Best open mic guitar with barn door pickup

[Methos1979]

Looking for suggestions for an inexpensive guitar with barn door pickup system that allows for on-the-fly tone/EQ/notch tweaking so as to be able to waltz into just about any open mic and regardless of what they have, plug in and play. Not interested in outboard systems.

Been surfing and so far the Takamine G-series looks promising. A few like-new used ones on ebay and Reverb under $500 and it seems the Taks are known for their live playing.

What else is out there along those lines? What have you used with great success? I don't play with a pick or nails so I need an active system with a decent signal level plus the ability to tweak the EQ and a notch is also nice.

[YamahaGuy]

I scored a slightly dinged up Yamaha A1M for $250 used at GC with a badly damaged hardshell case. It works terrific. 3-band eq, sweepable mid, onboard tuner takes 2 AA batteries. New ones are $500. They used to include the HSC at that price. Now they don't include a case.

[L20A]

Washburn offers several great guitars that will do exactly what you are asking for.
Be sure to try some before buying anything else.

[JakeStone]

Hey Methos - I recently was looking for a low cost gig guitar. I chose the Epi Hummingbird Performer pro .. Have Played it live several times and it sounds and works great. May be a good one to check out for your needs.

Here’s the link to my recent NGD https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=545524

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

Looking for suggestions for an inexpensive guitar with barn door pickup system that allows for on-the-fly tone/EQ/notch tweaking so as to be able to waltz into just about any open mic and regardless of what they have, plug in and play...

...What have you used with great success? I don't play with a pick or nails so I need an active system with a decent signal level, plus the ability to tweak the EQ and a notch is also nice.

Not really inexpensive, but my Rainsong jumbos meet all your requirements as well as being about as maintenance-free as an acoustic guitar can get - no temperature/humidity concerns (within reason), and once a new set of strings settles in I can go for extended periods without retuning. Not exactly cheap but IMO well worth it - I've seen used Rainsongs with the N1 neck (slim/no truss rod) selling in the $1300-1500 range - and if you don't need something right now one of these might be a good long-term investment...

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by YamahaGuy

I scored a slightly dinged up Yamaha A1M for $250 used at GC with a badly damaged hardshell case. It works terrific. 3-band eq, sweepable mid, onboard tuner takes 2 AA batteries. New ones are $500. They used to include the HSC at that price. Now they don't include a case.

Lol - well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that someone with the handle YamahaGuy recommended a Yamaha, right? That said, Yamaha's are known for their quality build and sound in low-end guitars and while I have yet to check any out I knew for sure someone would recommend them. I'll have to add them to my research.

Originally Posted by L20A

Washburn offers several great guitars that will do exactly what you are asking for.
Be sure to try some before buying anything else.

I've always been impressed with the low-end Washburns. I went to help a friend pick out a new entry-level guitar and although Washburn was not on my radar when we went into the store that is what we left with. I was very impressed with that little guitar although it did not have a pickup system. I'll have to check out what they have in acoustic/electrics.

Originally Posted by JakeStone

Hey Methos - I recently was looking for a low cost gig guitar. I chose the Epi Hummingbird Performer pro .. Have Played it live several times and it sounds and works great. May be a good one to check out for your needs.

Here’s the link to my recent NGD https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=545524

Generally not a dread guy but I forgot to mention I'd be looking for something in a smaller body. But I did check out your thread and I'll second the opinion that that is a lot of guitar for the money. Well done!

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Not really inexpensive, but my Rainsong jumbos meet all your requirements as well as being about as maintenance-free as an acoustic guitar can get - no temperature/humidity concerns (within reason), and once a new set of strings settles in I can go for extended periods without retuning. Not exactly cheap but IMO well worth it - I've seen used Rainsongs with the N1 neck (slim/no truss rod) selling in the $1300-1500 range - and if you don't need something right now one of these might be a good long-term investment...

You're right in your disclaimer that the Rainsongs are not inexpensive. They are way above what I'm looking to pay. As you can see from my sig line, I'm a lover of carbon fiber guitars and each of my custom Emeralds came in at twice the price of the used Rainsongs. I had an APLE Shorty that was a great guitar but I'm looking for something in the $500 range. If nothing pops then it's possible I might liquidate one of the Emeralds and then a Rainsong would be considered. I wish I was playing open mics and gigging back when I had my APLE. I never really got to play that guitar amplified other than in the controlled atmosphere of my home.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. Some great food for thought that I'll check out in the coming days. Keep them coming!

[merlin666]

Yes Takamine is a great suggestion and of course the best preamp with EQ and sound control is the OP Pro of Ovations. Nothing can beat the value of a used Legend or Balladeer made in the U.S.

[jseth]

The new line of Alvarez acoustics have a bunch of really nice guitars at the ~$500 price point...

A cedar top, laminate walnut b/s, cutaway, Baggs electronics w/ barn door, mini-jumbo size/shape... very warm and rich when played unplugged.

Another cedar top - this time torrified cedar with laminate ebony b/s, cutaway Baggs electronics, mini-jumbo shape

Both come with nice hard shell cases for $550 at my local store!

I've also seen an all-solid wood dreadnought; spruce, mahogany... very nice trim, like a herringbone D-28, Waverly tuners, lovely fit and finish... $550!!! These things sound and play better than any newer D-18 I've played of late...

Lots of options out there...

[Nick84]

The SRT2 pickup in my Yamaha A3R is very much plug and play. I’ve only done two gigs with it over the weekend as it’s a new guitar. Both times I’ve turned up with my guitar and plugged into the already set up PA etc. I did all the tweaking on my guitar and left everything alone at the desk.

It’s got Treble and bass with anti feedback. Mic blend and volume. Don’t need anything else. I think the SRT original has a few more options and is a true barn door Preamp.

Pretty sure you could get a used A3 of some description within budget. It’s worth it for the better Preamp.

[ChalkLitIScream]

Originally Posted by Nick84

The SRT2 pickup in my Yamaha A3R is very much plug and play. I’ve only done two gigs with it over the weekend as it’s a new guitar. Both times I’ve turned up with my guitar and plugged into the already set up PA etc. I did all the tweaking on my guitar and left everything alone at the desk.

It’s got Treble and bass with anti feedback. Mic blend and volume. Don’t need anything else. I think the SRT original has a few more options and is a true barn door Preamp.

Pretty sure you could get a used A3 of some description within budget. It’s worth it for the better Preamp.

ill backup the other 2 Yamaha A series suggestions. The SRT pickups are the absolute best I've used in terms of sound quality. Blows the ES2 and LR baggs anthem out of the water.
Easily adjustable EQ control, blending and choice of different mics

For your price range, try a AC1M or Ac1R if you're ok with an OM body, or an A1R or A1M for a dread

[Methos1979]

I always forget about the little Alvarez guitars which is odd because I actually owned an Alvarez dread a long time ago and vaguely remember it being a quality guitar. I love the little all-hog Artist and Masterworks series guitars and they do have the Anthem StagePro system in them although it's the Element only version. I might give one of those a try at some point.

I played a few Yamaha Transacoustic's the other day and they were quite interesting. That Transacoustic system is neat and I love that you can get effects unamplified. How do those guitars translate in live situations? Are the onboard effects usable in live, amplified situations?