Acoustic pickup info please.

[Guitarrman]

Hi folks, this my first post so please be patient.
I have a ‘78 Heritage Yamaki complete with brass nut and bridge insert. A beautiful sounding guitar. I’m thinking of adding a pickup to it and need some input from those more experienced than I.
I’m not sure if an under saddle piezo, or a sound hole pickup would be better, or perhaps something like K & K triple mini (with sticky pads). I am pretty sure that it’s gonna stay mounted whatever I chose, so will also get it with an end pin fixture.
Thanx for any assistance, cheers, Bill

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Guitarrman

Hi folks, this my first post so please be patient.
I have a ‘78 Heritage Yamaki complete with brass nut and bridge insert. A beautiful sounding guitar. I’m thinking of adding a pickup to it and need some input from those more experienced than I.
I’m not sure if an under saddle piezo, or a sound hole pickup would be better, or perhaps something like K & K triple mini (with sticky pads). I am pretty sure that it’s gonna stay mounted whatever I chose, so will also get it with an end pin fixture.
Thanx for any assistance, cheers, Bill

If you're looking at mounting a K&K Pure Mini with tape I'd advise you to reconsider. Very few who have used tape are happy with the sound.

[shufflebeat]

I'm a little confused by the term, "bridge insert" but I'm assuming you're referring to a plastic saddle set into the bridge, as is the most common arrangement.

Pickup choice is dependent on several factors which will narrow your options considerably.

* Where do/will you play; home, folk club, noisy bar, stadium?
* What's your style; fleshy fingerstyle ballads, chord-thrasher?
* What kind of sound do you like; purely natural, Kurt Cobain unplugged?

Once you've considered these it will be clear what is totally inappropriate and what's left will be easier to choose from.

[Goat Mick]

I would go with a soundboard transducer pickup like the K&K Pure Mini (my personal preference is the JJB Prestige 330). With a brass saddle, I don't think you would get a very pleasant tone from an undersaddle pickup. A Baggs M80 soundhole pickup would work very well too, but I really think you'd be happier with an SBT.

[slooky]

A K&K is a passive pickup. I'd rather go with an active pickup. You will need something to get rid of the quack sound. With the K&K you would need something to boost the sound.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Guitarrman

Hi folks, this my first post so please be patient.
I have a ‘78 Heritage Yamaki complete with brass nut and bridge insert. A beautiful sounding guitar. I’m thinking of adding a pickup to it and need some input from those more experienced than I.
I’m not sure if an under saddle piezo, or a sound hole pickup would be better, or perhaps something like K & K triple mini (with sticky pads). I am pretty sure that it’s gonna stay mounted whatever I chose, so will also get it with an end pin fixture.
Thanx for any assistance, cheers, Bill

Hi Bill…
Of the choices you list, the K&K glued in (not taped in) is by far the most natural sounding, and can be used without a preamp (though it will sound better with a preamplifier).

Taped in, they sound like buzz saws…edgy and extremely thin. If it's staying in then glue it in so it sounds like it's supposed to.

The K&K tends to sound bassy, especially if the guitar has solid bass - that's what tone controls are for.

An inexpensive (but solid quality) ADI21 preamp from Behringer is under $40 at Sweetwater sound…CliCk and brings three way tone adjustment as well as sweepable mids, ground lift and XLR out capability to interface with PA systems and simultaneous ¼" out to amps. And it works with any guitar with internal pickup (or soundhole pickup, or under saddle pickup).

You just turn the blend all the way up, and tap the foot switch on (permanently), and it's good to go. Can use 9V batteries or the power supplies which feed all the guitar pedals out there.

Hope you find the pickup rig of your dreams.

