Most natural-sounding acoustic guitar pickups

[martingitdave]

A lot of acoustic/traditional musicians use the K&K trinity with external preamp. The benefits of this system and good sound and little or no change to your instrument.

If you’re a stage performer who plugs in frequently the Anthem is very popular. The benefit is that you can plug into just about anything and it has less feedback susceptibility. The Anthem can degrade the acoustic tone and volume of your guitar. Some report no degradation, however.

[mondoslug]

You're gonna get so many answers, "replicate my guitar's tone as much as possible" I mean most people here are looking for that. My 2 cents, you got Jake Workman, monstrous player with Skaggs, K &K Trinity System, you got Shaun Richardson with Sierra Hull, she's got a drummer, he's a killer player with a Baggs Anthem SL but he also uses a mini condenser. I'd try the Baggs HiFi, don't have to mess with the saddle, easy install. If you hate it you're out a couple of hundred dollars & you didn't screw with the saddle or set up and you move on. Good luck!

[waterlooz]

I dig the Mojotone NC-2 for solo/duo settings. The drawbacks for me are that it can click if you make contact with it, but as a fingerstylist first, it’s a non issue for me. The second is having something in the sound hole with a cord coming out but that said, I think they sound great and I appreciate that they come out when not gigging too. I have a K&K, an ES-2, a Fishman Blackstack, and I have an old Fman Rare Earth, but pound for pound, I always prefer the tonality of my NC-2 in my guitars.

It’s all subjective so I hope you have a blast trying them all out!

[Groberts]

Here is a sound clip of the Baggs HiFI Pickup in my Collings D1T. I recorded this from my iPhone 13 Max on the mic stand at a a gig I played today.
Collings D1T Amplified sound - A snippet from my gig today. Excuse the wonky lighting. The LED lights at the venue were set to a wonky yellow color.

[jtacoustic]

Plenty of good information here already so I'll just keep my comment simple...

It all comes down to required volume and feedback control.

If you need a lot of stage volume, consider the Anthem or a sound hole pickup. If you are playing in modestly amplified situations, the K&K or James May is terrific.

Having a preamp that allows you to shape the sound and dial out feedback inducing frequencies is also critical. A low pass filter can really help.

Also, your proximity to the amp/monitors will be critical if you choose systems like the K&K. My experience is that you will want as much distance as possible between the guitar and the amp.

Finally, a sound hole cover can help.

[RussellHawaii]

For my 2¢, I recommended a K&K mini, a passive SBT type pickup. Use a preamp unless going into an ‘acoustic amp’ ( still my favorite oxymoron.)
When used into a preamp or acoustic amp, it’s a fairly natural sound, ultra reliable, and most importantly, there is no battery involved; it’s always ready to go. A battery adds noticeable weight to a light acoustic, and will eventually fail on you at an inconvenient time, guaranteed. If neglected long enough it will cause a real mess also.
If you’re playing stadiums or high volume bars, I defer to those who say they know. (I would use a magnetic pickup in those situations for ultimate feedback resistance.)
For acoustic-y situations I love the K&K after having had about a dozen of them installed.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by Andood

Hi Guitar Enthusiasts,

I am looking to get a pickup installed on my Bourgeois. I play a lot of bluegrass and I am a singer-songwriter. I will be going into the studio next month and I play gigs. I am looking for a pickup that can replicate my guitar's tone as much as possible. I was looking at the LR Baggs Anthem and the K&K Trinity System. Does anyone have any recommendations or opinions regarding these two systems or any pickup you prefer? Thank you

Well, I've seen an awful lot of bluegrass players and singer/songwriters just use a stage mic' for their guitar. You won't get better sound than simply mic'ing the guitar, in the studio or on stage. It has limitations, but until you find them yourself I wouldn't even consider fitting a p/u. Plugging in has become the norm; but, personally, I think that folks are too quick to dismiss simply using a stage mic'.

I recognise that I'm in a minority here on AGF - it seems folks want to spend a fortune on pick-ups and their signal chain to get the natural sound out through a p/a that you could easily get with a mic'. I expect that there are a lot of acoustic guitar players who have always plugged in at gigs and never even tried to play a gig with just a stage mic'.

I played and sang at a concert tonight at a hotel. There were 60+ in the audience. I fingerpicked a 000 size guitar. There was no p. a. at all - voice and guitar were purely acoustic. And it all worked just fine - everyone could hear both guitar and voice.

