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  #1  
Old 10-16-2008, 07:42 AM
SnoSkiDrew SnoSkiDrew is offline
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Default I love my pickup, but..

In my Martin OM, I have a neat pickup that sort of resembles the currenty K&K Trinity line... it is a small microphone that is located inside the guitar, and points towards the strings from behind the sound hole. Great sound for sure, except... whenever it is remotely noisy, making it very difficult to tune.

I play regularly in a restaurant that is pretty loud during the lunch hour, and whenever I go out of tune, I find that my tuner goes nuts due to the collection of noises getting picked up my the tiny mic.

I enjoy my tuner, a Korg PitchBlack, and have tried those vibration-sensing tuners, but they're just not accurate enough for me.

My question, I suppose, is this: how much, approx., would it cost me to replace the system I have with a more traditional under-the-bridge pickup system? Is it a simple enough job that one can do it on their own?
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  #2  
Old 10-16-2008, 11:37 AM
rainsong rainsong is offline
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A Baggs Element will set you back about $110.00. You already have the endhole and that is the scariest part of pickup installation for me. Since the Element requires no soldering and you thread the pickup from the inside through a tiny hole you drilled in the saddle slot (1/8" or less). that is the only drilling required. The rest is to just sand your saddle down to compensated for the heighth of the pickup. I usually glue a piece of sandpaper to a completely flat surface like sharpening stone or piece of glass and sand the bottom until it is same height in the sadlle slot as before the pickup. Just draw a line with a fine pencil on the saddle where it meets the bridge as a gauge. It's really not that hard to do if you already have and endpin hole.

You may even be able to hook up the pick to the pickup and use both and blend them together. Personally I have found the Intellitouch (NOT the intelli or Maisel) to be pretty accurate and easy to tune in noisy environments. Not a strobe tuner, but good enough for our live work anyway...

Good luck!
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Old 10-16-2008, 01:05 PM
66strummer 66strummer is offline
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I dont understand. Why compromise the sound of your guitar over a tuner if you like the way the present pickup sounds? Have you tried using a feedback buster (which would block the room noise from the inside of the guitar)?

Also I am with you about the vibration tuners not being accurate enough. The other nite I was using 1 while playing out and about threw the thing, I was so disgusted with it. BUT my suspicion is that it's because mine is a cheaper model. Have you tried 1 of the better ones? I'll bet some are much better than others...... Without a doubt certain tuners are junk. I'm convinced of that now.
All I know is that you may not like the way a different pickup sounds. It's a shame to replace something you like IMO..... You said you LOVE your pickup. I'm sure there's a way to keep it and still be able to get accurate tuning. Try a feedback buster (plug) if you haven't and/ or take a look at all the options offered in tuners first....

Ryan

Last edited by 66strummer; 10-16-2008 at 01:16 PM.
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Old 10-16-2008, 01:59 PM
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open-road-matt open-road-matt is offline
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Have you tried the Intellitouch PT1?

http://www.tuners.com/pt1.asp

I have one of these in each of my guitar cases and I have been using them for years in all kinds of settings. I tried a Peterson StroboStomp for a while and went back to these.

I agree that it would be too bad to change pickups if you have found something you like.

Matt
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