Pickups??

[soulman]

I have always used LR Baggs Pickups and really like them.
I am interested to hear what everyone else uses and why.
Cheers
Ross

[kiwigeo]

I use mainly K and K western pad type transducer systems on my builds....they don't have the quacky sound that alot of under saddle piezo pickups have. My last build was fitted with a Fishman Elipse system which has an under saddle pickup and a mini mike. It sounded ok with only the saddle pick up going but when the mini mike was mixed in it sounded very "raw" to my ears....possibly to do with the loud falcate braced top and live back. Note that this was straight after string up and the owner may have done some playing around with the mini-mic positioning.

[soulman]

I use mainly K and K western pad type transducer systems on my builds....they don't have the quacky sound that alot of under saddle piezo pickups have. My last build was fitted with a Fishman Elipse system which has an under saddle pickup and a mini mike. It sounded ok with only the saddle pick up going but when the mini mike was mixed in it sounded very "raw" to my ears....possibly to do with the loud falcate braced top and live back. Note that this was straight after string up and the owner may have done some playing around with the mini-mic positioning.

Cool Thanks Martin.
I'll have to look into them.
Is placement basically experimental relative to sound you are aiming to achieve.
Thanks

Ross

[kiwigeo]

Cool Thanks Martin.
I'll have to look into them.
Is placement basically experimental relative to sound you are aiming to achieve.
Thanks

Ross

Youre referring to the Fishman mic or the K and K pads? The mic gets moved around until you find a "sweet spot" within the guitar box. The K and K pads are fixed to bridge plate directly under the saddle.

[scripsit]

I've got the Fishman Ellipse Matrix Blend working well in two existing guitars at the moment.

The microphone is sensitive to positioning, as you would expect with the air surging and reflecting inside a guitar box. I found it does well pointing up at about 45 degrees towards the soundhole, and towards the gap between the G and B strings. This seems to solve the overload problem which happens if you have the mic pointing inside, at the back in particular.

With a fifty/fifty blend the sound is the closest to 'realistic' of any acoustic guitar pickup I've experienced. I use a Radial Tonebone preamp to cut any woofy mids. The little Roland acoustic amp is prone to these.

I'm going to do some rearrangement of the microphone position in the OM Martin built for me next time I restring, probably this weekend. At the moment it's pointing at the neck block and definitely picking up a lot of the back vibration.

Kym

[peter.coombe]

I use McIntyre feather. Sounds very good, no eq required (but does require a preamp), and is easily reversible if the customer wants to change to their favourite pickup. So far none have. I tried a few pickups some years ago on mandolin and Schertler gave the best sound, but they are expensive. The McIntyre came a close second and is a lot cheaper if you buy direct from the manufacturer.

[Steve.Toscano]

I use K & K Pure Mini. Seems the same as the 3 pads one that martin referred to.
http://kksound.com/products/purepickup.php

Along with the external preamp:
http://kksound.com/products/purepreamp.php

[soulman]

Thanks for taking the time to respond all.
I can certainly do some homework now.

Cheers

Ross

[blackalex1952]

Check out B-Band. I have had good results with the UST and preamp. The UST ( undersaddle transducer) doesn't sound quacky, for a piezo, and is ultra thin meaning that saddle slot routing can be avoided.
Also have a look at d-tar. These have a pretty high end sound and are also a high end price. -Ross