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  #1  
Old 11-04-2015, 10:03 AM
BourgeoisGuitar BourgeoisGuitar is offline
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Default Dana Bourgeois on pickups in high-end guitars

Here is Dana Bourgeois' most recent article for Acoustic Guitar, giving his opinion on another topic that has been covered here quite a bit.

Should I put a pickup on my high-end instrument?
http://bourgeoisguitars.net/our-news...-guru-pickups/

Ryan Fitzsimmons
Bourgeois Guitars
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  #2  
Old 11-04-2015, 08:50 PM
Mobilemike Mobilemike is offline
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Nice article, thanks for posting.

I agree with most of it, especially this bit:

Quote:
An amplified acoustic guitar sounds as good as the entire signal chain, which for the pros includes guitar, pickup, cables, preamp, signal processing equipment, and sound system— not to mention judicious and experienced mixing. The Brazilian Santa Cruz with a pickup and an “acoustic” amp probably beats “rubber bands on a cigar box,” but don’t expect it to match the concert fidelity of Sean Watkins from last year’s Nickel Creek tour.
I find it interesting that Dana mentioned Sean Watkins' sound on the latest Nickel Creek tour too, since that is absolutely the best amplified acoustic guitar sound that I have ever personally experienced.

For me though, j do definitely understand why people would want to add a pickup to their "best" guitar, even if it is vintage and irreplaceable. There is something to be said for playing your #1 on stage, and not "settling" for a lesser guitar simply because you need amplification.

-Mike
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Old 11-04-2015, 08:57 PM
Petty1818 Petty1818 is offline
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I get what he is saying and I have often thought about getting just "gigging" guitars. The problem is that that gets costly and honestly, if I had dedicated gigging guitars; I would hardly ever use my higher end guitars. I really don't think that enlarging the endpin for an output jack is a big deal at all anymore. I would never do it to a vintage instrument but I don't own any. Screwing holes into the guitar or buying barn door controls are all "no-no's" in my book but we are lucky enough now to have so many pickups that hardly alter the guitar.
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Old 11-04-2015, 09:38 PM
yoni yoni is offline
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At this point if I wanted to play either of my guitars amplified I would just get a removable sound hole pickup. I completely agree with everything Dana had to say here.
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Old 11-05-2015, 11:17 AM
JLS JLS is offline
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Default "High end guitar/Designated gigging guitar"

Why would you want a guitar that you can't play out?
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Old 11-05-2015, 11:56 AM
SimplyLuo SimplyLuo is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mobilemike View Post
Nice article, thanks for posting.

I agree with most of it, especially this bit:



I find it interesting that Dana mentioned Sean Watkins' sound on the latest Nickel Creek tour too, since that is absolutely the best amplified acoustic guitar sound that I have ever personally experienced.
Any idea what Sean Watkins' setup is?
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Old 11-05-2015, 12:28 PM
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Doug Young Doug Young is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SimplyLuo View Post
Any idea what Sean Watkins' setup is?
I don't know (searching will turn up lots of conflicting info, from an iBeam pickup to K&K to clip-on mics). But I think Dana's point here is that unless you also have the $100K+ sound system and the pro sound man running it, and possibly the acoustically-tuned venue that they may be performing in, etc, etc, you're not going to get the same sound even if you match the rest of his setup (pickup, guitar and so on)
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Old 11-05-2015, 12:49 PM
syrynx syrynx is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dana Bourgeois
These days, pickup installation typically requires enlarging the endpin hole to accept a¼-inch jack,
This is true only if the guitar maker is such a hide-bound traditionalist that s/he didn't make the endpin hole the appropriate size for a 1/4" jack. And anyone who's really committed to a traditional-sized endpin can use a Tapastring "Vintage Jack". Surely anyone who'd pay for a Bourgeois guitar won't be deterred by the Tapastring jack's price tag.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dana Bourgeois
A fine acoustic guitar can last several lifetimes. But will today’s acoustic pickups someday be prized by future collectors in the same way that, say, antique carbon ribbon microphones are now coveted?
Mr. Bourgeois apparently hasn't checked the prices being asked and paid for old DeArmond pickups, particularly the model 1000 and 1100 Rhythm Chiefs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dana Bourgeois
I’m betting that some modern-day Nikola Tesla invents a high-fidelity, wireless, miniature, low-impact, acoustic sensing element in your lifetime, if not mine, rendering contemporary pickups obsolete.
There's actually not much room for improvement in transducer technology, particularly if multiple transducers are used on the guitar. The problem with accurate acoustic amplification always has been, and always will be, that it's fairly easy to accomplish for a single audience member at a fixed location from the speaker(s), but impossible for multiple audience members, due to both the human ear's equal loudness countours and the slavish obedience of sound waves to the inverse square law. Ear buds for everyone in the audience?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mobilemike View Post
For me though, j do definitely understand why people would want to add a pickup to their "best" guitar, even if it is vintage and irreplaceable. There is something to be said for playing your #1 on stage, and not "settling" for a lesser guitar simply because you need amplification.
Yep, a guitar's a tool for making music. If the guitar maker didn't finish the job, why shouldn't the player do so?
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Old 11-05-2015, 03:17 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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Interesting reading, and, while I agree with Dana's sentiments regarding the "alteration" of a potential classic piece, I have to swing widely towards the other end of the spectrum for my personal use...

