Pickup Blasphemy - recommendations wanted! (UPDATE)

[Morgan Colgarve]

I’ve just picked up a very nice used Larrivee D-03R this weekend for a great price. It’s everything I want in an acoustic - and quality used guitars at good prices are scare in Australia.

It’s in great condition and plays and sounds fantastic but.... someone has installed a cheap Cherub GTone GT-6 preamp (with reverb and chorus included!!!) in it. Actually cut a hole in the side of the guitar AND below the strap button for the input/battery. Unbelievable. It’s not a deal breaker as the guitar is awesome,

But I d like to earmark a nicer preamp/pickup to put in it (my comparison is my fishman aura in my Martin GPCPA3. Most of the good ones have controls mounted in the sound hole which will leave me with a great big hole in the top.

Can I still buy a decent top mounted Preamp (bonus points for a mic blend control)? Thanks for any suggestions!!

[kcnbys]

What about an LR Baggs Stage Pro Anthem??

https://www.fullcompass.com/prod/242...tem-with-tuner

[Morgan Colgarve]

Yes that looks like the ideal fit but is very pricey! I wonder if there are any cheaper options?

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Morgan Colgarve

…Can I still buy a decent top mounted Preamp (bonus points for a mic blend control)? Thanks for any suggestions!!

Hi Morgan…

Of course, including a Fishman if I remember right. It's the Fishman Presys Blend 301 - model (for the preamp, mic and pickup). It's a drop in the side-mount style. You'd want the 301 not the 201.

Ebay has them for under $20 (some from China for under $15). It's an older design which sounds fine. My 1999 Taylor 714ce (Rosewood Cedar) had the presys dual source in it. The mic is built into the underside of the side-mount unit, and some people sell them with the Fishman Undersaddle pickup. This was prior to Taylor installing their own pickup system. My gigging partner bought my 714ce, and sometimes still uses it. It sounds just fine.

Sweetwater sells it for $200, but it's the same unit Ebay sells for under $20 (new). Be sure not to order one from a seller from Asia, but on that's USA based.

[martingitdave]

The Fishman Aura Pro system would make that a perfect gig guitar. You can audition a bunch of dreadnought images and find one that works for your guitar.

[Marshall]

If the Chrub has a piezo UST pickup, I'd get a ToneDexter and turn off all the preamp effects and let the ToneDexter shape your sound. Just use the Chrub for volume control.

[Morgan Colgarve]

OK - so here is where I’m at.

The Cherub GT-6 in the Larrivee was unusable. The effects were cool in it but even at the lowest setting it was too hot of a signal. Like the preamp was overloading. I pulled it outta see if there was some sort of trim pot but nope.

My quality options were the Fishman Aura Pro or the L.R. Baggs Anthem. These are uber expensive to buy (close to what I paid for the guitar)
I could get a cheaper drop in pre amp but I’m not wanting to make any more cutouts in the guitar unless it’s for a permanent solution)


I have a little martin with the small Fishman Isys pre in it. The hole in my Larrivee was small, so I just swapped the Isys into it (I’ll just order an OEN Isys to put back in the MArtin). I modified the input to use the original Cherub one.

It still has the typical piezo sound but has cost me nothing at this stage and it at least works! I’ll just wait until I find a cheap used L.R. Baggs anthem or Fishman Aura Pro side mount to put in it.

[cdkrugjr]

So an Active piezo...

Have you tried something like a Baggs Para DI that has a gain rolloff?

There's also things like the Align preamp that's geared to correcting piezo quack.

With an active piezo, I might start with a good quality DI just to see what the baseline tone was. If the signal's as hot as you say, even something like a Radial Pro might work.

I think the keys will be, first, getting the gain structure where it needs to be and second, some acoustic-oriented EQ.

There are literally Dozens of manufacturers making pretty much that. Look at ten folks stage rigs, you'll see twenty variations.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Morgan Colgarve

Yes that looks like the ideal fit but is very pricey! I wonder if there are any cheaper options?

It sounds to me like you already have that.

If it was mine I'd leave the existing stuff in it to fill the holes, cut all the wires, install a solid saddle where the UST was, and add a K&K Pure Mini. You then can add an external pre or anything else your heart desires as time and money permit. In the meantime you'll bypass all that ugliness and have a great sounding transducer without all the built-in Pac rim hole-filling nastiness.

[Morgan Colgarve]

OK here's what I've ended up doing.

I swapped out the crappy cherub preamp with one from a little martin. The neat Fishman Isys. Unfortunately the under saddle piezo sounded garbage.

I only had a couple of options for decent side mount pre's. These were too expensive.

I ended up getting a K& K Pure Mini and installing the jack where the battery box is for the old pickup. I'm using the Fishman as a tuner only, just connected via battery and the under saddle pickup.

Thew K&K sounds soooo much more natural. Nothing is over hyped. I'll give it a good run this week.

I think this is a good outcome. No more cutting/drilling required. I have a nice pickup and only have to glance down a the little fisherman Isys when I tune

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by Morgan Colgarve

OK - so here is where I’m at.

The Cherub GT-6 in the Larrivee was unusable. The effects were cool in it but even at the lowest setting it was too hot of a signal. Like the preamp was overloading. I pulled it outta see if there was some sort of trim pot but nope.

My quality options were the Fishman Aura Pro or the L.R. Baggs Anthem. These are uber expensive to buy (close to what I paid for the guitar)
I could get a cheaper drop in pre amp but I’m not wanting to make any more cutouts in the guitar unless it’s for a permanent solution)


I have a little martin with the small Fishman Isys pre in it. The hole in my Larrivee was small, so I just swapped the Isys into it (I’ll just order an OEN Isys to put back in the MArtin). I modified the input to use the original Cherub one.

It still has the typical piezo sound but has cost me nothing at this stage and it at least works! I’ll just wait until I find a cheap used L.R. Baggs anthem or Fishman Aura Pro side mount to put in it.

How about a quality film piezo UST with a lower output which won't overdrive the preamp? David Enke at Open To Source Sensors makes great USTs which you can simply thread up into the saddle slot. (If the access hole through the bridgeplate is perpendicular to the saddle slot, you'll want to use a file to smooth the edge of the hole a bit so it won't harm the pickup.) David can also put a 2.5mm plug on the pickup lead if that's how the Cherub pickup is being connected to the preamp.

https://opentosourcesensors.com/enke-designs

[Morgan Colgarve]

Originally Posted by guitaniac

How about a quality film piezo UST with a lower output which won't overdrive the preamp? David Enke at Open To Source Sensors makes great USTs which you can simply thread up into the saddle slot. (If the access hole through the bridgeplate is perpendicular to the saddle slot, you'll want to use a file to smooth the edge of the hole a bit so it won't harm the pickup.) David can also put a 2.5mm plug on the pickup lead if that's how the Cherub pickup is being connected to the preamp.

https://opentosourcesensors.com/enke-designs

Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve already pulled the cherub out and have superglued the pure mini in. I reckon this will be they way I stay for now.