Choosing the Right Acoustic Guitar Pickup: Soundhole vs Transducer vs Mic vs Piezo | Reverb Demo

[@BobJones-bh9qz]

1:16 Darman magnetic soundhole pickup 2:22 LR Bags m80 magnetic soundhole pickup 3:27 Transducer Pickup 4:49 LR Bags Anthem Mic 5:02 LR Bags Anthem Piezo

[@dagny1764]

could any of these pickup the pick that i dropped in the soundhole thanks

[@pongstatus7268]

dagny hahaha

[@jmp6943]

🤣

[@martinhroch344]

If you use metal (steel) pick, then the magnetic pickup could hypothetically catch it. But I don't think it's a good idea to use a metal pick, especially on acoustic. It leaves really significant scratches and you can break a string with it if you use thin ones.

[@the_nondrive_side]

Yes. Just use a feedback blocker.

[@Sumnerstrain]

Bad joke

[@frankvriale4534]

Using different guitars to demonstrate pickups seems to be missing the point. He originally said and I perhaps paraphrase, was how pickups change the sound of the guitar. If head stayed with the Fender it would have made an opinion on what pickup sound you were going for.

[@tonerapture2717]

Exactly what I was thinking.

[@Bejaardenbus]

That, and palm muting, using a capo... Really great idea but awful execution.

[@ジョンマーティン]

@@Bejaardenbus what was the purpose of palm muting? I thought that was really weird

[@calinguga]

i somewhat agree but these pickup technologies are so different that they almost sound like different types of instruments. you can spot a rubbery piezo in any blend any time, it just sounds like itself. so if this were a metrological demonstration with spectrograms you'd definitely want to minimize variables. like this, it's really no big deal in my opinion.

[@ablamll]

man his not gonna drill 400 holes in his guitar, he has to use différents guitars

[@NaijaBoiTellEm]

K&K Pure Mini is what I've put in every guitar.

[@dirpyjosh]

I have tried many pickups... The LR Baggs Anthem is the best from my own personal experience. Being able to switch and blend the two really helps with feedback and tone.

[@VIYAASAN_is_cool]

Does Distortion works on that stuff?

[@tcoudi]

i do hate piezzo with passion, i understand it has its place in mix with rock band setup, but man, it sound same on the 50 guitar, as on a 28 martin.

[@thebreakfastmenu]

The best sounding "pickup systems" are when you blend different types. I think more sound sources in an acoustic pick up more of the tonal characteristics of an acoustic guitar.

[@yaboi-km2qn]

the more of a nightmare it becomes.

[@xHadesStamps]

That is true. But the tradeoff is it’s more complicated to actually install without creating problems

[@MrErdner]

Based on what I've seen and heard on other KZbin videos, plus more experienced guitarists, since a sound hole pickup is a magnetic pickup, just like on an electric guitar, electric guitar strings work better than acoustic strings. Also, most than a few high end, and some mid-level acoustics as well, have the endpin strap button installed in a pre-drilled hole that will accept a quarter inch jack. That means you can install the jack without drilling, just swapping a few parts.

[@marcscordato4385]

As a rule if thumb I don’t like sound whole pickups but the LR BAGGS M80 is excellent so much better then the others it’s rich warm and natural sounding

[@bills48321]

I liked the sound of the LR Baggs sound hole pickup the best.

[@grasshopperhawk]

I've also never liked the nasally sound of even a good piezo pickup, and the transducer had some of that tone also. The LR Baggs sounded really good.

[@thesunilrock20]

Lol nasally yes

[@JohnNathanCO]

This may be of interest regarding the K & K mini. I carefully installed one in my Ibanez lawsuit guitar (basically a Martin dreadnought clone they got sued for) , following instructions carefully, using super glue. Plugged in and played it, determined that the treble side transducer was too hot. So I decided to move it away a bit. Oops! K & K instructs that the installed transducers can be reset even when superglued if you are careful. Apparently I was not careful enough, I destroyed that transducer trying to unglue it. Here's the interesting part, it didn't matter! With the two remaining dots, middle and low, the guitar sounds fine! I got rid of the overly bright one completely but highs still come thru. The guitar has a ton of bass, of course, but can be easily controlled with normal eq, and is always there for nice roundness at lower volumes. Sounds great and natural.

