mixed (Pick)up confusion

[John-Julian]

Hello internet land. I would like advice about pickups… (Dan dan daaaaaaa)

I would like to put a mic and under saddle combo in my guitar.

I would get the K&K trinity as it sounds pretty incredible but its too expensive and the cheaper version doesnt have the undersaddle and the mini western struggles with feed back (hence wanting an under saddle). I would get the Fishman Prefix SOB as I have two friends that have them and they sound great and are perfect for performance and ease of use bla bla bla but the price is hefty and thats before I pay to have my guitar cut up which I just can’t really get my head around. I would rather not have any controls in the sound hole as sometimes feedback busters are a must.

So Im thinking I could get a K&K fantastick and a K&K trinity mic solo and run that through a K&K trinity pro preamp I have an LR baggs Para DI that I might use to help as the internal switches on the K&K preamp is the stupidest thing I have seen in a long time… (I suppose you could drill holes in the case and get some knobs and modify it to not be so incredibly difficult to use) or I could just run them individually into the desk...

My questions are as follows:

Is there an a mic/ under saddle combo that doesnt come with sound hole or on board controls?

Is the K&K fantastick as good as the Fishman Matrix under saddle ? Or is there another under saddle thats just as good and maybe cheaper?

Are there any other mic pickups besides the K&K solo? I can’t seem to find any others that are sold separately.

Bare with me here I know I might seem like a really cheap ignoramus but what would be the difference between that mic and just putting in a a cheap but decent Lav mic
I have used one for a guitar externally and it sounded really nice,
This one has some great reviews on youtube and is super cheap…

https://www.amazon.com/JK-Omni-direc.../dp/B00KMILKGS

could it work internally? Am I being ridiculous to veer off the path of “you get what you pay for”?

lastly will there be a problem to run the guitar through two preamps (K&K trinity pro preamp and LR baggs Para DI) the combination of them have all the switches required for a live situation but I don’t know if that is a ridiculous thing to do? I would get the Headway EDB2 but it seems to have a couple bad reviews and is very expensive. I can’t find any other preamp/EQ boxes that have two channel inputs…

(if anyone is rich and wants to buy me a Grace Felix that would be a great use of the money I promise.)

So in short can someone help me as I have no idea what to do.

Thanks for your time.

[akafloyd]

Consider the DTAR Wavelength or Multi-source systems. A mic of your choice can be added to the Wavelength and the volume wheel can be tucked up out of the way of a sound hole plug. The Multi-source can be left wired as is or can be rearranged for a stereo cable to an outboard blender.

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by John-Julian

Hello internet land. I would like advice about pickups… (Dan dan daaaaaaa)

I would like to put a mic and under saddle combo in my guitar.

I would get the K&K trinity as it sounds pretty incredible but its too expensive and the cheaper version doesnt have the undersaddle and the mini western struggles with feed back (hence wanting an under saddle). I would get the Fishman Prefix SOB as I have two friends that have them and they sound great and are perfect for performance and ease of use bla bla bla but the price is hefty and thats before I pay to have my guitar cut up which I just can’t really get my head around. I would rather not have any controls in the sound hole as sometimes feedback busters are a must.

So Im thinking I could get a K&K fantastick and a K&K trinity mic solo and run that through a K&K trinity pro preamp I have an LR baggs Para DI that I might use to help as the internal switches on the K&K preamp is the stupidest thing I have seen in a long time… (I suppose you could drill holes in the case and get some knobs and modify it to not be so incredibly difficult to use) or I could just run them individually into the desk...

My questions are as follows:

Is there an a mic/ under saddle combo that doesnt come with sound hole or on board controls?

Is the K&K fantastick as good as the Fishman Matrix under saddle ? Or is there another under saddle thats just as good and maybe cheaper?

Are there any other mic pickups besides the K&K solo? I can’t seem to find any others that are sold separately.

Bare with me here I know I might seem like a really cheap ignoramus but what would be the difference between that mic and just putting in a a cheap but decent Lav mic
I have used one for a guitar externally and it sounded really nice,
This one has some great reviews on youtube and is super cheap…

https://www.amazon.com/JK-Omni-direc.../dp/B00KMILKGS

could it work internally? Am I being ridiculous to veer off the path of “you get what you pay for”?

lastly will there be a problem to run the guitar through two preamps (K&K trinity pro preamp and LR baggs Para DI) the combination of them have all the switches required for a live situation but I don’t know if that is a ridiculous thing to do? I would get the Headway EDB2 but it seems to have a couple bad reviews and is very expensive. I can’t find any other preamp/EQ boxes that have two channel inputs…

(if anyone is rich and wants to buy me a Grace Felix that would be a great use of the money I promise.)

So in short can someone help me as I have no idea what to do.

Thanks for your time.

The PADI has a minimum gain of +3db, so you'll need to be carefull not to overdrive it with your active system. (It can't trim an overly hot input.) The Wavelength has a 18v power supply, so its max signal might well overdrive the PADI.

I've found that the iRig Acoustic Stage mini-mic blends well with all my USTs, both active and passive. The downside is that it hooks over the side of the soundhole, so a soundhole plug won't fit with it. On the other hand, the system's automatic feedback killer (up to 10 notches) may work better for you than a soundhole plug.

I should mention that the iRig Acoustic Stage preamp has an Aux In and a blend knob, and works well as a blender. It even has a phase inversion switch in case one of the signals needs a phase inversion for the best blend. Its inexpensive, and it can work well with an inexpensive passive UST.

[rb1591]

Originally Posted by akafloyd

Consider the DTAR Wavelength or Multi-source systems. A mic of your choice can be added to the Wavelength and the volume wheel can be tucked up out of the way of a sound hole plug. The Multi-source can be left wired as is or can be rearranged for a stereo cable to an outboard blender.

John-Julian,

I have a lightly used Dtar Multi here for sale. Shoot me a personal message if you are interested.

There is something to be said for mixing and matching pickups and mics and preamps, however I've learned that that's generally a more expensive way to go and most often offers less satisfying results. It can be fun and educational, of course, but also frustrating when your primary goal is making music. IMO, the best pickup makers have the know-how, equipment and motivation to maximize the value of their products. In other words, if I've got a limited amount of money to spend, I trust the designers at Dtar, Baggs, Fishman, K&K, etc., more than myself.