As a lifelong dedicated singer/songwriter/guitarist, I have not ever made much money from playing music and writing songs... alas, that one "hit" recording of one of my tunes has yet to happen! After the frivolity of my youth, the hard facts of making one's way in this material world hit home solidly... so, most (if not all) of the money made from playing and gigging has gone to paying for a place to live and all the other necessities incumbent with same.

Then add in strings for my guitars, occasional work needing to be done to have them in great playing shape, better sounding gear for performing... and there has rarely been "enough" left over to dally with more than one good guitar, let alone to actually be buying multiple instruments, some for performing and some only for the home environment!

Back in 1979, it took everything I had to buy my new Mark Angus-commissioned guitar, including selling my older Martin D-35. It was the ONLY 6 string acoustic I had, so I played it... a LOT! Took it with me everywhere, rigged it for "plugging in", recorded with it, slept with it, etc., etc., etc....

The idea that "if you can afford a really great guitar, you can afford a cheaper guitar to plug-in" is ludicrous to my way of thinking... I'm not sure that Mr. Bourgeois is really in touch with what it means and takes to be a musician for one's "life-calling".

For me, I NEVER bought a guitar intending on saving it for future generations; I buy them to play and use in however the need or circumstance may call for... I'll let the guy who gets one of my guitars somewhere in the future, worry about how I shouldn't have actually used the thing...

Sure, if one wanted to have a guitar that was preserved as a sort of museum piece, then I can totally "get" the point of that article... I just don't think it makes much sense out here "in the real world" where the rubber meets the road...
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  #10  
Old 11-05-2015, 03:36 PM
rokdog49 rokdog49 is offline
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I totally agree with Jseth. I have the same attitude. Are you gonna' play it or stare at it?
Furthermore the options on acoustic pickups today are to the extent that you can achieve really great amplification with very little modification to the guitar. I would have no problem popping in a Baggs Anthem SL like the one I have in my $1400 Larrivee' in a guitar at twice the price if I could afford that guitar.
If you are a collector, then ok fine. Otherwise...
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  #11  
Old 11-05-2015, 09:39 PM
Mobilemike Mobilemike is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SimplyLuo View Post
Any idea what Sean Watkins' setup is?
Yes, lots of conflicting info here. Last I heard he was using a Baggs Lyric, but that could be out of date or wrong info. When I saw him live solo he was running his guitar through a Baggs Venue, but the Nickel Creek rig is definitely more complex than this, and has several other pedals, including a volume pedal of some sort.

-Mike
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Old 11-05-2015, 10:15 PM
kydave kydave is offline
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Sounded a bit pontificating to me... A Santa Cruz is a very fine guitar, but it will never be equated with a pre-war D-28.

Putting a sound board transducer or even (shudder) a UST in a guitar, modern or vintage, will never cause the kind of damage he was bemoaning from a permanently mounted sound hole pickup and volume control in the face of a guitar & it was disingenuous to suggest it might be.

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  #13  
Old 11-05-2015, 10:19 PM
kydave kydave is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SimplyLuo View Post
Any idea what Sean Watkins' setup is?
LR Baggs Lyric and Venue DI, among other things.

Fantastic sound when I heard them (Nickle Creek) and their most recent tour!!

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