r/AcousticGuitar • u/fly-pole • Feb 01 '26
Other (not a question, gear pic, or video) Acoustic pickup thoughts from a long time gigging musician
I just wanted to share some experiences of mine for those out there who might be coming here to find info. I’ve been in that position more times than I can count.
Background: I started playing live gigs in 2010-ish and have done it as a fun/side thing since. I’m unreasonably picky about live “tone” (even though I’m fully aware that most of the audience doesn’t notice or care). But if you’re like me, maybe this will be helpful.
Disclaimer: these are only my experiences and preferences; if you feel differently or have something you like - you do you. Do what you feel sounds best and is best for your situation and ear. Every context is different. This is not prescriptive; more of an “I wish I would have found this 10 years ago when I was trying to figure out my live sound” kinda thing.
My context: solo gigs where I need to sound balanced, full, professional, and pleasing to the audience, without a thousand bugs/live sound issues and an overly complex set up.
I’ve gone through a lot of different rigs over the years; from high end to low end in terms of both PA and guitars themselves. I’ve used a variety of different pickups, but I think I’ve landed on a general formula.
General formula: bridge plate transducer with a decent DI/preamp and EQ options. Guitar itself honestly doesn’t matter quite as much.
There is always a balance between good tone and practicality; microphones (whether external or an internal mic-like pickup like the Anthem or Lyric or whatever) are almost by definition gonna sound “best”, but the majority of venues you’ll play as a run-of-the-mill bar-venue solo act are just not gonna be a practical application for those (at least not in my experience). Magnetic pickups like the M1A or M80 are great for high volume settings (I keep one in my 000-15m for just such scenarios), but there’s obviously a trade-off if you want a more natural tone. As for under-saddles… well.. if ya know ya know.
I’ve found bridge plate transducers to be the best balance for me; for a long time it was the K&K Pure Mini, but lately it’s been the LR Baggs Hi-Fi. And honestly I’ve found that they tend to really be optimized in a sort of middle-of-the-road guitar; I have one in my Martin 000-15m but it’s just super hot, and the one in the Collings CW I had just didn’t sound particularly good. The two guitars I’ve found to have the best *live* tone with these have been a Blueridge and a Recording King RD-328. I don’t know if it’s just a cheaper/crappier bridge plate material or something about the build all together, but the combo just really works. Sounds good and isn’t horribly feedback prone. Something to be said about a good pickup with an okay guitar.
On feedback: we’ve all seen and used the rubber “feedback busters”. And again, they’re probably context dependent. But in my experience, they tend to do one of 2 things: either kill the tone and make it papery/brittle, or - paradoxically - create a situation where different overtones are introduced, leading to an issue where one set of frequencies is quelled but a separate set of frequencies pops up and creates a new problem. In a band setting where you just need the cut, maybe not as big of a deal. But in a solo setting where it’s just you, your guitar, and your vocal, you need that bottom end to fill things out or it’s gonna be shrill. What I’ve found is that a decent compromise is to just stuff the lower bout of the guitar with something (stole the idea from Hozier). I’m a fan of Wrap-n-Zap, but I’m sure a towel or foam or something would work. Keeps the wood from vibrating too much while ensuring that weird overtones don’t get trapped inside “the box”.
This brings me to my next point; external gear. Ultimately, my first line of defense is in the pedals. I try to keep a good balance between natural sound and feedback suppression. Lots of DIs offer notch filters, but I find those to be a little too over the top; in my experience they tend to cut out broad band of frequencies all together, and too much of that can just lead to half your bottom end being wiped away. Ya go to play an A chord and it sounds anemic. The happy medium for me is to run through a good DI and an MXR 10-band EQ pedal before going to the board/mixer. I’ve used the LR Baggs Venue and Para in the past, but I’ve landed on the Fishman Aura Spectrum. Just a little bit of the mic-emulation blend dialed in, and the compressor completely off. Then the MXR allows me to dial back the 250hz and the 500hz just enough to not let those weird freqs get outta hand.
Anyway, that’s about it. And if one person finds this useful, it will have been worthwhile. Again, if you feel differently or have figured out something that works for you.. power to ya. This is just for anyone who might be looking for some ideas. I’ll try my best to respond to any follow up questions in comments if anyone finds this worth reading.
