LR Baggs Lyric Review

[AeroUSA]

[Petty1818]

Nice review! The Lyric is still one of my favourite pickups in terms of tone and overall feel. I remember installing it in my Taylor and just playing plugged in, in my basement for an hour without even wanting to tweak the tone. The downside? The lack of bottom end. It's not necessarily a lack of bottom end, it just doesn't enhance it.

I used the Lyric a few times on very loud stages with floor monitors, four musicians and to a noisy crowd of 400+ and never experienced feedback. It was a Taylor so not overly bass heavy, but I was never worried about feedback.

The odd thing is, I like the Lyric far more than the tru-mic in the Anthem even though they are the same. I know the Lyric is hitting all frequencies so there are differences, but just an observation.

[SpruceTop]

I wonder if LR Baggs has improved the Lyric and its preamp from when I first had the system back circa 2013? I tried the system in two large guitars while routing it through an LR Baggs Venue DI and couldn't really get the tone to how I wanted it to sound. Maybe, it's worth another go, especially now that I have a FELiX 2 to try to make things happen?

[SpruceTop]

As a follow-up, the amplified tone of my current Huss & Dalton TD-R with LR Baggs IBeam Active reminds me of how the Lyric sounded back when I had the system in a Larrivee D-04 "The Spruce Model," and in a Taylor 528 First Edition: lack of strong bass frequency capture and kind of trebly. Perhaps, the Lyric is best suited to smaller guitars that have less bass punch and resonance and whose overall frequency response the Lyric is able to more faithfully capture. By the way, the LR Baggs IBeam Active is coming out of my Huss & Dalton TD-R when I decide what else I want to try in it.

[jamison162]

You sure you didn't eq that take? I've tried the Lyric personally; and all the clips I've heard, I've never heard the Lyric by itself sound that "balanced" if you will...or full, with that much low end.

[ssstewart]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

As a follow-up, the amplified tone of my current Huss & Dalton TD-R with LR Baggs IBeam Active reminds me of how the Lyric sounded back when I had the system in a Larrivee D-04 "The Spruce Model," and in a Taylor 528 First Edition: lack of strong bass frequency capture and kind of trebly. Perhaps, the Lyric is best suited to smaller guitars that have less bass punch and resonance and whose overall frequency response the Lyric is able to more faithfully capture. By the way, the LR Baggs IBeam Active is coming out of my Huss & Dalton TD-R when I decide what else I want to try in it.

the Fishman Powertap Infinity body sensor & undersaddles is very very nice and all around favorite. might be worthy of researching it further when you go shopping for new one for the Huss & Dalton Spruce Top.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by ssstewart

the Fishman Powertap Infinity body sensor & undersaddles is very very nice and all around favorite. might be worthy of researching it further when you go shopping for new one for the Huss & Dalton Spruce Top.

I have been wanting to try this pickup for quite some time, but they are just never in stock at Canadian dealers. I think I ordered mine two months ago and nothing yet. It sounds like an awesome pickup. I am assuming you have used it? What made you like it so much?

This video really impressed me. It's the only one out there that really did a good job of showcasing how each pickup sounds and also at various blend settings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qr7aNIMYCM

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

I have been wanting to try this pickup for quite some time, but they are just never in stock at Canadian dealers. I think I ordered mine two months ago and nothing yet. It sounds like an awesome pickup. I am assuming you have used it? What made you like it so much?

This video really impressed me. It's the only one out there that really did a good job of showcasing how each pickup sounds and also at various blend settings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qr7aNIMYCM

This video sounds great but he's using his fingers and a flatpick and not in an aggressive style which, IMHO, would make for a harsher recorded and amplified tone. Regardless of how this guitar and its system are being played, it would still sound as good as most pickup and preamp systems out there. As an aside, if I'd played only bare flesh and fingernails style I would have stopped investigating guitars and pickup/preamp systems back in 1980 when I bought a new Takamine lawsuit dreadnought with its palathetic pickup system/preamp. Even before that, I discovered that my 1978 Ovation Custom Legend sounded like it was mic'ed when played on fingerpicked songs and this was listening to a live pub cassette recording from the night before through a pair of my friend's Klipsch La Scala speakers. If a player doesn't use a flatpick, especially when using it to play moderately hard to aggressively, there's really not much need to go beyond a quality UST and onboard preamp system.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

This video sounds great but he's always using his fingers and not using an aggressive flatpicked strumming style which, IMHO, would make for a harsher recorded and amplified tone. Regardless of how this guitar and its system are being played, it would still sound as good as most pickup and preamp systems out there. As an aside, if I'd played only bare flesh and fingernails style I would have stopped investigating guitars and pickup/preamp system back in 1980 when I bought a new Takamine lawsuit dreadnought with its palathetic pickup system/preamp.

Did you watch the entire video by any chance? For all settings, he plays finger picking, plectrum picking and then strumming parts. I agree with you on finger picking sounding good with most pickups, that's why I liked that this demoer strummed a bit.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

Did you watch the entire video by any chance? For all settings, he plays finger picking, plectrum picking and then strumming parts. I agree with you on finger picking sounding good with most pickups, that's why I liked that this demoer strummed a bit.

Thanks, Scott, I initially thought he was using the edge of his thumb reinforced by his index finger but on closer examination, you're correct, it sure looks like he's using a flatpick at times. In all cases, even with his more aggressive strumming, he's not generating much force on the strings. I think the PowerTap system would be a good choice for you to try and I hope you get yours soon!

Please erase my initial comment and substitute my revised one as below in the quote area of your first reply to my comment. Thanks!

This video sounds great but he's using his fingers and a flatpick and not in an aggressive style which, IMHO, would make for a harsher recorded and amplified tone. Regardless of how this guitar and its system are being played, it would still sound as good as most pickup and preamp systems out there. As an aside, if I'd played only bare flesh and fingernails style I would have stopped investigating guitars and pickup/preamp systems back in 1980 when I bought a new Takamine lawsuit dreadnought with its palathetic pickup system/preamp. Even before that, I discovered that my 1978 Ovation Custom Legend sounded like it was mic'ed when played on fingerpicked songs and this was listening to a live pub cassette recording from the night before through a pair of my friend's Klipsch La Scala speakers. If a player doesn't use a flatpick, especially when using it to play moderately hard to aggressively, there's really not much need to go beyond a quality UST and onboard preamp system.

[mondoslug]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

The odd thing is, I like the Lyric far more than the tru-mic in the Anthem even though they are the same. I know the Lyric is hitting all frequencies so there are differences, but just an observation.

Yeah? Tell me about this, is it just that the Anthem is crossed over at a point. I mean they look exactly the same, I've installed both also....they are indeed the same though?

[Br1ck]

The Lyric remains the least favorite pickup I've ever owned. Little low end. AS part of an Anthem, it works fine.

[Monsum]

In my opinion the Lyric is the best pickup for strumming. For anything else there are better solutions - magnetic, SBT and dual source pickups.
But as I a mostly strummer, I've never been satisfied with anything I tried and that includes KK pure mini, Schatten HFN, LR Baggs M1, Anthem, Session VTC.
All these with combined with the finest preamps like Tonedexter, Fishman Aura, Fire-Eye Red-Eye, Fishman Platinum Pro.
And the Lyric on its own properly installed beats them all for this application.
That's my experience.

BTW thanks AeroUSA for the idea of sticking the Lyric volume control further inside the guitar so that a soundhole cover fits in without any alternation.

[Ravioli]

So, maybe a combination of Lyric and M1 could be a great solution.
Balance on the lyric side when strumming and on the M1 side when picking...