Acoustic pickup

[Mathieu Benoit]

I know a girl that has a gorgeous Taylor. Problem is that there's no pickup in it. She wants to get a pickup in it (something permanent) but she doesn't want to have to alter the guitar much to do it.

I was thinking the Matrix Infinity by Fishman. It's supposed to be fairly uncoloured and it doesn't seem to intrusive, installation wise. Also it doesn't break the bank.

Before I make a recommendation to her I wanted to get some opinions from guys that know this better than I do. I want to help her take care of this from soup to nuts, as all she knows is she loves her guitar, needs a pickup and doesn't want to change the sound of her acoustic, while not going broke.

Thanks guys!

PS - Of course I'll get her to buy a JDI to with which ever pickup she goes with.

[Jef]

The Martin Thinline works very well. Inexpensive and unobtrusive. The pickup is concealed beneath the bridge saddle and includes an endpin output jack to replace the existing strap peg. I've heard this pickup and it sounds wonderful.

[Mathieu Benoit]

The Martin Thinline works very well. Inexpensive and unobtrusive. The pickup is concealed beneath the bridge saddle and includes an endpin output jack to replace the existing strap peg. I've heard this pickup and it sounds wonderful.

Very similar to the Matrix, I'm still leaning towards the Matrix though. Fishman is just such a trusted name in the industry.

These ae both inthe same field though I bet. Are there any non-intrusive pickups like this that are higher in quality though. I guess I just find the price too good to be true.

[macrae11]

Well you can take my opinion with a grain of salt as I'm not a Fishman fan. I kind of feel like Fishman has become the standard for acoustic pickups because they did it well first, but now people have come to assume that that's how a live guitar should sound, even though IMHO there are better sounding products out there.

The two that come to mind are the LR Baggs IBeam, and Taylors own proprietary Expression System. The IBeam when paired up with their Paracoustic DI is the best aftermarket system to my ears. The Taylor system is great, although it does have it's own inherent drawbacks. It's more expensive, only works on most Taylors (not all) and is susceptible to ground loops, but when it works it's phenomenal.

I would go with either of those two systems before any Fishman. YMMV.

[Mathieu Benoit]

I would never recommend the expression system to anyone. I've heard to many complaints and it's noisy. Taylor's response was that they are "supposed" to be noise. Nuts to that...

The IBeam looks very nice though. It and the Para DI are even a little less expesnive than my Matrix?JDI combo.

You sure make a guy think.

[macrae11]

No argument here, the Taylors are finicky. I remember talking to you about the noise issue, which I never had, but if your AC isn't in order it can wreak havoc. And when you don't know the venue you're going to be going into, it can be a little worrisome.

I don't know of any issues at all with the LR Baggs.

[Mathieu Benoit]

No argument here, the Taylors are finicky. I remember talking to you about the noise issue, which I never had, but if your AC isn't in order it can wreak havoc. And when you don't know the venue you're going to be going into, it can be a little worrisome.

It's a hiss, Taylor acknowledges that it's part of the expression system. Unacceptable.

[LarryS]

I was just at a festival/jam this weekend where a seriously accomplished bluegrass musician gave the Baggs his endorsement to a fellow who asked almost the identical question as yours. (He wants to wire up his Taylor.)

[Mathieu Benoit]

You guys have my attention now. I will investigate. The para DI is a concern because she may not want to have a bunch of confusing buttons and knobs (though she may be willing to learn)

[macrae11]

It's not super complicated once it's set up since she's using with the same instrument all the time. If someone like yourself took some time and tweaked it to suit her instrument, it would be mostly set and forget. Then she could just leave it, or play with it if she feels a little braver.

[Mathieu Benoit]

I'm leaning towards to L.R. Baggs. I think she'll learn to use the Para DI the way it was intended. I'll give her a crash course in EQing. She'll learn it probably because she wants to do it right and be informed.

Now, a vocal mic for her. Oops, better start a new thread.

[clinton]

I use an L.R. Baggs M1 currently and am happier with it then any pick up I've tried out yet. When they it's body-sensitive, they mean it. Great pick-up.

[Mathieu Benoit]

That seals it for me... L.R. Baggs it is! Thanks Clinton!

Also:

L.R. Baggs is amazing! We just got an old D28 Martin without a pickup and the M1 sounds great, with no modifications made to the guitar. We are also using the Para D.I. preamp for greater tone control. I use the hell out of my Baggs for EQing.

She's awesome, so she gets a vote too.

[Mathieu Benoit]

Next question: If we go with the IBeam, who do we get to install the IBeam? It's a simple installation, but I'm not taking any chances. Who's the most trusted person around these parts for this kind of thing?

Also the M1 seems to be super popular amongst big name artists. Which should we go with the IBeam or the M1? It would be nice to not do any kind of installation at all. But are there any drawbacks to using an M1 over the IBeam? That might seem like a dumb question but I just don't know much about this stuff, being a drummer and all.

[macrae11]

I've never used the M1 Matt, although I have heard good things about it. As far as installation, it's real easy, so any qualified guitar tech can handle it no problem. Dave Palmer is my go to guy, but he's in Fredericton.

[Mathieu Benoit]

I'm just wondering if the IBeam is going to sound better for the hastle of installation?

She would prefer the cleanliness of having the IBeam, it's hidden and once it's installed it's out of the way. I guess it's just down to sonic quality. Does the M1 sound good enough over the IBeam to make her want a sound hole pickup?

[Jef]

Next question: If we go with the IBeam, who do we get to install the IBeam?

Thom Chandler

[Mathieu Benoit]

Next question: If we go with the IBeam, who do we get to install the IBeam?

Thom Chandler

You're right! I never even thought about it. Right in our own backyard.