Here are a few links to read more / listen to demos of each of the pickups I've mentioned in this video: Fishman Gold Thinline Plus - amzn.to/3bFMdgC K&K Pure Mini - amzn.to/3nxfprH K&K demo - www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlAom... JourneyTek EP001k - bit.ly/3voGTCR JourneyTek demo - www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngt4I... Cling On pickup - amzn.to/3uxcRN4 Cling On demo - www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQwOs... Myers Pickup - www.youtube.com/watch?v=T10vE... Myers demo - amzn.to/3NNhU5c Cloudvocal iSolo - amzn.to/3sJ5eo1 Cloudvocal demo - www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4f8Q... Seymour Duncan Woody - bit.ly/3OZZNKg Fishman Rare Earth - bit.ly/3a6JjRy Fishman Rare Earth Mic Blend - bit.ly/39os7H4 Fishman demo - www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9ikR... Red Eye Preamp - amzn.to/3nC7KIq
L.R Baggs are really does the job when we do live perfomance. But in my opinion,its not really satisfying when it comes to studio recording and i prefered journey contacts pickups (1 track) and combine it with natural sound from the guitar and record with any condenser mic (1 track).
After many many years, I've solved my problems keeping some instruments (which I love and record with) pickup free, while on stage I use other instruments built with that purpose.
The two best solutions I’ve far are a Schertler A6 mag+mic, and a combination of a Schatten HFN with their Artist 2 preamp and a magnetic (Dimarzio Angel in this case). I have a good demo video of the Schatten/Dimarzio combo compared with a studio mic, which also has the Schatten by itself and the Dimarzio by itself. For real-world live performance, I prefer this to the Schertler… the mag/mic sounds great, but it’s easy to turn into nasty, high-pitched mic feedback. The Schatten HFN is a bridge transducer like the K&K, but it’s much easier to attach, and imho sounds noticeably more natural - the K&K can get a little woofy, the Schatten is airier and more mic-like. At any rate, I think dual pickup systems are the way to go! I have yet to hear a single pickup that strikes the right balance between clarity, naturalness, feedback resistance, and cutting through a full band mix.
I found great success for quieter gigs, was to use an Amazon condenser lapel mic attached just inside the sound hole behind the fretboard. Like all mics it was a bit prone to feedback but had a very genuine and clear sound. For the £7 it cost me I was very impressed. PS. I found the idea on another pickup review website, really surprised with the results.
I really like the sound of your favorite (Fishman Rare Earth Mag / Mic combo). Thanks for the excellent demonstrations, comparisons, and explanations, as usual. I have to posit my experiences, though: I have a Takamine G-Series. I know many guitarists say they do not like the sound of piezo under saddles; but nearly everywhere I play, whether through my sound equipment or others’ gear, people always say, “Man, that guitar sounds good!” I think it underscores what you said about piezo pickups: They are not the most realistic, but they sound really good in context, and are so easy to accommodate.
I would agree with that - in the context of a full band with a characteristic acoustic guitar fingerpicked or strumming part, it cuts through and is easy to accommodate from the perspective of a sound engineer. On its own or in a very exposed situation, it's pretty brutal.
For Nylon String guitar, I've had excellent results getting a very natural sound using a single Piezo Contact Pickup. It is mounted under the soundboard behind the bridge using double sided tape. The problem with it is that the guitar acts like a giant microphone, so it's practical in only quiet environments. I had an under saddle Piezo on an Acoustic Electric, and it had the typical thin, quacky tone associated with that type of pickup. It died, and I removed it. I have an LR Baggs iBeam Active pickup in an acoustic guitar. It is a Piezo/body sensing pickup which attaches to the underside of the soundboard with double sided tape. I used to run it through a Baggs Para Acoustic DI, but now I just plug directly into my HX Stomp. The pickup is pretty good, but I don't love it.
