LR Baggs Anthem SL (First Impressions)

Dothraki · #1 09-13-2021, 11:11 PM

I got the Anthem SL today. It’s installed in an Eastman E10D with D’Addario NB (nickel bronze) strings. I’m running it through a TCH VoiceLive Acoustic Play (mostly bypassed) and into a LR Baggs Synapse. Set screw is all the way to mic, middle and all the way to under saddle. I settled on all the way to mic side pretty much. Maybe 95% mic. I also tried it plugged straight into a Loudbox Mini. The loudbox mini is incredible sounding for such a little amp and the Anthem SL sure did help show how nice it sounds.

So far I’d say this pickup is not prone to feedback running through a pa without tweaking anything notch filter etc. I’ll crank the volume more tomorrow (had it pretty loud today) but so far so good in the room I tested it. Here is the position:

Soundhole 5ft to the side of speaker, 8” in front of the speaker, 8” below speaker. Nice amount of medium length reverb, pretty much everywhere on EQ, and volume was fairly loud. Louder than you would watch Star Wars with a 7.1 surround setup on a Saturday night with a pipe and a pizza.

I will push it more tomorrow and send some vocals through while playing. I like to find the limits of new gear right off the bat. So far I’m really impressed by this pickup. It’s crystal clear. Reproduces the sound of the guitar almost as if there was a condenser in front of it.

The adjustment screw is sort of hard to tell where you are with the little plastic tool. Just have to go by sound obviously but it’s hard to tell when it’s all the way to mic side or under saddle. More messing around tomorrow to look for feedback which hopefully I won’t find in a reasonable volume/position.

Goat Mick · #2 09-14-2021, 06:34 AM

I'm really impressed with my Anthem SL and it really does produce a great acoustic tone. I have mine set up differently though, I roll mine all the way back to the UST and then bring in about 1/8 turn towards mic. It's nice and crisp and acoustic sounding. One thing I have noticed about Baggs active pickups is that you have to keep the pickup volume at about 1/2 for the most natural tone. Above that and it starts getting a bit harsh. Enjoy your Anthem and post updates as you experiment with it more.

mesquivel · #3 09-14-2021, 10:30 AM

The Anthem SL is outstanding. I have found through experience that it does work differently with every single guitar and that the mic gain screw setting is vital in achieving the most out of the SL. I have never had a bad experience with the Anthem SL. Never any feedback unless I intentionally made the system feed back. The only “Problem” I have noticed is that in some guitars it does not seem to have as much volume as other guitars I have had it in. That is what I mean by it works differently with every single guitar. But I always achieved a natural, pleasing sound out of the Anthem SL no matter what guitar it was in. I recently switched guitars and had them set up before I had pickups installed in them so I decided to try the Lyric pickup system, which is the same price as the Anthem SL, and I have been blown away by the Lyric pickup. I have a lyric in my D-18 and H&D dreadnought and I have achieved just wonderful tone with absolutely no feedback in live environments, not just at home. I know lots of people do not like the lyric but I found that it works really well in a dreadnought body. Not so well in a small body like a 000 or OM.

Dothraki · #4 09-14-2021, 07:17 PM

@mesquivel Haven’t heard a lyric in person but sounds great from what I’ve heard in videos. It seems like a huge plus not having the piezo installed, like is needed with the Anthem. LR Baggs seem to be putting out some great products for sure. Bet it rocks in that D18 too!

@Goat Mick interesting tip on the volume I’ll have to give it a try, along with your screw setting. Today I was just fiddling a lot with vocals and trying to get a good mix between the two for a live setting through the VoiceLive Acoustic to the Synapse pa speaker.

leew3 · #5 09-17-2021, 07:28 AM

What Mick said!

Peter Z · #6 09-17-2021, 12:55 PM

I love those LR Bagg mic based pickups. While I’m impressed with convolution technology (Aura, ToneDexter, …) it’s so much better to start with a natural sounding pickup and move on with just a little EQ.
I have two Anthems, one SL and one Lyric. My first install of the SL in a Martin 000-1 did sound bad for a reason I never found out, probably a sloppy work from my side. Now it works hard and perfectly in my Hummingbird.
That screw on the preamp is critical! Set it while turning up your amp as loud as possible.

