Is this the BEST ACOUSTIC PICKUP? | LR Baggs Anthem Review 

Yes please

Yes, great review. Thanks 👍🏻

thanks for your feedback! @@richhansen8874

Yes please, well done.

Yes! Please do more in English! Your English is perfect (I am an English teacher so I am a good judge - you don't even have a German accent!) Excellent review, I am about to buy a Dowina and will definitely be having the L.R, Baggas Anthem installed, yours sounds amazing and the choice to blend mic with piezo ia a wondweful thing. Love your playing too, bravo!

Really good advice! I probably should‘ve read the manual 😅

Famous last words.Lol.​@@easykrohn

@@07blackdog 😂😂😂

Glad to hear that :) thank you

Thanks for your kind feedback! 🙏🏼

Thank you! 😊

Oh wow cool! I'm glad the video helped with your decision :)

Thank you! Yeah I absolutely think so too :)

Thanks for your feedback Dave! I actually feel the same way about the mic sound itself. I‘d prefer full piezo over full mic now that I heard it back to back.

@@easykrohn The mic sounds way more natural, the lack of bass can somewhat be addressed by changing the EQ. But the piezo element of the Anthem sounds really good already. And the microphone isn't meant to be used on its own, that's why it's not built to pick up lots of low frequencies, this is the piezo's job in this setup.

I have the LR Baggs full Anthem on 2 of my Eastman guitars, and they definitely sound better with more mic and less piezo. Not sure why the recording shows the opposite.

Oh thank you so much! I appreciate that 😊🙏🏼

Thanks Gary! I‘m always worried about my English so I‘m gld to hear that 😄 It‘s all preference… the fishman for sure isn‘t a bad pickup and it could be better suited for the taylor. Just comes down what kind of sound you want :)

That‘s a great guitar! And I think that pickup would serve it well! 👍🏼

Glad I could help with this little video 😊

Thanks so mich for your kind feedback! 🙏🏼

Unfortunately you couldn't buy this one without the pick up. That would've been a better option indeed...

Glad this helped :) I think that‘s a good choice

That’s fine, glad this helped with the decision :)

Thanks for your feedback! I hadn‘t heard about K&K pure minis yet but sounds interesting. Do they come with specific brands of guitars? Or did you specifically choose them for those four guitars of yours?

Most folks install them into acoustic guitars that did not have pickups. So they are usually an after market pickup. The three transducers mount to the underneath bridge plate, so the pick up vibrations directly from the top. Very natural sounding and being passive, no feedback. K&K also has a line of preamps, but I find they pickups work great straight into an amp or PA.@@easykrohn

@@joedzekevich2407 thanks for sharing your knowledge!

You are welcome. @@easykrohn

Thank you for your feedback! And I absolutely agree. I actually was expecting the LR Baggs undersattle piezo to sound kind similar to the fishman sonitone. But it sounded way better, even just the piezo on it’s own. So I think you‘re right, there are major differences in those undersattle pickups after all.

It’s a pretty basic undersaddle. It’s not doing anything unique. The Anthem is good though.

Thank you for your detailed review! Glad to hear other musicians are as happy with the LR Baggs as me :)

Thank you so much! 🙏🏼 all those comments about my English make me so happy since I always think I can be easily spotted as a non native speaker 😅 Glad you got something out of the video as well!

Your English and playing technique are exceptional, keep up the good work!

@@bradleyrm thanks so much 🙏🏼

Thanks for your feedback on the topic! I agree with you, there can be huge differences between certain piezos and I do like some of them. I actually also like the piezo sound of the Anthem way better than the fishman piezo sound that I had prior. I personally really like the mic that comes with the Anthem but that’s all personal preference of course :)

Oh cool! What a coincidence 😊 Happy to hear you enjoy the LR Baggs Anthem as much as I do! What did your guitars have installed before you switched?

@@easykrohn Hi Easy - nice to hear back from you. Yes, that was a crazy coincidence! My 6-string is a very old Aria "lawsuit edition" hummingbird (1972). While not extremely valuable, it is rare, as it was originally made as an exact duplicate of the Gibson - thus the lawsuit. LOL Many years ago, I installed in it a Martin Thinline "under-saddle" pick-up. While it sounded awesome in live performances, I was not happy with it as I started recording RU-vid videos with Lydia. I describe it as sounding too "electric". The sound of my recent new Guild 12-string with the LR Baggs Anthem encouraged me to give it a try. While it is MUCH, MUCH better, I am currently working on a new video where I still use an additional mic in front of the guitar to capture that unique sound that I am sometimes looking for (especially for a current project). On a side note - it might be fun to do a video together with you some day, as our harmonies might sound very good together. Plus, there are certainly a numerous variety of potential instruments available to utilize. I'm just not sure (or experienced enough yet) as to how we could meld a video together across the pond. But it sounds like fun and it may help promote each others channel. Just an ongoing thought as I have yet to try something like that.