[@Loren_Tilley]

Nice video, I liked the LR Baggs magnetic pickup the best far and away, but I'm sure everybody has their own opinions.

[@anubhavkeshri404]

Somedays I just don't feel like using any pickup for acoustics playing them in a Silent environment just gives more satisfaction and the pure pure sound.

[@xHadesStamps]

If not performing live, then I definitely wouldn’t be using a pickup. For very small performances, where I’m barely amplifying my own voice, I will also go fully acoustic on the guitar. However, for a sizable performance, I wouldn’t recommend it

[@billnelson9413]

Great video. Most folks just don’t hear that the true tone of an acoustic guitar is extremely bass-y and their brains focus on the highs when they try to consciously analyze the sound. Recording engineers often don’t get it. Listen to the intro of the huge hit low places by Garth Brooks as evidence of some of the worst tone ever recorded. I installed the L.R. Baggs Lyric into one of my guitars which is only the mic part of the Anthem with no piezo. It works like a regular mic on the outside because it rejects the reflections around it so it doesn’t pickup the sound of the inside of the guitar, just the bridge. Then I tried to match the cheap Fishman Isys onboard piezoelectric pickup in another guitar. I was able to achieve this pretty close with a wonderful tone by having the bass at half or a hair more and the mids and treble only barely on from fully off. That’s the key to authentic acoustic we tone. Mix the other instruments in around that sound instead of trying to fit an acoustic guitar into a mix that is for Rock’n’Roll. Tighten the bass and turn it down. Less upright bass sound and more like the left hand of a piano. A little goes along way. The acoustic will carry the song and vocals much better if it doesn’t sound like a tin can attached to a walkie-talkie. Good luck and enjoy your acoustic sounds!

[@Matthew-ez4ze]

I picked up a Neo D from Fishman for my '76 Martin D35 since I didn't think drilling a hole in it would be smart. Sounds great!

[@ralfburhenne2421]

There are already 6 holes for the strings in the bridge ;-)

[@modestextreme]

K&K sounded the best by far, followed by the Baggs soundhole pickup.

[@maraviyoso8473]

No.

[@karlcountry2363]

@@maraviyoso8473 agreed

[@RenePadilla]

great vid, i wish the different pickups would have been used on the same guitar though especially since one of the guitars was of different body type

[@batyrlanbopbekoff7717]

"Hey! You've got to hide your love away!.."

[@jamesmcnulty1936]

Was wondering if anyone else recognised that at the beginning :)

[@eventheoddss]

batyrlan bopbekoff I’ve already said it mate

[@Judeandtunes]

Brooo😂😂😂

[@robcedar960]

I thought it was One More Time.

[@catking7901]

I'm using a fishman 301 presys+ blend. I replaced the mic with a magnetic rail humbucker pickup. It blends well with the piezo and absolutely feedbackless.

[@Tsudkyk]

I really like the fullness of the transducer pickup.

[@flux1968]

I installed a K&K Pure Mini in my Yahama and it works great.

[@SeanRyan14]

Great presentation and a very likable presenter. No condescension at all. Reverb is an outstanding company.

[@timothymeadows8326]

Check out the miniflex line of microphone style pickups.

[@Michael_Dangelo]

"Really easy to use and swap out" yet uses a different guitar every time 🤔

[@overtonesnteatime198]

He did that to make the examples easier to showcase

[@samuel.langhorne.clemens]

Great explanation and demonstration of the different options. Thanks!

[@baalpong]

This is great. Thanks. I want a pickup with less labor required on installation and a sound hole pickup is for me and i think i will deliver properly on the sound quality and feedback.

[@lepanzon]

L.R. Baggs M80 and Anthem are the ones that I like the most. But I am still finding it hard to pick an acoustic pick up, since there are a lot of good ones, and I want one that can get as close as possible to the sound of my acoustic

[@chrisspeedofficial]

Exactly the video I was looking for! Give me love, give me peace on Earth. Thank you x

[@plrooks]

Cheers for the useful video, would have been nice to have the one guitar fitted with each and to have the room mic turned off to allow direct comparison

[@mvsr990]

I hate the sound of piezo acoustics so so much.

