What is the BEST Acoustic Pickup? // The Ultimate Shootout

[@AlexPriceMusician]

Here are a few links to read more / listen to demos of each of the pickups I've mentioned in this video: Fishman Gold Thinline Plus - amzn.to/3bFMdgC K&K Pure Mini - amzn.to/3nxfprH K&K demo - www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlAom... JourneyTek EP001k - bit.ly/3voGTCR JourneyTek demo - www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngt4I... Cling On pickup - amzn.to/3uxcRN4 Cling On demo - www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQwOs... Myers Pickup - www.youtube.com/watch?v=T10vE... Myers demo - amzn.to/3NNhU5c Cloudvocal iSolo - amzn.to/3sJ5eo1 Cloudvocal demo - www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4f8Q... Seymour Duncan Woody - bit.ly/3OZZNKg Fishman Rare Earth - bit.ly/3a6JjRy Fishman Rare Earth Mic Blend - bit.ly/39os7H4 Fishman demo - www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9ikR... Red Eye Preamp - amzn.to/3nC7KIq

[@erikbongnilsson246]

What are your thoughts of Maton AP5 or AP5 PRO which I always hear so much positive about. have you tried any of them and whats your opinion on them?

[@kevinhamilton7192]

Thx. Great stuff. Wondering about Baggs HiFi Duet in a Taylor 816. Thoughts? I heard you mention Anthem and I’ve played that PUP. I actually liked it, but cut thru could be an issue as stated. Trying to fix this awful ES2.

[@davestagner]

The two best solutions I’ve far are a Schertler A6 mag+mic, and a combination of a Schatten HFN with their Artist 2 preamp and a magnetic (Dimarzio Angel in this case). I have a good demo video of the Schatten/Dimarzio combo compared with a studio mic, which also has the Schatten by itself and the Dimarzio by itself. For real-world live performance, I prefer this to the Schertler… the mag/mic sounds great, but it’s easy to turn into nasty, high-pitched mic feedback. The Schatten HFN is a bridge transducer like the K&K, but it’s much easier to attach, and imho sounds noticeably more natural - the K&K can get a little woofy, the Schatten is airier and more mic-like. At any rate, I think dual pickup systems are the way to go! I have yet to hear a single pickup that strikes the right balance between clarity, naturalness, feedback resistance, and cutting through a full band mix.

[@waynzwhirled6181]

Hey Alex. I have found myself returning time and again to this video. It is the best, most comprehensive video on acoustic guitar pickups I have found on KZbin. Thanks for creating such a great video.

[@Mr.Goldbar]

The best solution if you ask me is a blend of as many elements as possible, especially with different EQ for each or a stereo system. Magnetic for lows, Undersaddle and mic for mids and highs, and blend that with a condenser/contact. That's something I did in fact notice about precussive guitar players like Mike Dawes and Marcin for example Out of the pickups in this video the K&K is my favorite, the magnetic and the cling on are my least favorite. However I've heard so many undersaddles that are better than the one in this video, especially some with preamps that have more controls and on the side of the guitar rather than in the inside of the soundhole.

[@picksalot1]

For Nylon String guitar, I've had excellent results getting a very natural sound using a single Piezo Contact Pickup. It is mounted under the soundboard behind the bridge using double sided tape. The problem with it is that the guitar acts like a giant microphone, so it's practical in only quiet environments. I had an under saddle Piezo on an Acoustic Electric, and it had the typical thin, quacky tone associated with that type of pickup. It died, and I removed it. I have an LR Baggs iBeam Active pickup in an acoustic guitar. It is a Piezo/body sensing pickup which attaches to the underside of the soundboard with double sided tape. I used to run it through a Baggs Para Acoustic DI, but now I just plug directly into my HX Stomp. The pickup is pretty good, but I don't love it.

[@DucaTambasco]

I know it is a little out of topic, but what a beautiful play at 10:32... lovely!

