I Feel Like A Newbie - Acoustic Pick Up & Mic Advice Needed !

Wazmeister

Being acoustic-less at the moment, my GAS has now switched in this direction... but I find I know much less than I thought I did !

So, again folks, Id Appreciate your help and advice;

1.) Is the LR Baggs Anthem the best pick up system ?

2.) Is it an easy install ?

3.) Whats a good decent and the best mic to capture acoustic guitar ?

Thanks in advance lovely people

preston61

Hey bud, hope you're keeping well.

I am now exclusively acoustic and have had a lot of success with the K&K Pure mini. It's very simple and sounds excellent. A decent DI/Pre amp is a big aspect, I'm using the LR Baggs Venue DI and that has so much EQ'ing tools that I can get most sounds I want very easily.

The Anthem has always appealed, but it's 3 times the price of the K&K and I'd be very surprised if it sounded that much better.

Lewy

This is about balancing your expectations of sound quality with the realities of your typical plugin scenario. No point in going for something exquisite sounding but fiddly if you play open mics and have no time (or interest on the part of whoever is doing sound) to get a good sound. If you typically plug in on your own gigs and you’re in control of sound then you can get more into nuance. 

I dont think you can go wrong with the K&K in the vast majority of cases. There are other systems than can sound maybe 15% “better” but they’re a lot more expensive, take time to dial in and at the end of the day if you like acoustic guitar sounds plugging in is going to suck whatever you do, so go for an easy life. The reason I like the K&K is the response feels natural, so whilst it doesn’t really sound acoustic it doesn’t throw my playing off in the way other pickups do.

ArchtopDave

You could consider a more complete K&K system to include the Mic as well as the Mini, plus the Pre-Amp if you want the whole K&K system.

mgaw

K&K all the way IMO...simple to install, non intrusive, good sound, no battery needs a good preamp though oh and its not expensive

CMW335

If this is for recording then I would recommend a couple of Shure sm81’s.

BigLicks67

I'd go for the K&K pure mini also. For microphones it depends on budget, there's the Neumann KM184 for around £600.00 or a Rode NT5 for a third of the price, but depends on how much of a perfectionist you are when it comes to sound reproduction.

ESBlonde

Have a look at the recent episode on that pedal show about preamps etc. Might give you insight.

TheBigDipper

I'm happily using K&K Pure Mini pickups into a K&K Pure XLR preamp on a Brook and a L'Arrivee. . The preamp doesn't have the bells and whistles of some of the other units out there, but does seem to have the right impedance to get the best out of the pickups. The desk can do the fancy stuff. I'm not doing solo concerts where the sound needs to be pristine and as good as in a small room without amplification. 

Can't advise on mics, I'm afraid. Was it for sound reproduction on stage or for recording, BTW? 

Wazmeister

TheBigDipper said:

I'm happily using K&K Pure Mini pickups into a K&K Pure XLR preamp on a Brook and a L'Arrivee. . The preamp doesn't have the bells and whistles of some of the other units out there, but does seem to have the right impedance to get the best out of the pickups. The desk can do the fancy stuff. I'm not doing solo concerts where the sound needs to be pristine and as good as in a small room without amplification. 

Can't advise on mics, I'm afraid. Was it for sound reproduction on stage or for recording, BTW? 

I’d be looking at stage and for recording.

My new Adkin J45 doesn’t have a pick up, and I’d ideally like something like a LR Baggs Anthem. 

But the the prospect of micing live appeals too.

Does everyone think the Neumann KM 184 is the way to go ?

CMW335

Wazmeister said:

TheBigDipper said:

I'm happily using K&K Pure Mini pickups into a K&K Pure XLR preamp on a Brook and a L'Arrivee. . The preamp doesn't have the bells and whistles of some of the other units out there, but does seem to have the right impedance to get the best out of the pickups. The desk can do the fancy stuff. I'm not doing solo concerts where the sound needs to be pristine and as good as in a small room without amplification. 

Can't advise on mics, I'm afraid. Was it for sound reproduction on stage or for recording, BTW? 

I’d be looking at stage and for recording.

My new Adkin J45 doesn’t have a pick up, and I’d ideally like something like a LR Baggs Anthem. 

But the the prospect of micing live appeals too.

Does everyone think the Neumann KM 184 is the way to go ?

I just bought a pair of KM 184’s on eBay after reading up on them recently and yes they are highly regarded. That being said the SM81’s I could not fault but the KSM 184s on eBay we’re going for a good price. I have just listed my Shure SM81s in the classifieds should you be interested in those.

Niallseroreilly

I just put the LR Baggs Anthem into my Taylor 410, it sounds fantastic.

musicman100

Lr Baggs anthem all the way 

ICBM

Anyone yet tried the passive Baggs iBeam? I’ve seen it mentioned but I’m not sure if I’ve heard any reviews.

I would love to put a K&K in my Gibson, but unfortunately there’s a jig tooling hole in the bridgeplate right where the G/D sensor would need to go! Very frustrating.

Not interested in the active iBeam or any other active system.

Lewy

ICBM said:

Anyone yet tried the passive Baggs iBeam? I’ve seen it mentioned but I’m not sure if I’ve heard any reviews.

I would love to put a K&K in my Gibson, but unfortunately there’s a jig tooling hole in the bridgeplate right where the G/D sensor would need to go! Very frustrating.

Not interested in the active iBeam or any other active system.

Yep - it sounded very good in my little Larrivee parlour, average in my Collings OM and awful in my Mossman. No idea why the differential - I suspect bridge plate thickness.

Pm me your address and I’ll send it to you and you can try it out (you’ll need to source some adhesive tape as I don’t think I’ve got any left...).

Wazmeister

CMW335 said:

Wazmeister said:

TheBigDipper said:

I'm happily using K&K Pure Mini pickups into a K&K Pure XLR preamp on a Brook and a L'Arrivee. . The preamp doesn't have the bells and whistles

I just bought a pair of KM 184’s on eBay after reading up on them recently and yes they are highly regarded. That being said the SM81’s I could not fault but the KSM 184s on eBay we’re going for a good price. I have just listed my Shure SM81s in the classifieds should you be interested v

Wazmeister

@CMW - thanks mate for the offer and advice ! I saw the 184s on eBay and nearly went for them.

Let is know how they compare....

stuartryanmusic

Anthems are great, I've had several guitars with them over the years. I prefer the sound of the K&K Trinity Pro mini now but that's just my preference. If it's for intricate solo fingerstyle gigs then either of those are the ones to go for, for more band based stuff the hassle factor is far less with a good Fishman or LR Baggs soundhole pickup - these are quick and easy to eq but you do lose all the 'air' and 'zing' of a good acoustic like the Atkin! 184s are really nice mics, I used a pair for years for many commercial sessions and they were always flattering to the source. Pair them with a good mic preamp to beef things up and you'll have a lovely recording setup. You'll read people saying that they are 'bright' and 'plasticy' and to an extent that is true - the Beyerdynamic MC930 are another good option with a bit of a different tone. Recording acoustics does become a money pit though, it's not long until the lure of ever better mics and preamps comes calling! 

ICBM

Lewy said:

Yep - it sounded very good in my little Larrivee parlour, average in my Collings OM and awful in my Mossman. No idea why the differential - I suspect bridge plate thickness.

Pm me your address and I’ll send it to you and you can try it out (you’ll need to source some adhesive tape as I don’t think I’ve got any left...).

That's very kind of you, thanks! Tape will not be a problem...

PM sent.