Most natural-sounding acoustic guitar pickups

[Andood]

Hi Guitar Enthusiasts,

I am looking to get a pickup installed on my Bourgeois. I play a lot of bluegrass and I am a singer-songwriter. I will be going into the studio next month and I play gigs. I am looking for a pickup that can replicate my guitar's tone as much as possible. I was looking at the LR Baggs Anthem and the K&K Trinity System. Does anyone have any recommendations or opinions regarding these two systems or any pickup you prefer? Thank you

[EZYPIKINS]

How will guitar be used? Solo singer/player. Or in a band situation?

If in a studio, just mic it, through a good "tube" pre.

[SpruceTop]

I could recommend a Dazzo or Trance Amulet system but won't because only the player can determine what sounds best to him or her based on their playing situations.

[Andood]

Mostly solo, but I play with musicians frequently. thanks for the reply

[Andood]

Those two sound pretty good! thanks for the recommendation. I'll look into it further!

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Andood

Hi Guitar Enthusiasts,

I am looking to get a pickup installed on my Bourgeois. I play a lot of bluegrass and I am a singer-songwriter. I will be going into the studio next month and I play gigs. I am looking for a pickup that can replicate my guitar's tone as much as possible. I was looking at the LR Baggs Anthem and the K&K Trinity System. Does anyone have any recommendations or opinions regarding these two systems or any pickup you prefer? Thank you

Hi Andood…
I'm a K&K guy (have the Pure mini and mic in 5 acoustics).

These days I'm using a ToneDexter so I'm only using the Pure Mini parts, but left the mic in as a backup (and have two great dual-source preamps).

'Natural' sounding is a phrase that doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. And the reality is when we say we're looking for a pickup that sounds natural, we actually want it to sound natural TO US, through every PA system or any amp we choose.

K&K Pure Mini sounds so much more like an acoustic than any mag pickup or under saddle I've every player/heard. For me the addition of the internal mic as the second source usually meant I had the best sounding acoustic at the gigs.

It was so good, that I just never worried about how I sounded out front. If I'm sounding as good or better than the other players, then my electrified acoustic will not be a distraction, and it's likely it will not sound detrimentally 'electrified'.

You can spend more or less than on a Pure Mini (JJB sells a less expensive, but NOT identical system). I've tried them and they work ok in a $300 guitar, but in my hand made guitars I'm looking for:

• Stronger signal (less electronic noise)
• Balanced bass (others are more bassy)
• Mellow tone versus sharp tone

K&K has done that for me for going on 2 decades now…

[stevecuss]

Originally Posted by Andood

Hi Guitar Enthusiasts,

I am looking to get a pickup installed on my Bourgeois. I play a lot of bluegrass and I am a singer-songwriter. I will be going into the studio next month and I play gigs. I am looking for a pickup that can replicate my guitar's tone as much as possible. I was looking at the LR Baggs Anthem and the K&K Trinity System. Does anyone have any recommendations or opinions regarding these two systems or any pickup you prefer? Thank you

Welcome to the wonderful and at times infuriating world of plugging in your acoustic guitar! It often feels that we love the sound of our acoustic guitars until we plug them in, then we spend the next two decades trying to get a plugged in sound we like. The good news is, this particular forum has some incredible people who can help.

The short answer is, you have chosen two excellent options. The Baggs Anthem is an excellent 'plug and play' solution with very little down side and the way Baggs runs all mids and highs through the mic and lows through the pickup is very clever. In your circumstance, if you go with an Anthem, I'd recommend the 'full' anthem rather than the cheaper version. You will want to be able to dial out that mic on the fly.

The K&K is excellent and probably the most common 'sound board transducer' solution. You truly can't go wrong there.

Here is possibly more info than you want, but hopefully some helpful guidelines as you choose. I apologize in advance for where I am stating the obvious, but hopefully this is helpful:

1) In the studio a cheap mic pointing at your guitar will sound better than the world's best pickup any day. A proper mic and preamp will cream it.

That is because....

2 every pickup is a compromise and the secret is choosing which compromises work for you.

So pickups are just for live performance, for all studio work, always go with a an external studio mic.

3) Under Saddle Pickups (UST) all have a plasticky tone to their sound, but they are excellent at resisting feedback on stage. If you listen to 90s live albums, most of them tend to have that quacky sound.

4) Sound Board Transducers (SBT) generally sound more natural, but are not as feedback proof. However, SBTs are sensitive to installation location and also tend to behave differently depending on guitar. So an SBT that sounds amazing in my guitar may not sound as great in yours. Some SBT companies recommend putty or tape rather than glue so you can nudge the pickups to the best location.

5) Microphones inside guitars can help, but cannot carry the weight of the whole sound or the whole volume in most live situations. They'll feedback, but they can work great when 20-30% of their signal is blended in with another pickup carrying 70-80% of the volume.

6) It is best to not think of a pickup as much as a 'pickup system' and then decide which system is the sound you most like and has the compromises you most want to live with. Most of that 'system' involves a preamp and a power source. Pretty much every pickup will improve with an active preamp.

Ok, so onto your choices and then a couple of others to consider and then what I chose and why:

The Anthem is UST plus mic. The preamp and power source are inside the guitar. The sound is excellent, it is easy to use, relatively easy to install and you can dial in the amount of mic so it is very feedback resistant when it needs to be. DOWNSIDE: it has that UST plasticky 'quack,' and also adds weight of preamp and battery inside the guitar. Some people report that the UST dampens the unplugged sound.