[Bee-Folk'Oh]

Hi GuitarrMan
For acoustic Guitar I have experience with undersaddle piezo, contact piezo (k&k alike) and condenser mics. The best answer to transpose your "real"guitar sound into the pa system, in my opinion, is a mix between a Little condenser mic sound and the rest being transduced by a contact system. I actually found that using a soundhole preamp BELCAT IRIS-2 , combined with a 3transducer contact mic cabled in it's piezo plug makes a very good pickup system,cheap to purchase (70usd-ish) and reversibile as you don't need to drill any new cavity or hole, apart from that one for the jack exit.

[slowesthand]

I'm wondering if my my Fishman neo d. Passive sound hole pu.would benefit from the Behringer. preamp. Basically all I need is a volume and tone coñtrol.

[PJW648]

Originally Posted by Guitarrman

Hi folks, this my first post so please be patient.
I have a ‘78 Heritage Yamaki complete with brass nut and bridge insert. A beautiful sounding guitar. I’m thinking of adding a pickup to it and need some input from those more experienced than I.
I’m not sure if an under saddle piezo, or a sound hole pickup would be better, or perhaps something like K & K triple mini (with sticky pads). I am pretty sure that it’s gonna stay mounted whatever I chose, so will also get it with an end pin fixture.
Thanx for any assistance, cheers, Bill

Hello,

I would highly recommend looking at the Trance Amulet M -VT. I have been using Trance products for years since abandoning a dual source system (LR Baggs LB-6/Crown GLM-200). I currently am using the Phantom powered version in all my acoustics. While the phantom power requirement lends an added level of complexity, I like not having to worry about onboard battery life. The tone is remarkable and volume is not an issue.

Just my two cent’s

Paul

[SpruceTop]

Another recommendation for a Trance Amulet M-VT system for an active system. I have two of the Trance Amulet M-VT Phantom systems and they sound great.

For a passive system, I recommend a Dazzo system in the size recommended for your guitar. Contact Teddy Randazzo for his Dazzo size recommendation.

[Bluesdale]

+1 for the Dazzo. I've had all the others mentioned and the Dazzo sounds the best. Trance is right up there too if you don't mind the preamp and battery inside the guitar. No battery if you use the phantom system but you can't use any pedals with it...at least that's my understanding.

[Mandobart]

In my limited experience a piezoelectric soundboard transducer (SBT) like K&K, JJB or Dazzo delivers better sound than a piezoelectric under saddle pickup (UST). SBT's don't require drilling through the bridge and top to run the signal lead through as well.

Something to match the high output impedance of the piezo should be used either way. I prefer passive pickups with an active external preamp over internal preamps. Easier to change batteries, less parts inside the guitar to get loose, rattle or leak, can be used on multiple instruments, easier to upgrade and more.

I've only used JJB and K&K over the past 15 years and in around 2 dozen instruments, mostly JJB. They've worked for me.

[Goat Mick]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

In my limited experience a piezoelectric soundboard transducer (SBT) like K&K, JJB or Dazzo delivers better sound than a piezoelectric under saddle pickup (UST). SBT's don't require drilling through the bridge and top to run the signal lead through as well.

Something to match the high output impedance of the piezo should be used either way. I prefer passive pickups with an active external preamp over internal preamps. Easier to change batteries, less parts inside the guitar to get loose, rattle or leak, can be used on multiple instruments, easier to upgrade and more.

I've only used JJB and K&K over the past 15 years and in around 2 dozen instruments, mostly JJB. They've worked for me.

I have come full circle back to JJB pickups in 2 of my gigging guitars, the 3rd one has a Baggs M80. The JJB pickups sound very good and natural but at very high volumes I get a "whomp" whenever my hand hits the bridge while playing. Fortunately I don't have those high volume gigs very often so it's not an issue, but whenever I know I'm going to be playing loud I bring my 000-17 with the Baggs M80.

[Inyo]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

For a passive system, I recommend a Dazzo system in the size recommended for your guitar.

Surely the poster jests.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Inyo

Surely the poster jests.

Huh? I've had good experiences with two self-installed Dazzo pickup systems in Larrivee dreadnoughts. Is your Dazzo experience different from mine?