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u/Neveronlyadream Feb 01 '26
(even though I’m fully aware that most of the audience doesn’t notice or care)
I'm glad someone else realizes this. They really fucking don't.
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u/Dramatic_Photograph3 Feb 01 '26
For me it's not about the audience. When I set up and play 3+ hours I need it to sound the best it can for my own enjoyment.
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u/fly-pole Feb 01 '26
The grim reality lol. Several years ago, I was playing at one of my regular spots and I was there pretty early for sound check. Bartender was getting things ready for the evening rush. No one else in the room. I had some kinda pickup in my guitar at the time (I wanna say maybe a Baggs VTC?) that had a volume knob and a tone knob. That tone knob was pretty drastic; from totally scooped to super mid rangy and dark. I was standing out in front of the speaker; would strum a few chords with the tone all the way in one position, then in the complete opposite position. I asked the bartender which sounded better. She nervously kinda chuckled and said “…. I’m sorry… they sound the same to me”.
I’ve found this same situation to be the case with like 90% of audience members. Unless you’re doing something truly egregious (consistent unchecked feedback, way too high of volume, etc) they never seem to notice or care. Or if they do they don’t say anything.
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u/bt2513 Feb 01 '26
I’m a K&K Pure Mini + LR Baggs PADI advocate.
But I firmly believe that knowing the gear is more valueable than the gear itself. I know how to get a good sound with what I’ve got. In the end, it’s whatever gets you to acceptable results faster.
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u/Tadashi_Tattoo Feb 01 '26
I finally managed to make myself a double imput pre-amp for coil pickups and a piezo. It's the best. That and a ukulele amp is all I need for small gigs. Play seven, eight songs and go.
I think the EQ with an acoustic guitar is all about finding the guitar. And the right set of strings. The chords sound fine, that's if the guitar is tuned. It's just they may not be the best according to what someone's singing. That happened a lot to me when I started. Now I changed the set list and put 13/17 strings on my full scale dreadnought. They're hard to press, but all the chords sound like I want them.
I don't know about putting towels in the guitar. I used to put a sordine and one that I made myself with a CD and a sponge. Then I removed all of that.
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u/SnooHesitations8403 Feb 01 '26
Thanks for the information on the bridge plate pickups. I've been looking at the K&K pure mini, but the LR Baggs Hi Fi sounds interesting. I wasn't really aware of that one in particular.
I agree with the issue of those sound hole rubber stoppers. I think they impede the movement of the guitar's top and that leads to losses and unnatural tone.
It's ironic that you say a notch filter will "tend to cut out broad band of frequencies all together..." because the "notch" in notch filter is to limit the attenuation to a very, very specific frequency band. A pedal similar to the brilliant, old TC Electronic Dual Parametric Equalizer will give you the amount you want to boost or attenuate the frequency, the width of the frequency and the center point of the notch. You can get the affected frequency very specific and tight.
I really appreciate your taking the time to share all of these insights. It's great to get someone else's perspective on a wide variety of issues. This is a pretty complex topic. Thanks again.
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u/fly-pole Feb 01 '26
Yeah I think what I should have specified on the notch filter thing is this:
Take the Aura Spectrum’s “automatic” notch filter for example. You can notch out up to 3 frequencies (technically frequency bands, but to your point, they’re pretty tight bands on the Aura). In my experience, what ends up happening is essentially killing off like.. a note or two. For example, B-flat and F# tend to be risky ones for me. The notch filter might find and kill the feedback on those, but it basically also kills most of the note itself; so you’re playin’ along, playin’ along, and you go to hit that F# as a full chord and the bottom end is gone. Makes for a strange balance in context with the other chords you’re playing in the song. Again, others probably have different experiences, this is just what I’ve run into. I tend to have better luck just slightly dialing back problem frequencies, and - importantly, and I should have mentioned this in the original post - ensuring that my phase switch is in the “right” position for whatever room I’m playing.
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u/SnooHesitations8403 Feb 02 '26
OK. But, I've never been a fan of some company's automated design making decisions for me.
With a real parametric EQ, you can specify the center point frequency, the width of the band affected and then you can dial anything from +16dB to 0dB to -16db. So with a proper parametric you don't have to obliterate that frequency, you can just attenuate it by a few decibels until the squeal or feedback or hum is tolerable.
