Hidden Mag Pickups?

[bamaboy64]

Just installed a Lyric and like the highs and mids coming from it but the bass is definitely lacking. Would like to add a mag pickup to be able to blend those lows into the mix and for some feedback resistance. But I hate the way they look and the aesthetics. My Taylor ES1 has a hidden mag pickup in it and was just wondering if anyone knew of a similar hidden mag pickup that can be added to a guitar?

[SpruceTop]

The Shadow NanoMag adheres to the end of the fingerboard. It was a part of the dual-pickup system of my long-gone Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE VS - Vintage Sunburst with its Shadow ESonic2 Onboard System.

https://shadowelectronics.com/produc...2baf699f&_ss=r

Here are two simultaneously recorded demos: The first is the Shadow NanoMag/Shadow NanoFlex UST ESonic2 system evenly mixed by ear to what I thought sounded pretty good, and direct-to-computer recorded with all EQ Flat compared to the same guitar simultaneously-recorded with a Shure SM81 Small Condenser Mic with all EQ Flat. The guitar is in standard tuning for this Neil Young classic and played with a Guitar Moose .88 mm flatpick.

The following are from circa April 2019:

Here's the latest in my series of pickup/preamp to mic comparisons. This time, I'm featuring the Shadow eSonic2 Dual-Source NanoFlex UST/NanoMag System. These recordings are direct-to-computer with an equal onboard-guitar mix of NanoFlex UST and NanoMag end-of-fingerboard signals, and all EQ Flat, and No Effects or other enhancements other than Volume Normalization to bring the eSonic2 and mic signals into a closer balance for your listening comparison. For live performance, a more natural-sounding amplified tone can be achieved by manipulating the onboard mix of NanoFlex UST and NanoMag pickup signals, along with adjusting the excellent onboard EQ parameters of each pickup. IMHO, this Epiphone DR-500 ME VS/Shadow eSonic2 combination at about $800 USD with hardshell case isn't too bad a live-performance main-guitar or backup-guitar option! Thanks For Listening And Your Comments Are Welcome!






Here are my initial impressions of the Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE VS - Vintage Sunburst's onboard Shadow ESonic2 Pickup/Preamp system:
Both the NanoMag and NanoFlex string-to-string signal balances are even without any hot or cold strings in the mix of either pickup. The NanoMag, for a magnetic-based pickup, has a very nice tone but as you play up the fretboard, there is a more noticeable magnetic presence to the B and high-E strings--kind of like the Taylor ES1.1/1.2/1.3 magnetic-based systems or any acoustic-guitar magnetic pickup system. The NanoFlex UST sounds very much like most UST pickups in that there is a bit of brittleness in its signal but it also picks up top and body noise unlike some UST pickups which makes for a more mic-like amplified tone. The nice thing about the ESonic2 is that you can blend a mix of NanoMag and NanoFlex signals to suit your tastes and also adjust the EQ of each pickup. Overall, the Shadow ESonic2 Pickup/Preamp System is a professionally good, no fuss/no muss system for amplified sound, and it comes in a professionally adequate guitar with hardshell case for $828 USD.

The following are the generalities of my first impression of this guitar as posted earlier today in the General Acoustic Guitar Discussion section of AGF:

After receiving it Wednesday, I played my new Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE VS for the first time on Friday night and I'm pleased with both its acoustic and plugged-in tone. For $828, including a nice Epiphone EDREAD hardshell case, this guitar IMHO is a real bargain and a professional-level instrument that would be a good backup ax in case a player's main guitar should malfunction.

With its solid spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides, this isn't a Martin D-18 but it has a nice tone although without the broad dynamic range the Martin D-18 has. The Epiphone's acoustic tone is a bit compressed sounding compared to the Martin D-18. With its Shadow ESonic2 Dual Source Pickup/Preamp System, comprised of a NanoFlex UST and end-of-fingerboard NanoMag pickups, the system amplifies with a fullness and variable tonal possibilities. There are also two output options via Mono-combined and Stereo output jacks. This is going to be a fun and, given its reasonable price, an almost worry-free guitar to play under a variety of playing conditions. Thanks for looking!

Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE Acoustic-electric guitar Features:
*Masterbilt all solid wood cutaway dreadnought
*Solid Sitka spruce top; solid mahogany back and sides
*One-piece mahogany neck, SlimTaper "D" profile
*Neck joint glued-in, dove-tail with hide glue
*25.5" scale; adjustable truss rod
*14" radius rosewood fingerboard with 20 medium frets and pearloid Split-Diamond Inlays
*Shadow NanoMag neck pickup; Shadow NanoFlex bridge pickup
eSonic-2 Stereo Preamp
*Binding: Body: 6-ply, Neck:1-ply, Headstock: 3-ply
*Rosewood bridge; bone saddle
*1.68" wide bone nut
*Nickel hardware
*Grover Sta-Tite 18:1 machine heads
*Epiphone's Limited Lifetime Warranty
*24/7/365 Gibson customer service
*Shadow's 5-year warranty on the electronics

[shufflebeat]

I'm not generally a fan of mags but that little Shadow looks very cute and I can imagine it being part of a very useful setup.

Will give those examples a listen later, thanks for sharing, ST.