[@neilmchardy9061]

I found great success for quieter gigs, was to use an Amazon condenser lapel mic attached just inside the sound hole behind the fretboard. Like all mics it was a bit prone to feedback but had a very genuine and clear sound. For the £7 it cost me I was very impressed. PS. I found the idea on another pickup review website, really surprised with the results.

[@russstrough3849]

Double X0 and Double X2. Humbucker/microphone, lithium internal battery dirt cheap, sounds great and I've tried almost all you've mentioned. X2 has effects and a vibrating transducer for unplugged. Even has a phase switch, great to fight feedback. Yes the installation does dampen the top some. Both have 3 band eq.

[@alessandroformenti1010]

After many many years, I've solved my problems keeping some instruments (which I love and record with) pickup free, while on stage I use other instruments built with that purpose.

[@pastorkev777]

One cool option if you don't want to modify your guitar is a KNA SG-1 I run mine into a Nux MG30 with a IR, preamp, EQ and Compressor minimally and it's phenomenal. Sadly it doesn't work in my newest guitar, but for most acoustics it's great.

[@sakurasamuraich7972]

This is a really good video for those starting out on mods and upgrades for their acoustic guitar, and this video got me to want to just replace the crap piezo in my acoustic that breaks all the time... I'm now currently running a X2 Double pickup i bought off of amazon, it's a combo pickup that consists of a magnetic mic and an actual microphone. Its awesome as I can use the built in mic to record good bright sounding guitar and when im doing more sustain style of playing i can just switch to the magnetic mic. So it gives the best of both worlds!

[@Brianemersonpt]

After gigging for years with undersaddle piezos with & without mic blended in I finally discovered the Taylor ES2 and it’s my system of choice. Highly feedback resistant, very sensitive and much truer sounding than undersaddle alone. We are lucky to have so many great systems on the market, we each can choose which system sounds best to our ear and serves our purposes best.

[@grobros]

I really like the sound of your favorite (Fishman Rare Earth Mag / Mic combo). Thanks for the excellent demonstrations, comparisons, and explanations, as usual. I have to posit my experiences, though: I have a Takamine G-Series. I know many guitarists say they do not like the sound of piezo under saddles; but nearly everywhere I play, whether through my sound equipment or others’ gear, people always say, “Man, that guitar sounds good!” I think it underscores what you said about piezo pickups: They are not the most realistic, but they sound really good in context, and are so easy to accommodate.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

I would agree with that - in the context of a full band with a characteristic acoustic guitar fingerpicked or strumming part, it cuts through and is easy to accommodate from the perspective of a sound engineer. On its own or in a very exposed situation, it's pretty brutal.

[@lazarus-lake]

I think the LR Baggs M1A is the best soundhole pickup out there, and it’s my favorite acoustic pickup.

[@RiverSongMusic]

Great playing! Enjoying the video!

[@michaelyolch79]

After years of Fishmans in all my guitars, a world-class luthier turned me on to K&K and I've never looked back. The BIG reason is that the K&K performs flawlessly with ALTERNATE tunings. This is a BIG deal...because every pickup just can't do that. Besides alternate tunings, I feel that the K&K perfectly reproduces the guitar as I hear it in my ear when played acoustically.

[@buskman3286]

I used to use KKs on all acoustic guitars but no longer. I found that they work great on some guitars, not on others. For example, I installed a KK on a fabulous-sounding Martin custom shop D45 and it sounded so poor through the PA that I thought that one of the pickup sensors was defective so we installed another KK - sounded the same. I called/talked to a KK rep and he advised that "sometimes that happens." So that guitar now has a Fishman ( don't recall which one). My Gibson Hummingbird sounds best with an LR Baggs Lyric - it used to have a KK. OTOH, my Martin D28 sounds great with the KK. Go figure... As far as alternate tunings, I can't think why a pickup would respond differently to alternate tunings. But the only alternate tuning I use is Drop D - nobody in the audience wants to watch somebody retuning for 5 minutes to perform a song! :) - so I admit I don't have any experience with "serious" alternate tunings.