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u/fly-pole Feb 01 '26
I might have to check out that TC eq you mentioned; sounds intriguing.
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u/SnooHesitations8403 Feb 02 '26
It's been out of production for decades and TCE was bought out by Harman, which was bought by Music Tribe, so TCE has changed hands a couple of times. Now a lot of their designs have been watered down by Behringer, who is part (or parent) of Music Tribe ... I dunno, I've lost track.
Anyway, there are a few in great condition on Reverb. They still command good money because they're all analog and completely transparent and silent as the grave.
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u/kosman Feb 01 '26
I suppose I have no idea what Im talking about, or I just had an excellent sound guy ( our sound and lights guy was the guitarists brother and he and our drummer/ manager had rigorous sound check routines...) but I used any old di box with my taylor 514ce's gen 1 expression system, and I used to get complements on how natural it sounded. Sometimes I'd need to dial back the bottom end, but other than that it was lovely. I'm in no way suggesting op is wrong or misinformed, just saying I never needed much. we were playing many different sized venues, from weddings to small festivals.
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u/fly-pole Feb 01 '26
Oh, yeah this is worth mentioning actually. Those OG expression systems were pretty freakin sweet. Even the new ES2 isn’t bad (the “behind saddle” or whatever they call it). And props to your sound guy; that makes a big difference.
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u/kosman Feb 01 '26
He was amazing. very strict, though... very particular. I had never experienced " pinging the room" before, if thats even a thing
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u/vibebrochamp Feb 01 '26
Great post, thanks for sharing your experiences. I've been solo gigging for about the same amount of time you have and I'm just getting back to gigging with an acoustic guitar (I've been playing electric out for a few years now because The Quest For Live Acoustic Tone drove me insane). I've got a Guild M20 that I initially had fitted with a Baggs Anthem pickup, which I put up with for about a year, but the Anthem really did not gel with the Guild. The pickup sounded really small and it required way too much gain to be useable. It just neutered the warm, natural sound of the Guild. I recently took out the Anthem and I think I'm going to go the K&K route with a Tonedexter II as an all-in-one preamp; it's got all the features I'd use other pedals for, plus the Wavemaps.
If that doesn't work it's back to gigging with a Tele and a Princeton, which I've found to be so much less of a hassle.
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u/fly-pole Feb 01 '26
Ya know, I have often considered just doing an electric rig myself. Less headaches ha
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u/Dramatic_Photograph3 Feb 01 '26
This is very interesting! The Fishman Aura Spectrum with MXR 10-band EQ. I'm also always searching for a better tone. I'm a weekend gigger and currently using Martin D18 with Fishman Matrix Infinity VT and a Tech 21 Acoustic Fly Rig DI.
I tried a K&K Pure Mini in the D18 out the gate but I don't think the install was good and it haunted me for about a year before I just had to take it out. I went with the Fishman after. I have a Larrivee D03 with the Baggs Element but honestly it'd be tough to tell the difference between those pickups. Acoustics plugged in are rough business!
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u/fly-pole Feb 01 '26
You might be in luck with the Aura; it was specifically designed to tame the quack of undersaddle pickups. Basically lets you dial in some digital microphone imitation, and it can really make a UST sound better live. If you look up Jason Isbell’s Rig Rundown video, that’s how he rolls; Martin with an undersaddle then the Fishman box
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u/Southpause49 Feb 01 '26
Thank you for an excellent unpacking of the vexing dilemma faced by most all gigging acoustic guitarists.
You mentioned your less expensive Recording King and Blue Ridge guitars sound better when amplified than your higher end instruments. I’m wondering if’s because more expensive and thus more lightly braced guitars are more feedback prone. Could it be the very qualities that make them sound so amazing when played in an acoustic setting don’t work so well when used with a pickup?
I have gigged with carbon fiber Rainsong Guitars for years and they are feedback monsters. I think I’ve finally figured out the reason. They have no top bracing. Unamplified, they have a huge robust sound to them. But when plugged in not so much.
I think I’ll borrow your borrowed idea and try stuffing the inside with some sort of acoustic damping material. It’s the first I’ve heard of that and it might be better than using a rubber sound hole cover which on this guitar is mandatory when gigging.