[Br1ck]

Wouldn't it make more sense to buy a pickup you actually like? I personally loath the Lyric for just the reason you give. The Anthem uses an UST to add bass and many like them.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Br1ck

Wouldn't it make more sense to buy a pickup you actually like? I personally loath the Lyric for just the reason you give. The Anthem uses an UST to add bass and many like them.

I couldn't get the Lyric to sound good either with or without external preamp EQ!

[lkingston]

The Lyric sounds weak by itself but absolutely wonderful in dual source system that blends its sound with another pickup.

[lkingston]

I think this may be what you are looking for:

https://shadowelectronics.com/produc...nanomag-pickup

[bamaboy64]

So with this nanomag, could the be run into the ring output of the Lyric? Looks like it is an active pickup so I am guessing it requires phantom/bias power? Does that require the preamp from Shadow or can you use another preamp to power it?

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by bamaboy64

So with this nanomag, could the be run into the ring output of the Lyric? Looks like it is an active pickup so I am guessing it requires phantom/bias power? Does that require the preamp from Shadow or can you use another preamp to power it?

I'm pretty sure the NanoMag is a passive pickup.

[Doug Young]

The nanomag is active - from what I can tell, its small size is partly due to it not having a magnet in it - it appears it uses an electromagnet. No power, zero sound. It's not just quieter or unbuffered like other passive pickups, it's totally dead ( I tried bypassing the preamp and using it passively...). I've always meant to tear mine apart to verify that, but never got around to it, but I think it's a reasonable guess as to how it works and how they keep the size so small. It's a cool little pickup, a bit light on bass, voiced more to the treble and upper mid side of things, but overall it sounds good, and the small size is a plus.

BUT... It won't fit in all guitars. The fretboard/neck/soundhole geometry has to be exactly right. It has a wire coming out of the middle bottom, so you need a squared off fretboard that meets the soundhole at the right point to both support the pickup and to allow the lead to run into the soundhole. The strings also have to be the right height to allow it to fit underneath. The Epiphone in those photos show that that guitar works. Others may not. When I tried one, years ago now (you can hear one in my pickup tests), I had maybe a dozen guitars, and it would fit in exactly one...

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

The nanomag is active - from what I can tell, its small size is partly due to it not having a magnet in it - it appears it uses an electromagnet. No power, zero sound. It's not just quieter or unbuffered like other passive pickups, it's totally dead ( I tried bypassing the preamp and using it passively...). I've always meant to tear mine apart to verify that, but never got around to it, but I think it's a reasonable guess as to how it works and how they keep the size so small. It's a cool little pickup, a bit light on bass, voiced more to the treble and upper mid side of things, but overall it sounds good, and the small size is a plus.

BUT... It won't fit in all guitars. The fretboard/neck/soundhole geometry has to be exactly right. It has a wire coming out of the middle bottom, so you need a squared off fretboard that meets the soundhole at the right point to both support the pickup and to allow the lead to run into the soundhole. The strings also have to be the right height to allow it to fit underneath. The Epiphone in those photos show that that guitar works. Others may not. When I tried one, years ago now (you can hear one in my pickup tests), I had maybe a dozen guitars, and it would fit in exactly one...

Hi Doug, You're correct! Now I see on the Shadow website that it says the NanoMag requires a preamp to operate.

Product Details
Shadow's NanoMag pickup is a magnetic pickup for use with steel string acoustic guitars. Requires preamp to operate. No soldering required.

note: wire approximately 8" long

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

The nanomag is active - from what I can tell, its small size is partly due to it not having a magnet in it - it appears it uses an electromagnet. No power, zero sound. It's not just quieter or unbuffered like other passive pickups, it's totally dead ( I tried bypassing the preamp and using it passively...). I've always meant to tear mine apart to verify that, but never got around to it, but I think it's a reasonable guess as to how it works and how they keep the size so small. It's a cool little pickup, a bit light on bass, voiced more to the treble and upper mid side of things, but overall it sounds good, and the small size is a plus.

BUT... It won't fit in all guitars. The fretboard/neck/soundhole geometry has to be exactly right. It has a wire coming out of the middle bottom, so you need a squared off fretboard that meets the soundhole at the right point to both support the pickup and to allow the lead to run into the soundhole. The strings also have to be the right height to allow it to fit underneath. The Epiphone in those photos show that that guitar works. Others may not. When I tried one, years ago now (you can hear one in my pickup tests), I had maybe a dozen guitars, and it would fit in exactly one...

To save you having to tear a Nanomag apart, this is a description of the Nanomag pickup from the Shadow website:

"They are a low impedance active mini humbucker with Samarium Cobalt magnets."

If the pickup itself is truly "active" it would have a pre-amp built into it that requires power supplied to it, much the same as a phantom powered microphone would.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

To save you having to tear a Nanomag apart, this is a description of the Nanomag pickup from the Shadow website:

"They are a low impedance active mini humbucker with Samarium Cobalt magnets."

If the pickup itself is truly "active" it would have a pre-amp built into it that requires power supplied to it, much the same as a phantom powered microphone would.

Interesting. Sounds like my electromagnetic theory is wrong, but something unusual is going on with this one. I'm not sure I even still have my nanomag, may be in the bottom of a box somewhere :-) it was interesting, but not a winner for me, in any case, so especially after discovering it 1) required the electronics, and 2) wont fit in most guitars, I lost interest.