#1
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Buying with a Pickup Vs Installing one
Hello all!
I'm continuing the search for my next guitar and have somewhat zero'd in on a D28. Still playing anything I can get my hands on but keep coming back to it. Martin doesn't currently sell a D28e so to buy one with a pickup I'd have to go for the HD28e and I've heard great thing about the LR Baggs Anthem. Any upsides/downsides to buying one preinstalled? I've enjoyed the ES2 in my Taylor 214ce-k dlx. For downsides, I would have to install after buying. Is there something better than the Fishman/LR Baggs Martin is currently offering? I will definitely need to be able to plug in. I would not be installing anything myself so would have to outsource the work. TL;DR Love the idea of owning a pure acoustic and don't want anything intrusive. What's best to buy pre-installed or installed after? Any and all comments appreciated! |
#2
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Hey Troy, I'm not sure I know what's best, but one thing I would say is find a guitar you dig. Whether it has a pickup in it or not. If you love the guitar, obviously you can add later. OR if you don't like the pickup, you can change it, but you'll still have the guitar.
One upside (for me) if it has a pickup, the endpin is pre-drilled. That's something I just won't do... Hope this helps some...
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#3
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FWIW when Martin installs the pickup at the factory, they do it last- after the guitar has been completed... so there's nothing worse about having one installed aftermarket. It's no different. I really like the Trance Audio Amulet but the Anthem is a great system. K&K Pure Mini is great and lately the Baggs HiFi has peaked a lot of players' interest.
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#4
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Quote:
I found sound demos for a similar pickup from Journey and the sound sample sounded better than the K&K. But the Journey is only $50. I bought a reamer and installed a Journey pickup in one of my 6 strings, myself. It actually was every bit as good as the K&K in my 12 string. So I bought a 2nd Journey pickup and installed in another 6 string here. That provides me with 2 bodies that have 2 pickups each, one under the saddle and another inside under the bridge. Two choices, brighter or warmer. Journey Instruments Passive Piezo Acoustic Pickup – EP001K One of the few things I've learned to do. ...
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#5
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I currently have an under saddle pickup in my Santa Cruz, with the unconnected wire coiled up and dangling in my guitar after a Dazzo installation. I'd caution you to think carefully before you decide on the Anthem, admittedly a well loved system. I'm afraid taking the Element out of the bridge slot would lower it enough that I'd need a new bridge. Something to consider. I believe it was Aaron Short who said Baggs is developing a dual system around the HiFi, but it might be a year down the road.
I'd much prefer to choose my own pickup. I also don't want a battery in my guitar.
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2007 Martin D 35 Custom 1970 Guild D 35 1965 Epiphone Texan 2011 Santa Cruz D P/W Pono OP 30 D parlor Pono OP12-30 Pono MT uke Goldtone Paul Beard squareneck resophonic Fluke tenor ukulele Boatload of home rolled telecasters "Shut up and play ur guitar" Frank Zappa |
#6
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Coming up on 26 years next year since buying my first guitar, I can honestly say I vastly prefer to have an instrument with either no electronics or minimally invasive electronics.
When I picked up my C-05 in February, it had an inoperable Fishman powerjack that I removed to install a Rare Earth Mic-blend. The Breedlove SC/Cedar I got in July this year also had a K&K PW Mini which was promptly removed to install the same Fishman soundhole pickup. At present, I have 3 guitars with the Fishman RE Mic blend and one left waiting to find a home in another instrument. As others above me have mentioned, find the guitar that works for you, and then go with the electronics after.
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2000 310CE 02 Big Baby 13 GS Mini Mahogany 2000 Walnut/Purpleheart/Bol RW "Les Paul" 98 Larrivée C-05 sitka/mahogany florentine. 95 Breedlove SC Cedar/EIRW Bedell TBCE-18-G Daedalus Audio C81 Rane AP13 Genz Benz Shenandoah 100 Fishman Loudbox 100 & Acoustic Performer Pro Boss RC-50 |
#7
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"I'm afraid taking the Element out of the bridge slot would lower it enough that I'd need a new bridge."
Nope-at worst, replacement saddle.
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#8
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Quote:
I have an Ultratonic pickup in my HD-28. It sounds phenomenal!! No battery, no feedback, great “guitar” sound. You won’t be disappointed. Oh and it’s a sound board pickup
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2023 Gibson 1960 Fixed Bridge Hummingbird w/Ultratonic 2021 D'Angelico EXP-1 Throwback archtop 1983 Martin HD-28 w/Ultratonic 1965 Gibson J-45 w/K&K/Ultratonic conversion 1940's??? Harmony Patrician archtop 2002 Taylor Big Baby 1985 Kentucky KM850 mando w/lr baggs radius 1959 Gibson A-5 Mando 2004 Fender Strat (Mexican) Army bugle Old autoharp Indian flute Cowbell |
#9
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Almost all my instruments came with no pickup. I've installed 1 K&K SBT in a mandolin and dozens of JJB SBT's in all kinds of stringed instruments - ukulele, fiddles, mandolins, mandola, octave mandolins, mandocello and LOTS of guitars including an archtop, a gypsy jazz guitar, an ovation 12 and 6 string and several flat tops. I personally found no difference in performance, tone or quality between K&K and JJB.
On my 2 Martin's (HD-28 and 00015SM) I used a 3 head 15 mm diameter stuck to the bridge plate with blue putty and wired to a Tapastring Vintage jack. Absolutely no permanent alteration to the guitars. As others have said there are some real advantages to passive SBT's: 1. External preamp means less "stuff" (particularly no battery) inside the guitar. 2. External preamps can be better quality than factory-installed internal preamps. 3. External preamps can be used with multiple instruments. 4. Less "stuff" inside the guitar means less impact to unamplified tone. 5. External preamps are a lot easier to swap out. Last edited by Mandobart; 08-13-2023 at 09:55 PM. |
#10
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Thank you all for the input!
They way modern electronics evolve and change, I think I'm leaning towards a minimally invasive/passive pickup. Lots more research to do but thanks for the jumping off points! |
#11
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Love the the LR Baggs Hi FI . Had it installed in an old Alvarez and it is great.
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#12
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In my decade-plus long search for the best amplified tone for gigging I've learned two things: The best pickup systems are multi-source systems (multiple internal pickups) and factory installed. Three guitar brands come to mind - Cole Clark, Maton, Takamine. These are genuinely plug-and-play guitars that sound great amplified but not as great as a pure acoustics compared to your higher-end guitars whether they be the big-names like Martin, Gibson or Taylor or your even higher-end boutique brands.
That said, there are a ton of options for aftermarket pickup systems that are pretty good. They run the gamut from super simple passive SBT systems like the K&K to multi-source systems like the LR Baggs Anthem. They are not really all that difficult to install if you have the right tools and mindset. I like the simplicity of a K&K systems - no batteries and not all that much inside the guitar. But the less or more simple a system, the more 'help' it needs with some processing outside the guitar via preamps, IR's, etc. If I'm looking for the 'best' gigging (amplified) guitar for me I choose something built from the ground up around an excellent multi-source pickup system at the factory. If I'm looking for a fantastic pure acoustic guitar that I can play amplified if needed, then I'll install something simple like the K&K. That has been my experience. |
#13
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That's what I meant to say.
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2007 Martin D 35 Custom 1970 Guild D 35 1965 Epiphone Texan 2011 Santa Cruz D P/W Pono OP 30 D parlor Pono OP12-30 Pono MT uke Goldtone Paul Beard squareneck resophonic Fluke tenor ukulele Boatload of home rolled telecasters "Shut up and play ur guitar" Frank Zappa |