[@austin84617]

M P oh I like it

[@JnL_SSBM]

I hate the pasty sound of the anthem one. at 5:00

[@endoffate5475]

@@austin84617 lol

[@phyfts]

People always say that but I love it for some reason.

[@schizo910]

Wish it was that simple, it all depends on the guitar and the piezo in my opinion.

[@hoju63]

Thank you for the informative breakdown of acoustic/electric options. That was a bizarre adventure Mojo Jojo!

[@TakeCareTV]

I love my Highlander pickup and frequently get glowing comments on the great sound of my guitar. For years I used the IP-1 model but recently I installed the IP-2 model which gives me dual pickup capabilities.

[@knightyyz]

Should have stuck to one guitar.

[@Finn46110]

This comment has 69 like

[@AndrewMarciano-z1q]

I know right

[@gerardorojas9304]

Exactly my thought

[@stephensmith60]

2:40. George Harrison's 'Give me Love, Give me Peace' on Earth. Great playin!

[@Quodge]

Mic all the way. The piezo sound is the hallmark ‘clunk’ of a cheap acoustic at open mics

[@maraviyoso8473]

Yeah. And then become a useless guitarist because of the feedback.

[@Peter-oh3zn]

you guys make such great videos. Really refreshing to have good pro demo videos on youtube.

[@fivepiece]

Let's review the different sounds you get from pickups and, just to make it all confusing and pointless, we'll change guitars too.

[@thegreaterconundrum]

😂

[@jasonyoung6420]

and play different styles and with different techinques on each setup to further muddy the water.

[@NearEDGE]

There's no real way to do the demo on the exact same guitar every single time. You'd have to remove your strings and the wiring from the guitar every single time and when you're done you'll have changed what the guitar itself sounds like every single time too

[@WorldsOkayistGuitarPlayer]

@@NearEDGE You just completely contradicted yourself; "there's no real way to do it" --> Proceeds to explain exactly how to do it

[@NearEDGE]

@@WorldsOkayistGuitarPlayer No, when you change the strings you change the sound so it's effectively not the same guitar anymore, that's what I was getting at

[@martinspreiter8240]

Thanks! I´m working with a Schatten Design transducer und a ART Tube Preamp. In this way I can just have a little overdrive sound on my akkustik guitar. But a lot of times I use a shure SM 58 mike. And sometimes I mix. I think yousing a normal singers mike is still a verry simple and good sounding way.

[@thomaslester6160]

Fishman Rare Earth Blend combines a mic with a humbucker pickup. Very versatile.

[@mainsblanches8793]

That mixed in with a K and K Pure Mini and youre in for a good ride!!...

[@nolson9533]

This is a more valuable segment than I can put into words.

[@jerrypalmer3534]

Piezo pickups are ok, but all you are getting is the sound from the strings, If you use a transducer, you are getting the sound of the wood of the guitar..The soundhole pickups are great to, but once again , you are getting the sound of the magnetic pickup against the strings, that's why a lot of people have a dual system like a microphone or transducer and a sound hole pickup, then you can mix the sound of both ...

[@2505674809]

I was lucky to get the last K&K Power-mix from Thomann Mic+Piezo+Pure mini THAT SOUNDS AWESOME I have L.R.Baggs M-1 also, but it sounds to plastic guitar with cold.. not for my taste.

[@mainsblanches8793]

Way up there on top my friend!!...

[@eliasp8645]

K&K Pure Mini and the Tru Mic are ahead of all the others

[@liamgallagherrr]

I’ve had them all LR Baggs every model fishman etc. just put the K&k pure mini in and couldn’t be happier for 100 bucks

[@MDLinzee]

Re boring out the endpin, I believe that there are alternatives to this which will provide an endpin jack while not altering your guitar’s originality.