[@stratolestele7611]

As a mostly electric player, my ears could be tuned for them, but I've been perfectly happy with my K&K Mini into an acoustic amp - which should replace the need for a preamp. For feedback, call me lame, but I just add a soundhole plug. Heck, I run it through my regular electric pedalboard, so I freely use compression, and light delay,as well as a booster.stompbox\volume pedal.

[@SweetBabyJamesOfficial]

Dude, fantastic job. Great video, very helpful, well thought out and organized, plus I dig your screen presence/persona. Keep it up!

[@jed1166]

Update: I have an LR Baggs Stagepro Anthem in one stage guitar,(RainSong jumbo)…sounds excellent. Here is the update: I have settled on a 50-50 blend of Tru-Mic microphone to Element piezo, in all circumstances. I used to go the 75% mic, playing solo, but could be a little thin, and subject to feedback. The 50-50 sounds nice and very much like the RainSong. To my ears, the best, is the proprietary Takamine Palathetic pickup played through their CoolTube3 preamp. The Palathetic has an element for each string, and is mechanically locked through the top of the guitar and the bridge. Playing solo, use more tube. In a band, dial it back a bit to cut. Sounds just like the guitar acoustically… (guitar model is ProSeries P4DC). I do love the Fishman Rare Earth / mic though! Thanks! I will try one on the RainSong. If it sounds as good as your demo, will permanently install with an additional endpin jack… can use a Y cord to split the Baggs and Fishman. Huge flexibility! Two different mics, humbucker and piezo capabilities… should be able to find a good feedback free tone in any venue!

[@bradpdx2]

The road to good amplified acoustic is long and full of potholes! I do a lot of gigs, and most of it these days is "lead guitar" in acoustic folky ensembles and bluegrass. Some are quiet, some are rowdy. Once everybody is plugged in, it's surprising how dense the stage sound can become. Solutions that might sound great at home sometimes fall apart once you're on a real stage, and things that sound mediocre at home can be what you need at a certain gig. Because I play a lot of single notes, I need a pickup that lets me goose the gain while still sounding good. Like Alex (no relations AFAIK) I also have a Martin HD-28 that has had many pickups in it over the past 26 years. Right now it has a James May Ultratonic K&K conversion, which helped to solve the problem of a weak high E and too-boomy bass. It's a good guitar plugged in, but not the best for what I often do. My main gig rig these days is a custom guitar (Clayton Pledger) with a Baggs M80 magnetic. The guitar itself is terrific, super punchy on single notes. The M80 is certainly not the most "natural" sounding option, but boy oh boy does it cut over the clutter with a shimmering, clear tone. For now, this compromise is the most workable under real-life gig conditions, and it always draws compliments. FWIW, I observed no change in tone when I installed the Baggs in the sound hole.

[@paulheartsongs]

Nice playing, man. Thanks for sharing your experience. 😊

[@MustafaAldhaheri]

I have installed a K&K pure mini in my Taylor 214DLX and it sounded much more real that Taylor’s ES 1, and the sound was full and bass was so much that I have to add a low cut to make it usable. The trick in this pickup is the used glue and make sure to use it with an impedance of 1Mega ohms (Hi-Z) IMO This is the most NATURAL/ TRANSPARENT acoustic pickup, but it is a feedback sensitive like you mentioned and this is the only drawback

[@boshi9]

Do you use it with a K&K external preamp?

[@throwarockatme9290]

Alex, thank you so much for this! It’s one of the best pickup comparisons I’ve come across. I’ve rewatched it numerous times now, and finally concluded that I agree about the Fishman rare earth mic blend. I ended up picking one up and couldn’t be happier with it! Sounds great on every guitar I’ve put it on. Thanks again and take care!

[@jeffreywinsor350]

This is an excellent clip. The two that jump out to me are the Journey Tek and the last one the Fishman pick up and mic combo.

[@MashaT22]

If that Martin is the same as the Fishman Sonitone, then I agree. Best Piezo out there. It sounds as close to the real acoustic tone in the room as it’s gonna get.

