LR Baggs Anthem SL Installation

This is a video of me installing and testing an acoustic guitar pickup. It's a very simple process, which anyone could do. I explain the tricky bits (not that there are many) here.
The LR Baggs Anthem SL is a great design, as it has both an internal microphone for general sound capture and an element that goes under the bridge saddle to get more low end. The two parts can be blended and tweaked for the desired sound.
All music is played by me on this instrument and pickup. For recording, I ran the guitar through an LR Baggs Para DI and into a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6. I haven't experimented much with settings, and suspect I could get a really great sound with some tweaking.

[@philipatoz]

Three minutes along and I quickly realized this is not the time to try and save a few bucks by doing it myself. The thought of drilling holes in my precious acoustic is very stressful. If you done it many times, perhaps, but I sure don't want to screw it up! I have great respect for skilled luthiers!

[@TomboLP]

Good for you! I think that there's a lot to be said for taking it to a luthier if you're not sure that you can do it yourself. Either that, or cut your teeth on cheap guitars first.

[@mwj5368]

Hi! Is your guitar a classical guitar meaning with nylon strings? About how much does a shop in the USA charge to install this? Also do shops typically want the customer to buy the system from them instead of like on Amazon where I found it for $219 US Dollars? How does it sound? To what degree were you impressed with how it sounds over when it did not have a pickup?

[@DadRockAndGuitars]

Thank you for this video! I just installed mine tonight and it was very helpful to see someone else do it. You had some good pointers. However, I had to have my 10 year old son push the output jack from the inside though because there was no way I could get my arm through the sound hole and all the way to the back of the guitar. 😂

[@TomboLP]

Hah! Yes indeed - it's a tricky job.

[@dukeofpearl]

The best pickup out there! (In my humble opinion) got one in my sj200. Sounds amazing!

[@rawmark]

Agreed. I have one installed in a Sergio Zepeda cutaway that had no electronics and that guitar now sounds amazing. I also plan on installing a second anthem in another of my acoustics that have no electronics.

[@TomboLP]

I agree after having heard a bunch of others now.

[@locngo]

WOW.AWESOME SOUND FROM THE PICKUP

[@TomboLP]

Cheers!

[@foxyfaefife100]

Cheers for video, definitely going to get one of these pickups now. Also nice wee cover of Diamonds and Rust!

[@TomboLP]

Good ear! Thanks.

[@bryaniler2988]

Hello from across the pond! Great video. Do you make guitars for the public and if so, where can I check out some of your creations?

[@martymetcalf]

Well done. I imagine that the volume is also connected via a sticky pad of sorts. I don’t have a belt sander, is it possible to just manually sand down on a flat surface using sand paper? Nice video. Thanks.

[@TomboLP]

Hey! Yes, that's exactly right. Sanding on a flat surface with paper works fine. It just takes longer.

[@BobGemmell]

Super, super helpful. Thank you.

[@GoransMusicCircle]

well done, and like for diamonds and rust

[@TomboLP]

Thank you - and well spotted!

[@marcwarman2281]

Yes, I live in Malaysia and have built one and now doing 2 more with Jeffrey.

[@TomboLP]

+Marc Warman Excellent - I am very jealous! I miss the food and laid back lifestyle. Tokyo is much more hectic.

[@Transkohmer]

Marc Warman Hi there, I’m from Malaysia as well. Welcome

[@MarkyShaw]

Thanks for making this video, man. My poor Epiphone EJ-200SCE has a faulty eSonic2 preamp system and it seems to be practically impossible to find a replacement preamp. It's proprietary electronics that uses two pickups, one called the NanoFlex and one NanoMag. Sadly a generic preamp is probably not compatible with the pickups. Which leads me to looking at alternatives like this LR Baggs system. Might you recommend this to replace an existing preamp/pickup system?

[@TomboLP]

I would, but you'd probably have a hole in the side of your guitar to fill if it's a preamp with onboard controls. Sorry - only found your comment today after three years!

[@michellek5789]

Great to see the upgraded work shop. Is that a power tool I see, lol! Are you building guitars full time now? Love your videos I have really learned a lot!

[@TomboLP]

+Michelle k Cheers and many thanks! Yes indeed, power tools now I'm no longer in the apartment. They do make life easier, but I'm very grateful I started out with hand tools for several years.

[@locngo]

I am really scared about putting on piezo. I found that it reduce the sound quality of my previous guitar considerably. So with my new guitar I am not sure if I should just go with the Lyrics

[@TomboLP]

I think the Lyric is great. Here, however, you can blend the piezo and internal mic to your liking. The Anthem gives you more options and is potentially better than either a mic or a piezo alone, I think.

[@overtonesnteatime198]

Cheers mate!

[@TomboLP]

Thanks! Hope it's useful.

[@steverok67]

Which side of the bridge holes does the tru mic go on ? Toward the back of the guitar or the front ?

[@TomboLP]

LR Baggs suggests towards the front. Different placement gets a different sound.

[@TheCentralflorida]

So we are to whack off the adhesive pads?

