# Best Acoustic Guitar Pickup?



## ampaholic (Sep 19, 2006)

I'm sure this has been discussed before but its always nice to get fresh opinions and info on new products.
I just bought a new Bourgeois Vintage OM (thanks for the tip RonMac) and am already thinking about pickups.
This guitar is worthy of the best pickup and I'd be interested in opinions on what that might be? Other than the necessary endpin jack I'm not real excited about any additional drilling or cutting.
Thanks!


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## washburned (Oct 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, with acoustic guitars it's not the "best" pick up but what pickup works best in your guitar. I've heard great guitars with great pickups sound terrible and vice versa. This is one time when you definitely should get the advice of several experienced luthiers/techs and go with the majority opinion. You don't want to spend hundreds of dollars and modify your guitar and end up regretting the decision because it sounds crappy without a ton of signal processing.


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

K&K Western Trinity system.


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## Starlovin (Feb 15, 2008)

I'm needing to buy an acoustic pickup for my Norman. I'd also like to know what brands I should check out or stay away from and what I can expect to spend on a quality pickup. 

Has anyone tried the Seymour Duncan Woody HC pickup?


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## Gilliangirl (Feb 26, 2006)

I'm wondering about acoustic amplification too. But I don't want ANY holes drilled in my guitar either. What are the options?


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Gilliangirl said:


> I'm wondering about acoustic amplification too. But I don't want ANY holes drilled in my guitar either. What are the options?


I've seen piezos that can be attached temporarily--but then you have wires running around more--so some people don't like that.

One day I hope to get a pickup on my 12 string though--so I'm following this thread.


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## drak10687 (May 24, 2007)

Well, I've never had one on my accoustic, but I'm intrested in this as well. From what I've read, how far you go in price and installation seems to depend on exactly what you want to use your guitar for. There seems to be some decent inexpensive options in things like transducers, but they have a lot of problems with feedback once you start playing at higher volumes.


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## ampaholic (Sep 19, 2006)

"K&K Western Trinity system."

Thanks Jeff. I looked at the K&K website. Their site seems a bit confusing but I think I've sorted it out.
I already have a Baggs Para DI which works quite well. Would I still use the preamp that comes with the Trinity Western?
Thanks!


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

ampaholic said:


> "K&K Western Trinity system."
> 
> Thanks Jeff. I looked at the K&K website. Their site seems a bit confusing but I think I've sorted it out.
> I already have a Baggs Para DI which works quite well. Would I still use the preamp that comes with the Trinity Western?
> Thanks!


The Trinity system is sound board transducers, mic and 2 channel preamp for both.

If you go with the sound board transducers only you could use your existing Para DI.

FYI: the bottom four clips on our site from Nov 15th, 2007 are all with trinity systems in our Taylors. We are blending sound board transducer with the mic. Dave likes a brighter snappier tone, mine is setup a little warmer for some body.

You don't hear any quack, and it has some of the best acoustic reproduction IMO.

http://www.scotchonsunday.com/ListeningRoom.aspx


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## ampaholic (Sep 19, 2006)

Wow! Those guitars sound great Jeff, not to mention the playing and vocals! Very, very nice!!


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## Mr. David Severson (Feb 3, 2006)

The K&K system is the best option it gives a very accurate amplified acoustic sound for live and recording.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I've used a variety, and sometimes combinations, of Martin, Fishman, Mini-Flex, Dean Markley, DiMarzio, Seymour Duncan, Shatten Design, K&K, and I don't remember what all else. For my money, the K&K has the best tone, least feedback, and reliability. My only complaint is that the soundboard contacts are hard to remove without breaking them, so one has to be pretty sure about installation before committing. At the moment I have K&Ks in a guitar-shaped bouzouki, a six string, and a classical. Another is waiting for installation in a new six string when it's completed.

If I've got a choice, a "shotgun" condensor mic is the way to go, but that's not always a possibility or practicality.

The K&K through a nice warm preamp and d.i. works well for me.

Peace, Mooh.


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## ampaholic (Sep 19, 2006)

> The K&K through a nice warm preamp and d.i. works well for me.


Thanks Mooh. Do you have a guitar favourite in the K&K line?


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

ampaholic...The TwinSpot is more than capable under most conditions, though the fancier one (the name escapes me at the moment) is more versatile. Combined with an exterior mic, there's everything you should need. 