[@adamstewart247]

Please do a revision with the LR Baggs Anthem and K&K Trinity included as options as these are generally regarded as the absolute top tier. Don't listen to your friends about the Anthem... It is by far my favourite...just the best, warm...perfect. A combo pickup always outperforms a single because each pickup type has some advantages. The Trinity is great too, perhaps the most natural sound but more feedback prone than the Anthem which has no issues even on loud stages. Great for In-Ear setups. The Trinity also requires a bit more mixing/EQ and fussing with the mic placement to get the sound you want but can sound superior. I have the Anthem installed on a Martin D-45 and the K&K Trinity on a Larrivee D-09. Both sound incredible live No offense, but I feel like the Fishman Rare Earth sounds "quacky", cheap and brittle in comparison to the Trinity and Anthem. Fishman pick-ups tend to have an artificial and quacky quality to them Worth more of a deep dive with some of the top end ones but awesome video! Thanks so for posting it!

[@user-wc4ie5up1u]

I've used the Rare Earth pickups for 20 years and recently installed the Anthem in my Collings OM1 to play a wedding. They are the best pickups I've ever heard for acoustic

[@PNWJEEPER01]

L.R. Baggs in my ‘96 Larrivee is amazing. No tone or volume control, but it does have 3 piezo contacts on the top and a condenser mic in the back just south of the sound hole. The combination equally picks up and puts out everything the guitar has to offer.

[@robertnewell5057]

A great intro to the topic. I have K&Ks in a couple of my guitars, but I still hear that growly sound in the bass (not the famous Martin growl - more buzzy). I also have the same Fishman as you, but (if you are still monitoring this post after 2 years!) I find it has two drawbacks. First, there's no volume control, just a blend I also have the knock off Skysonic 902 which has separate vols for the mag and the mic - maybe 1/3 the price of the Fishman and actually better IMO; well worth a try. Second, here in the UK they changed the spec of the batteries it uses so they don't quite fit (the are a touch deeper) and you have to hold them in with tape - not good.The Skytronic uses 2032 and is fine.

[@Stephen-zx4uf]

Excellent video! I’m gonna come back and watch this over again a few times it’s very helpful. I have several nice solid wood guitars with different types of pick ups that came with them. Probably the most fancy one is the the anthem which sounds pretty good. I have a 98 Taylor 314 CE with the cheaper Fishman prefix pick up which overall in most situation‘s sounds better than any of them and so I’m looking for something that gives me great sound that goes into an acoustic pedalboard. Specifically, recent interest in trying to use a Boss oc-5 but found the doubled pitch had lots of intermittent spikes and drops while it works perfectly on an electric.. so looking at a magnetic option. Heard lots of raves about k&k so was super helpful to see all these in a short video. Looking forward to checking out your other videos and band!

[@WoodworkerDan]

Excellent video. I have tried many of the same pickups, and my experiences are very similar to yours. For most gigs I use the K & K because it is so reliable. I have since learned that K & K has something called the Trinity, which combines the Pure pickup with an internal mic and an external preamp. The best sounding pickup I ever had was a Fishman Ellipse Matrix Blend, which uses the same mic you have in your Rare Earth Mic Blend.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

Thanks for the suggestion Dan! Maybe I’ll get to try out the Trinity System some day.

[@matrixInvader]

great video man, by far the most helpful I've seen. Think you sold me on the rare earth. Cheers from Gulfport!

[@arnobashtar6707]

The Epiphone EJ-200 has a magnetic and piezo pickup. The magnetic one does not cover the soundhole at all. When combined the two of them, the blended tone sounds very good, I like to keep it set with a bias on the piezo because it pickups up the subtitles of the treble... I don't mind Piezo pickups if they are really good quality ones. If I need a studio recording, thats when I'll place a Shure microphone in front of my guitar.

[@albo7596]

Thank you Alex , very interesting review of all options available !

[@LPKJFHIS]

Just wanted to say thanks for putting this together. For what it’s worth, I gigged for years with the baggs anthem using a feedback buster in my Ibanez. We had a loud drummer, but we got by with little feedback issues. Worst case scenario, I could have adjusted the balance to a tad bit less mic and more under saddle, but I never had to. Cheers!

