Best Pickups for Martin Guitars

[richie0801]

I have been thinking about it, and every pickup system will offer a different tone.

For instance, if someone has a taylor, throws in a pickup that matches the tonal characteristics of the guitar- brights, sparkly, etc., then they are going to think that specific pickup or combination is the best pickup, when in actuality, it just matches the current setup.

With that in mind, for your Martin folks out there (especially dreadnaught bodies), what pickups would you say are best for matching the tone?

Let me know what your guitar is, what your pickup is and how close it is, or what differs from your original tone.

Thanks!

[dr461]

Fishman Matrix

[terrapin]

I am going back and forth between the Baggs Lyric and the Baggs M1a. Have come to the conclusion that the M1a is best for all around use, but the Lyric is a bit more transparent with fingerpicking. Both GREAT systems.

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by richie0801

I have been thinking about it, and every pickup system will offer a different tone.

For instance, if someone has a taylor, throws in a pickup that matches the tonal characteristics of the guitar- brights, sparkly, etc., then they are going to think that specific pickup or combination is the best pickup, when in actuality, it just matches the current setup.

With that in mind, for your Martin folks out there (especially dreadnaught bodies), what pickups would you say are best for matching the tone?

Let me know what your guitar is, what your pickup is and how close it is, or what differs from your original tone.

Thanks!

If you don't mind the alterations to the guitar, the LR Baggs Anthem is a nice choice. It blends an under saddle transducer with an internal microphone and has a blend slider to let you push more of the UST or microphone. It's nice to have this ability because when you're playing with a full band feedback can be a problem with internal microphone pickups.



Another option is to go with Fishman Aura imaging. Fishman and Martin have partnered for years with Fishman imaging/modeling several microphones on specific model Martin guitars with Martin's supervision of the project. Several professional recording artist such as Brad Paisley have even contributed to research and design. I'm very impressed with the results. What I like most about the Aura imaging approach to acoustic amplification is that it's feedback resistant and if you own more than one guitar chances are you have a UST in a few of them. Since it's not internal you can use it with all your guitars. USTs are inexpensive and widely available used. They are easy to install so those are all perks. They have an imagine for just about everything. What I like about the Fishman solution is you can just have a high quality UST put in such as the LR Baggs Active Element and you can combine it with one of the Fishman DI boxes like the Spectrum DI or Aura 16 or Aura Dreadnaught. The 16 and Dread boxes are going for ridiculously cheap used.

[AZLiberty]

Fishman Matrix Infinity is what I have in my D-35.

[SpruceTop]

Trance Audio Amulet M Dual Mono or Trance Audio Amulet Stereo. Don't take my word for Trance systems, take Jackson's and Neil's!

http://www.tranceaudio.com/products.html

[akafloyd]

Originally Posted by richie0801

I have been thinking about it, and every pickup system will offer a different tone.

For instance, if someone has a taylor, throws in a pickup that matches the tonal characteristics of the guitar- brights, sparkly, etc., then they are going to think that specific pickup or combination is the best pickup, when in actuality, it just matches the current setup.

With that in mind, for your Martin folks out there (especially dreadnaught bodies), what pickups would you say are best for matching the tone?

Let me know what your guitar is, what your pickup is and how close it is, or what differs from your original tone.

Thanks!

In my opinion it's not that simple...

I believe it's true what Doug Young says, that someone has made every system sound good. And, it seems to have something to do with the quality of the sound system. Of course, the converse is true that anyone can make anything sound bad... I think it has a lot to do with the touch and attitude of the player, the style of music, the ensemble, the room, the rest of the signal chain, etc.

Having said that, I have a K&K mini in my Martin OM-28V and I like it very much. Since that guitar has the glued in long saddle, USTs aren't an option. In general, I like the natural tone of sound board transducers but I don't think that they are the best option for everyone in every setting.

Martin has had a long relationship with Fishman and they can sound great, but I don't think of Fishman first when I think of natural tone reproduction. I would be really surprised if there weren't more Fishman USTs in Martin dreads than all the rest combined, though.

[ljguitar]

Hi richie

I've heard a lot of Martins in many sizes which sound really great with K&K Pure mini in them. I've also heard a lot of under saddle and mag pickups, and then a couple high end D sized Martins with K&K dual source (which sounded the best of the lot).