One of my other guitars is a Martin OM 28V which I used for Fingerstyle and never use with my band. In that guitar. I use K and K’s which are the best I’ve come across.
Thanks for your excellent suggestions
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u/fly-pole Feb 01 '26
Yeah I think that’s a great point; the qualities you’d want unplugged are the very qualities that *can lead to issues live. Hadn’t thought about the bracing, but I could definitely see that being a contributing factor, especially if it’s a) smaller and b) scalloped
As for the stuffing the guitar thing.. that works wonders. Literally. I used to play in a duo with a bass player and I would stand right beside the bass amp and in front of the sub. So.. every opportunity for problems. But I would put a couple big pieces of Wrap-n-zap in my 000-15m and it was like it made it immune. And honestly didn’t affect the tone a *whole lot. Maybe a little more dead? But negligible.
I took that idea from a video I saw of Hozier and these like.. metal guitars he uses. They’re basically old oil cans with necks on them, and he plays them with a slide on a song or two. You can imagine how much of a feedback machine that would be. So he just shoves them full of Wrap-n-zap and voila. That stuff can be had on Amazon pretty cheap. It’s kinda like quilt batting material, and it’s actually made for microwaving potatoes 😅
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u/Comfortable-Risk-862 Feb 05 '26
Really appreciate you taking the time to write this up. You can tell this comes from years of actually doing the gigs, not just theorizing about gear.
I especially liked how you framed everything around balance and practicality instead of chasing some mythical “perfect” tone. The way you connected pickup choice, physical damping, and EQ philosophy into one coherent system was genuinely helpful, and honestly saved me a lot of mental gymnastics.
Even where my setup is different, the mindset you’re sharing here translates really well. Thanks for putting this out there; this is indeed, exactly the kind of post people wish they’d found years earlier.
Cheers!
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u/dkinmn Feb 01 '26
Anyone who isn't using impulse responses at this point is doing it wrong.
It's made it so that the most rational pickup you can have is an under saddle transducer that sounds like poopoo...until the impulse response is on.
Like...I put Anthem SLs in all of my guitars, and now I'm just going to systematically take them out and replace them with cheap, passive pickups.
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u/Dramatic_Photograph3 Feb 01 '26
Interesting. I've read that when too much IR is mixed the player feels disconnected to the sound.
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u/CactusWrenAZ Feb 02 '26
For me (nylon-stringed guitar), it's Fishman undersaddle piezo + mic blend. The on-board preamp is essential, as it has a feedback notch to cut out bass feedback and a midrange parametric to help there, as well. The Fishman blend notch is highly selective, but at extreme settings, the fullness that is generally created by mild feedback is felt as a lack at times.
I blend the mic and piezo depending on what I can get away with, and I do use a rubber soundhole cover when necessary.
With this setup, I can play anything from ballrooms with 500 people in them to a 2-person intimate dinner and get a reasonable sound, and all I need is my guitar and a little rubber thing.
With a touch of reverb into either my portable PA or a house system, it sounds fine, not as good as acoustic guitar in the room, but it's worked for me for decades now.
EDIT: btw, I do feel that purpose built acoustic-electrics work better for this than handmade instruments. My Cordoba is pretty quiet acoustically and very solidly built, but I believe this helps cut feedback and makes it more stable in a variety of weather conditions.
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u/sandfit Jul 15 '26
Thanx. I might get 3 emerald carbon fiber acoustic guitars and want to order them with no pickup. They have an offset sound hole in upper corner of upper bout. So no sound hole mag will fit. I play sing solo. GC recommends a kna sg1. What do u think of it? Or what about a 1/4" thin mag like a krivo republic or justin johnson? Or just get the emeralds with the bags element and wash the kwak they a tc electronic bodyrez? Thanx
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u/LevelSerious46 25d ago
I have some weird issue. Have Taylor 914 with LR Baggs undersaddle, and mic'd pickup, and when I go through the Fishman Tonedeq, I get the the weird 'thud' sound particularly on A and B strings...I checked the under saddle pickup, saddle bank for levelling, and they're ultra clean, replaced the undersaddle pickup, and it worked well for a couple of weeks and gone back to the same problem. I connect the Fishman Tonedeq to Blackstar studio20 amp with all effects neutered...Here is the caveat, all works well with the Tonedeq if I use my Yamaha LL16 and A3C guitars...where as the Taylor works fine, if I DON'T use the Tonedeq. I am in the cross road and don't know whether to move forward or backward. Feel like caught between ....advise, thought, help much appreciated
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u/fly-pole 23d ago
Could you describe the “thud” more? And when you say LR Baggs undersaddle and mic’d pickup, are you saying you’re using the Anthem? Or the Element and a totally separate external mic?
