Best acoustic pick up ?

[chaddywac]

I have couple high end acoustic guitars I would like to add pick ups to,what do you guys suggest? Thanks in advance

[warddix]

You'll get suggestions of all different types, I'll start. For a soundhole mounted pickup, I really like the Seymour Duncan magmic. I like to be able to blend in more microphone to brighten the sound up.

[HHP]

Couple of high quality mics and a good PA system.

[Father Mike]

Originally Posted by chaddywac

I have couple high end acoustic guitars I would like to add pick ups to,what do you guys suggest? Thanks in advance

I have two of the Fishman Rare Earth sound hole pickups, they are the best I have found.

[Mike Wray]

Originally Posted by HHP

Couple of high quality mics and a good PA system.

I agree with this. If you need to use a pickup, I wonder if its worth using a high end guitar at all. The pickup won't reflect the sound quality of such a guitar. Having said that I think the old sunrise pickup was pretty good.

[SpruceTop]

Adding a system? Trance Audio Amulet M Dual Mono Acoustic Guitar System.

http://www.tranceaudio.com/amuletm.html

[GHS]

Originally Posted by HHP

Couple of high quality mics and a good PA system.

I agree 100% with this. But...it is limiting in some applications. You cant move about too much. Not that you're ballroom dancing anywhere but it can be a problem. I also use a TC Helion Singer pedal sometimes. You need a guitar plugged into the pedal to read the chord to get the 3rd and 5th for vocal harmony. Using a mic can confuse the pedal and cause distortion. One mic cant be applied to both. I also dont like the soundhole pickups. These can eliminate the above problems but dont let the true sound of the guitar come thru.

[chaddywac]

Great Thanks !! Just curious to what people use I AGREE with couple great mic's but that doesn't always work in my case! Thanks so much!

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by chaddywac

Great Thanks !! Just curious to what people use I AGREE with couple great mic's but that doesn't always work in my case! Thanks so much!

I use the Trance Audio Amulet M Dual Mono in my Martin HD-28. I've used it in other guitars with great results too.

[Bluewyatt]

Barbera Soloist is my choice.

[otavio]

To show the "High End isshh" sound, just high quality mics with a good PA.


But if you want just a very good sound pickup(piezzo, sbt, magnetic, etc...) system, doesnt really matter if it is a 800$ or 8000$ guitar.. And you have plenty of (good)options...

[Doubleneck]

If you have high end guitars I agree that the pickup will be the cheapest part of what you will need. A good preamp can give you ability to shape any pickup. Something like a Grace Felix at a grand and then what will you play through?

[El Conquistador]

Originally Posted by chaddywac

I AGREE with couple great mic's but that doesn't always work in my case!

In order to get some actual helpful recommendations, it is necessary to know what "your case" is.

Are you gigging solo or with a band? Are you playing at home for your own pleasure or large and noisy venues or small and quiet venues with a very attentive audience? Do you move around a lot when you play or do you sit (stand) in one place? Are using an acoustic amp or going into a board? Are you willing to significantly modify your guitars to achieve sonic bliss, or, do you want to keep you high end guitars untouched?

Every "case" dictates different amplification strategies. The more information you give, the higher the quality advise you will receive.

Steve

[ljguitar]

Hi cw…

All four of my guitars (3 of which are handbuilt) are equipped with K&K dual source rigs (Pure mini pickup plus internal mic).

There are many good 2 source pickup rigs available, and they bring added flexibility to a pickup rig.

That said, the most reliable run-o-the-mill pickups which my gigging partner and I love to work with when we are running sound for venues are the K&K Pure Mini which are full, warm, fat, articulate sounding with virtually no issues for setup and getting decent sound if you run them through a decent preamp. We love them in cheap guitars, and even more in expensive guitars. They do reflect a lot of the individual character of different instruments.

The K&K probably is not the answer if you are playing guitar in a heavy metal band, but we use them in even fairly aggressive stage environments with zero issues, and far better tone than either an undersaddle piezo or a magnetic pickup.

They sound very 'acoustic' which is after all our goal.

[Tico]

Originally Posted by HHP

Couple of high quality mics and a good PA system.

+1

I have NEVER heard a pick up installed in a guitar that sounded as natural/accurate/true as an external mic.

Some sound better than others, but ALL of the internally-mounted pickups (piezo or internal mic, combo this or that, or sound-hole-mounted) have some amount of that unpleasant unnatural plastic nasal sound.
I'd almost describe it as a honking quality.
Many of us have gotten used to it and accept it because it's so ubiquitous now.

Another reason I like an old-fashioned external mic on a stand is I can move the guitar to control not just the volume but the tone for different parts of the song.
Without reaching for a knob to turn, no pick up can offer that, not even the very fine clip-on-external guitar mics like the $620 DPA d:vote.

Internal pickups are so darned convenient that people forgive their sound.
I just can't.
I didn't pay a zillion dollars for my fine guitars so they could be sonically castrated.

I'm well aware I'm in a tiny minority.