[@jeffrey.a.hanson]

I had a cheap SD Soundhole Pup back in 2008 for my cheap Yamaha…and it sounded great live! Eventually my singer snagged it. I cut the low end of my electric and our band sounded really balanced.

[@robfielding8566]

at 50, I finally got an acoustic-electric (and never really had a quality acoustic before)... but as a Turkish Oud; which is nylon 12-string fretless and a pear-shaped body. after a month, the saddle pulled forward until the under-saddle pickup was rattling madly. on an Arabic/Turkish style oud, there is a decorative rose on the holes; which makes ever getting inside basically impossible. at the same time, the 9V got weak enough to get sound drop-out and buzzing, while also the plug nut was loose. Three issues at once. I thought I would destroy it just troubleshooting it. The undersaddle pickup definitely seems loosely held together. The action is just low enough that I get a bit too much buzz on the (fretless) "fretboard". I may be stuck with the Fishman pickup that it came with. But I learned a lot in troubleshooting it, and fixing it as best I could. I might need to bump the action up somehow. On an Oud, you don't need to do any intonation tricks; as you just tune it to perfect fourths with a straight saddle.

[@trueblack6760]

Great video! Thank you so much!! I bought the ooo-18 with martin thinline already installed as used condition. I was shocked when I found the piezo is under the suddle. And this video showed me clearly what I had worried about. I don't use amp that often and I'm happy with the unplugged sound of my guitar, but start thinking to remove the piezo and buy the product you had recommended on this video....

[@blessedwithchallenges9917]

Pros (James Taylor, Phil Keaggy, Paul McCartney, John Mayer) still go with the LB6, with a DI. The Baggs Session is a good choice.

[@davidryan6441]

Fitted a Fishman Neo D on a 2013 Non Pick-Up Angelus Standard, Which Only Cost £50 in The UK. And it Sounded So Full and Mellow, That i had it Adapted With a Plug In Through The Strap Button. Very Minor Issues With Feedback in The Live Arena . It Is a Minefield To be Sure But Your Video Has Made Me Consider Upgrading to a higher end Fishman, So Thanks For That.. Great Vid By The Way.

[@christopheraaron8299]

I'm about to install pickups in my Oscar Schmidt acoustic. I got the kind that has both Piezo and a microphone. The neat thing is you can use either on their own or blend them to your desired mix with a slider. For my Fender Malibu Player, I intend to eventually remove the existing electronics and replace them with the Hyvibe system.

[@chrisnorman8628]

Best pickup I have ever experiences was a Sunrise magnetic sound hole pickup. Hand made, beautifully warm tone,

[@BobStCyr]

very interesting - thanks for sharing all that experience. It was interesting between the K & K pure mini and the journey tek, I preferred the warmth of the journey tek overall but it also seemed to bring out the string squeek (finger noise) more. surprised by the cling on, which is less expensive and temporary. But for sound quality the microphones blew all the others away.

[@viktorviktor9995]

Really happy with my LR Baggs anthem SL

[@home_tv3561]

Does it impact the acoustic sound? By reducing resonance of the guitar top?

[@asrinshah]

L.R Baggs are really does the job when we do live perfomance. But in my opinion,its not really satisfying when it comes to studio recording and i prefered journey contacts pickups (1 track) and combine it with natural sound from the guitar and record with any condenser mic (1 track).

[@williampugh5032]

Me too. Fantastic pickup for live playing.

[@safeeffective385]

@@williampugh5032 Waiting for that new hi fi duet system, that was supposed to come out in June. Heard anything about what's up with the delay?

[@andyfeldman2590]

@@safeeffective385 I have the LR Baggs HiFi (without the mic) and it sounds fantastic. Honestly, the official video of the LR Baggs HiFi Duo was disappointing. I also have the LR Baggs Lyric in other guitars, as well as the LR Baggs Anthem SL. And, no, I don't know what the delay is with the HiFi Duo.

