Baggs M80 -- Move It?

[Brent Hahn]

Just lately I've been noticing that in standing situations my picking hand is bit further forward than it is when I sit. So I've been moving the Baggs one way or the other so I won't whack it with the pick (which that particular pickup hears to a distressing degree). Anyone else do that? It doesn't seem to affect the sound much.

[noledog]

In my long experience with mags including the M1A, M80 and my current fav the DeArmond Tone Boss; I actually reverse the pickup to the rear part of the sound hole because:

1) I play towards the front end of the sound hole.
2) The harmonics, (which I do a lot of), are so much richer… think, the front pickup in a LP or Strat lose the 5th fret harmonics, same with a mag at the forward end of soundhole.
3) The tone is less mid-honky and has a flatter, more even sounding response.
4) On the Tone Boss, it’s easier to see and adjust volume wheel.
5) I prefer the tone this way, plus I slant the pickup a hair similar to the back pickup in a Strat because it moves the hotter B and E poles out from being directly under the respective strings… the added bonus to this is that when I bend the 1st and 2nd strings, they get louder in the bend instead of weaker which sounds great when riffing which I do a bunch of. In addition it brings the 6th and 5th string in better alignment over the poles on my guitar and the slightly forward position lends itself to a warmer, better bass since it’s under more string vibration.

This may not be for everyone but it’s worth a try and it works great for me. You do have to readjust the pole pieces though but it’s a good experiment that I enjoyed and resulted in better tone etc…

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

Just lately I've been noticing that in standing situations my picking hand is bit further forward than it is when I sit. So I've been moving the Baggs one way or the other so I won't whack it with the pick (which that particular pickup hears to a distressing degree). Anyone else do that? It doesn't seem to affect the sound much.

The Mojotone pickups talk back (when struck) also. Pickups which are designed to be both a magnetic pickup and a soundboard pickup can be problematic. I envy your ability to work around the problem by changing the pickup placement. My floating hand style of picking, using a thumb and three fingers, covers the entire soundhole and a bit of the fretboard. (I only realized this upon studying a performance video.) As a consequence, I’ve had to opt for combining a conventional mag with an iBeam SBT. I had to give up on a Baggs M1 and a Mojotone passive. I also found that I couldn’t use the onboard mic with the MiSi Magpie Air. That mic also complained about direct strikes on the pickup.

[Brent Hahn]

I've decided I'm done with trying to maneuver around the M80. Or at least I want to be. Ordered up a Baggs Hifi. We'll see.