Electrify acoustic guitar: experience and suggests

[Guido_59]

I would want electrify my new Epiphone EL-00pro in other way changing stock piezo Fishman Sonitone pre+Sonicore piezo that I don’t like so much like all piezo in general.
What pick-up soundhole mount can I use to improve amplified acoustic sound and for use like an electric guitar with overdrive example for blues also with slide.
A Fishman rare earth blend would be a good idea to improve acoustic amplified sound when plugged in and using only magnetic pick-up for eletctic sound.
Someone use electro guitar pick-up like Italian guitar player and songwriter Alex Britti use a Di Marzio Rail hum cancelling for Tele series a twin blades poles pick-up that have no alignment problem with string.
Other use mini humbucker and other Gold foil like pick-up
Have you experience on that ?
I will listen your suggests with many pleasure
Bye from Italy

[rmp]

You could probably replace the Sonitone with a Matrix Infinity system.

I've experience with both, the Infinity's voicing is quite a bit more neutral / natural sounding than the cheaper sonitone. But it's very similar with respect to the internal components and controls.

so it would prob. be an easy refit.

[Guido_59]

Don’t you suggest magnet pick-up or some like Fishman rare earth blend ?

[rmp]

so it's just that you want to stay away from the USTs?

I think the rare earth is a good choice, I don't have one myself, but I know a few guys that do, they do like them.

[Guido_59]

Thanks
I also mean make electrify sound like these
https://youtu.be/KsXJUsT9NAU
https://youtu.be/Qp9zpdrlUCo
https://youtu.be/CmAzPduN1is
Do you this pick-up by Recording king base on vintage Teisco del Rey Gold foil pick-up ?
https://www.recordingking.com/rcgfp1
Grazie

[Rick Jones]

Originally Posted by Guido_59

Thanks
I also mean make electrify sound like these
https://youtu.be/KsXJUsT9NAU
https://youtu.be/Qp9zpdrlUCo
https://youtu.be/CmAzPduN1is
Do you this pick-up by Recording king base on vintage Teisco del Rey Gold foil pick-up ?
https://www.recordingking.com/rcgfp1
Grazie

Most non body-sensing magnetics will take distortion fairly well. So the ones to AVOID for this purpose are the Baggs M1 or M80. Also John Butler runs the Seymour MagMic (a fine pickup for 'usual' acoustic purposes) into a Marshall Stack and loads of other things, but turns the mic portion off for this.

He talks about the acoustic set up at around 4 minutes.



I've run a sunrise into a ProCo RAT pedal and then into a Fender Twin lots of times with a great sound. I have seen Aussie maestro Jeff Lang get the sweetest tones from a Sunrise through a pedalboard with a tubescreamer pedal on it.

You can also get this device from Touchstone in the UK, that allows you to mount any electric pickup to the acoustic, in the soundhole, without touching the guitar top. I had one that held a P90 in an old Ekko some years ago, which was great fun through a big tube amp!

https://www.touchstonetonewoods.co.uk/products/Acoustic-Guitar-Pickup-Mounting-Bracket-3105.html?filter_set[]=184,239,256

[Guido_59]

Many many thanks you give very good suggest.
I have listen Seymour Duncan magic mic and John Butler on YouTube and its sounds is fantastic.
Video don’t work .
So you think Gold foil pick-up it’s not suitable cause it’s very micriphonic.
Magic mic is a bit expensive but Sunrise it’s very out of budget , for me.
I look to Seymour Duncan magic mic and I want listen well John Butler that I like

[Guido_59]

I have read an interview with John Butler.
On his Maton he use Seymour Duncan MAG MIC but mixed with Maton Ap5 into a preamp system.
Maton ap5 is very good system that has separate sensor ( high quality) for each string.
I don’t think that using only Seymour Duncan mag mic it is possible make the same sound , without piezo it will be different.
Question is : should be a good sound ?

[Guido_59]

Contenders at this moment are
- Fishman rare earth blend
- L r Baggs m1 or m80( but it’s more expensive)
- Seymour Duncan Magic mic
- Di Marzio Black Angel
An Italian songwriter Alex Britti use DiMarzio Rail hum cancelling series pick-up but I don’t know if it’s Strat or Tele version
Look this and listen and tell me what do you think

https://youtu.be/KsXJUsT9NAU

[Rick Jones]

Originally Posted by Guido_59

I have read an interview with John Butler.
On his Maton he use Seymour Duncan MAG MIC but mixed with Maton Ap5 into a preamp system.
Maton ap5 is very good system that has separate sensor ( high quality) for each string.
I donÂ’t think that using only Seymour Duncan mag mic it is possible make the same sound , without piezo it will be different.
Question is : should be a good sound ?

John Butler's Maton onboard system is on a separate jack, going straight to the PA, clean and unaffected, and he runs the Mag Mic separately into his effects.

He got the idea when he was touring with Jeff Lang, who does the same thing with an older 'Dynafield' under-bridge pickup instead of the Maton, and a Sunrise instead of the Mag Mic. I too opened for Jeff Lang back in around 2008 and adopted a similar set up with magnetic pickup on one output jack and various other undersaddles and SBT's and such on my 'clean' channel.

