Favorite Acoustic Pickups

[treyhaislip]

Just got a new Martin D-18 that does not have a pickup installed. I am currently using Bill Lawrence A300 soundhole pickups that sound very good to my ears BUT I don't like having to remove it everytime I put the guitar in a case--looking for a non-soundhole pickup.

I know Fishman pickups are in a lot of acoustics–most of the ones I've heard sound very sterile and thin...but really haven't tried any of their new stuff.

Have not tried a K&K pickup before but I like the idea of not having to replace batteries.

Recommendations?

[ICTGoober]

Why not have the A-300 wired into the guitar? Mount a jack in the side or in the endpin, cut the wire, and solder it on. I recommend the Lawrence units and have used them for decades.

[Chistopher]

The LR Baggs Anthem is the only acoustic pickup I use. Sounds the same as my guitar, plus extremely resistant to feedback.

[NegativeEase]

What is the application? Recording? Playing live through sound reinforcement?

I love my 1990s sound hole Fishman for recording -I get people asking me about the acoutic sound on album recordings Ive engineering or produced and the answer is usually Fishman Rare Earth SOund hole pickup blended with AKG 414 on the fret 12 pointed towards soundhole and Telefunken EL 260s in the room I use it for the attack portion of the sound though -not really as broadband as what others might be looking for.

I think the LR Baggs M1 is broader and smoother with less attack and detail -but has more of a full acoustic sound. I heard the M80 is killer

[ArtieToo]

Check out some of the Mi-Si stuff. https://mi-si.com/products/

I've installed them into a couple customers guitars. Their big draw is that they use a super-capacitor for power. You charge it through the output cable for 60 seconds, and then you can play 6 - 8 hours. They make generic ones that you can use with anyone's piezo pickups.

[chadd]

I had a DC-18E that came with the Fishman Aura VT Enhance and it worked well. The piezo electric tone was less than stellar but dialing in some of the IR made a huge difference. The guitar also sounded great in the room, so it wasn't dead wood.

[treyhaislip]

Thank you all for the responses! I started the thread very open ended to see what everyone liked in their acoustics.

For the D-18 I just bought, I am looking for the absolute minimum in terms of adding to the guitar (looking at options like the K&K and JJB.) I don't want a soundhole pickup on this one--those are perfect for my $500 range guitars but don't want something more permanent and less evasive in my D-18 (although the argument could be made that a soundhole pickup is the least evasive as there's no gluing or permanent attachment.)

My acoustic playing is 90% unplugged so I would only be getting the pickup installed for rare occasions that I need to plug in (either to record something where a mic is not available or to play live in small to medium venues...which my Taylor would most likely be used anyways.)

Perhaps it is a mental thing for me but majority of active acoustic pickups (I don't care for active electrics for that matter as well) do not have the "feel" of unplugged and sound very sterile and thin.