One cool option if you don't want to modify your guitar is a KNA SG-1 I run mine into a Nux MG30 with a IR, preamp, EQ and Compressor minimally and it's phenomenal. Sadly it doesn't work in my newest guitar, but for most acoustics it's great.
Double X0 and Double X2. Humbucker/microphone, lithium internal battery dirt cheap, sounds great and I've tried almost all you've mentioned. X2 has effects and a vibrating transducer for unplugged. Even has a phase switch, great to fight feedback. Yes the installation does dampen the top some. Both have 3 band eq.
Very nice review,, my question is,,I have a Martin ooo 28 without any pickup but I have a hole predrilled to install,, if I’m only using my guitar for playing at home or with a friend or two,, what would be the best option,,? And if that option would need a preamp,, which one as well,, thanks again for a nice review
Hi David - I think in your situation, a pickup that is minimally intrusive and doesn’t affect the acoustic tone of the instrument would be the best for you. Try the K&K Pure Mini with the Red Eye preamp. I’ve been happy with that combination.
The best solution if you ask me is a blend of as many elements as possible, especially with different EQ for each or a stereo system. Magnetic for lows, Undersaddle and mic for mids and highs, and blend that with a condenser/contact. That's something I did in fact notice about precussive guitar players like Mike Dawes and Marcin for example Out of the pickups in this video the K&K is my favorite, the magnetic and the cling on are my least favorite. However I've heard so many undersaddles that are better than the one in this video, especially some with preamps that have more controls and on the side of the guitar rather than in the inside of the soundhole.
Please do a revision with the LR Baggs Anthem and K&K Trinity included as options as these are generally regarded as the absolute top tier. Don't listen to your friends about the Anthem... It is by far my favourite...just the best, warm...perfect. A combo pickup always outperforms a single because each pickup type has some advantages. The Trinity is great too, perhaps the most natural sound but more feedback prone than the Anthem which has no issues even on loud stages. Great for In-Ear setups. The Trinity also requires a bit more mixing/EQ and fussing with the mic placement to get the sound you want but can sound superior. I have the Anthem installed on a Martin D-45 and the K&K Trinity on a Larrivee D-09. Both sound incredible live No offense, but I feel like the Fishman Rare Earth sounds "quacky", cheap and brittle in comparison to the Trinity and Anthem. Fishman pick-ups tend to have an artificial and quacky quality to them Worth more of a deep dive with some of the top end ones but awesome video! Thanks so for posting it!
I've used the Rare Earth pickups for 20 years and recently installed the Anthem in my Collings OM1 to play a wedding. They are the best pickups I've ever heard for acoustic
Love the video!!! The only thing I will say is that it's harder to get an assessment of the different pickups when you switch to different 🎸 s Just felt maybe use 1 guitar & switch to different pickups 🤔🤔 But I do love what you're doing here 🤘🤘🤘👍👍👍
A few of these pickups I don’t have anymore and I wouldn’t have wanted to put the Martin through all that anyway. I realize it’s a bit flawed if you’re looking for a direct comparison
Excellent video! I’m gonna come back and watch this over again a few times it’s very helpful. I have several nice solid wood guitars with different types of pick ups that came with them. Probably the most fancy one is the the anthem which sounds pretty good. I have a 98 Taylor 314 CE with the cheaper Fishman prefix pick up which overall in most situation‘s sounds better than any of them and so I’m looking for something that gives me great sound that goes into an acoustic pedalboard. Specifically, recent interest in trying to use a Boss oc-5 but found the doubled pitch had lots of intermittent spikes and drops while it works perfectly on an electric.. so looking at a magnetic option. Heard lots of raves about k&k so was super helpful to see all these in a short video. Looking forward to checking out your other videos and band!
After years of Fishmans in all my guitars, a world-class luthier turned me on to K&K and I've never looked back. The BIG reason is that the K&K performs flawlessly with ALTERNATE tunings. This is a BIG deal...because every pickup just can't do that. Besides alternate tunings, I feel that the K&K perfectly reproduces the guitar as I hear it in my ear when played acoustically.
