Gibson J-45 Progressive?

[tochiro]

Hi,

Did you try it? What did you think of the sound, the automatic tuning system and the Baggs Lyric pickup (isn't it prone to feedback)? Thank you.

Cheers

[martingitdave]

Have not tried that Gibson model. However, do a quick search on the forum for the Lyric system reviews. In a nutshell, they have a sophisticated internal EQ curve built in that rolls off the bottom end to make the microphone less feedback prone. The result is a very natural sounding reproduction of your guitar. The problem is that many of us want to "enhance" the bass of our guitars when plugged in and playing solo. The mic will pickup body noise like any mic. LR baggs sells the pic with a UST as the anthem system. The anthem system enhances the bass with the UST.

It would appear that the progressive model is using individual adjustable saddles. I would be very curious to see if they solved some of the issues from the 60's when they employed this approach. The primary issue was a lack of volume and punch.

Therefore, the Anthem is probably the only LR Baggs product they could use except for the iBeam, which is out of favor. I would give the electronics a go for your ear and taste before committing to a purchase. In theory you could pull the Lyric out and put a K&K SBT, or similar product in. But, those go in the same place on the bridge plate as the Lyric.

As for the automatic tuners, I am not a big proponent. It seems like a solution in search of a problem. I'm in favor of electronic tuners, so maybe I'm a hypocrite.