Acoustic pickup recommendation

Devil#20

What's the best undersaddle acoustic pickup options with discrete controls inside the sound hole. The only one's I'm aware of are the L R Baggs ones. 

Devil#20

Nobody fitted one or had one fitted then?

ICBM

Baggs or Fishman both do them.

Beyond that I can't really help, as I've removed them from my guitars and use passive Fishman USTs with an outboard preamp.

Soupman

I have 2 soundhole pickups - a Baggs M1a and a Fishman rare earth. Both are good  but I feel the Baggs edges it.
That doesn't help your undersaddle question of course, but Baggs do have a good name.
 

shufflebeat

I’ve had a couple of Baggs Elements fitted recently. Better than expected (hence, two of them).

the control is really just a volume control whereas the Fishman Matrix Infinity I also have has volume and tone (ranges between middle-y and scooped) which I found quite useful in a “set and forget” kinda way.

bluecat

One I would not recommend is the shadow 4 ,that's what I have in my Tanglewood. It sounds a lot better miced.

ICBM

bluecat said:

One I would not recommend is the shadow 4 ,that's what I have in my Tanglewood. It sounds a lot better miced.

That’s probably true of almost all electro-acoustics, but there’s a special place in hell for Shadow systems... their scratchy, harsh, completely unnatural sound would be a fair description of eternal torture.

JCA2550

I'm very happy with the K&K pure mini and Ultrapure preamp mounted inside the sound hole of my Atkin. It sounds very good indeed.

This one

https://www.kksound.com/ultrapure

WindmillGuitars

+1 for K&K UltraPure
We have them in stock  

Stratavarious

Got a K&K transducers in mine. External DI box/controls though.

 Incredibly natural sound vs piezo/under saddle.  Would not get anything else.

thomasross20

K&K... Is it good enough on its own or recommend internal mic?

ICBM

thomasross20 said:

K&K... Is it good enough on its own or recommend internal mic?

I prefer the K&K to any internal mic I've ever heard.

External mics are great. Internal ones just cause feedback problems and sound odd, because they're picking up a sound you never normally hear from outside the guitar.

thomasross20

Thanks @ICBM - I have a K&K in my OM-02 and always wondered about getting a mic in there but sounds like just causes issues. 

I like the K&K - simple, unobtrusive, no batteries required

BigLicks67

I had a LR Baggs Element VTC in my J45 and for a piezo pickup I thought it was okay. However, I dislike intensely piezo pickups and took it out. I have a K&K in my other guitar and it was definitely superior for fingerpicking type stuff. I would have put a K&K in the J45 but it has a pilot hole in the bridge plate, so I opted for a LR Baggs M1a which is okay if you work on the eq on your amp. The M1 is probably good for work in a band when dealing with higher volumes also.

DavidR

NAMM 2023: LR Baggs promises “game-changing” performance and non-invasive installation from its new HiFi acoustic guitar pickup system | MusicRadar

ElectricXII

BigLicks67 said:

I had a LR Baggs Element VTC in my J45 and for a piezo pickup I thought it was okay. However, I dislike intensely piezo pickups and took it out. I have a K&K in my other guitar and it was definitely superior for fingerpicking type stuff. I would have put a K&K in the J45 but it has a pilot hole in the bridge plate, so I opted for a LR Baggs M1a which is okay if you work on the eq on your amp. The M1 is probably good for work in a band when dealing with higher volumes also.

I've got that one in my J-35. I run it straight to the PA through a passive DI box and it's okay, as you say, but it sounds like a piezo, with all that that entails. I always need a sound hole feedback suppressor though, which is a pain, as I can't access the volume control.

ICBM

DavidR said:

NAMM 2023: LR Baggs promises “game-changing” performance and non-invasive installation from its new HiFi acoustic guitar pickup system | MusicRadar

I was interested until I saw the onboard control box. Although even the internal battery is probably a step too far...

tomajoha

ICBM said:

DavidR said:

NAMM 2023: LR Baggs promises “game-changing” performance and non-invasive installation from its new HiFi acoustic guitar pickup system | MusicRadar

I was interested until I saw the onboard control box. Although even the internal battery is probably a step too far...

I presume you favour an USP and outboard to reduce the overall impact of all the hardware on the unamplified sound? Do you find a USP negatively impacts the sound at all?

I’m another one weighing up an Anthem vs a USP/IR Box. I was excited by the new Hifi pickup but having listened to comparison reviews online the Anthem sounded better to my ear. Although I have to admit the unamplified sound of the anthem vs Hifi was far better for the less intrusive hifi .

ICBM

tomajoha said:

I presume you favour an USP and outboard to reduce the overall impact of all the hardware on the unamplified sound? Do you find a USP negatively impacts the sound at all?

No, just to simplify what's in the guitar to the absolute minimum for reliability and unintrusiveness. I don't want batteries and controls - there is no need, it's better done with an outboard preamp/processor.

I don't find a UST affects the acoustic sound - although it's possible some of the softer 'rubbery' type ones might. The Fishmans I use are very stiff and are basically the same as a solid shim.

tomajoha

ICBM said:

tomajoha said:

I presume you favour an USP and outboard to reduce the overall impact of all the hardware on the unamplified sound? Do you find a USP negatively impacts the sound at all?

No, just to simplify what's in the guitar to the absolute minimum for reliability and unintrusiveness. I don't want batteries and controls - there is no need, it's better done with an outboard preamp/processor.

I don't find a UST affects the acoustic sound - although it's possible some of the softer 'rubbery' type ones might. The Fishmans I use are very stiff and are basically the same as a solid shim.

Is that the fishman AG UST?

ICBM

tomajoha said:

Is that the fishman AG UST?

Yes. It’s old technology now - and does sound very much so when directly amplified - but works perfectly with outboard modelling units like the Fishman Aura, Boss AD-8 etc which are intended to work with a passive UST.