I used to use KKs on all acoustic guitars but no longer. I found that they work great on some guitars, not on others. For example, I installed a KK on a fabulous-sounding Martin custom shop D45 and it sounded so poor through the PA that I thought that one of the pickup sensors was defective so we installed another KK - sounded the same. I called/talked to a KK rep and he advised that "sometimes that happens." So that guitar now has a Fishman ( don't recall which one). My Gibson Hummingbird sounds best with an LR Baggs Lyric - it used to have a KK. OTOH, my Martin D28 sounds great with the KK. Go figure... As far as alternate tunings, I can't think why a pickup would respond differently to alternate tunings. But the only alternate tuning I use is Drop D - nobody in the audience wants to watch somebody retuning for 5 minutes to perform a song! :) - so I admit I don't have any experience with "serious" alternate tunings.
I've had several guitars with under saddle...they all sound pretty much the same. And I hate the 'quack'. K&K is pretty good. But to me, the best I've ever had is the LR Baggs Anthem. Most natural and dynamic of them all. Yes, I know the anthem is a two piece unit with one being and undersaddle...but you can dial out the quack.
I have a Seagull Grand Parlor set up with huge strings and drop tuned. I want to use it for recording. Just big ambient chords. I want purity of sound. Not worried about feedback. Not putting anything under the saddle.
I like that freshman with the microphone that one was awesome sounding I find the people acoustic pick ups all wrong. Most people want to get the most natural sound of an acoustic that they can and that’s cool but that’s kind of the wrong approach just like electric guitar pickups, they all have characters and sounds And I could be cool because you can take like an old trashy blues guitar with a pick up from like the 20s so you get like a DR or some cheap pick up and put it in there and you’ll get that sound and then you could take that out Maybe put that fisherman in for a more natural beautiful sound so I think they’re all worth something even so under the bridge has a sound to it you should be thinking about what they sound like and how that could be used but all of the under saddle ones sound as good as the rest of them, but they had a sound and they could be used in certain situationsand they could be the right sound in a spec situation especially if you’re going to have one in a mix of electric instruments
If that Martin is the same as the Fishman Sonitone, then I agree. Best Piezo out there. It sounds as close to the real acoustic tone in the room as it’s gonna get.
After gigging for years with undersaddle piezos with & without mic blended in I finally discovered the Taylor ES2 and it’s my system of choice. Highly feedback resistant, very sensitive and much truer sounding than undersaddle alone. We are lucky to have so many great systems on the market, we each can choose which system sounds best to our ear and serves our purposes best.
I have a 12 strings Guild, it comes with it comes with a Fishman GT-1 Pickup, it sounds good, but it could be better. What would you recomend for a 12 strings guitar?
very interesting - thanks for sharing all that experience. It was interesting between the K & K pure mini and the journey tek, I preferred the warmth of the journey tek overall but it also seemed to bring out the string squeek (finger noise) more. surprised by the cling on, which is less expensive and temporary. But for sound quality the microphones blew all the others away.
Question: I have two pretty huge pedalboards for my electric guitars, and have always wanted to try plugging my acoustic in to see what things I can get with an acoustic sound, all the talk about needing a preamp for some of these, if I'm plugging into an electric guitar setup, I assume I don't need to worry about that? I'm trying to hone in on what pickup to get, I want it to still sound like an acoustic as much as possible, and not an electric as much as possible, I just want all my reverbs and modulation pedals and my lo-fi stuff available for an acoustic sound as well!
I only have one guitar, a HM Strat. Do you think the Myers pickup could give it a acoustic tone ? Are there any other acoustic pickups made for electric guitar ? I had a Dean Markley sound hole pickup once, it worked but ... @ 10 32 in your video, I recognize that song ! "...and I got myself a rocking chair to see if I could lose , these thin dime, hard time, hell on church St. blues" .