The Lyric sounds great with soft volume, not so much with a loud amp.

acme97 · #7 09-17-2021, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goat Mick

I'm really impressed with my Anthem SL and it really does produce a great acoustic tone. I have mine set up differently though, I roll mine all the way back to the UST and then bring in about 1/8 turn towards mic. It's nice and crisp and acoustic sounding. One thing I have noticed about Baggs active pickups is that you have to keep the pickup volume at about 1/2 for the most natural tone. Above that and it starts getting a bit harsh. Enjoy your Anthem and post updates as you experiment with it more.

Correct...I take LR Baggs any day over any other pickup and I've tried them all. Keep going back to Anthems, tru-mic mostly. Except that Trance Amulet stuff.

jseth · #8 09-19-2021, 01:18 PM

I had the Anthem SL in both my 6 and 12 string "stage" guitars for nearly a decade, and I liked them just fine...

Like you, I immediately wanted to go for "mostly" the True Mic in the blend, but ended up (like Mick) setting the balance to more of the UST than the True Mic, probably 60%-40%. That gave the tone a much more rounded, fat sound that I was wanting.

Never really had feedback issues unless I was doing something silly (like inadvertently setting the gain on the guitar channel REALLY high! Or having the subwoofer for my Bose rig right next to me on stage... both rookie moves. I should add).

I noticed that having the individual channel gain set high/hot enough was crucial to the overall sound of the unit. Sat in with a friend of mine once, playing at his gig, through his HK system, and my guitar sounded like dog poop! Couldn't figure it out until I realized that he had not set the gain for my pickup; it was still set for whatever pickup he was using... once I set it to the Anthem, it sounded great.

The main reason that I pulled the Anthem pickups out of those guitars was because of the effect they had on the unplugged volume and tone on both my handbuild Mark Angus guitars. I spend a lot of time playing without amplifying my guitars, and couldn't believe the impact that the Anthem had on them when unplugged.

I now have Dazzos in my 6 and 12 string, and I love 'em! Without any additional preamp, run into my Bose T1 mixer/gizmo (like I did with the Anthems), they are so natural and very true to the sound of each guitar in which they are installed that I can scarcely believe it!

Glad you're happy with the SL. It is a very good pickup!

EWman · #9 09-20-2021, 07:00 AM

Several years back my Gibson Songwriter Deluxe's LR Baggs Element started to have a very noticeable buzz, which I figured was some sort of grounding issue. I was always able to get a great sound with the element going into a Radial JDI, then into a Soundcraft EFX 8, and back then into JBL PRX 512M's. I considered just putting another Element in, but I thought if I'm going to do it I might as well upgrade, so I went with the Anthem SL. I really love the sound I get out of it. I no longer have the JBL's, and now use EV ZXA1's and a pair of the matching subs for if/when I need them. Also have the TCH Play Acoustic that I've been trying to dial in the guitar tone with to decide if I'm going to use it for gigs. Overall though, the Anthem SL is a wonderful sounding pickup for my Gibson Songwriter Deluxe.

JackB1 · #10 09-20-2021, 07:54 AM

I find it hard to believe that the OP has the little screw all the way to mic and gets an acceptable sound? On every guitar I've ever had with the Anthem SL, when the screw was all the way to the mic it was harsh and screetchy. Way too much highs. I would usually back it off from the mic until it stopped sounding harsh and not so much that it would start sounding muffled or boomy.

The Anthem SL is a great pickup, but that tiny screw setting is very important is getting a full sound.

Dothraki · #11 09-22-2021, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackB1

I find it hard to believe that the OP has the little screw all the way to mic and gets an acceptable sound? On every guitar I've ever had with the Anthem SL, when the screw was all the way to the mic it was harsh and screetchy. Way too much highs. I would usually back it off from the mic until it stopped sounding harsh and not so much that it would start sounding muffled or boomy.

The Anthem SL is a great pickup, but that tiny screw setting is very important is getting a full sound.

I’ve found that all the way to the mic side is closest sounding to what the guitar sounds like when unplugged. It’s not harsh or screetchy at all. I’m running it through an LR Baggs Synapse, also same setting when using the TCH Acoustic before the Synapse, sounds like a loud acoustic guitar. When I turn the the screw away to the USP side it loses most of that clear pure acoustic sound.