[@TomboLP]

It makes them stick better.

[@TheCentralflorida]

@@TomboLP dude.....that was awesome. Honestly though....thanks for the video. I just needed to confirm it was simple.

[@TomboLP]

@@TheCentralflorida Glad I could help out. I'm always astonished when people watch my videos. The channel is neither monetized nor promoted in any way (I'm not a "KZbinr" really, and don't make content for content's sake), so it's always surprising that people stumble across my stuff.

[@TheCentralflorida]

@@TomboLP thats good to hear Thats what youtube used to be. While some people get monetized and get better, most of them get monetized and become clones of every other channel. I build lots and would love to help beginners but there's so much garbage out there. Its like the midlife crisis thing now.....quit job. Do youtube. Haha.

[@TomboLP]

@@TheCentralflorida Couldn't agree more! I do sometimes wonder about monetizing, but hate the idea of my videos filling with ads and/or having to create content just to keep viewers "engaged."

[@meowmixmeowmix]

Nice guitar!

[@TomboLP]

Cheers! It's a lot of fun to play and now sounds great for gigs.

[@eronackerman565]

Mine sounds nothing like this. I play through a Martin 000-15m, mainly finger picking, and all I hear is through the Anthem SL is overwhelming bass and muddy mids with faint highs that get drowned out whenever I hit the low E or A strings. If I adjust it to the piezo pickup I literally get zero high end. In the middle a hint of high end is audible, and even when I turn the tone adjuster all the way to the microphone the low end thoroughly dominates the sound (in addition to some ugly high pitched feedback). Based on the way it sounds through good PA systems, I brought my guitar back to the shop that installed it, thinking they must've installed it wrong, but the tech said it's installed properly. Since the bass-heavy signal is coming directly from the source it still sounds awful (a trebly muddy mess) if I crank the treble and dial back the bass and mids on my acoustic amp.

[@TomboLP]

Wow...I am sad to hear this. I don't know what the cause could be. If you've got it installed correctly and there's nothing wrong with the pickup, then maybe it just sounds bad in certain guitars. Still, I am very surprised. My suspicion is that there's something wrong with either the installation or your unit. I hope you can find a way to resolve the problem!

[@jakespoon7994]

Eron Ackerman Thanks for your comment. I have recently purchased a 000-15m and looking for a pickup system. I’ll cross this off the list of possibilities.

[@im58woody]

They messed up your install for sure

[@eronackerman565]

Thanks for the comment! This video was really helpful too. I just came back to it to troubleshoot my Anthem SL, so this feels like a time capsule. I more-or-less fixed the problem, in case you're curious. I was able to reduce the boomy bass by filing down the part of the saddle that makes contact with the element under the low E and A strings. The internal mic was still picking up too much bass though. So I shifted it towards the high strings, and it now I can hear them a lot more clearly. The D string is a little loud in the mix now, and I would like just a touch more of the low E and A strings, but it's a big improvement overall. If I were to design an acoustic pickup, I'd include two or three smaller internal mics to key in on the frequencies of each string better. My philosophy is that it's always better to fix the sound at the source than to mess with the EQ later in the signal chain. @@TomboLP

[@delphinoaleon6436]

I install the anthem SL and it sounds completely horrible I've tried different Mike positions and I put it in a Martin HD 28 I'm just completely heartbroken and Confused

[@TomboLP]

I am so sorry to hear that. Maybe it is defective? However, a few people I know aren't big fans of the sound.

[@gmanhfx]

Hi Barnaby, nice clean job! When you installed the mic you said you were placing it in the middle. Did you mean the middle of the the box, between the bridge and jack?

[@TomboLP]

Hi and thanks! That's a great question - I meant the middle of the bridge plate.

[@gmanhfx]

I had the SL installed 3 or 4 years ago, but it fell off recently...won't stick anymore. Should I replace the double sided material? Would a couple of drops of crazy glue be a mistake?

[@TomboLP]

I'd go with the tape (double-sided carpet tape is the best, I find), but superglue would be possible if you really wanted to. The only hassle would be removing it later without damage. It can be done, but it's pretty tricky.

[@ragetobe]

What guitar is this? I swear I have seen a baritone guitar for sale on eBay that looks just like this guitar? is it "Lindo Opus Electro-Acoustic"?

[@TomboLP]

It's a Jeffrey Yong design, called the "JJ". We (me, Jeff and his workers) built it in his workshop in Malaysia as part of an acoustic guitar building course. Great guitar and design. The wood is monkeypod.

[@ragetobe]

I wonder if it is a Jeffery Yong guitar then - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lindo-Opus-Electro-Acoustic-Baritone-27-Guitar-with-Fishman-Presys-Blend-Preamp/222559706276

[@TomboLP]

It looks like it was inspired by his design for sure, but who can say?