[@trioloopersessions]

Wonderful demo, big thanks! 😊

[@AthelstanEngland]

Thanks a really useful overview and love this guy's playing. The blend on the Anthem sounds great... looks like it would work really well live if switching between ballads (think Annie's Song) primarily on the microphone setting and then bashing out some blues type stuff when perhaps a bit more of the piezo sound would help.

[@dmitriytampei1953]

First time hearing a transducer pickup..... I think it sounds the best , very similar to a condenser mic

[@ClassicalPan]

I agree. The best by a mile.

[@gladejustglade]

He did put it in a much better guitar than the others, which has to make a difference...

[@ClassicalPan]

@@gladejustglade It's true that the Matin is much better, but the transducer also sounded much more natural. I expect that transducer in the Fender would sound better than a sound hole pickup in the Martin.

[@hotlov72]

LR Baggs M80 sounded the most natural

[@DoctorMandible]

It'd be nice to hear them compared to a studio mic setup, just to hear the difference for comparison against the gold standard.

[@iamanovercomer3253]

I love my Seagull jumbo acoustic 🎸 - for the $$$ I think it's 👍. . It sounds much better than a more expensive Taylor. The only other 🎸was a Gibson acoustic but it cost $2000 compare to $600 for my Seagull. Can't justify that.

[@sueneilson896]

Maton AP5 as used by Tommy Emanuel. Real world perfection.

[@saintsfan7991]

I LOVE that old Kingman, I have a couple!

[@stateofblitz]

Just use 3 Sigma or Hotone acoustic simulator pedal. They actually sound like an acoustic. No pickup alone is going to do a good job.

[@chuckconnors615]

Informative, thanks for quickly getting to the POINT

[@ChiknEatnBaptist]

I have the LR baggs lyric tru-mic pickup in my D18 and it sounds amazing through my venue DI. And it is super feedback resistant. The transducer probably sounds second best aside from the internal Mic.

[@brothergoodfoot]

I've watched a bunch of these LR Baggs videos now and the 50/50 blend always just sounds like the piezo to me.

[@Uber_Versace]

Imagine installing all the with a strat style pickup selector

[@Rocketsong]

K&K sounded best by far, but with different guitars it's hard to tell. Magnetic soundhole pickups always sound... metallic. I wish the K&K Trinity (transducers + mic) was not so expensive.

[@xHadesStamps]

I absolutely hate soundhole pickups for anything except as a backup (if your main pickup fails) or to make a makeshift electric guitar (that sounds a bit different from an actual electric), and an external microphone (or two) is definitely best in the studio, however, they’re a pain to work with live, and if you’re like me and move around, are not workable. While undersaddle piezoelectric pickups on their own definitely don’t sound at all like an acoustic, what I’d prefer is a dual-piezo system; one combining an undersaddle pickup with a soundboard pickup (remember, both are piezoelectric). Being a singing guitarist also helps a little, as some of the tone is captured (albeit at the completely wrong angle) by my vocal mic.

[@PaulPauliePabloPaolo]

Good vid... I eventually found my way to the Anthem, i haven't looked back!.

[@mainsblanches8793]

Seems like a good choice for many, but I still go by the K and K now mixed in with a Myers Grip pickup, mainly because my guitar does not have a soundhole in front but just a soundport on the upper side!!...Benoit Lavoie modern flatop!!...

[@PaulPauliePabloPaolo]

Mains Blanches Thats a good shout, Ive heard some good things about the K&K stuff, but I havnt tried one unfortunately... I will say that I am now trying using a Sunrise (soundhole) instead of the mic... It still sounds amazing live!. ;)

[@mainsblanches8793]

Important to have at least two sound sources, so you can have different effects on one and the other or to have a clean sound and one with effects that you can mix in together!!...magnetic is great for octave pedals and sounds a bit more "electric" in nature!!...the Pure Mini will reproduce a "pure" acoustic guitar tone!!...the mic will give more "air" to the overall sound!!...so many systems out there now days!!...Anthem, Fishman Rare Earth Blend, K and K Trinity or PowerMix or Double Helix mixed in with the Pure Mini, etc...

[@SergioJuarezRocks]

Great video, super useful info! Which option would be the cheapest way of avoiding Feedback?

[@strangeazn]

George Harrison's Give me Love? Awesome.