[@utube9000]

Great video! I'm new to acoustic pickups so this was very informative

[@BillyBlaze7]

I can answer that question, it's the Takamine palethetic pickup coupled with their cool tube preamp and blending with their Takamine Triax 2. Its been the best plugged in sound you can get out of an acoustic since 2003 hands down and nothing even to date can come close.

[@michaelwalston2438]

Using a Peavey Cargo with undersaddle piezo. It's a small short scale guitar, fun to take to the park but rather bass heavey, even acousticslly. Using my Boss GT1000 with the AC Resonance effect and 4 eq blocks as well as compression, I have approached a rather acceptable sound but I am interested in adding a contact pickup to the arsenal. Also I was really impressed by youtube videos of the shadow nanomag pickups that were installed on a number of epiphones that had "ultra" in their names.

[@bobaldo2339]

I used to play my D28 directly into a mic, and never had any feedback problem. That was way back in the 70's, but we played all the rock clubs around the Bay Area (5 piece band) . I guess that was before most clubs liked to have the sound turned up to 11, so that it caused pain & hearing loss, but even then there were clubs where the sound was so loud we had to have some ear protection on stage. Still when I used the acoustic guitar, I played directly into a mic and there was no feedback.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

That’s a great point, venues are pretty consistently way too loud anymore.

[@rombsix]

Thank you for your thorough, hard work. :)

[@AlexPriceMusician]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mynewbrain]

Great video. I’ve done similar evaluation and agree with most of your conclusions. I use the K&K in all my guitars and I do so because of the obvious issue of putting a piece of metal under a saddle. Have you ever tried out an iRig Acoustic Stage? I believe this is just a tiny condenser mic that you hang on your sound hole. Biggest drawback that I have found with iRig is I’d like to extend the cable from the mic to the unit so I would not have to hang the unit on my strap because I change guitars on stage. But I have not found a way to do that. All of the mini connectors that I have used with extensions are crappy and connect and disconnect giving huge “cracking” noises like plugging in and unplugging. Would love to see an iRig eval. Also if you could come up with an extension for the mic. I also remove the pick guard from all my acoustics and replace with a thin press on vinyl film. Huge difference.

[@rakistastuffs7094]

Why 20k subs only? Why do channels like this have the least subs.... i don't understand. Great content man.

[@merqury5]

Absolutely brilliant presentation!

[@AlexPriceMusician]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Earlvis]

Eric Johnson uses the K&K. I have one in my Alvarez Yairi and it is really good. A friend of mine swears by Barcus Berry pickups. They sound phenomenal.

[@jameskelly9800]

Thanks for the cool vid! I'd like to reiterate, that all metal strings do not work with magnetic pickups, as i found out when I replaced a broken string with one from an acoustic set. Nickel, bronze, copper and certain stainless alloys are not magnetic enough to properly disturb the magnetic field.

[@janmat11330]

A major acoustic guitar pickup manufacturer that unfortunately has been left out here is LR Baggs, who also have a great reputation.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

I’ve played LR Baggs before but haven’t been thrilled with any of their options. The Anthem for instance I’ve heard polarizing reviews on. Sometimes it sounds okay, sometimes downright terrible. It also relies on an undersaddle piezo, which I’m really not a fan of because of how it affect the acoustic tone of the instrument. I have an LR Baggs pickup on my violin though, which is decent as far as piezos go.

[@dpeterman945]

As I saw in another comment, big shout out to Schatten pickups! For my classical the HFN-C is amazing. Great amplified sound with a preamp and soundhole blocker in loud environments, almost no feedback issues, and it didn't affect the natural (unamplified}) sound of the guitar at all. I use a Schatten RG-03 in my squareneck resonator. Brilliant! Very highly recommended!

[@dpeterman945]

PS I tried both the Myers Feather (classical guitar and dulcimer) and the K & K one that goes on the string block of the classical, and the Schatten to me is way better.

[@dsstmnnm]

Thanks!

[@mikemcclelland3864]

Great video- I currently have a k&k mini in a Martin and seagull- I would say if anything they are a bit boomy on the bottom end - and if your playing any leads- the mid and highs don’t quite break through the mix( I run it through a lr Baggs venue to tweak the sound). But the k&k for strumming has the most natural and pleasant sound for $100! I tried a soundhole cover - but this seemed to really eliminate the sustain and fullness of the guitar- so turn down the monitors and crank up the mains’ !

