LR Baggs Anthem on a new build…yes/no? Opinions appreciated

[Coler]

So, I have a new dread incoming this Winter.

This is going to be a really significant guitar for me. I expect to play it 90% of the time unplugged including in sessions in pubs (accompanying trad and folk songs). Every now and then though, I do play somewhere I need to plug in and I expect the frequency of these occasions to increase a little in the years to come.

The last while I have mainly been using a LR Baggs M80 soundhole pickup on my guitars, swapping it in and out as necessary - by the way, it will absolutely fit in an OM/000, just a little finicky to fit it - with great results. I will also use a DPA 4099 depending on the set up, or for recording.

With this one incoming I was inclined to have a pick up installed…why? I am not entirely sure…I’m hoping it will be the dread to rule all dreads for me, I like the idea of it being just grab and go/pick up and play, and given the quality of the build I thought if I’m getting a pick up installed I need it reflect the quality of the guitar, which pointed me towards the anthem, which the luthier is happy to use.

What is giving me pause is the reports I have seen of this pickup affecting plugged in tone adversely, which would seem very counter-productive given that I expect this guitar will be superbly made with an unplugged tone of great quality.

Would you install an anthem? I feel like my reluctance has answered my own questions and I should just keep on with the M80, which works very well for me on any guitar I’ve ever used it on and the DPA 4099, which is also a quality option (if a little harder to EQ). Ultimately I’m a hobbyist but lucky enough to be able to treat myself to nice gear.

What do you reckon?

[jay42]

In a thread at The Gear Page, someone claimed that the Anthem system negatively affects the unamplified tone and that the K&K Pure mini doesn't or doesn't as much. My understanding is that you might need more outboard with the K&K. My limited experience is that I've never heard a bad sounding Anthem in person or on YouTube. They're easy to recognize. hth

[martingitdave]

The Anthem installation will impact the acoustic tone of a fine instrument. How much? It depends. Too much for my liking. If you play unplugged most of the time (as I do as a folkie) use a sound hole pickup or just have a passive K&K installed.

[jseth]

I had the Anthem SL pickups in both my handbuilt 6 and 12 string guitars... I've owned those guitars since 1979 and 1983, respectively; I say this because I was REALLY familiar with all the ins and outs of tone and volume with both those guitars... prior to the Anthems, I had Fishman USTs in each, and they served their purpose, sounded fine, not great.

Had the Anthems installed... and right off the bat, I was shocked at how the guitars' unplugged tone and volume had been impacted! I've read more than a few folks' replies that the Anthem didn't affect the tone or volume of their guitars, but they certainly did with mine...

So much so, that James Goodall - having heard the 6 string in question prior to the Anthem - was equally shocked at the difference in sound... his exact words were, "What did they do to your guitar?!". At that point, James decided to stop putting Anthems in his guitars, unless the customer insisted.

I ended up leaving those pickups in the guitars for a decade, as I really liked the way they sounded plugged in... when I finally had them taken out (I got Dazzos for both guitars!), again I was stunned by how much better the guitars sounded without the Anthems.

So, my advice would be to stay away from the Anthem if you only "plug in" occasionally. The least expensive option would, of course, be to stay with the M-80... you already know it and it won't need much tweaking with your new guitar. Both K&K and Dazzo are very low-impact (if at all) on the guitar's sound and volume, in my experience... but you will likely want to get an outboard preamp of some sort (especially for the K&K) to be able to tweak the signal to your liking.

[Petty1818]

I don't think there's really a right or wrong answer here. I hear some people say the unplugged tone was drastically changed and others say they couldn't hear any difference. I also see the Anthem being used by many professional players and they are not in cheap guitars, but often boutique or vintage ones. My belief is that a lot of these professional players have probably never heard of the potential unplugged tonal change and don't even notice it.

I think some of the change can be contributed to a slight difference in saddle height as well. I even read a few players who had an Anthem installed, noticed a tonal change, but failed to account for the fact that they also went from a Tusq to Bone saddle.

I will admit that I often change my mind on the Anthem based on these tonal change concerns. However, I don't really love the Anthem to begin with. One thing I will say is that the Anthem isn't permanent so you could try it and if you like the unplugged tone still then just keep it in. If you don't like the tone then try a K&K or something less invasive.

[jseth]

Just seems that, for a pickup that will be rarely used, the Anthem is not the way to go; I mean, it's ~$300 (not including installation, usually another $100), for something you don't really use and may/may not affect the sound of that guitar you just payed big dollars to have made for you!

Even the K&K will involve using superglue to mount the transducers to the bridgeplate; I can tell you from personal experience, it is nigh-on-impossible to fully remove superglue from your bridgeplate, should you choose to do so, post-installation! In my case, it was to prepare the guitar to have Dazzos installed, and it was a major undertaking that finally needed some actual sanding of the bridgeplate... not a good idea.

[Deadstring]

For me I could here a negative effect on unplugged sound after an Anthem install,
its the soft braided UST, it will settle down in 6 months to a year with string pressure.

Its also less noticeable on loud bright dreadnaughts, a D-18 for example.

I play a Maton 808 when plugged in, I gave up putting pickups in Martins, Gibsons out of fustration.
A lot happier for it too.

[rmp]

the Anthem's foot print is too much for my liking and I've had not so good experiences with them personally.

Grounding issues on one (horrific stuff) , and sympathetic rattling problems on another.

I've moved on from them.

I'd go with something "less" invasive and (IME) less error prone.

[BoneDigger]

I had an anthem on an Eastman e10D and heard no appreciable difference in unplugged tone. The plugged in tone was phenomenal. I am planning to add one to my E10SS in the coming weeks. However, if you are okay with the M80, I'd just stay with that. My experience with the M80 wasn't as stellar, but every player is different.

[aschroeder]

My new favorite pickup is the Schatten HFN. It is the best sounding pickup I've ever used, but it also doesn't require a bunch of wires, battery and other crap in your guitar. Anther option would be the K&K passive pickup. I prefer the sound of the Schatten, but there are many people on this forum using the K&K mini.

If you're open to having an external preamp, you can install a Schatten HFN passive pickup (or K&K) and the only thing inside your guitar is the pickup and a wire leading to the endpin. The HFN is installed with double stick tape (or putty) and the K&K with superglue. They have no negative effect on the unplugged tone of your guitar.

If you want the ability to adjust volume on body of the guitar, then you'll have to install a pickup like the Anthem with the preamp, battery pouch and volume/tone controls inside your guitar. Shatten also has a preamped version with a volume control. I just make adjustments on my external preamp.