#1
|
|||
|
|||
Used Baggs Element VTC?
Saw a used Baggs Element VTC on Reverb.com for a good price and I'm tempted. It's listed as mint and was supposedly removed from a new J45. No returns, though. Anyone taken a chance on something like this and if so anything to watch out for? I've had good luck on Reverb so far. Thanks.
|
#2
|
|||
|
|||
I've bought three Element VTCs right here in the classifieds. I think the most I ever paid was $60.
They come up fairly often because they are removed from guitars that have them installed as factory stock pickups. I would never install one in a 6 string acoustic, but I use the Element as an under saddle pickup when building piezo-based short scale bass guitars. I had one in a guitar many years ago and I totally understand why a lot of players pull them immediately from their new guitars. There is a reason why they come up as "used - like new" so often in the classifieds. My point is that if you really want one you don't need to jump on a Reverb perceived bargain because they come up for sale fairly often. Last edited by Rudy4; 07-04-2022 at 06:30 PM. |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
I currently have the LR Baggs Element and the k&k Pure mini on my two guitars (I had the LR Bagss Athem before). There are notable differences between the two, but I don't think they are so notable as to uninstall the LR Bagss element by system on guitars that have it installed from the factory.
__________________
2023 Loef 00 13 fret 2018 Loef Dread SS 12 fret 1972 Yamaha FG-75 Red Label 2017 Kremona Romida rd-c |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Sorry, I expressed myself badly. In the Loef I have the k&k and in the McNally I have the Element.
I meant to say that a lot of people buy a guitar with the Element installed and quickly swap it out for another pickup.
__________________
2023 Loef 00 13 fret 2018 Loef Dread SS 12 fret 1972 Yamaha FG-75 Red Label 2017 Kremona Romida rd-c |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
There should be no issues with it if it’s just been removed from a new guitar. I’ve sold an element I removed from a guitar and the buyer was pleased with it.
__________________
http://www.Facebook.com/NickSpencerMusic Gibson Songwriter Standard EC Lowden WL-22 Maton SRS808 Taylor AD11-SB Taylor 811 GT Taylor Big Baby Walnut |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Seeing that many people uninstall it, do you consider that the LR baggs Element is a bad piezo pickup?
__________________
2023 Loef 00 13 fret 2018 Loef Dread SS 12 fret 1972 Yamaha FG-75 Red Label 2017 Kremona Romida rd-c |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
It's a decent UST pickup system that can sound good when dialed in for a particular guitar and playing situation. It seems to work well with the right Fishman Aura Image, too. Given my druthers, would I buy an LR Baggs Element Active system and install it in a guitar? Probably not given my experience with it having been factory-installed in several RainSong guitars, an Emerald guitar, and a Gibson J-45 Custom.
__________________
Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom Martin D-18/UltraTonic Adamas I 2087GT-8 Ovation Custom Legend LX Guild F-212XL STD Huss & Dalton TD-R Taylor 717e Taylor 618e Taylor 614ce Larrivee D-50M/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Sunburst Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom RainSong BI-DR1000N2 Emerald X20 Yamaha FGX5 Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2 |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
My McNally has it already installed by the luthier and the truth is, connected to my Loudbox mini it sounds very good. At the moment I don't think I'm going to remove it.
__________________
2023 Loef 00 13 fret 2018 Loef Dread SS 12 fret 1972 Yamaha FG-75 Red Label 2017 Kremona Romida rd-c |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
I've noticed that some of these pickups come with a flat control wheel housing while others have a larger brown plastic housing. Is there a difference? I'm guessing the larger housing is a newer model.....
|
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Baggs sent me the specs for replacing the volume and/or tone control with regular full sized CTS pots, so the basses I used them on had the full size CTS pot installed, as per photo. |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Thanks!
__________________
2023 Loef 00 13 fret 2018 Loef Dread SS 12 fret 1972 Yamaha FG-75 Red Label 2017 Kremona Romida rd-c |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Bottom line, you really need to trust your ears instead of relying strictly on the opinion of others with their own experiences. |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I can't answer why YOU thought (or think) is's a good piezo pickup. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" comes to mind, though. There are a lot of users who are perfectly happy with the Element, so you have to take that into account. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
The Element is a good piezo pickup. The problem is most of us really don't like the sound of an undersaddle piezo pickup. They have a relatively harsh and brittle tone with a bunch of "quack" so we generally lean to a soundboard transducer like a K&K, JJB, Schatten, etc., for an easy minimally invasive install.
__________________
'59 Gibson J-45 "Spot" '21 Gibson LG-2 - 50's Reissue '94 Taylor 710 '18 Martin 000-17E "Willie" ‘23 Taylor AD12e-SB '22 Taylor GTe Blacktop '15 Martin 000X1AE https://pandora.app.link/ysqc6ey22hb |