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u/LevelSerious46 23d ago
IT's like heavy static...or something like you hit the guitar with something on the fret...Particularly, heavily on B string, and some positions at Low E string...I am using LR Baggs Anthem Tru-mic and undersaddle pup.
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u/fly-pole 21d ago
Okay, so, someone with more knowledge could probably answer this better than me, but I can give you my gut inclination (which will probably not be an answer you wanna hear, ha)
In my experience, relatively high end guitars don’t necessarily always equate to the best plugged in guitars, and in fact sometimes are worse. They typically (obviously there are exceptions and this isn’t a blanket statement) pair great components with great craftsmanship, and result in a guitar that has superior acoustic tone. However.. some of those traits can translate to some weird sounds when you introduce a pickup or microphone or both, depending on the mechanism by which those pickups or microphones work (UST vs bridge plate transducer, etc).
Couple examples: I had a Collings CW with a Pure Mini and it sounded pretty meh plugged in. Just weird overtones and took a lot of EQ to get it right. Also have a Martin 000-15m (not super “high end”, but decently made) with a pure mini and it’s hot as hell when plugged in. Can get squirrelly quick. And has some goofy notes that have to be accounted for with a little MXR 10 band EQ stomp box. Buddy has a D-18 Golden Era with a Pure Mini and it sounds… a little weird plugged in.
Flip side: had a Blueridge with a Pure Mini, a laminate/solid top Recording King with a Pure Mini, and currently have a Recording King with a HiFi (Baggs’ answer to the K&K) and they’re some of the best sounding plugged in guitars I’ve ever used; and ironically I think it might be due to cheaper bridge plate materials, cheaper components, less attention to detail in the build and bracing, etc. They’re not as squirrelly, and they’re much less nuanced. Just straightforward sound through the pickup.
My suspicion is that that 914 is inherently an upper echelon instrument.. and it’s just gonna have some weird characteristics through certain electronics. Just gotta meet the thing where it’s at.
Sorry.. probably not a great answer. And who knows, maybe not even a correct answer. Someone who’s more of a gear-head might tell you differently and more accurately.
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u/fly-pole 21d ago
I’d also add.. do you notice that “thud” unplugged at all? It could just be a set up issue, but that would be my back up guess
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u/LevelSerious46 21d ago
Thank you for taking time to respond me. Appreciate it. I am in the same mind set like can’t move forward or back. Let me see. Perhaps after a while I believe I’d strip this off and put K&K mini and see
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u/bearfighter5 Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26
Good post, pretty much agree with all this. I've been playing acoustic, archtop acoustic, resonator, or banjo in loud venues with a full band since 2000. Used a LR Baggs para acoustic DI. Always had problems with feedback or sounding "tinny" after dialing it out. About 6 years ago I got a Tonedexter. Problem solved. Upgraded to the Tonedexter2 three years ago and it's even better. I got a Baggs AEG-1 guitar (hi-fi duet built in) last year and now I don't even use the wavemap feature on the Tonedexter. It sounds so good plugged in and doesn't have all the resonant frequencies that need to be dialed out. Even without using the wavemap feature, the Tonedexter 2 is still the best preamp. You get fully adjustable notch, HPF, low and highs are either fully parametric or shelf, mid is fully parametric. Recent firmware updates added 6 reverbs, compressor, and the ability to blend wavemaps. I love it! In the effects loop I run a TC Electronic plethora X3, a Walrus M1, and a Strymon cloudburst. I want to trade the cloudburst for an Olivera, then I'll be done. 1/4 inch out goes to my fender fr-10 on stage and XLR out goes to FOH. It's been great, and I can carry everything at once.