[@kaim.8462]

The best video I have ever f..in seen about guitar pickups, thank you a lot, best regards 🤗

[@ruby2thursday]

love my K&K pure mini. lovely sound out of my cheap ibanez acoustic zebrawood (laminate really I think). I use it passively (no batteries needed) into a BBE Acoustimax preamp.

[@rogeralleyne9257]

Love the video!!! The only thing I will say is that it's harder to get an assessment of the different pickups when you switch to different 🎸 s Just felt maybe use 1 guitar & switch to different pickups 🤔🤔 But I do love what you're doing here 🤘🤘🤘👍👍👍

[@AlexPriceMusician]

A few of these pickups I don’t have anymore and I wouldn’t have wanted to put the Martin through all that anyway. I realize it’s a bit flawed if you’re looking for a direct comparison

[@DavidVause]

Great video man! Super informative and well done. Great playing as well :)

[@bradtindall2588]

The best all rounder that works best in the real world with different quality of PA systems is without a doubt, the Mag Mic. Tape over the mic dial once you find the sweet spot and cut a sound hole cover in half. LR Baggs venue DI for the win. Older gear. Sounds great.

[@alanbridges1286]

Church street blues demo was Very smooth!! Nice!

[@AlexPriceMusician]

Thank you!

[@jerrypalmer3534]

I know that they are expensive, but I love the Sunrise magnetic pickups, I have several of them, and I run them stereo with a microphone or a K&K transducer...It sounds amazing..Of course you will also need a stereo preamp of sorts like a dtar stereo preamp..

[@daverobinson22]

Have to agree about the Fishman Rare Earth. I have that system on my Vintage Gordon Giltrap Guitar, I have yet to hear a better one.

[@roymeyer6837]

The Anthem is a great system if you take the time to get it dialed in. If not you can end up with something that sounds very boomy or way too bright (and makes lots of noise every time you move). It takes a little initial setup work but it's worth it!

[@DoverDanny]

Thanx so much for sharing experience and knowledge. I’ll try your suggestion on the Fishman rare earth pick up and let you know. I had a custom made guitar long ago when I visited El Salvador and the sound w/o amplification is awesome but after many years Im trying different tunings with amplification and recording.

[@geody3001]

I was impressed with the sound of the Cling On pickup. I had not seen those before. I didn't like the sound of any of the others until you got to the Fishman, which is no surprise as it is $320, but I'm considering it. I have one of those Seymore Duncan Woody soundhole pickups, but I have never liked the sound of it very much.

[@JohnDoe-xr5is]

I've had several guitars with under saddle...they all sound pretty much the same. And I hate the 'quack'. K&K is pretty good. But to me, the best I've ever had is the LR Baggs Anthem. Most natural and dynamic of them all. Yes, I know the anthem is a two piece unit with one being and undersaddle...but you can dial out the quack.

[@delareyphoto]

Awesome video dude, thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@jboughtin7522]

I have a Rare Earth Blender. Generally like it, but the mic can be problematic (feedback) on a loud stage, but you can adjust the position of the mic to help alleviate that problem.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

I always start with full on magnetic, then I'll roll as much of the mic on as I can get before I start getting feedback. Then roll it back just slightly from there. It's different for every stage.

[@jboughtin7522]

Agree. I also like the sound of the mic when it is pointed toward the sound hole which absolutely does not work at higher volumes. I would like it if the mic were on a longer stalk for added options of its positioning.@@AlexPriceMusician

[@AlexPriceMusician]

I have to agree with that. Just another inch or so on the gooseneck would make it much easier to position.

[@JoshuaSkaja]

The Taylor ES2 is so good it’s worth having a beater 100 series guitar for stage use. Kind of the inverse of your HD28-you’d never play the Taylor around the house or record with it, but you’d also be completely unworried about gigging it mercilessly.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

I've heard good things about the ES2 system!

