Sunrise Sound Hole Pickup

[Mking]

What do you guys think of a Sunrise sound hole pick up? Thank you.

[AndyC]

It's a classic pickup, and still in use by many famous artists - but to get the most out of it you also need the Sunrise preamp, and the other problem is that it is extremely heavy and bulky. They are also expensive.

There are modern pickups that are at least as good (in my humble opinion!) - I'm a big fan of the DiMarzio Black Angel.

[noledog]

Originally Posted by AndyC

It's a classic pickup, and still in use by many famous artists - but to get the most out of it you also need the Sunrise preamp, and the other problem is that it is extremely heavy and bulky. They are also expensive.

There are modern pickups that are at least as good (in my humble opinion!) - I'm a big fan of the DiMarzio Black Angel.

+1...been gigging for many years with several different soundhole pu's and they all need a bit of eq to maximize there potential. The Dimarzio Angel line is a very good choice.

I personally like the Baggs M80, it's way lighter, does not impede the unplugged sound, (I leave mine in my D18 100% of the time) and has great features and tone. BUT I use a Boss AD 2 to dial in its sweetspot and dial out the honky mids that are often associated with mags. Sounds very pretty finger picking especially and has adjustable poles passive/active modes and battery life indicator and I like the way it looks too! Great for percussive style imo since it performs almost like a dual source system.

Best wishes,

eric

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Mking

What do you guys think of a Sunrise sound hole pick up? Thank you.

Hi Mking

It sounds like other high end magnetic pickups. Not very naturally acoustic, but it works well in combination with an internal mic. It brings it's own baggage to the party with it's control box.

[MrErikJ]

It's undoubtedly the coolest looking mag ever made and when used with its buffer box and the right EQ, it sounds very nice. People often combine it with a SBT like the K&K or Trance or something similar and blend it so the SBT provides the highs and the Sunrise the lows.

I will admit that I never saw what the fuss was about until I heard it properly preamped and EQ'd (as you can hear on fingerpick.com). It truly makes a difference.

[Mking]

Originally Posted by MrErikJ

It's undoubtedly the coolest looking mag ever made and when used with its buffer box and the right EQ, it sounds very nice. People often combine it with a SBT like the K&K or Trance or something similar and blend it so the SBT provides the highs and the Sunrise the lows.

I will admit that I never saw what the fuss was about until I heard it properly preamped and EQ'd (as you can hear on fingerpick.com). It truly makes a difference.

I saw Lyle Lovett in concert and he uses this pick up. It sounded great but again, it was Lyle Lovett and he had great sound folks working for him.

[open-road-matt]

Originally Posted by Mking

I saw Lyle Lovett in concert and he uses this pick up. It sounded great but again, it was Lyle Lovett and he had great sound folks working for him.

Lyle Lovett runs his Sunrise through a Demeter Tube DI:

http://www.demeteramps.com/index.php...&product_id=81

I was out hunting for one of these a while back and the shop that sold Demeter products was out of stock but had a Summit Audio TD-100 so I bought that. I really liked the Sunrise through the TD-100. That was years ago and I have since gone a different route but I am sometimes tempted to go back!

Matt

[Al Acuff]

I gigged for 30 years with a Sunrise and Demeter Tube DI. Never had a problem except for the well known B string issue. I solved that by using pure nickel strings with a wound G.

The Black Angel soundhole pickup is a lot of fun to play. If you're considering a Sunrise you might like the Black Angel better. It's like a Sunrise pickup with some refinements. I've tested the Black Angel with a Demeter Tube Di and it sounds absolutely wonderful!

These days I'm delighted with the Anthem SL pickup system in my new Waterloo guitar. It sounds much more acoustic than a mag pickup due to the internal microphone, and it resists feedback very well.

[noledog]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Mking

It sounds like other high end magnetic pickups. Not very naturally acoustic, but it works well in combination with an internal mic. It brings it's own baggage to the party with it's control box.

While I agree with you somewhat LJ, I have to say that my M80 sounds quite natural in my D18 plugged directly onto a Loudbox Mini with no external preamp or pedal and simply recorded with a lil' Canon camera:

[Al Acuff]

Originally Posted by open-road-matt

Lyle Lovett runs his Sunrise through a Demeter Tube DI:

http://www.demeteramps.com/index.php...&product_id=81

Matt

Lyle's Large Band tours with 12 Demeter Tube DI boxes. Almost every instrument goes through one. At one concert when James Demeter was in the audience Lyle had James stand and take a bow. He introduced him as, "the man who makes us sound so good."

