Martin D41 Best pick up?

[Big Rattler]

I love my d41 but wish it was electric as well. What is the best pick up and is it possible to have the cord come in through the strap post? Anyone have experience?

[chitz]

Either the K&K Pure Western Mini ($90) or the JJB Prestige 330. ($50)

One works as well as the other and... Both are great pickups for a Martin box

[Bwana]

There are may different pickups. I prefer the soundhole pickup as it is less invasive to the guitar. Hate the thought of cutting/drilling holes in a pristine unmarked guitar. I'm using a Fishman Rare Earth Humbucking soundhole pickup on my OM-21 and am very satisfied with it. Yes, you can run the cord out the strap button, but let a qualified tech do the modifications. It is only a 30 minute job, but the tech has the proper tools. The last thing you want to do is split the guitar in a diy project.
Bwana

[mutantrock]

A UST like the Martin Gold is the generic all around solution and is great when used with a nice preamp like a LR Baggs or Fishman AURA. Depending on the type of music you are playing something more specialized may work better.
For example, If the show is a solo instrumental in a quiet setting a condenser mic like Shure SM81 would be ideal. Dual source systems are another option but are for the most part are custom setups that can get expensive.

[Cheetotoe]

Originally Posted by chitz

Either the K&K Pure Western Mini ($90) or the JJB Prestige 330. ($50)

One works as well as the other and... Both are great pickups for a Martin box

I've heard that a Martin dread may not be the best partner for a K&K/JJB because of how bass heavy they are compared to other guitars. I'm currious to hear more opinions on this as I also have a rosewood Martin dread (D-35) that needs a pickup.

[tammuz7000]

I have a K&K mini on my HD28 and it works fine. I have a B-band a2.2 on my D15 and my Larivee 12 string. I like them both..

You need a preamp for the K&K..I would look at the D-tar as well which comes on certain martins..

-Tom

[royd]

Originally Posted by Big Rattler

I love my d41 but wish it was electric as well. What is the best pick up and is it possible to have the cord come in through the strap post? Anyone have experience?

there are a bazillion threads with pickup questions... you should try reading through a bunch. Most folk will just tell you what they have so...

best?

the best pickup is always a dual or triple source. One type of pickup always misses part of the sonic picture of your guitar. So, you need two or three different types of pickups and a blending preamp or two (none that I know have three inputs so if you have three sources, you need two preamps).

Personally, I go with a soundboard transducer (SBT) and a magnetic soundhole pickup. They pick up different parts of the sonic signature of the guitar and have differing strengths and weaknesses. You could also consider a microphone and an under-the-saddle type as possibilities. In general though, I don't like these two types of pickups.

As for specific recommendations, I have a McIntyre SBT and a Sunrise magnetic into a Dtar Solstice blending preamp. I also like the Dazzo SBT's a lot and the K&K or JJB's after the McIntyre and the Dazzo. For the magnetic pickup, in addition to the Sunrise, I also like the Dimarzio Angel and the MiSi. The Solstice is the best reasonably priced blender IMHO. All together, for a system like mine, you're looking at $600-700 or so dollars plus any installation costs. Or you could go really high end with an Amulet SBT or a pendulum blending preamp and then you're talking over $2K for the pickup system.

[chitz]

Originally Posted by Cheetotoe

I've heard that a Martin dread may not be the best partner for a K&K/JJB because of how bass heavy they are compared to other guitars. I'm currious to hear more opinions on this as I also have a rosewood Martin dread (D-35) that needs a pickup.

This is absolutly true without a pre-amp or a PARA DI. I use them with a baggs PARA DI... sounds great.

[Duncan121]

Well..I have a D-41 and I'll throw my 2 cents out there...I have cycled thru 3 pickups in this guitar...

1. Baggs I-Beam - finniky Horrible mess of feedback except at low volumes where is was beautiful)
2. K&K Mini - Wonderful pick-up but a must with the matching pre. Great clarity and warmth
3. Fishman Infinity Matrix - Current pickup. Frankly I only changed to it because I found myself in rather loud situations competing with a drummer and the K&K was not able to allow me to push the volume enough. I tried to eq the feedback out and while succesful most the time, I occasionally ran into problems I couldn't fix. I pair the Matrix with the Aura Spectrum and I am very happy with my tone..

For me I would tell you to choose the K&K unless you have a gorrilla drummer behind you like I often do. I should note that I still have the K&K in a Larrivee parlor that I play often in solo shows..Its wonderful

[j3ffr0]

Three very different, but very good options. If I was buying today I'd tray the Baggs.

-LR Baggs Anthem Tru-Mic
-Fishman rare earth blend
-Fishman Matrix Infinity

[bbrown]

Anyone using a Highlander IP II, or have an opinion about that pick-up?

[jjrubin]

Hey Rattler, nice guitar you've got there. But you know, warning lights come on in my head when I see a post with a title like this one.

Because 1) there is no best, only one's preference based on their individual playing style, performance circumstances, and personal weighting of various trade-offs; and 2) the guitar make/model is the LEAST of it.

Just consider some of the variables which responses to this thread are entirely unaware of:

you play fingerstyle, flatpicking, strumming, lead/rhythm, or all styles?
folk, bluegrass, jazz, rock, blues, other?
solo, acoustic duo/trio, full-on electric band with drums?
bars, halls, festivals, coffeehouses, house concerts?
play standing up/moving around, planted to a vocal mic, sitting down?
with your own small amp, complete PA incl. blender/pre-amp/EQ, whatever the venue has, some combination?
with always/forever the one current performing guitar, or multiple current/future guitars?
willing to spend whatever it takes to match the quality of that high-end Martin, or working within a budget?
and FINALLY and least of all (I think) the body style, woods, and at the very end the make of your primary performance guitar

Whew, that's a lot to consider. And I reckon a very valid response to many of these factors is 'I'm not sure yet'. That's fine, but still there are probably some of these factors you have an idea of and can begin to weight within your personal value model of trade-offs.

So like royd said, search, read the threads, start to focus in on the p/u types (incl. mics, internal and external, and dual-source systems) that fit your trade-offs, and only lastly the particular brands/models. Then when you have the rough idea of interest in p/u 'a or b' for reasons 'x. y, and z', by all means ask for advice here, you'll get some incredibly insightful expert guidance.

Or, you can just buy whatever '+1' has on the basis of their thoughtful analysis...

[royd]

Originally Posted by bbrown

Anyone using a Highlander IP II, or have an opinion about that pick-up?

the best sounding UTS installs I've heard were Highlanders, but I think the install is tricky and more expensive.