Magnetic Pickup Recommenations

[Mooh]

I really like the Fishman Rare Earth humbuckers (must be stacked as they have a singlecoil footprint). I have them in three guitars, a laminate mahogany Weissenborn copy, an S&P all solid mahogany folk, and a Beneteau rosewood/spruce.

An LR Baggs (M1 I think) is in a mahogany/spruce House guitar. It's been good as well, I like the adjustable poe pieces.

I like to use a passive DI and a volume pedal between the guitar and the amp or PA.

[BluesKing777]

Originally Posted by meb

I own the AG6, Black Angel, M80, and M1 Passive. You can get good sound
from all of them. My personal ranking for sound is AG6 > BA > M80 > M1P.

All can be used with an endpin harness OR a 1/8" mini-plug external cord.
So, that makes them all non-invasive plug-in and unplug options

For the OPs needs, The downside for the AG6 is the cumbersome clamping system..ymmv. I would rather deal with the screw-in systems of the others.
The downside of the BA (and M1P) is that they are passive. Output is
reasonably high on both, but you may want/need a preamp.

Though the others imho sound better, the flexibility of the Active/Passive
M80 make it a strong option.

Michael

Thanks Michael.


Could you tell us more about the Schertler AG6 clamping and what you don't like..... I have damaged a guitar soundhole or 2 with pickups. And, do you need to buy another 1/8" lead - the one on the Schertler site is for installing in the endpin area and has exposed parts. Sorry, sounds rude but...



BluesKing777.

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by BluesKing777

Thanks Michael.





Could you tell us more about the Schertler AG6 clamping and what you don't like..... I have damaged a guitar soundhole or 2 with pickups. And, do you need to buy another 1/8" lead - the one on the Schertler site is for installing in the endpin area and has exposed parts. Sorry, sounds rude but...







BluesKing777.

The AG-6 uses thumb-wheels which tighten the pickup in from below. I guess they did this so that you could put the pickup in temporarily without tools. The problem is you have to reach way into the soundhole with your fingers, and to do that you have to get the strings far enough out of the way to make room for your fingers. The pickup itself is very light and the installation seems secure enough if you tighten it properly between string changes or with the strings almost completely loosened. I don’t see it being a system that would damage your guitar.

Yes, the leads are exposed at the inside of the endpin jack, but I don’t think that is a big deal. The same connection on the LR Baggs endpin cable is heat shrink covered, and then covered with a screw on casing. On the plus side, the Schertler cable seems to hold a guitar strap more easily and securely on the outside. The cable is shorter so it doesn’t drop down and rattle against the inside of the guitar. Not that that was a real problem. The TRS to TRS connections are the same.

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by M Hayden

Also, as others have noted, adjustable pole pieces are necessary most of the time. On the Sunrise, the B string pole has to be sunk deep to reduce the dominance of that note, at least on some instruments.

I find the string to string audio balance on the magnetic side of the pickup to be better than what I could achieve with the adjustable pole pieces on the M1, M80 or FS-1.

[meb]

To Bluesking777

I think lkingston nicely summed up the issues with the clamping system.
I usually loosen both E strings for installation if strings are installed. I
was able to get a pretty good install when I changed strings, and it has
held secure since then. Maybe I am making too much of an issue
of this. It is not horrible, and has not kept the AG-6 from being my pickup of
choice.

I swap pickups frequently and have never had a problem damaging the
guitar soundhole with any of them. I don't see why the Schertler clamp should be any different from the screw type in that area.

I use the Baggs M1C2 harness rather that the one that came with the
Schertler, so I have no comments on the 'exposed parts'. I did spend the
$20 for the 1/8" mini plug to 1/4" cable that hangs out the soundhole.
It is TRS, whereas the ones from Baggs and Dimarzio are TS.

Lastly, I love the 1/8" mini plug in the AG6, BA, Skysonic and Baggs
pickups. It makes experimentation much easier. I think Fishman, SD, and
others are missing the boat on this. I would be happy to try their wares if
they were compatible.

Hope this helps.

[BluesKing777]

Thanks Ikingston and Meb.

Like I said earlier, the easiest I have to chuck in the soundhole is the Fishman Neo-D Humbucker. I don’t like the sound direct, at all, but breaking the rules and plugging it into my Tonedexter using a ‘35 L50 wavemap I made is pretty nice. Cool! Also get the DI, gain, vol, tone....the level is poor on its own, but in a nice preamp......zap. But while I get to use the guitar I want at the time, err, the sound is......nothing like the guitar sound.

So I bought the older Fishman REB and really like the sound with 70% mic to 30 mag. But the unit is wide and hard to install, made harder by the mic boom beng way too long. This has been addressed in the new model REB, but I have had my mic boom caught on a brace and it has put me off using on anything expensive! And the little S Mic on the Schertler caught my eye exactly because of the REB.



BluesKing777.

[lkingston]

The Fishman REB Mic is directional and it matters how you point it on that little gooseneck. The Schertler S-Mic is omni so it is on a fixed straight piece since the exact direction doesn’t matter.

[rschultz]

M80 is fantastic for a mag. The body sensing feature really warms up the magnetic-ness of it.

[BluesKing777]

Well, I ordered the Schertler mag and mic combo - someone bought the last one in a shop locally, so being quite hard to find, I have one coming from Europe...sometime? It was a close call between the Schert, the M80 and the new REB with shorter mic boom...., but I think I will enjoy the Schert with the little mic. A guitar or 2 that have never been electrified here may just be coming out of their cases..........a Lowden and a Martin Authentic! Them clamps better not leave dents!

Thanks for the posts, everyone. That M80 could still happen for Xmas?

BluesKing777.

[noledog]

Best wishes BK, look forward to your follow-up...for those purchasing a Baggs M80, our forum sponsor Pacific Guitar Sales has the best deal imo, give Jerry a call or msg; another friend of mine just got one from him for his new D28. He also carries the rebranded version by Takamine called the Triax in black vs the creamy ivory which I prefer.

[lkingston]

Duplicate post: deleted.