[@paolospadaro]

M80 and Anthem for me!

[@zizoumonk10]

Personally I like using all three at once

[@axelrad5624]

Ahh that George Harrison song at 2:21 Absolutely love that song

[@buzzlightwork]

Is it my sweet lord?

[@buzzlightwork]

Nvm it's give me love

[@e3a3c3]

Best live acoustic sound I ever heard was an Electrovoice dynamic lavalier mic fastened to a pencil glued across the middle of the soundhole. Can't find those anymore though.

[@JRandallS]

agreed, Except I found one a while back. Should start using it again

[@gunkanjima3408]

Everyone seems to dislike the piezo sound so much. I like it to be honest, finger style seems to pop with it. John Mayers live performances seem to have the piezo sound but no one hates his playing...

[@willcollum7854]

This was really informative. Obliged.

[@monkusbee]

Nice G Harrison bit!

[@paulgregory1896]

Good review but I’m still torn! Want to install something in my Martin D-28 V. I want something that sounds great but I am also torn about the invasive installment of the more complex systems.

[@irinalange73]

Thanks. It´s interesting how it sounds with clasical nilonstrings guitar.

[@opalogarodiva]

2:21 give me love, give me love, give me peace on Earth 🎶

[@StefanoValerilove-coffee]

I like De Armond 🎶 pickup

[@emilloffler1216]

I use my Martin OM28V accoustic with the standard (not top of the range) L.R. Baggs pickup installed. Plugging the jack into the HI-Z channel on my Mackie 1620i through my PA. It is a clearer sound than not using the Hi-Z switch in the channel, but still a rather thinner, less fuller sound of my accoustic on it's own, with any electrification. none of these demo's although quite good really do it for me compared to the full natural sound of an accoustic on it's own. Perhaps I will have to experiment with my 48 volt condensor mic externally placed near enough to my accoustic guitar body for amplification through my PA, its been said that is a better option. Thank you anyway for this demo, it's a very interesting to insight.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

The piezo sounds more natural but is less prone to feedback

[@KTLBT]

I think a good mic always sounds better than any kind of pickup. or at least it sounds more true to the actual sound of the guitar. i prefer mics, but there are times when playing live or recording that the pickup is just easier.

[@xHadesStamps]

Yes, a good mic (or two) definitely sounds better. I always record with either two Samson C02’s (which I don’t like for anything but guitar) or one Lewitt LCT240 Pro. When performing live, though, I absolutely will not deal with that. To avoid feedback (or simply just picking up unwanted sounds to too large of a degree), you need to get the mic quite close, which A. doesn’t provide near as much of a benefit, and 2. restricts me from moving around (in other words, it’s completely useless).

[@chadlong1109]

Does anyone else dislike the Piezo sound? It's like the guitar has a stuffy nose.

[@whiskerbiscuit6674]

If a song is written on piezo then it doens't sound right on anything but piezo. They tend to sound better with nylons though. They make steel sound like nylon. Write all your songs on piezo then it'll sound good.

[@tudorverde]

Piezo sounds the best for me.

[@jwmacca1]

Beatles! George! Give me love but different pickups om different guitars! thought maybe different pickups on same guitar?

[@south644]

Thanks , that was helpful. appreciate it. And I like the "Hide Your Love Away" section :-)

[@sjoerdklarenbeek]

If I’m honest, I think the sound of any of these amplification systems is really disappointing compared to what an acoustic guitar should sound like. We can put a man on the moon but we can’t get a decent electric sound from an acoustic guitar? If anyone has any suggestions for a great sounding electro acoustic, I’m all ears! Aiming for around 1000 euros for a guitar that fits in a pop cover band.

[@Ihavebeenwatchingyou]

Maton

[@peterjackson9529]

Seymour Duncan Mag-Mic is brilliant!

[@localguy8]

I am a beginner to the pick ups and thus have to deal with feedbacks so to get around it I bought the Bose L1 that did the job n sounds great no feedback

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

The piezo is a kind of transducer pickup

[@yarmouk334]

What kind of pickup would you recommend for someone who plays fingerstyle stuff in multiple open tunings on a Guild P-240? I have a vintage Jax soundhole pickup but it’s basically a piezo pickup. It looks really cool but I’m not getting the tone I’d like but it could also be the mic. The Jax pickup is on a Recording King ROH-05. I need help with this.