Update: I have an LR Baggs Stagepro Anthem in one stage guitar,(RainSong jumbo)…sounds excellent. Here is the update: I have settled on a 50-50 blend of Tru-Mic microphone to Element piezo, in all circumstances. I used to go the 75% mic, playing solo, but could be a little thin, and subject to feedback. The 50-50 sounds nice and very much like the RainSong. To my ears, the best, is the proprietary Takamine Palathetic pickup played through their CoolTube3 preamp. The Palathetic has an element for each string, and is mechanically locked through the top of the guitar and the bridge. Playing solo, use more tube. In a band, dial it back a bit to cut. Sounds just like the guitar acoustically… (guitar model is ProSeries P4DC). I do love the Fishman Rare Earth / mic though! Thanks! I will try one on the RainSong. If it sounds as good as your demo, will permanently install with an additional endpin jack… can use a Y cord to split the Baggs and Fishman. Huge flexibility! Two different mics, humbucker and piezo capabilities… should be able to find a good feedback free tone in any venue!
Hi I watch your video but my knowledge is not very good, I would like a pickup that I can use on my two guitars that an all mahogany LS South Korea hand built and the other is an Eastman AC122-2CE . I don’t want to risk damaging the sound whole as I’m a bit of a perfectionist about how my guitars look?
What do you think about Taylor´s ES2 piezo system? The different pattented way they using for their guitars? It is not supposed to have the quack effect, since the bridge doesnt sits on transducer, but it leans on saddle from side.
I believe anyone who claims to like undersaddle piezo, let alone claims they sound like a real acoustic guitar, suffer from cognitive dissonance. It's the only way I can explain it.
Thx for doing these, Alex. I have the Journey Tek 3 P in my Takemini, I've happy very Happy with it. JT now has a Microphone w preamp unit that accepts the installed 3P units into it to create a system using both through a Blend control along with a Base knob and a Treble knob and volume too. Looks interesting for $100, (+ the 3P already installed.) I'm tempted.Did you do a Vid on this system?
Fitted a Fishman Neo D on a 2013 Non Pick-Up Angelus Standard, Which Only Cost £50 in The UK. And it Sounded So Full and Mellow, That i had it Adapted With a Plug In Through The Strap Button. Very Minor Issues With Feedback in The Live Arena . It Is a Minefield To be Sure But Your Video Has Made Me Consider Upgrading to a higher end Fishman, So Thanks For That.. Great Vid By The Way.
Great video! Thank you so much!! I bought the ooo-18 with martin thinline already installed as used condition. I was shocked when I found the piezo is under the suddle. And this video showed me clearly what I had worried about. I don't use amp that often and I'm happy with the unplugged sound of my guitar, but start thinking to remove the piezo and buy the product you had recommended on this video....
I actually want to give some props to Taylor's ES2 system. It gets a lot of hate but I think their approach is much better than other builders (the pickup is behind the saddle, not underneath it, and the pressure is adjustable with three screws in string pairs so you can "tune" it to your liking). It also picks up body taps fairly well for looping percussive effects. I use it with a TC Play Acoustic so it has the Body Rez built in and when you dial it in it's quite natural and dynamic. I have a Seymour MagMic in another guitar, and the Taylor sounds much better. I also have an old Fishman Rare Earth magnetic (not the blend) and I really don't like it. I though the Cloudvocal sounded really good in this demo.
I have 110e taylor with es2, it kept having feedback specially if I inc the volume even minimally, the bass and high keep on changing automatically also. I ended up changing the amp to fishman prey which is overall good.... i dnt want to have an es2 system anymore....
