Battle of the Acoustic Pickups...

[Aden]

Specifically deciding on a pickup for my Takamine F360S - so don't want to cut the body - but I thought we could get views and ideas from across the board with regards to acoustic pickups, preamps and accesories...

I'm kinda leaning towards the JJB Prestige 330. Was going towards K&K for it's apparently very natural sound, then heard about JJB, which are apparently as good for half the price... Sounds like a deal! Would probably look at getting a preamp in the future, I've heard the K&K pure amp is ideal. I also have a BOSS Direct DI...

O yes, wanted to ask, the dudes at my local music shop recommended I just get a BOSS EQ pedal and that that can act as a preamp... Is that possible?

Anyway, I've "narrowed" it down to these pickups so far... Anything I'm missing? Or need to know?

1)LR Baggs M1(passive or active)
2) LR Baggs iBeam Active
3) Fishman Matrix Infinity Undersaddle Pickup
4) K&K mini
5) B Band A2.2
6) JJB Prestige 330

What do you all think?

Aden

[GibbyPrague]

Go a bit lower and read my thread on the experiece Ive had with the M1a, it will quickly come off your list.

cheers.

[BuleriaChk]

Dyna-G? Expensive, but well worth it, and transferrable between guitars....

[jayhawk]

I've got the K&K mini in my Tak F395S (yours is the Martin Copy, mine is the Guild copy) and am very happy with it and happy to recommend it. The other one I would look at that is not on your list is the new LR Baggs Anthem Solo. It think it would also be an excellent choice and requires no electronics (besides the pickup) inside the guitar.

Jack

[Aden]

To Taylor - Ye that mission with the m1a sounds swak!! Sorry about that bro - no luck yet then?

To Jayhawk - So you haven't heard of the JJB Prestige 330's hey? I've heard they're practically the same as the K&K's just much cheaper...

[Aden]

Originally Posted by BuleriaChk

Dyna-G? Expensive, but well worth it, and transferrable between guitars....

Where to find this Dyna G? Googled it, not much info on where to buy???

[tbeltrans]

The Boss GE-7 is a good pedal IF you mod it with one of the kits, such as those provided by "pedalhacker" on Ebay. The stock pedal is noisy and could use some work. Anyway, it presents a 1 meg ohm impedance that the K & K pickup works best into. I don't know about the JJB, but assume it probably has similar needs. Also, from what I have read, competing EQ-in-a-pedal products such as MXR, don't have the 1 meg ohm input impedance. If that is not true, hopefully somebody who actually has one can speak up.

As for being a preamp as in "adding a gain stage", it can work, depending on how much gain you think you need. The tone shaping, especially for acoustic is a good thing anyway, so I think it is worthwhile. The pedal won't provide DI functionality to go directly to a mixing board, which a decent preamp will.

Tony

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Aden

1)LR Baggs M1(passive or active)
2) LR Baggs iBeam Active
3) Fishman Matrix Infinity Undersaddle Pickup
4) K&K mini
5) B Band A2.2
6) JJB Prestige 330

You've "narrowed" this down to a pretty wide range of pickups that all sound and behave very different. You've got mags, USTs, and SBTs, which is pretty much the three choices. The ones you've picked are fine, but there are other equally good choices in each of these categories.

I'd suggest starting a little differently. What are you trying to achieve? What kind of music do you play? How loud? What type of amplification will you be using? Whats your budget? Those things would guide your pickup selection.

[Ed422]

I use a K&K mini and it does everything I need. I based my choice on opinions of people I know and trust. I've heard of the JJB... and once I hear favorable opinions from people I trust, maybe I'll try one. Until then, considering the work (or expense) of installation, the under a buck price of the K&K is a bargain in my book. Even with the K&K preamplifier, it is a bargain and the only one on the list (or off) that I'd consider. And... considering the price of the Boss eq pedal and the K&K pre are just about equal, it's a no brainer which one is the best match for the K&K pickup, for me at least.

Ed

[chitz]

True believer in the JJB Prestige 330. over the K&K. My K&K's were very bass heavy and needed much tweaking. Cleaner sound with the JJB. All I use are SBT's and soundhole mags.

[DrDavid]

Hi there,

I would pay very close attention to Doug Young's advice, a couple of posts above this one.

And you might want to visit his website, as well. Lots of important information there.

Further, there are some pickup tests and reviews also at Maury's Music website, which you should check out.

Good luck on narrowing down your choices. It's not an easy decision, for sure. Doug's questions will help you focus more clearly on your priorities.

..

[J Patrick]

...i've heard more pickups than i can count as i'm a part time soundtech that specializes in "acoustic" music...i've mixed sound for newbies and pros alike...many of whom you would likely be familiar with...your short list is fine but there are a lot more choices...ust's, sbt's and magnetics alike...the best sound i hear usually comes from dual source setups...pretty much all the major manufacturers offer a product that can sound good providing they are installed properly, are appropriate for the style of player, are eq'ed properly and maintain strong links throughout the signal chain...a really spendy setup will not sound good through a crappy soundsystem or amp...it won't sound good if its not dialed in properly....and if its not the right kind of pickup for sound you're after it might not work for you...my advice is to go out and hear some live music...open mics are good as you can generally hear a variety of setups in a short period of time...when you hear someone playing a style similar to yours and you like the tone, ask the player what he or she is using...don't make a pest of yourself but check out what the soundtech is doing with the signal and of course go test drive some setups for yourself...i've met so many players that are not satisfied with their amplified tone and most of them just didn't take the time to research it thoroughly...that and they don't spend enough time playing amplified to get the hang of it...it is different than playing unplugged and there is a learning curve...as for whats missing from your list....a lot but you can certainly do just fine without looking any further....as for the Boss GE-7...i use one sometimes and find it to be pretty good but there are better preamps out there.....

[Doubleneck]

Hard to ignore the new anthem from Baggs. I think it is probably the next generation and it is available this month I believe. If I had a new guitar to put a pickup in, this would be at the top.
Steve

[BuleriaChk]

Originally Posted by Aden

Where to find this Dyna G? Googled it, not much info on where to buy???

Sorry, my bad; it is the Schertler DYN-G

http://www.schertlerusa.com/dyn.htm

(Myself, I'd just get a second Takamine with a CTP-2/Palathetic pickup and be done with it. Any other solution is not worth the time and effort, IMO)

But I did test the DYN-G, and it sounded very, very good indeed....

[hann]

don't forget the D-tar wavelength