Acoustic Pickups - Need some choices

[Jampy]

So I am thinking this year I may get a pickup for my Gretch Acoustic, I want it installed fulltime and to provide clean feedback free sound. So I'll toss this one out there to see what your guys like and/or use?

Any help would be great along with pics & links
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[djmcconnell]

At the recommendation of the guitar tech at The Podium, I had a Baggs Element Active installed last March, and I really like the sound quality (people comment frequently on how nice it sounds).

The new strap peg (where the jack connects) was the only externally visible modification, and there's a volume control mounted just inside the sound hole, which is very convenient.

I'd recommend it.

[Ro3b]

I've had a Baggs Dual source in my Guild for the last ten years or so. I'm extremely happy with it. Most of the time I don't even bother with a preamp. I just run it straight into the PA and it sounds fantastic. It's a good choice for guitars you don't want to carve big holes in: the only permanent modification required is drilling a small hole under the saddle.

[strumsalot]

I've heard really good things about the K&K Pure Western Mini/Classic. Here's K&K's website with sound clips. Here's a pickup shootout on Maury's Music website.

[Jampy]

Thanks guys, you gave me some really good choices. What I am kinda looking into is a pickup system that uses both a mic and a under saddle pickup where I can mix the two to get the tone I want.

[Duff49]

I'm having an EMG active under sadddle pup put in my Seagull twentieth anniv. S6 type beautiful acoustic on Thursday.

It has a nine volt battery powered preamp that velcros on inside the soundhole out of sight by the neck joint. Strap pin jack.

I'm going to have him put on a tone and volume pot if he will, as per the sugestion of EMG. Something like twenty five kOhm pots in line with the jack. I also have an outboard Dean Markley really nice acoustic preamp I can use if he doesn't want to take the chance of putting in the pots. In the sides would probably be the best spot to avoid cracking the solid spruce top. The John Lennon one probably has bracing behind the top mounted tone and volume knobs. Mine has a cherry/flammed maple laminated side so it should hold up to cracking around the pot well. Only a few more dollars to get the volume and tone knobs put on.

Check out the EMG acoustic pickups at the EMG site if you want. They have the under bridge ribbon style pickup that picks up the sound of the wood vibrations not the string vibrations.

The bridge saddle and microphone combination ones are like four hundred dollars or so, for some of them.

The EMG one is supposed to sound good. I'll let you know next week.

Peace,
Duffy

[markb]

I have a Fishman Matrix Natural in my J45 and it's as good as an under-saddle pickup gets. The current version is the Matrix Infinity which many say sounds better and gives you handy little volume and tone controls mounted in the soundhole. Here's an acoustic pickup shootout which may help you decide. There's lots of good info on this site.

http://www.maurysmusic.com/pickup_shootout