baggs M1 or I Beam

$ongWriter · #1 04-05-2010, 07:15 PM

At one time I had a Larrivee with a M1 passive in it. It sounded good. I'm interested in putting one in my Gurian but wondered if any of you think the
I-Beam is better. Thanks..

Plus, if I get the M1 is the acive one better?
Thanks

HHP · #2 04-05-2010, 07:19 PM

Might wait for the Anthem. Looks like a big upgrade on the I Beam principle.

RustyAxe · #3 04-06-2010, 06:14 AM

My experience with the I-Beam leads me to believe it would not be the best choice for a jumbo ... it'll be boomy and feedback prone. I had it in my D-35 and no amount of repositioning made any significant improvement. I sold the I-Beam and moved on. OTOH, I've used my Baggs M1-Active in nearly every new guitar (until I installed a permanent pickup) and I could always get a decent tone from it. But ... I was never satisfied enough to want to keep it in lieu of other pickups.

I'm quite happy now with K&K Pure Mini installed in two of my large bodied guitars and used with the K&K preamp (a must, IMO). Very natural sounding.

jalbert · #4 04-06-2010, 06:26 AM

My experience with both the iBeam and the M1 closely mirrors that of RustyAxe. I had an iBeam in a Taylor jumbo (555) that never did sound quite right when amplified. I've tried an M1 (I prefer the passive version) in quite a few other guitars and have always been able to get a usable sound. I think the key to using the M1 successfully is to take the time and adjust the pole pieces so the string-to-string balance is correct. While the pole heights might be adequate out-of-the-box, you can usually improve the sound by making adjustments.

I'd go with the M1 passive if you already have some other kind of preamp. (The portability is a nice feature, too.) Otherwise the M1 active is also a good choice. I guess I just preferred the sound of my own preamp.

hann · #5 04-06-2010, 07:24 AM

i've just installed a PWM with an M1 today and I forgot how good the M1 can sound..

if u're looking for dual source, this could be a good way to go. The wavelength/PWM is another winner in my book.

But yes the anthem would be a pretty exciting find if it works out well!

kendallhadden · #6 04-06-2010, 09:06 AM

I had an I-Beam in a Larrivee L-03R and hated it. From what I understand I-Beams have to be tuned for your guitar. They are very dependent on placement. I'm very curious about the new Anthem but until then I will stick with JJB Pickups.
Kendall

Rick Jones · #7 04-06-2010, 08:00 PM

The M1 is alot more manageable than the I-beam, which is very nice once dialled in but takes more fuss to get there.

slopeshoulder · #8 04-06-2010, 09:54 PM

THe I-beam is probably not the one you want. From my experience it is very feedback prone and requires a good bit of eq. The active M-1 is a good choice for playing live.

Kelly Grayum · #9 04-06-2010, 10:22 PM

Hey $ongwriter, I've been giging alot with the Larry I got from you. I run the M1 into an Alesis multimix4 preamp. Most of the sound guys usually compliment me on the sound and and the troublefree use.

$ongWriter · #10 10-20-2010, 08:38 AM

yea..that's a real good guitar. Plus, I thought it sounded great with just the M1. And, since then I've seen alot of people gigging with the M1. I just bought another M1 and it should be here Friday. Gonna try it in my Gurian!..glad you like that guitar!

ljguitar · #11 10-20-2010, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by $ongWriter

At one time I had a Larrivee with a M1 passive in it. It sounded good. I'm interested in putting one in my Gurian but wondered if any of you think the
I-Beam is better.

Hi$w …
An iBeam - if properly managed and precisely placed - will sound better (or at least more acoustic) than an M1. The if is huge…because they are feedback prone, boomy, and hard to manage on hot stages...

A K&K pure western mini or PUTW or McIntire Feather will outperform the iBeam because they all have less feedback or placement issues (these are similar to the iBeam in that they are all installed under the top or bridge plate without being in the saddle slot).

A bone-topped Baggs LB-6 saddle pickup (from Bob Colosi) is also a another great solution option, but would require luthier or tech involvement in that the saddle slot has to be widened and all adjustments have to be made from the top of the saddle. The LB-6 is a brass blank with 6 piezo elements embedded into it, and it is topped by Micarta from the factory or with bone by Bob Colossi.

An LB-6 is hotter, has more headroom, and has a much more full tone than any stock undersaddle piezo. The K&K pure western mini sounds so much like it, and has even hotter signal output, so I've gone that route (played an LB-6 for over 10 years in my Olson).

There are a lot of good options for pickups, and if I have to choose, magnetic pickups are always my last choice because I rely on the acoustics of drop strumming and body noises to be integrated in my amplified sound. Magnetics only reproduce what the strings are doing, not the body.