Same Guitar, Same Settings, Two Pickups. L.R. Baggs Anthem Vs. K&K

[Groovingdan]

I have a Waterloo WL-14 and had an LR Baggs Anthem laying around that I put in it and ended up not liking the tone I was getting. I ordered a K&K Pure Mini and put it in, but recorded the guitar both before and after, no EQ or any other adjustments. Recorded direct in to my Apollo Twin into Logic Pro X.

Huge difference in sound. I prefer the K&K even though there are a couple of frequencies that need to be tamed down in the lows and low mids. The Anthem sounds ok, but for sure is brighter, and a little harsh to my ears. I'd love to hear what you all think.

[Methos1979]

Pretty much agree with your thoughts - the K&K sounds better, less 'brittle, for want of a better term. Typical of playing with a pick. As a bare finger, fingerstyle player the K&K's tend to be very muddy for me without a lot of EQ. I've used them almost exclusively but I've been thinking of trying an Anthem as what sounds brittle with a pick might sound pretty good with my style of playing. I've been thinking of ordering an Anthem StagePro so I have the onboard EQ, gain and notch at my fingertips for open mics and whatnot. Thanks for posting.

[dogdog49]

Different strokes. I much preferred the mic like clarity and airiness of the Anthem in this sample. I didn't find it harsh or edgy, but if one does that can usually be dealt with with proper EQ. You can definitely brighten up a K&K and remove some mud with a mid-cut, treble boost as well, but there's no way I've found to EQ in that airy and life-like mic quality. I have several guitars with both of those pickups installed by the way.