Hey Rick! Oh very interesting to hear about that. Yes, I think it‘s one thing for live performances on stage and another thing for recordings for videos or like an actual recording for an album. I would always choose to record with a mic in front of the guitar rather than using the pickup if possible. Sometimes it’s not possible though, for example if you‘re recording in the same room with drums. Then you just get drums on that mic and should rather use the pickup since that one barely will pick up anything other than the guitar itself. But yeah, good to hear you‘re trying new things for the best possible sound! And yes, would love to do a video with you guys someday. I‘m not a fan of putting separate videos together into one… that always feels so unpersonal…I would rather play with you in the same room. I know that’s hard to do but maybe one day we can make that happen! I sure hope this day will come :) (btw where are you guys located exactly?)

@@easykrohn Hi Easy, I just replied by e-mail. Let me know if you didn't get it. Rick

Thank you for your feedback! I appreciate it :)

Thank you! Glad the video helped. I did not use any kind of amp. Just the straight DI (Direct Input) from my guitar to my audio interface.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic!

Thanks for your encouraging comment! I appreciate it very much 😊 Yes I do recall what strings were on - I always use the Elixir Nanoweb Light Phosphor Bronze 12-53. They are on the more expensive side but I love them to the core. About the lowered saddle - I could imagine they took a little bit off to make up for few millimeters the piezo band pushes it upwards but I couldn’t tell you for sure… the luthier who put it in didn’t tell me about all the specific steps…

@@easykrohn Ahh. Thanks for replying to me. Those are the exact Strings I just recently switch to on my acoustics. They sound very clear and bright. I would imagine that they must have adjusted the saddle, otherwise you should have noticed it. Thanks. I couldn't really tell which sound I liked better in your review; but I'm sure that they both sound good. I guess it would depend on what type of playing you would be doing at any particular time. So - I only just found your channel. I did subscribe, and I can't wait to watch/listen to more of your content. Thanks again! 😊🥂. Best wishes!

It is kind of difficult to change the battery since it is located inside the body with no external access. BUT it does last a long time. I usually just swap it out when I change my strings. Sometimes not even everytime I change strings but every other time cause it’s still full. Thankfully the LR Baggs does have an indicator to show you how full the battery is. As for the Maton - I was always impressed with Maton pickups. But I don’t know how they differ with different Maton models. I might just have seen/heard the good ones. If it doesn’t sound good to you of course you can think about swapping it out for another one :)

As far as my experience goes, absolutely you can play it live! You could take a look at my „Sleigh Ride“ cover video if you wanted to hear how it sounds. We did a whole band live recording with this guitar after the pickup was installed. I think it sounds great in a live recording even with drums in the same room 😊

The phase button inverts the phase of the guitar output. It can happen (especially with pickup systems with multiple sound sources) that the phase of the signal through the amp and the actual phase of the vibration of the guitar string cancel each other out. This will have an impact on the sound. You should try out which of the both settings sounds better every time you set up. Usually one of them will sound fuller with the other setting having several frequencies cancelling each other out resulting in a less full tone.

Thanks for your input on the topic! It does have a lower output than my Taylor GS Mini, that’s the only reference I have tbh. But it’s never been to low of an output to work with. For me the output volume is pretty solid 💁🏻‍♀️

That being said - funnily enough I do use the same Fishman pre amp on stage as well for all of my acoustics 😅 but I don‘t „have to“ use it for boosting the output. I just happen to have it on my board 😄

The LR Baggs Anthem does have a relatively low output compared to other active pickups, so you do need more gain (like turn up the amp!).

That’s true, the mic does have the tinny sound. In my opinion if you get the blend between mic and piezo right, you can get a good mix of the piezo low end without the twang and the nice high frequencies of the mic. By „adjusting the cross over frequency“ do you mean the phase button?

@@easykrohn no I think I read somewhere that the SL has the piezo always on and you add the mic sound over the top of it. So with the mic sound maxed there is still piezo sound ‘underneath’. With the normal Anthem I heard the mix knob works different, with a cross over filter in the mix knob. So with the mix knob turned to piezo all frequencies are carried by the piezo and mix knob set to mic all frequencies are carried by the mic only if that makes sense.