I have installed a K&K pure mini in my Taylor 214DLX and it sounded much more real that Taylor’s ES 1, and the sound was full and bass was so much that I have to add a low cut to make it usable. The trick in this pickup is the used glue and make sure to use it with an impedance of 1Mega ohms (Hi-Z) IMO This is the most NATURAL/ TRANSPARENT acoustic pickup, but it is a feedback sensitive like you mentioned and this is the only drawback
I'm about to install pickups in my Oscar Schmidt acoustic. I got the kind that has both Piezo and a microphone. The neat thing is you can use either on their own or blend them to your desired mix with a slider. For my Fender Malibu Player, I intend to eventually remove the existing electronics and replace them with the Hyvibe system.
I'm a novice when it comes to the subject, but I would like to have more sound added to my acoustic guitar. I prefer something exterior and removable not permanent. I'm not on a quiet stage but with other instruments playing at the same time. Some are amped but not overly loud because we are Seniors at the Senior Center and rules forbid to much volume. I think something like a mic would be better then amp. I sit right by one of the P.A. speakers typically that are used for vocals. I also play Banjo and would like to use it for that also. Any suggestions?
I would suggest the Myers Pickup. It'a an external mic that you can easily take on and off as needed. It sounds realistic but of course you'll have to be careful with feedback as it is a mic. I use mine with banjo and acoustic guitar. Here's my full video - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-T10vEKFbACA.html You'll want to explore the different attachment styles that it is available with so that you can use it with both acoustic and banjo.
You said with magnetic pickups, if you dig in hard, the magnetic pickup might not be for you. I watched your rare earth blend video and was all but sold on it, but I play electric style songs on my acoustic. For example the riff on Luk Combs “Beer never broke my heart”. As a solo acoustic musician, I have to play a lot of different ways, finger pick, strum, melody lines incorporated into my rhythms, etc…. That comment is making me wonder now. I just got an HD-28 and I love the sound acoustically and am trying to mimic that, of course. Any thoughts? Thank you for any responses!!
A mic is going to be best if you want it to sound authentic. The problem is they’re prone to feedback on a loud stage. I like the Fishman because it has the magnetic pickup as a backup. It doesn’t sound as good but it’s excellent at not feeding back.
Thank you for the excellent and very informative review, very helpfu! I just purchased a nice 2015 Martin hd28v and I was going to have a K&K put in it but after watching your video, I think I will either have a JourneyTek put in it or I will purchase a Fishman Rare Earth because I don't want a really bright sound. I already have a Taylor with an ES1 pickup that sounds bright and tinny. I really like the sound of my Taylor unplugged but not a fan of the ES1 system. I will be using the Martin at church for leading worship on Wednesday evenings with just my wife and her 12 string acoustic guitar and I think the JourneyTek or the Fishman will do fine for what I'm going to use the Martin for. So, with that being said, I guess I will be needing to purchase a preamp to run the Journeytek or the Fishman rare earth?
The preamp is needed for the JourneyTek, but not the Fishman. The Fishman is awesome and versatile, especially if you’re running in ears as opposed to live stage monitors as then you can really use the mic without feedback. Just know that the Fishman will heavily affect the acoustic tone of the Martin as it is mounted directly on the top of the guitar. It’ll damped it. The JourneyTek will not affect the acoustic tone in that way.
I share your intense dislike of under-saddle piezo pickups. What's really tragic is that much of the canon of live classic rock recordings was made with these abominations because Ovation guitars were the go-to instrument for touring rock musicians back in the late '70s and early '80s and this is what they used. I have a K&K mini in my Larivée and I'm pretty happy with that, although I'm going to experiment with making an IR of that guitar, mic'd with a condenser mic, as you described in an earlier video.
Ok I have a question, I have an understring magnetic pick-up, wired straight to the 1/4" endpin jack do I need need a pre amp or not. ??? Thankyou, anyone can answer
The Taylor ES2 is so good it’s worth having a beater 100 series guitar for stage use. Kind of the inverse of your HD28-you’d never play the Taylor around the house or record with it, but you’d also be completely unworried about gigging it mercilessly.