[@haydenshillito344]

Anthem was a disappointment...the M80 sounded best to me in this comparison. The Seymour Duncan MagMic in hole also sounds real nice.

[@proteuslic]

Hey! Thank you for the great video! The Fishman Matrix infinity doesn't have mic, does it?

[@Nonplused]

Does the quality of the piezo affect feedback? Or is that just a sensitivity/volume issue?

[@bobaldo2339]

No acoustic guitar pickup sounds as good as an acoustic guitar played directly into a good mic. That out of the way, the only way I would consider using a pickup in an acoustic guitar is with an external equalizer pedal before the PA head. That way there are no holes for controls cut into the guitar body, and an external equalizer works better than a builtin equalizer in my opinion.

[@xHadesStamps]

I’m the kind of person who would make a chassis to use an internal piezo preamp externally. Sure, might only be as good as a built-in preamp, but I have yet to see an external one I can afford.

[@JuanHernandez-uq5ld]

Why would you blend 50/50 mic and pickup if its a pickup demo? Just mic the amp!

[@marbymacapobre8050]

Might be because the mic is part of the pick up

[@kidarcade]

Fantastic overview. Thx!

[@advancedraymondology2914]

The first one looks so nice, but how does it actually plug into anything? I see a cord at the bottom of the guitar, so I'm guessing you did the drill thing you mentioned? Or is that guitar already set up for amplification? I'm just looking to amplify my regular acoustic.

[@CoolCat11]

I have an LR Baggs that came with a new Guild D-55E. I can’t stand the look of it. It makes the guitar look like it has a hearing aid... (no offence to any hearing impaired people). Why LR Baggs can’t make it a dark colour is beyond me... I had a Fishman Matrix Infinity Mic blend installed into a Martin HD28V and the sound was incredible. And it was invisible ... I know this is all about sound, but the Anthem looks dreadful and detracts from the beauty of the guitar. I also agree with the comments - it would be great to hear them on the same guitar.

[@jasonkadhim]

Helpful but using different guitars with different specs and body shapes makes it tricky to hear the actual differences between the pickups, I know it’s just an intro to give an idea but would’ve been more hopeful to use different pickups on the same guitar model.

[@Mr.Goldbar]

The magnetic soundhole pickups sound too much like the neck pickup of a Strat. I'd rather play a Strat instead of this, it deletes the tone change that happens when you pick in different places. If I had to have one I'd rather install it backwards stick one at the part of the soundhole that's closer to the bridge because I pick right between the soundhole and the bridge. the Transducer sounds pretty accurate but pretty mid focused, doesn't capture the full range of the acoustic guitar. the LR Baggs Anthem sounds really good in both parts! I like the blend between both the true mic and piezo

[@xHadesStamps]

Not until we can point a mic at a guitar, reject all the background noise without destroying sound quality, and have the mic floating in front of the guitar without it being attached (never going to happen)

[@Mr.Goldbar]

@@xHadesStamps There is the Myers mic which attaches to the guitar from the outside, but it's both dynamic and omni which is exactly the kind of mic I don't like haha

[@xHadesStamps]

@@Mr.Goldbar Yeah. Dynamics definitely aren’t what I’d use on an acoustic guitar, that’s for definite. I love them on my voice, though. Omnidirectional live, though? Hell, no. I also don’t want anything attached to my guitar and therefore (basically) me. Definitely not for either of us.

[@fedbos91]

Can I use a LR Baggs pickup directly into the mixer? Or use piezo-system jack + LR Baggs pickup into mixer (so 2 different jacks into the mixer)? Or I should buy a D.I. first?

[@ozzy9117]

I don't like piezo sound but piezo sounds the best od these pickups. It has natural, clean and selective sound.

[@gladejustglade]

L.R. Baggs Anthem: $200-$300, plus installation.

[@maraviyoso8473]

The SL version is cheaper and, IMO, better most of the time