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  #16  
Old 06-15-2017, 03:07 PM
Woodstock School Of Music Woodstock School Of Music is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by larren View Post
Totally agree. I have a Tanglewood TW70 (all solid OM size) fitted with a Baggs Element, and also get consistently good comments on my sound, with a lot of guitarists asking what type of pickup I'm using.
The same thing happens here plugged straight in with very little adjustment and as splash of verb it sounds really good.
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  #17  
Old 06-15-2017, 03:14 PM
MrErikJ MrErikJ is offline
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I don't prefer the Element but it's a sensitive UST and is much more dynamic and responsive than many comparable models. I find that I prefer the cleanliness, power, and passive nature of the Baggs LB6 to the Element, but it is a very good piezo and the basis of Baggs' dual source systems these days.

I think it will sound very nice w/less heavy handed styles and I've known some people who have added the PUTW Quackbuster with great results. The DTar Wavelength is supposedly the same UST element (get it?) but with the Turner high-headroom pre-amp. Many claim the Wavelength reduces quack and distortion, others don't hear much of a difference. I'm in the latter as I think the compression of the element under a saddle can't be fixed w/a higher voltage preamp, hence my preference of the LB6.

Personally, I would say a passive-LB6 run into a good preamp is better than both but who am I to judge?
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  #18  
Old 06-15-2017, 06:18 PM
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I have an Element in my Gibson J29, and I don't love it on it's own either. I picked up a Fishman Aura 16 pedal and found a few images that really help the sound of that pickup.
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  #19  
Old 06-16-2017, 09:26 AM
akafloyd akafloyd is offline
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I actually like the Element. It's not perfect, it's not 'my guitar but louder', but it works well. I especially like that it makes it so my guitar fits in a mix of instruments and on its own it doesn't sound terrible (certainly not as bad as USTs used to sound). It's also plug and play simple into lots of different systems with small eq tweaks. I also haven't had any appreciable effect on my acoustic sound.
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  #20  
Old 06-16-2017, 01:43 PM
lmacmil lmacmil is offline
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Originally Posted by Flemish guy View Post
Recently I joined a new band where I play acoustic while the other guitarist plays electric. i bought a Gibson j-35 Collector's Edition with the Element installed for this purpose...
The sound I'm getting from this combination (just guitar straight into ch3 of the Jam) is Ok...
I was planning to change out the pickup but I'm not sure.
Don't waste your money. You're playing with a band, right? An electric guitar, bass and drums in addition to your guitar? No one is going to notice what pickup you are using and what's more, no one is going to care. They are listening to the music, not the individual instruments (or players). Now if you were playing solo, that's another story. FWIW, I am a fan of the Element and I use the MiSi which uses the Element transducer.
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  #21  
Old 06-16-2017, 02:06 PM
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The Element will kill your unplugged tone (because of the soft material it's made out of) so as long as you don't care about that, it may be an ok choice. Like many here - not a fan of any UST I've ever tried.
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  #22  
Old 06-17-2017, 06:17 AM
Flemish guy Flemish guy is offline
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Thanks for the replies guys!
Apologies for using the word 'consensus' on a guitar forum

Anyway there seems to be more love for the Element than I expected.
A lot of options and opinions that I'm going to explore, maybe I will just start with a good preamp with EQ.
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  #23  
Old 01-17-2019, 04:34 PM
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Hey folks, wanted to revive this older thread.

I just bought a new gorgeous Blueridge BR-160A and will eventually be adding a pickup. A buddy of mine is sending a Baggs Element for free.

I general despise all pickups and have for forty years. And this is coming from someone with two Trance Audio rigs in high-end guitars and Baggs Anthem, Baggs Lyric, etc., in others. In particular, I dislike USTs.

What might I do to make the Element sound better? Add a Lyric mic?

Appreciate your suggestions and insights.

scott memmer
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  #24  
Old 01-17-2019, 06:54 PM
Rudy4 Rudy4 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks View Post
Hey folks, wanted to revive this older thread.

I just bought a new gorgeous Blueridge BR-160A and will eventually be adding a pickup. A buddy of mine is sending a Baggs Element for free.

I general despise all pickups and have for forty years. And this is coming from someone with two Trance Audio rigs in high-end guitars and Baggs Anthem, Baggs Lyric, etc., in others. In particular, I dislike USTs.

What might I do to make the Element sound better? Add a Lyric mic?

Appreciate your suggestions and insights.

scott memmer
There are those who like the Element. I've installed a few of them in the past that went with guitars I've sold. A guitar I purchased several years ago had an Element and I pulled it and installed a K&K Pure Mini. Since then I've installed another 5 K&K Pure Minis for myself and others. They always meet my expectations.