The K&K is an SBT without preamp or power. Another excellent company. Some people play it straight into a PA and do just fine. Most people use an external preamp (a small box at your feet that you set and forget.) Many preamps can be run with phantom power from the PA or a 9 volt battery or wall wart. The K&K sounds excellent, doesn't have that quack, but can sound a bit muddy or woofy on the low notes. Many people can EQ it to a great sound. DOWNSIDE is that it requires glue and therefore cannot be replaced later with another pickup easily. The glue residue on the bridge plate will negate replacement with another SBT without a lot of sanding.

You can also chase Trance Amulet or Schatten HFN - both are SBTs like a K&K but many of us would say they are more 'hifi' sounding. They both use tape or putty to install and both have options for a preamp and battery inside the guitar or a pure external solution, so they give you a lot of flexibility. Some say the Trance has some of that quack still present. Some have had trouble getting enough bass out of the Schatten.

There are more advanced solutions that use 'IR' technology. Baggs, Fishman and others have options there, but that might muddy the waters too much. You can always add that later.

You can't go wrong with any of the above - they can all sound excellent, between the Anthem and the K&K, I would choose the Anthem.

Having said that, I have had two anthems in guitars in the past and I experienced that dampening of my unplugged sound and I couldn't live with it. Many have not had that issue.

I like the Schatten HFN and I use putty and a battery free active preamp. Some find the Schatten to be too light on bass. I've installed 6 or 7 of them over the years in my guitars and in friends' guitars and have always had plenty of bass.

I think K&K is a fantastic solution except for the glue. I am a purist about keeping the install as non invasive as possible.

I hope that helps and is not too overwhelming. Good luck on the quest!

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

I could recommend a Dazzo or Trance Amulet system but won't because only the player can determine what sounds best to him or her based on their playing situations.

Let me also add the James May Engineering Ultra Tonic 3.2 if folks may feel handy with its installation.

[High_Colorado]

Stevecuss

(...Here is possibly more info than you want, but hopefully some helpful guidelines as you choose. I apologize in advance for where I am stating the obvious, but hopefully this is helpful)


THIS was a fantastic writeup! Wish I'd had the benefit of reading this a year ago! You summarized, succinctly, weeks of personal research!

Scott in Colorado

[stevecuss]

Originally Posted by High_Colorado

Stevecuss

(...Here is possibly more info than you want, but hopefully some helpful guidelines as you choose. I apologize in advance for where I am stating the obvious, but hopefully this is helpful)


THIS was a fantastic writeup! Wish I'd had the benefit of reading this a year ago! You summarized, succinctly, weeks of personal research!

Scott in Colorado

Man, this journey started for me in 1994. I walked into a local music store where the guys really knew their stuff, I played an acoustic guitar tone from an Ashley Cleveland album and said, 'I want to sound like that when I play live.' And they laughed and started my loong education.

I was a beta tester for EMF pickups back in the 90s (The mighty B Band) and have tried almost every solution. I used to rep Baggs back when I taught guitar.

Anyway, long journey, lots of lessons. So many great options today.

[DM3MD]

If you’re playing in a full band situation at higher volumes, a K&K is NOT the way to go. You will need to boost your output a LOT to keep up with a drummer and bass player and you’ll have howling feedback.

If higher volumes are what you’re after, go with an Anthem. If you’re doing solo work or the old “coffee shop” thing, a K&K would be just fine.

[Mbroady]

Another vote for the Anthem for a stage guitar. As mentioned the UST portion can (slightly) dampen the acoustic sound. I’ve also found that on guitars that I perceived a “Dampening”, after a few months the sound returned to “normal” (Baggs said the braided ust compresses after some time ) Or, perhaps my ears adjusted to the subtle change.

Regardless. I removed a dual source K&K from all of my guitars and replaced them with the Anthem (SL). No regrets.

For the studio it could interesting to have a track of the plugged in guitar but a mic should be the primary source, IMHO

[DM3MD]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

Another vote for the Anthem for a stage guitar. As mention the UST portion can (slightly) dampen the acoustic sound. I’ve also found that on guitars that I perceived a “Dampening”, after a few months the sound returned to “normal” (Baggs said the braided ust compresses after some time ) Or, perhaps my ears adjusted to the subtle change.

Regardless. I removed a dual source K&K from all of my guitars and replaced them with the Anthem (SL). No regrets.

Agreed. I’ve removed two K&K’s from J-45’s and one from a Martin B-1 bass. All got the Baggs treatment…no regrets.

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by DM3MD

Agreed. I’ve removed two K&K’s from J-45’s and one from a Martin B-1 bass. All got the Baggs treatment…no regrets.

To my ears the Baggs does sound more like my guitars

[Guitarplayer_PR]

Originally Posted by Andood

Hi Guitar Enthusiasts,

I am looking to get a pickup installed on my Bourgeois. I play a lot of bluegrass and I am a singer-songwriter. I will be going into the studio next month and I play gigs. I am looking for a pickup that can replicate my guitar's tone as much as possible. I was looking at the LR Baggs Anthem and the K&K Trinity System. Does anyone have any recommendations or opinions regarding these two systems or any pickup you prefer? Thank you

Former user of the Anthem for many years. Great system, but a bit fragile

I played with the K&K once. I HATED IT. But K&K has many fans around here.

I use the LR Baggs HiFi as of today. THE BEST system of all the systems I've ever played. It sounds as natural as you can get, it's almost plug and play (certainly better than the Anthem, IMO) and easier to install.