WOW!!! My Old Friend Is Back!!!

[jseth]

I can't believe the change in my Mark Angus F-40 (1979)!

For the past 8 years, I've had the Anthem SL pickup system in the guitar, and I have said, MANY TIMES, on these pages and elsewhere, how much that pickup impacted both the tone and the volume of this guitar that I've played for the past 41 years...After a few years, I guess I "sort of" convinced myself that I didn't really lose that much volume and the tone didn't really change that much... heck, I'm 69 years old and I even began to question my own hearing and perception of the sound of that guitar...

Well, I'm in the process of simplifying, getting down to one 6 string acoustic guitar (along with my 12 string acoustic and my electric)... reasoning being that I just want one of each and that's plenty for me... so, I had the Anthem pickup taken out of the Angus today and had it set up...

Good Gravy!!! It sounds SO spectacular and so much like I remembered!!! Both the tone and volume are "back" where I thought they should be. It is really like having an old friend "back in the fold"... at least until he goes to his new home in a month or so...

I will NEVER have anything soft and squishy under the saddle on any of my guitars, ever again! I have been accurate the whole way along... the Anthem is positively a TONE KILLER!!! (Sorry, Lloyd, but that's the truth of it...)

[Ncbandit]

I noticed an improvement also when pulling out the under saddle pick up on my PRS so I pulled them on all my acoustics. I don't play plugged in anyways and record with a condenser mic. Don't need it, gotta go.

[Pura Vida]

Glad you're old friend found its voice again! I've had mixed experiences with UST pickups, understanding that the Anthem is a hybrid solution. On at least two occasions, it was an absolute tone killer. I don't have electronics in most of my guitars, but if I add them, it will probably be with K&K (or JJB) pickups.

[Parlorman]

I prefer my acoustic guitars acoustic. Glad you got your old friend back.

[Goodallboy]

It's long been known that anything under the saddle is a tone dampener.

Sorry you went so long in that situation.

[Bluesra]

I've been debating taking the under saddle pickup ( braided metal piezo type anyone have any experience? ) out of my new guild, I leaning towards giving it a try.

Glad to hear it makes a noticable difference.

[llew]

Exactly why I use the K&K mini in all my guitars. And I don't like all there associated hardware inside the guitar. Win/win in my book. There when I need it and invisible otherwise.

[SuperB23]

I too agree, The Baggs Lyric or the K&K Pure Mini are my too favorites because of this. The less pickup in the guitar the better. A lot of my favorite builders recommend this same thing like Froggy Bottom and Goodall.

I think there's a place for UST pickups but usually in pretty large venues with really really high volumes.

[Goodallboy]

My playing partner and I both use Baggs Lyric pickups.

Great acoustic tone in any setting.

[jaymarsch]

Congrats on getting your old friend back. I have a Baggs Lyric installed in my Alvarez parlor and it works fine but I probably wouldn't have it put in either of my higher end guitars. My other guitars have always had pick ups in them and I wouldn't even know what they sounded like without. Makes me wonder since I hardly perform at all these days.

Best,
Jayne

[jseth]

Originally Posted by SuperB23

I too agree, The Baggs Lyric or the K&K Pure Mini are my too favorites because of this. The less pickup in the guitar the better. A lot of my favorite builders recommend this same thing like Froggy Bottom and Goodall.

I think there's a place for UST pickups but usually in pretty large venues with really really high volumes.

Funny, I never noticed a discernable impact from any of the "hard" UST's I've used in the past... the LB-6 or the Fishman Acoustic Natural Matrix... but the Anthem's UST, the Element, absolutely jacked around with both the volume, resonance and tone of that Angus of mine...

When I first had it put in, I was in Fort Bragg. At the time, James Goodall was putting Anthem pickups in a LOT of his new guitars. I took the Angus with the Anthem SL down to his shop and played it for him, and he was aghast! "What happened to your guitar?!!"...

We talked about what the cause might be; I argued strongly that it was the soft, braided UST Element, but he suspicioned that it might be the True-Mic hanging off the bridge plate...

In any case, he stopped recommending the Anthem system to his clientele, and, on my recommendation, began using the K&K PW Mini... a few of his buyers REALLY wanted the Anthem, so he put it in their guitars, but he horrified that his amazing guitars had been sent out of the shop with those pickups installed...

Of course, if you never heard the guitar WITHOUT the thing in there, you'd never really know, would you?

I played that guitar for hours last night... realized that, along with the tone and volume being altered, the resonance and response was also diminished.

Now, it's as though some "sonic sock" had been removed from the guitar!!!

[Mbroady]

Glad you got your friend back. i have a love hat relationship with the Anthem. Love the plugged in sound, but hate what it does to the plugged in sound.

[MakingMusic]

For me, that's why I have an acoustic guitar. If I want a pickup, I play my Les Paul. Good to have found your old friend again.

[Dru Edwards]

jseth, glad to hear that you noticed the difference. I played your Mark Angus about 5 years ago and I remember it sounded great (as did all your guitars).

I read another thread that you're downsizing. Are you keeping your Angus 6 and 12 strings and the Gibson (335)?

[MrDB]

I have the Baggs Anthem in my Eastman E5SS. It's my gigging guitar so if it affects the acoustic tone that's not a deal breaker for me as I have 2 other pure acoustics I can play.

If I only had one guitar I'd probably not do it.