[@Ravi-jz7bn]

I am not clear on the set screw. I plan to play on different P.A. systems. Set screw sounds awkward. Why a screw to adjust mic blend instead of a knob? Sounds like a big hassle to adjust set screw? " The SL has a "fixed" crossover for the division of signal output between the mic and the UST... set at 250 hz, although the UST is a "soft shelf" and does cover some frequencies above 250. There is a small set screw to adjust "how much" mic is mixed in to the output... it's pretty much a "set it and forget it" type of adjustment, if you are playing through the same PA system. "

[@TomboLP]

I'm away from home and the guitar at the moment, but I seem to remember that the set screw is very easy to access. I think they even give you a little plastic thing for the task (not that it's needed). It would be an easy adjust as needed, as long as you have something like a small screwdriver. Still, there is a version of the Anthem (i.e. the non-SL) that has a dial instead, and also has an extra control for the mix. From memory, it's about $100 more when buying new. I've never found the need for such controls, but a better acoustic guitarist might.

[@kaaremeling1835]

Hi, have just received my Anthem SL Tru-Mic ready for installation. I notice that there are connected two element pickup wires from the strap jack. I suppose only one of them are going to be installed under the saddle. What am I supposed to do with the other one? Cut it off, or keep it as it is? Any recommendations will be appreciated!

[@TomboLP]

Sorry - it's been quite a while since I installed this and can't remember the exact configuration. I do wish I could help, but have to apologise.

[@Ravi-jz7bn]

Can the SL pickup system be taken out and installed on another guitar? I am considering buying a used one and seller has installed/uninstalled it. I think there should be no issues, other than maybe adding new adhesives?

[@TomboLP]

Yes. I can't see any problems with doing that as long as the pickup is working properly. As you say, new adhesives would be all that you'd need.

[@Super2times]

Hey love The guitar did u Build it ur self ?

[@TomboLP]

Thanks! I went to Malaysia and the guitar was built under the supervision of Jeffrey Yong, a remarkable luthier. He runs a course in instrument making. I had never built an acoustic guitar before, so wanted to do a course. It was definitely worth it!

[@juana1483]

@@TomboLP Wow, wow!!! I wish someone of that caliber offered classes here in San Diego, California. Of course, Taylor Guitars is about 20 miles inland from San Diego, but they mass produce their guitars. I wouldn't like doing just one small part of the production process day after day.

[@robinwatson4282]

Hang on, you sanded that undersaddle by holding it with your hands??! That needs to be FLAT.

[@TomboLP]

Good point! I've had a lot of practice doing this and it was flat, but there's definitely a "learning curve" to being able to do that sort of thing accurately, if you'll pardon the pun. It's a bit like being able to sharpen planes and chisels freehand versus using a jig...which, incidentally, I can't manage because I've not put the time in. People who can are amazing and get stunning results.

[@robinwatson4282]

@@TomboLP Just use a couple of strips of steel either side of the saddle and clamped. Where you drew the line to sand to is where the strips should line up. The you can just push it against the sander until the stell starts to catch the sander evenlyall over. Not ideal, but way more accurate than hand held.

[@TomboLP]

@@robinwatson4282 That's very similar to what I get guitarmaking students to do. Stewmac also sells a jig for it, but I've never considered buying it. If I bought all the jigs they advertise as "timesaving," I'd have no room to move in my workshop!

[@robinwatson4282]

@@TomboLP It's all about having the right tools, though.

[@TomboLP]

@@robinwatson4282 Absolutely!

[@ethansmith5560]

what song was that at the end? i would love to learn to play that!

[@TomboLP]

+Ethan Smith "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez.

[@ethansmith5560]

+TomboLP thank you!!

[@911elijah]

Where did you put the mic?

[@TomboLP]

Under the bridge, just in front of where the pins come through. You can hear me describe it around 4:35.

[@911elijah]

@@TomboLP Got it! Thank you!

[@RPMac]

Skipped the part about feeding the end pin through..

[@TomboLP]

Sorry!

[@Super2times]

How do i get a guitar like that and What does it Cost ?

[@TomboLP]

The man to look for if you want a guitar like this is Jeffrey Yong - you can either build one yourself under his supervision (a two-week course in Malaysia), or buy one of his. He is a very talented luthier and this guitar design is amazing!

[@icaro738]

can you record something of this pickup in line? strumming

[@TomboLP]

Hi! I will try to find some time to do something in the next few months...although I'm crazy busy with my day job here in Tokyo right now!

[@icaro738]

thank you so much!

[@RPMac]

I'll just walk over to the belt sander i keep in my kitchen !

[@TomboLP]

Hahaha!

[@fretfix1]

Use a step drill bit or a cello reamer to make hole for the end pin. Highly dangerous to use the bit he did...just sayin'

[@TomboLP]

Thanks for the warning for others. Good to know that it could be dangerous.

[@gugaporta26]

What kind of guitar is that one ?

[@TomboLP]

+gugaporta26 It's an instrument I made under the supervision of Jeffrey Yong when I was studying acoustic building. It's a jumbo-sized guitar with a monkeypod top, back and sides with side bevel, soundport and scoop cutaway.

[@gugaporta26]

+TomboLP thanks for the info it's a beauty !!

[@TomboLP]

+gugaporta26 You are too kind!!!