acoustic pick-ups???

[bizewy]

hey everybody....wondering if you have any opinions on the best acoustic guitar pick-ups.....i can't be miked because i'm moving on stage....soundhole pu's vs. bridge pu's?fishman,baggs???thanks

[doug osborne]

What guitar?

 

What kind of music? Loud rock, quiet folk? Playing through guitar amp, PA, acoustic amp?

 

This is a can of worms, but there are a lot of good ways to get where you are going. My favorite is the kind that blends an internal microphone with saddle or even magnetic pickups. I use Baggs myself for this. I have a Fishman Neo-D for an inexpensive soundhole pickup; the Neo-D actually sounds OK and needs less fussing than other solutions, although it will never have the most convincing acoustic sound.

[Dak Lander]

What Doug said. All his mentioned concerns are valid.

I use three (3) different pickup systems on my acoustics. I have an old Dean Markley Pro-Mag that sounds decent and is transferable to different guitars. Not a bad pickup & reasonably good at feedback resistance.

My main player has a Fishman Rare Earth Single Coil installed. It's hotter than hell so you better attenuate. I have to hit my 20db cut or feedback will kill. Sound is good though a bit on the electric side.

Another I use is the Dean Markley Sweet Spot. Some PA's don't like it. It's an under saddle piezo that, with a PA or amp that will handle it, sounds quite acoustic. If the amps don't like it, it sounds like shit.

I also mic my guitars and will blend to taste. The thing about mics is the noise you're going to get from fingers, body noise & etc. Everything that hits the guitar and the mic picks up, you'll hear. Real feedback issues in high level situations with mics.

 

There are sound hole blockers of various types that help the feedback issues.

 

So, you see, there are myriad things to look at before making the decision as well as huge cost differences, needs for preamps & etc.

 

Give us more detail on your needs or wants & we can help a bit more.

 

Have fun figuring it out.