One caveat...With any pickup, don't expect the same results from guitar to guitar. Much depends on installation, placement, woods, playing style, amplification, etc., and don't mistake amplified acoustic for acoustic tone, just try to get something pleasing and acoustic-like.

I hate quack.

Peace, Mooh.


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## ampaholic (Sep 19, 2006)

Thanks guys, but of course trying different pickups is tough, financially of course, but also because some of them require permanent installation.
I've emailed the guitar manufacturer (Bourgeois) to see if they have any recommendations but perhaps my question should have been more specific: best pickup for a Bourgeois Vintage OM?
Thanks!


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

How do you think the Twin Spot would sound plugged into an electric guitar amp? I need to amplify my acoustic for jams and possible gigs, but I don't know yet what kind of set-up we'd have. 

I don't have an acoustic amplifier, nor do I want to buy one. My acoustic is a cheapie Yamaha, and I don't want to spend much amplifying it, so the Twin Spot sounds like a decent deal. Just wondering if anyone has tried it with any success through a tube amp?

I'll likely only be using my acoustic for one or two songs, so even if the sound isn't brilliant, I can likely deal with it. I just wanted to know if it's going to result in a horrible sound that will peel the skin off the audience.


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## Mike MacLeod (Nov 27, 2006)

*Non invasive installation*

Gillian Girl;
Assuming your guitar has the traditional tapered strap peg at the lower bout, you can install a "Vintage Jack" insert without drilling out the hole. These simply replace the existing push-in peg and tie into the pick-up. I use these for vintage instruments and expensive new instruments that use the tapered peg system.


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## Mike MacLeod (Nov 27, 2006)

*Piezo pick-ups in Electric Guitar amps.*

Most Piezo pick-ups have an output impedance of several Mega-ohms. They should be loaded in to a similar input impedance, thus most of these pick-ups are supplied with pre-amps that match impedance. There are even some guitar amps that are designed to handle these loads. They are "acoustic" amps. There are even critters like the new Radial DI and the LR Baggs Para-DI that can tame the quack in most piezo pick-ups. A standard piezo tends to sound pretty nasty when loaded into the 47K impedance of regular electronics.

Now, as to the K&K, they seem to have been able to produce a pick-up that sounds fantastic loaded into any input.

The pure Western is an incredible sounding simple pick-up that does not require sophisticated installation skills, though a good installer is highly recommended. There is a good website out there that shows an installation.

The Trinity Western is a little more sophisticated in that you have the mic, the pick-up and the blender. 

You can convert a Pure Western installation to a Trinity installation relatively simply. K&K will supply all of the bits. 

I hope this helps


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## xuthal (May 15, 2007)

i for one dont like the sound of peizo's.I looked far and wide and found a great dean markley transducer.I have tried a ghs soundhole mic,sounded great but the feedback was terrible in larger club settings.I like the dean markley becouse it mounts on the bridge with a removable adhesion(sort of like sticky tack) and its not permanent.For me the convenience of using it on other guitars and the great natural tone overall blew me away.Just to warn you it has to be mounted on the bridge or it will feedback.haven't had the opportunity to try it in a big club yet,any body have some experience with this pickup in this setting?


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## ronmac (Sep 22, 2006)

Sorry to be late to the party...

The K&K Pure Western Mini is about as simple and as nice a pickup as made today. The installation is easy, especially if you follow the new instructions on the website, and it is passive, so no need to have a battery inside your guitar.

The K&K is a little different than most modern pickups in that it has an output impedance of 1 meg. The benefit of this is that it can sound pretty good plugged directly into most acoustic amps and DIs. The downside is that it doesn't match perfectly with many of the common preamps, including the PARA DI. It is possible to modify the input impedance of a PARA DI (or make an impedance matching cable), or you can get by simply by reducing the low frequency gain and tweaking the rest. Played through a K&K preamp, that is properly impedance matched to the pickup and about the same price as a PARA DI, it will sound very good. BTW, the K&K also matches well with the Sans Amp Acoustic DI (but doesn't everything!).

I have tried just about every pickup system made during the past 20 years and I can honestly say that the K&K is one of the best sounding, and given its passive design easily the simplest and most trouble free installation.


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