[stevecuss]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Well, I've seen an awful lot of bluegrass players and singer/songwriters just use a stage mic' for their guitar. You won't get better sound than simply mic'ing the guitar, in the studio or on stage. It has limitations, but until you find them yourself I wouldn't even consider fitting a p/u. Plugging in has become the norm; but, personally, I think that folks are too quick to dismiss simply using a stage mic'.

I recognise that I'm in a minority here on AGF - it seems folks want to spend a fortune on pick-ups and their signal chain to get the natural sound out through a p/a that you could easily get with a mic'. I expect that there are a lot of acoustic guitar players who have always plugged in at gigs and never even tried to play a gig with just a stage mic'.

I played and sang at a concert tonight at a hotel. There were 60+ in the audience. I fingerpicked a 000 size guitar. There was no p. a. at all - voice and guitar were purely acoustic. And it all worked just fine - everyone could hear both guitar and voice.

I totally agree with this - the only reason to add pickup is if an external mic won't work for your needs or environment. I play with acoustic drums, electric guitar and bass and thus need a pickup, but I agree with this poster - many fine bluegrass musicians and bands have mastered the skill of external mic playing. It is the simplest and also best sound option. But once you get a lot of stage volume from the band, or if you struggle to stay still and work an external mic, that triggers a need for a pickup.

[JimLin]

I agree that mics sound the best. I can't imagine trying to use a Mic only without a dedicated soundman.

As a reference... When I saw Allison Kraus and the Union Station, they used mics with the instruments ...but they were also using pickups at the same time.

[Peter Z]

Originally Posted by JimLin

I agree that mics sound the best. I can't imagine trying to use a Mic only without a dedicated soundman.

As a reference... When I saw Allison Kraus and the Union Station, they used mics with the instruments ...but they were also using pickups at the same time.

Yes they always did this. But I read, they use the pickups for live sound and the mics for recording.

[mondoslug]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Andood…
I'm a K&K guy (have the Pure mini and mic in 5 acoustics).

These days I'm using a ToneDexter so I'm only using the Pure Mini parts, but left the mic in as a backup (and have two great dual-source preamps).

'Natural' sounding is a phrase that doesn't mean the same thing to everyone. And the reality is when we say we're looking for a pickup that sounds natural, we actually want it to sound natural TO US, through every PA system or any amp we choose.

K&K Pure Mini sounds so much more like an acoustic than any mag pickup or under saddle I've every player/heard. For me the addition of the internal mic as the second source usually meant I had the best sounding acoustic at the gigs.

It was so good, that I just never worried about how I sounded out front. If I'm sounding as good or better than the other players, then my electrified acoustic will not be a distraction, and it's likely it will not sound detrimentally 'electrified'.

You can spend more or less than on a Pure Mini (JJB sells a less expensive, but NOT identical system). I've tried them and they work ok in a $300 guitar, but in my hand made guitars I'm looking for:

• Stronger signal (less electronic noise)
• Balanced bass (others are more bassy)
• Mellow tone versus sharp tone

K&K has done that for me for going on 2 decades now…

I can't say two decades, I can say about a month & it didn't do it for me. but this is what makes the world go around, as much as I didn't care for it, I will most likely try one again at some point.

[6L6]

After trying about everything out there, I followed a friend's recommendation for the K&K. All of my acoustics are now so equipped.

However...

I sit when I play and I've gone to micing my guitar. Fact is, nothing is going to sound as good as micing. Sad, but true.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by 6L6

After trying about everything out there, I followed a friend's recommendation for the K&K. All of my acoustics are now so equipped.

However...

I sit when I play and I've gone to micing my guitar. Fact is, nothing is going to sound as good as micing. Sad, but true.

This is true but maybe not sad? There simply isn’t a pickup out there that will sound as good as a mic. There are plenty that sound really good, but the physics are fairly rigid in this regard. I use a mic when it’s available.

[nitram]

There seems to be a lot of love being given to the new LR Baggs HiFi pu.
Anyone with experience wish to chime in?

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by nitram

There seems to be a lot of love being given to the new LR Baggs HiFi pu.
Anyone with experience wish to chime in?

It sounds good in my two Larrivee dreadnought installations but I hear some distortion when playing moderately aggressively and harder with a flat pick. Other users of the Hifi have also mentioned some distortion in its tone when playing a bit aggressively. If you're a finger picker (fingerstylist) you'll probably love the LR Baggs HiFi!