I have recently purchased 3 Baggs Elements (used, from owners who pulled them and installed something else) to use in semi-acoustic fretless basses I've been building, and they sound great for that use. Not so much for guitar IMHO.
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  #25  
Old 01-17-2019, 08:24 PM
Captain Jim Captain Jim is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks View Post
Hey folks, wanted to revive this older thread.

I just bought a new gorgeous Blueridge BR-160A and will eventually be adding a pickup. A buddy of mine is sending a Baggs Element for free.

I general despise all pickups and have for forty years. And this is coming from someone with two Trance Audio rigs in high-end guitars and Baggs Anthem, Baggs Lyric, etc., in others. In particular, I dislike USTs.

What might I do to make the Element sound better? Add a Lyric mic?

Appreciate your suggestions and insights.

scott memmer
Hi, Scott. I have different pickups in each of my acoustics. An LR Baggs Element VTC in an Emerald X20, and I am very happy with the sound. As others have mentioned here, it is easy to control (no issue with feedback), but it is helpful to have a bit more EQ with it than just the tone control wheel. I have run it through a Fishman Loudbox, Bose L1C, and a Bose S1 - both Bose rigs have a Tonematch switch that takes care of that additional EQ when run direct. Most often, I run the guitar through a Play Acoustic, with just a bit of BodyRez.

I'm thinking you should give it a good try without a Lyric before investing in any other stuff. Oh, and free is a good price.
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  #26  
Old 01-17-2019, 08:33 PM
GuitarLuva GuitarLuva is offline
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The Baggs element UST is generally quacky like all the others of its type. There are those who despise it a little more because it tends to impact the unplugged tone of guitars due to the braided design. If you have access to a good acoustic amp, like the Fishman loudbox series for example, you can eliminate the quack really well. If you don't have access to an acoustic amp and are looking for a new preamp a Tonedexter will work well with it as it does with all UST's.
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  #27  
Old 01-17-2019, 11:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Jim View Post
Hi, Scott. I have different pickups in each of my acoustics. An LR Baggs Element VTC in an Emerald X20, and I am very happy with the sound. As others have mentioned here, it is easy to control (no issue with feedback), but it is helpful to have a bit more EQ with it than just the tone control wheel. I have run it through a Fishman Loudbox, Bose L1C, and a Bose S1 - both Bose rigs have a Tonematch switch that takes care of that additional EQ when run direct. Most often, I run the guitar through a Play Acoustic, with just a bit of BodyRez.

I'm thinking you should give it a good try without a Lyric before investing in any other stuff. Oh, and free is a good price.
Jim, hi, how ya been? Happy New Year.

Actually, this guitar would most likely get played at open mics, so it would just be going into a DI and then the PA, with little or no control from me. So I pretty much need something plug-and-play. Sounds like maybe not the best p/u for such a situation.

Thanks, Jim. Been too long.

scott
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  #28  
Old 01-17-2019, 11:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GuitarLuva View Post
The Baggs element UST is generally quacky like all the others of its type. There are those who despise it a little more because it tends to impact the unplugged tone of guitars due to the braided design. If you have access to a good acoustic amp, like the Fishman loudbox series for example, you can eliminate the quack really well. If you don't have access to an acoustic amp and are looking for a new preamp a Tonedexter will work well with it as it does with all UST's.
GL, thanks. Yes, that's been my impression and experience through the years. Appreciate your thoughts and post.

scott
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  #29  
Old 01-17-2019, 11:57 PM
GuitarLuva GuitarLuva is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks View Post
Actually, this guitar would most likely get played at open mics, so it would just be going into a DI and then the PA, with little or no control from me. So I pretty much need something plug-and-play. Sounds like maybe not the best p/u for such a situation.

scott
No, in this scenario it would not be a good choice. If you're looking for a cheaper pickup that sounds amazing try a Schatten HFN I've been raving about it for the last month.
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  #30  
Old 01-18-2019, 05:02 AM
zeeway zeeway is offline
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My Emerald X20 came factory equipped with a Baggs Element pickup that would give me random problems with a boomy low E string. I thought I had the problem solved when I found some unsecured internal wires...it improved but still came back. I could not EQ it out through my Fishman Loudbox amp without completely killing the lows. Perhaps if I were a better tech, I could have solved the problem by shaving the saddle, etc.

I replaced it with a K&K Pure Mini. Problem solved. I also believe the guitar sounds better unplugged now as well, with better tone and resonance.
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