle slot. I'm going to take it to the guy and we'll try to figure out what my current saddle is made of. Of course, I'm very curious as to what the bone saddle would do for me. This J-45 is a buttery smooth sort of friendly sound, with the sweetest full mids you can imagine, solid highs, and a liquid sort of bass. I don't want to lose it ! I guess I'll sleep on it ...

ljguitar · #42 03-07-2008, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steverok

Thanks LJ. At this point, I'm not up for trying two different kinds of LB6's, but I am trying to reduce my variables. I have tinkered with my guitars to the point that I have sometimes regretted some of the choices I've made, and this one is a little more permanent, since he is lengthening the saddle slot. I'm going to take it to the guy and we'll try to figure out what my current saddle is made of. Of course, I'm very curious as to what the bone saddle would do for me. This J-45 is a buttery smooth sort of friendly sound, with the sweetest full mids you can imagine, solid highs, and a liquid sort of bass. I don't want to lose it ! I guess I'll sleep on it ...

Hi Steve...
I looked up Gibson J-45 and the new ones are listed with bone saddle/nut. I know there were are series where the nut was Tusq, and a lot of people in the Gibson groups have put Colosi saddles in their J-45s and are very satisfied.

steverok · #43 03-07-2008, 06:40 PM

You da man LJ ! Where did you see that ? On the Gibson site they make no mention of nut or saddle material. That is interesting though, as I had to also procure a new nut for it, and I nearly had to bribe a shop to send me a genuine Gibson part, which happens to now be made of bone, as opposed to previous TUSQ parts. I love this guitar, and I intend to love it more !

steverok · #44 03-07-2008, 06:48 PM

By the way LJ, I just listened to "Annie's Song" and "Silent Night" from your soundclick page. I'm nowhere near your league, but I have an "excuse" in that I'm a drummer who happens to sing

You obviously know sound. I have a friend who's a real pro sort of player - He is now studying this chord melody method that you are expressing here. I love it man !

ljguitar · #45 03-07-2008, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steverok

You da man LJ ! Where did you see that ? On the Gibson site they make no mention of nut or saddle material.

Hi Steve...
It is certainly true of the ''True Vintage'' series, but you may be right that they are not telling about the others.

Some of the series of J-45 have tusq nut and bone saddle, and on others that is reversed, and on the ''True Vintage'' they are both bone. Given that they put bone on both nut and saddle on their highest end model (closest to Vintage) would indicate to me it is a good way to go.