Pickup recommendations

[aronnelson]

I have an old Yamaha FGX12c 6 string. It sounds good acoustically - although a little bright. However, the built in electronics/pickups are terrible. They get that typical quack and horrible piezo tone. Almost everyone else's guitars sound better plugged into a PA nowadays.

I have had this guitar action worked on and the guitar plays GREAT!

What are my choices for pickups? Is there a way to utilize the onboard electronics with new pickups or should I just bypass the onboard preamp and go with something like the K&K pure mini?

I doubt that any type of onboard preamp would fit into the already existing panel on the top of the guitar.

I just want a more natural sound without the harsh highs and quacking when playing.

Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

[Nick84]

The JJB 330 is a cost effective option but it also sounds great and it also surprised me at how resistant to feedback it is.

[aronnelson]

I wonder if I can buy those, cut the signal cable and attach it to my built in preamp? I would assume the built in preamp has a super high impedance input (FET?). That way I could have EQ and volume etc...???

[jonfields45]

Originally Posted by aronnelson

I wonder if I can buy those, cut the signal cable and attach it to my built in preamp? I would assume the built in preamp has a super high impedance input (FET?). That way I could have EQ and volume etc...???

You can try and it might work... However, a ceramic soundboard transducer will be much higher in output than an undersaddle pickup (so the preamp might distort) and one artifact of these multi-head pickups is they actually lose some treble response into too high an input impedance (though that kind of too high is not easily achieved and unlikely to be a problem). I've installed quite a few JJB330s for friends in less expensive guitars and they are good choice in general and unbeatable at their price point (one of my RainSongs has a K&K SBT I installed). I've never compared a JJB 330 and K&K Mini installed in similar instruments so it's hard to have a defensible opinion, but that said, I think they are pretty similar in sound quality.

[aronnelson]

Thanks guys! I did end up getting the jjb 330. I will try and connect it to my internal preamp. If necessary I will reduce the input impedance.

Looking forward to better tone!

[aronnelson]

Thanks for the recommendation! I got the JJB and installed it tonight. No problem connecting to the Yamaha preamp - just cut the wires and solder. Didn't need to reduce the input impedance. The pickup system sounds great!
So much better than the built in pickup.

[Captain9]

I've been a die hard K&K pure mini and classic user for years but recently had a Barbera Soloist installed in my Kenny Hill Signature and am blown away. The K&K's are great BUT you have to EQ them just right and have the right preamp. The Barbera simply sounds good in almost everything....straight into mixer, through preamp ....even into an electric amp it was ok. I did a comparison between 3 guitars yesterday with an Allen and Heath Zed 10 Fx, Red Eye Twin pre, and a pair of QSC K 10s in a large room ....had two one steel string and a nylon with K&K's and the Hill with the Barbera....there was just no comparison in quality of natural reproduction,volume, and feedback resistance at least in my mind or anybody's in the room. For some reason I actually resisted getting one for years because I was so sold on the K&K's but after several gigs on the Barbera Im sold and am eventually going to transition all my other guitars ...its def. the next level! Good luck!

[aronnelson]

Yes it looks next level for sure! At the moment I am happy with the pickup sound I have. Thanks for letting me know about this tech!

[aronnelson]

More on the JJB 330.
Although I was pretty happy with the sound, the top of my guitar was way too microphonic and causing lots of feedback; it was also very bassy. I saw a video where the installer simply felt the two endpins and installed the pickups by feel.

Well, I pulled out the transducers and re-installed them close to the guitar strings and what a difference! The guitar is much more present and had way less bass.

It sounds fantastic now and I used my ZOOM pedal to EQ the sound to my liking. It really does sound great and I made 2 EQ settings, one for normal and another for when the feedback buster is in the guitar.

The JJB 330 really does sound great. Just experiment with placement settings.

[Nick84]

What did you use to fix the transducers in place? Loctite gel is very good

[GuitarLuva]

Looks like I'm a little late for a suggestion but I'll say it anyway. I've sampled all the pickups mentioned in this thread among many others. While you can ultimately make just about anything work with a little help from effects and EQ and the sort, after years of struggling and searching I finally found what I was looking for and that is a Schatten HFN. I mentioned it in another thread. It's super easy to install and remove and sounds very mic like. It replaced the LR Baggs full anthem system. I've been plugging it straight into my Fishman amp and it doesn't need any EQ, its completely usable as is which I admit might be hard for some people to believe. I'm hoping to get a video made in the near future as other members in the other thread are interested.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Nick84

What did you use to fix the transducers in place?

Wondering that too ...

[Marshall]

If the existing pickup is a straight piezo, and if you like the acoustic sound of the guitar, then I think a ToneDexter pedal is a great option. It'll correct the pickup sound to match your acoustic sound very closely. Plus it's got tone controls to boost bass or treble if you'd prefer that.

Of course that means carrying a pedal around with you to plug and play. And it's a $400 solution, whereas a new pickup is a $200 solution (or less). But the results are amazing.