PS. Not just Lyle. Keith Richards uses a Demeter Tube DI with his Sunrise too.

[MrErikJ]

So, this is a fun convo. I've been really happy with the Baggs LB6 in my fingerpickin' guitars but I'm not sure it would be as good of a choice for a my strummin' guitar, a Guild GAD-50. I was thinking about going with a mag or a mag system for that guitar. I prefer passive and was leaning towards the M1 but now I'm curious to try the Angel or Black Angel w/a SBT.

The M1 seems pretty decent but I'd be curious to hear how it compares to the Angel/Black Angel or Sunrise or Double Helix and whatever else is out there. Thoughts?

[noledog]

Originally Posted by MrErikJ

So, this is a fun convo. I've been really happy with the Baggs LB6 in my fingerpickin' guitars but I'm not sure it would be as good of a choice for a my strummin' guitar, a Guild GAD-50. I was thinking about going with a mag or a mag system for that guitar. I prefer passive and was leaning towards the M1 but now I'm curious to try the Angel or Black Angel w/a SBT.

The M1 seems pretty decent but I'd be curious to hear how it compares to the Angel/Black Angel or Sunrise or Double Helix and whatever else is out there. Thoughts?

Hi Erik,

I've had the M1, A & also have used my M80 in passive mode and like them yet prefer the bottom end on the M80...I normally play in active mode but like having the choice. The passive mode may be a lil' warmer and subtle. I gigged with the M1A in my Lowden which I have passed on to my son, loved it too!
Sunrise when q'd up with right preamp can sound very good but to weighty for me since I leave my M80 in all the time and it does not affect the unplugged tone, plus its easy to take in and out without removing or loosening strings...The tortoise Angel system would be my second choice because I like the percussive ability of the M80 more since I play a lot of reggae.
I have not heard the Black version yet or the Double Helix.

eric

[Al Acuff]

If you click on the the Black Angel or Sunrise with your thumbpick or flatpick you won't hear it through your speakers. If you click on the M1 or M80 you will hear it amplified.

Depending on how you play you may prefer one or the other. I found that my thumbpick was going to hit my M1 now and then so the LR Baggs soundhole pickups didn't work out for me. For another guitar player it might not be a problem at all.

[noledog]

Originally Posted by Al Acuff

If you click on the the Black Angel or Sunrise with your thumbpick or flatpick you won't hear it through your speakers. If you click on the M1 or M80 you will hear it amplified.

Depending on how you play you may prefer one or the other. I found that my thumbpick was going to hit my M1 now and then so the LR Baggs soundhole pickups didn't work out for me. For another guitar player it might not be a problem at all.

Al makes a good point, this is true, however, not a problem for me as I play flesh fingerstyle as seen in the video I posted earlier in this thread, no clicking here. Also not a problem when I use a flat pick because I mostly strum just forward of soundhole and flat pick just shy and south of center and my M80 sits in between so it worked out perfectly for me without having to adjust my technique as seen in live at one of my shows:

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by noledog

Al makes a good point, this is true, however, not a problem for me as I play flesh fingerstyle as seen in the video I posted earlier in this thread, no clicking here. Also not a problem when I use a flat pick because I mostly strum just forward of soundhole and flat pick just shy and south of center and my M80 sits in between so it worked out perfectly for me without having to adjust my technique as seen in live at one of my shows:

Thanks for the input! I should probably just stick with the LB6 since I'm familiar with it but I am tempted to try a passive M1 and see how it works for me, if it gets in the way of my strumming or not. The M1 has a nice a bit of "air" to it but doesn't seem to have that substantial of a bass compared to mags like the Sunrise and does seem to "thin" the sound out a bit. I'm curious how much EQ will improve that. The M80 is overpowered for my needs and sounds good fingerpicked but seems muddy to me otherwise. I do like the sound of the Black Angel w/its complementing Black Angel SBT but that's a slightly expensive system when purchased separately. It's odd they don't offer that as a pre-wired system.