The ones with the K&K Mini sounded by far more in character with what I'd call a characteristic Martin sound through a variety of PA systems and amps.

The gear you play through has an impact on the sound you will produce, and I mix sound for others, and we're always happy when people show up with K&K rigs.

[TOCS]

In general, if you want the actual characteristics of your instrument reproduced, stay away from undersaddle transducers. They only really amplify the sound of the saddle and the strings which means it negates the idea of having a great sounding acoustic guitar in the first place.

Go with a soundboard transducer. Take your pick, I currently use a couple of JJB pickups which is basically just a piezo disc with a piece of wire soldered to it. K&K uses the same technology. If you have the money though, go with one of the systems by Trance Audio. Their Acoustic Lens pickups are triaxial which means they sense vibrations three-dimensionally. Probably the best sounding system I've heard.

[Beagle1]

I have two Martins, one is a Laurence Juber signature OM-18 with a K&K Trinity, the other is a John Mayer signature OM with a Baggs Anthem SL. I am very happy with both pickup systems and don't think you could go wrong with either K&K or Baggs. IMHO, the Baggs is more resistant to feedback, but the K&K is a bit more natural sounding.

I like USTs for their gig friendliness. With right signal processing they are, in my opinion, the best tool for real world gigging.

I was hesitant, however, to take a drill to the top of my HD-35 and tried a variety of alternatives but finally settled on the K&K Pure Mini. As with any pickup, some tone control is required, and I use my PADI although others advocate using the dedicated K&K pre-amp. Nevertheless when I listen to the guitar in headphones without the coloration of downstream amplification, I am hard pressed to hear the difference between that and the live guitar sound.

[Mtn Man]

We're very happy with the Lyric in my son's guitar. It's not a Martin but it is a mahogany Bourgeois dread which is in the same wheelhouse. He plays mostly bluegrass, so the guitar has to sound absolutely natural. The Lyric achieves that. It basically sounds like it would through a mic (because the Lyric is a mic), but it's easier to dial in, and you can hear it. I haven't heard any other pickup, hybrid, or internal mic that nails the sound we want (aka the sound of his guitar) as well as the Lyric does.

Example 1 - Plugged straight into the board. This sound guy is one of the best we've worked with and he's got a good ear for guitar. He's really figured out how to dial in the Lyric the way it's supposed to be. He also doesn't touch the volume once it's set. So there's no "boost" on his break. Which is a more authentic sound, to me. The guitar shouldn't be as loud as, say, the banjo. I prefer this sound but others might not. I want him to sound like he's mic'd, but better, and still force him and the rest of the band to use proper dynamics to make sure he's heard.



Example 2 - Again, plugged straight into the board. Not as happy with the tone here (just a little muddy) but still light years better than it ever was pre-Lyric. This was the first time we'd worked with this sound guy and I think he did a pretty good job. He would turn Nick up during his breaks, which I have mixed feelings about, but it worked ok here. He takes two breaks - 1:00 & 2:20.

[Beagle1]

Mtn Man - Thanks for posting, I really enjoyed these clips! Great playing from your son and love to see the younger kids enjoying the old-time music.

Did your sound guy have to do much eq-ing of the Lyric to get the tone right? I've been thinking about trying a Lyric in one of my guitars.

FWIW, I agree with you about no boost - more players should learn how to control their dynamics like your son and the other kids in his band, then you don't need much of a boost in the sound system.

[buzzardwhiskey]

Just saw your post and happen to be playing around last night and this morning with the amplified tone of my Martin CEO-7.

Here's a clip using a DiMarzio Black Angel through a Zoom A3, into a Schertler Unico recorded by a old Zoom H2. No post-processing, just fading in and out. The A3 is cutting back the 320Hz area. The first section is fingers, the second uses a pick.



And here's the same set-up with the addition of a Shure Beta SM57a about two inches from the twelfth fret (the Zoom A3 can combine a mic input).

[Mbroady]

I'm in the K&K camp for a more accurate representation of a guitar. Add on a mic as second source and you have a nice set up. (Trance Audio sounds like a step up)

In regards to a ust set up, the only way I could accept one is if it is running through a Fisman Aura and you have it matched with a good sound.