Excellent video. I have tried many of the same pickups, and my experiences are very similar to yours. For most gigs I use the K & K because it is so reliable. I have since learned that K & K has something called the Trinity, which combines the Pure pickup with an internal mic and an external preamp. The best sounding pickup I ever had was a Fishman Ellipse Matrix Blend, which uses the same mic you have in your Rare Earth Mic Blend.
Can you make your voice sound any more graveling? I don't think you speak like that normally. It's reallllly annoying. Thumbs up anyway, thanks for info.
Hey - about the LR Baggs Anthem, this video was a collection of all of the pickups I've tried over the years. I've heard such mixed reviews of the Anthem, and have simultaneously heard it sound decent and straight up terrible so I didn't have too much interest in purchasing it for myself. It also relies partly on an undersaddle piezo transducer, which I'm not a fan of because of how it affects the natural acoustic tone of the instrument it's installed in. I'm sure many like it, and LR Baggs does make some fantastic pickups, but for me on acoustic, the Rare Earth Mic Blend just made more sense.
They're all the same actually, but they are available with different sized goosenecks and different attachment methods. The mic capsule and preamp is identical between all of the different models.
I have two Myers, and unlike what he said here, they are LOW impedance. They have to go into a low imp/mic channel on an amp, or direct into a board, or a box. And can’t use regular pedals. And contrary to his demonstration with the double mic system…totally unnecessary… You do not position the mic over the soundhole. You put it an inch or two over like the 16th, 17th fret for most natural sound.
Check out the Shertler M AG6 with S mic M internal microphone. Not too well known in the US, but amazing sound. I’ve got one installed in my Martin D45 and also in my Santa Cruz Eric Skye signature.
Thanks for commenting - I hadn't heard of that one. Upon reading through their website, it's basically the same design as the K&K Pure Mini and JourneyTek pickups I mentioned in this video. The difference is that it has an internal preamp and you can attach a secondary magnetic pickup if you wanted. In my opinion, the main benefit of this type of pickup (contact piezo) is that you're not putting a bunch of electronics in your instrument. The added weight of the preamp (and possibly a second magnetic pickup) will significantly affect the acoustic tone.
@@AlexPriceMusician Alex, the Trance Amulet transducers aren't like the flat-disk K&K/JourneyTek transducers. The Trance Amulet transducers have multiple-plane sensing piezo crystals in each transducer giving them the ability to sense vibrations in three dimensions. This Trance design is a refinement of the legendary FRAP transducers that were state-of-the-art back around 1980. The Trance systems can be ordered either battery-powered or phantom-powered and the whole system is very light in weight. Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Paul Simon, and Sheryl Crow, among other stars, are users of Trance Amulet systems.
@@AlexPriceMusician Alex, also, the Dazzo system, the James May Engineering UltraTonic 3.2 system, along with the Trance Amulet systems are state-of-the-art soundboard transducers (SBT) designs that need very little and often no outboard EQ to sound good. The K&K Pure Mini is also still a nice option. Nice playing on "Church Street Blues." Thanks for doing this review!
Ken, thank you so much for this information seriously. Now I wish I had considered that pickup for this video, it would've made it that much better. I appreciate your detailed comments!
The short answer to most of these is no, with the exception of the K&K and JourneyTek contact piezo designs. For everything else, you’ll want to find something specifically made for the string spacing and width of an acoustic bass.
Great video. I’ve done similar evaluation and agree with most of your conclusions. I use the K&K in all my guitars and I do so because of the obvious issue of putting a piece of metal under a saddle. Have you ever tried out an iRig Acoustic Stage? I believe this is just a tiny condenser mic that you hang on your sound hole. Biggest drawback that I have found with iRig is I’d like to extend the cable from the mic to the unit so I would not have to hang the unit on my strap because I change guitars on stage. But I have not found a way to do that. All of the mini connectors that I have used with extensions are crappy and connect and disconnect giving huge “cracking” noises like plugging in and unplugging. Would love to see an iRig eval. Also if you could come up with an extension for the mic. I also remove the pick guard from all my acoustics and replace with a thin press on vinyl film. Huge difference.