You don't have to run stereo like that, the first examples you gave were of soundhole magnets through distortion (or in one case a Taylor ES, which is very magnetic sounding anyway), and not dual outputs. I only showed you John Butler because in the video I linked you could hear the mag mic solo'd at one point and it showed how it took distortion (with the mic portion off).

As for whether something "sounds good", that's very much down to whether you like it or not.

I will say that:

Baggs M1 and M80 do NOT do distortion well. They aren't meant to.

I don't know the Gold Foil pickup at all, never seen one in real life, and I know nothing about it.

Sunrise (Fishman's Black Stack is apparently extremely similar), Dimarzio Angel (both types), Fishman Rare Earth (with the mic off on the blend version) and even MiSi's MagPie (not the 'air' version) take distortion quite nicely and still sound good for 'acoustic' use.

Headway's SAM-1 is FANTASTIC sounding clean, but is too shaped in it's preamp preset EQ curve to make for good distorted tones, IMO, although it isn't as microphonic as the Baggs pickups. The Sunrise and SAM-1 are both slightly microphonic, but Baggs M1 and M80 just start howling if you put higher gain type distortion on them. Digital amp simulation may fair better, but I don't use it.

That's about all I can tell you

[Rick Jones]

Originally Posted by Guido_59

Contenders at this moment are
- Fishman rare earth blend
- L r Baggs m1 or m80( but it’s more expensive)
- Seymour Duncan Magic mic
- Di Marzio Black Angel
An Italian songwriter Alex Britti use DiMarzio Rail hum cancelling series pick-up but I don’t know if it’s Strat or Tele version
Look this and listen and tell me what do you think

https://youtu.be/KsXJUsT9NAU

I don't think strat/tele makes a difference here. He's fading in from totally unplugged to distorted amp here, I don't hear that pickup clean, but I bet it's not great for use with bronze strings.

[Guido_59]

Now I understand better.
I beg your pardon but maybe it was better I say that I’m playing alone at home with baking track on pc not in concert or live situation.
I’m this way I haven’t feedback problem.
Do you mean this talking about L R Baggs m1 with high gain?
In demo that I have listen M1 seems to have an coisti c sound better tha other Seymour Duncan and Fishman
I plain to listen various demo on YouTube, that is not ideal but to make me an idea.
Reading your suggests the winner is Seymour Duncan magic mic that has a fixed condenser instead of adjustable Fishman rare earth blend, but has adjustable pole that Fishman doesn’t have.

[Ten]

I use a Black Angel with overdrive/distortion and am pleased with the results. My chain is the Black Angel and a DPA mic for acoustic amplified tone. I then split those signals with an HX Stomp so I can turn off the mic and only use the Black Angel as needed with various amp models/cabs/IRs/pedals.

[Rick Jones]

Originally Posted by Ten

I use a Black Angel with overdrive/distortion and am pleased with the results. My chain is the Black Angel and a DPA mic for acoustic amplified tone. I then split those signals with an HX Stomp so I can turn off the mic and only use the Black Angel as needed with various amp models/cabs/IRs/pedals.

That sounds like an epic combination. I played a little folk mini-festival locally last year and the sound guy whacked a DPA 4099 onto my guitar because he didn't have the time to sort everyones kaleidoscope of pickups out. It was the best live 'acoustic' sound I've ever had, and I couldn't help wondering what it would be like with my sunrise into a twin and a volume pedal as well!

Originally Posted by Guido_59

Now I understand better.
I beg your pardon but maybe it was better I say that I’m playing alone at home with baking track on pc not in concert or live situation.
I’m this way I haven’t feedback problem.
Do you mean this talking about L R Baggs m1 with high gain?
In demo that I have listen M1 seems to have an coisti c sound better tha other Seymour Duncan and Fishman
I plain to listen various demo on YouTube, that is not ideal but to make me an idea.
Reading your suggests the winner is Seymour Duncan magic mic that has a fixed condenser instead of adjustable Fishman rare earth blend, but has adjustable pole that Fishman doesn’t have.

I found the Baggs M1 to sound terrible with distortion. They're ok clean though.

The Mag Mic has the mic in the pickup. The Fishman's gooseneck is more of a pain than a help, IMO. Move it too far from the pickup and you get phase issues. However, for your use, it would be fine.

None of those choices sound bad. If I was playing at home though, I'd just get a Seymour Duncan Woody. Cheap, non-permanent, sounds good and will go through an amp well.

[Guido_59]

I go guitar into Hx Stomp for effect/amp sim / cab and ir same that @Ten do.
I have sold something of my gear unseeded for a king time so I have money to buy a good mic.
Reading your last words contenders now are two
- Seymour Duncan Magic mic
- Di Marzio black angel
Very hard choice ; good quality for both
-both have adjustable pole
- Magic mic is a bit more expensive then black Angel
- Magic mic had built in condenser mic that black angel doesn’t have and this a plus for magic mic
Go to listen demo of this two then…..,,