@@jellyfishinterrupted8085 oh I see! That actually makes sense. For the normal Anthem that I have, I was pretty sure the knob was either all the way mic or all the way piezo and then however you wanted to mix them inbetween. So I can confirm that. A friend of mine recently got a new guitar with the SL and I was wondering what the difference was besides one knob less. Now that makes sense. Has to be cheaper for a reason I guess. But I think that one still sounds great…

@@easykrohn yes the SL definitely sounds ‘good enough’ for sure, especially at that price. I do find myself notching out some frequencies on it with an EQ to get it from an 8 out of 10 to a 9. I suspect it’s just easier to get the normal anthem to sound optimal

No processing! Just direct input into my interface 😉

@@easykrohn thanks so much! The sound that the Anthem produces isn’t perfect, but the mic gives you the transients and natural wood resonance that a piezo simply can’t reproduce, and I’ve heard worse sound out of an sm57 before doing any eq work to it. I imagine it can be molded into something quite pleasing to the ear in a live setting

@@JakeVsJayk oh for sure! With just a little EQ it can sound really good. I just wanted to share an untouched sound example :)

thank you so much! I studied English in university as my minor subject so I guess I do have an advantage there compared to most Germans 😅

I ordered same guitar and might do the same pickup wise...was on a market for smaller guitar for a long time and out of all guitars its sounded the best in my opinion..and to get all solid wood handcrafted guitar for such price is unbelivable

I don‘t know if it‘ll be your favorite. You gotta listen to a few pickups and decide for yourself 😉

Thanks for that! I didn’t about that kind of pickup. I can see this pickup has some advantages to the LR baggs. Especially the tone control and batterie situation. I personally chose the martin not for the pickup but because of its great acoustic sound. And (secondly) because it’s a small body guitar and I like those :) that’s all personal preference though. I‘m sure the Yamaha has a lot to offer as well :)

You can't go wrong with a Martin. I just think that they are very expensive for what you get. The Yamahas have excellent tone and features for the money. Plus, Yamaha has so many different models. @@easykrohn

Thanks for your contribution! I bet the Lyrica is a great choice as well. In the end it’s all preference, I like to blend the piezo with the mic. Some people might just like the mic by itself. If this is the right pick up for you then that’s great!

The thing about the Anthem is...when playing live, you can get feedback through the internal microphone, and I have found that turning the mix to the piezo can often eliminate the feedback. Piezo is less sensitive to feedback than the mic.

Maybe it's the hair on their lips?

Hey, that’s interesting! I have a Taylor GS mini Koa as well. I think the pickup sounds quite good. At least one of the better ones I’ve heard. Do you have the ES-B pickup in yours or do you habe the ES-2 pickup? If you don’t like it, would you consider to seitch it out for an LR Baggs?

@@easykrohn This is the newest 4-stroke pickup. But this sound is so thin. I personally prefer piezo and a fat sound. I use the Line 6 HX Stomp multi-effect and I like playing with sounds. Personally, the Maton Mini has the perfect sound for me, but it's too expensive for me. By the way, I can trade guitars with a certain man. I'll give him Taylor Mini Koa and he'll give me Martin Shown Mendez. We both think we'll make a great deal.

Gute frage, hätte ich auch schöner gefunden aber vermute es war schlicht mehr arbeit…

😅😅 I‘m not sure about that but - thanks 😄

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I have heard good things about the maton pickups indeed but I never found one I could order by itself. I thought they only come on maton guitars…

@easykrohn You're very welcome & yes I did mention in my original comment that Maton pickups will only for Maton guitars (unless you do some major work to the bridge area it is possible, but not worth it as may as well just buy a Maton than modify a guitar to make it fit) you can buy the Maton pickups separately (I have two in stock at the moment - for myself) but the AER AK-15 or Lily One are great for all other guitars.. though the Maton preamp & mic are absolutely at the top of their game for genuine reproduction of the most natural & powerful sounding acoustic guitar pickups ever made at the moment.. If you get the chance to try one with a good amp or PA, I think you will be very impressed with the sound quality.. Baggs even make an acoustic guitar EQ pedal to help adjust the sound of their Anthem (as they know themselves that it's not that great on it's own) & in complete honesty, not even their EQ pedal helps it get anywhere near close the the sound quality of the Maton ApMic (AP5Pro is the newer - not so good version) or AER AK-15 or Lily One.. I've literally used live, installed & uninstalled (for myself & customers) 100's of great pickups from BBand, K&K, Barbera, L.R.Baggs, Schatten (these are very good too), Taylor, Martin, Fishman (the Presys is very good - Matrix is awful), Takamine etc.. the list goes on.. & honestly, the Maton & AER are way ahead of the rest for sound quality & natural tone.. Ps. I don't work for or am sponsored by any company, so I am giving a completely honest opinion from being both a guitar luthier who is also a gigging musician.. Once you have a great pickup installed & have a good ear for EQ on your mixer through a good PA system like RCF, QSC, Yamaha, EV or AER then you'll be in tone heaven.. 😊