Thanks! Great review, helped me a lot…bought you a (small;-) coffee. I have an old Martin guitar, and just like you I'm hesitating about installing the Fishman or anything else in the soundhole. And it doesn't have a cutaway, so I was wondering if I should get myself a used Ibanez with that Fishman rare earthe + mic combo installed, for ~900€ (the Fishman costs ~230 here in Europe). Anyway, your video was really appreciated!
k&k with mic ??? this one. ??? crital to place end of mic protruding just out of soundhole and between E & B strings. set eq on preamp also. takes hours to set it up. BIG SMILES
A lot of the Epiphone acoustics, like the ej series have both a saddle and neck pickup which you can blend. Probably the best acoustic electrics you can buy for less a grand. I have the jumbo and you can’t be the unplugged sound, but it kills expensive guitars plugged in as well.
You can real hear the soundhole pickup clamp down on the top. Definitely not a fan of that added noise. Love the Myers. That's the future right there. About to start a dreadnaught build and had use a 3 pt K&K forever on my 70s Japanese Martin copy. Nice to know I don't have to buy another and stick it in there. That would be pointless.
What you don't want is a natural sounding pickup. You want a better sound than natural. Start with the magnetic pickup. My Guitar is an old Höfner 12 with adjustable neck. So I could fix it not in the hole but in the gap under the neck. The pickup was a cheap single coil. I took half of the windings away to make it less strong and it sounded less massive. Nevertheless I have the full basses. Mix it with another pickup. Low frequencies more magnetic, middle more the other. For special technics take another mix. You will see.
I use the Cloudvocal on my violin. You can add a bit of EQ and reverb with the receiver (and it's wireless, which is really nice to not have a cable hanging from your instrument). Here's my full video of the Cloudvocal on a violin: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cB-47ZTBHy0.html
Excellent, thanks for sharing. I have A FISHMAN PREFIX ONBOARD BLENDER installed in my K.Yairi classical guitar for recording. The pickup generates a lot of resonance/low frequencies no matter how I adjust the bass and the notch on the pickup. Would you please advise me of a pickup that produces a clean sound free of resonance and low frequencies. Thanks and regards.
Using a Peavey Cargo with undersaddle piezo. It's a small short scale guitar, fun to take to the park but rather bass heavey, even acousticslly. Using my Boss GT1000 with the AC Resonance effect and 4 eq blocks as well as compression, I have approached a rather acceptable sound but I am interested in adding a contact pickup to the arsenal. Also I was really impressed by youtube videos of the shadow nanomag pickups that were installed on a number of epiphones that had "ultra" in their names.
The Fishman does sound really good. But for my use, I think my pick would be the Journey Tek EP001K. The one I was originally thinking of, and was recommended to me, was the K&K mini. But I think maybe It sounds just a bit brighter than the Journey, which I think you stated. It would be between those two for me. Thanks, EE.
at 50, I finally got an acoustic-electric (and never really had a quality acoustic before)... but as a Turkish Oud; which is nylon 12-string fretless and a pear-shaped body. after a month, the saddle pulled forward until the under-saddle pickup was rattling madly. on an Arabic/Turkish style oud, there is a decorative rose on the holes; which makes ever getting inside basically impossible. at the same time, the 9V got weak enough to get sound drop-out and buzzing, while also the plug nut was loose. Three issues at once. I thought I would destroy it just troubleshooting it. The undersaddle pickup definitely seems loosely held together. The action is just low enough that I get a bit too much buzz on the (fretless) "fretboard". I may be stuck with the Fishman pickup that it came with. But I learned a lot in troubleshooting it, and fixing it as best I could. I might need to bump the action up somehow. On an Oud, you don't need to do any intonation tricks; as you just tune it to perfect fourths with a straight saddle.
