Putting an Anthem in my guitar -- talk me out of it!

[rockabilly69]

Originally Posted by nightchef

What pickups have you had better results with?

B-Band XOM 2.2 is my personal favorite but not available anymore (they are available from chinese sellers on ebay and I think they are knockoffs as B-band would never honor warranties on those, so buyer beware). I also like the Fishman Matrix Infinity system, as I find it ridiculously consistent and it deals well with feedback in high volume situations (and I play loud a lot). I'm not a fan of any soundboard transducers in high volume situations. Magnetics like the Fishman Rare-Earth, the Duncan Mag-Mic, the Schertler A6, the DiMarzio Angel and Black Angel, and the big daddy, the Sunrise, all do well in high volume situations but with a trade off in losing the pure acoustic sound. I don't include the Baggs M1 or M80 in the magnetics because they have a clicking sound when you hit them with a pick which many aggressive strummers (like me) may do!

[AndyC]

Originally Posted by nightchef

What didn't you like about it?

Didn't like the sound, it was okay (not great) at quieter volumes with more mic than UST dialled in, but at louder volumes feedback was a major issue. There are far better pickups on the market.

[Vancebo]

I have had Anthems in 3-4 guitars. It is one of the better pickups out there for sure. I had to deal with string balance issues, I was often fiddling with EQ a lot. It did change the acoustic sound of my guitar a bit. The best experience I had when I used a high pass filter on my preamp to deal with a boomy low end. Still, when I effectively felt with the issues it sounded great.

What I use now: The Dazzos are a SBT. It’s glued on by epoxy. It’s not like the K&K. It’s more Mic-like. You can purchase versions that will help balance the Acoustic voice of your guitar. No string balance issues. The passive versions have a strong signal but I like paring it with a Sunnaudio Stage DI or onboard Tone Driver. It’s not hard to install. Not even a hint of quack, just pure clean tone. Use EQ to adjust to your needs, not for correction on a bad install. It’s simple.

[Wild Bill Jones]

Had an Anthem. Meh. Liked the Lyric better. Like K&K even better. Two of my guitars now have Trance Amulets. These pickups are more than outstanding IMO. Gonna have to get another one to replace the K&K in my Martin (I do understand that the Super glue used on the K&K could pose a problem with attaching the Amulet transducers)