[@Rod_Daigle]

The James May Engineering Ultrasonic pickup takes the K&K style sound up a notch and probably should have been mentioned. Excellent acoustic sound and response.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

Never heard of it but thank you for the recommendation!

[@richsackett3423]

You can real hear the soundhole pickup clamp down on the top. Definitely not a fan of that added noise. Love the Myers. That's the future right there. About to start a dreadnaught build and had use a 3 pt K&K forever on my 70s Japanese Martin copy. Nice to know I don't have to buy another and stick it in there. That would be pointless.

[@Roger-il8iw]

A lot of the Epiphone acoustics, like the ej series have both a saddle and neck pickup which you can blend. Probably the best acoustic electrics you can buy for less a grand. I have the jumbo and you can’t be the unplugged sound, but it kills expensive guitars plugged in as well.

[@Nash4Nashville]

Would have been nice to hear the temporary magnet pickup on the same guitars we already heard before to compare

[@TheEdavies100]

Great demonstration

[@1sylvan1]

Great video! I also really enjoyed your playing!

[@Chrissummerill]

For all round live use the undersaddle is still king. The others sound great in isolation and in a KZbin studio, but in a noisy venue, with people dancing, sweat and beer flying around, consistency is king. No one has ever commented that my piezo was quacking. Over the years I’ve had people comment if there was ever feedback, or if the beautiful sounding, but flimsy pickup I was using cut out or fell off the instrument. B.Band has always been my favourite as it’s the smallest, thinnest, lightest least obtrusive system compared to Fishman or LR Baggs etc. Difficult to get hold of now though.

[@boabglen]

AP5 Pro Maton. Best piezo 👍 Tommy reckons too 😊

[@victorhernandez3930]

Thanks for the video, Could you make a video to compare the fishman earth vs journey ep001k?

[@coltknight3945]

I don't think the LR Baggs anthem is over hyped at all. It works great being able to dial in the undersaddle and microphone for the best tone in different situations

[@davidadkins2563]

Very nice review,, my question is,,I have a Martin ooo 28 without any pickup but I have a hole predrilled to install,, if I’m only using my guitar for playing at home or with a friend or two,, what would be the best option,,? And if that option would need a preamp,, which one as well,, thanks again for a nice review

[@AlexPriceMusician]

Hi David - I think in your situation, a pickup that is minimally intrusive and doesn’t affect the acoustic tone of the instrument would be the best for you. Try the K&K Pure Mini with the Red Eye preamp. I’ve been happy with that combination.

[@captureinsidethesound]

The LR Baggs Anthem and/or Lyric are by the far the best I’ve heard from many I’ve tried. The only negative reviews I’ve seen about them are from players who don’t know how to use them correctly, assuming they even installed it correctly.

[@wierdlygruesome]

I like that freshman with the microphone that one was awesome sounding I find the people acoustic pick ups all wrong. Most people want to get the most natural sound of an acoustic that they can and that’s cool but that’s kind of the wrong approach just like electric guitar pickups, they all have characters and sounds And I could be cool because you can take like an old trashy blues guitar with a pick up from like the 20s so you get like a DR or some cheap pick up and put it in there and you’ll get that sound and then you could take that out Maybe put that fisherman in for a more natural beautiful sound so I think they’re all worth something even so under the bridge has a sound to it you should be thinking about what they sound like and how that could be used but all of the under saddle ones sound as good as the rest of them, but they had a sound and they could be used in certain situationsand they could be the right sound in a spec situation especially if you’re going to have one in a mix of electric instruments

[@gerberdelcid9009]

I need a video like this but with Classical Guitar. (Nylon guitar)

[@vmotorider4922]

I really like the k&k pure mini pickup its sounds good and realistic acoustic sound..... 👏👏👏👏Thq

[@AlexPriceMusician]

If you're looking for a very simple, non-instrusive pickup - that's the one in my opinion

[@siyaram2855]

5:55 Can you please tell the difference in Journey EP004K and EP001K? please, waiting for your reply 🙏

[@AlexPriceMusician]

EP001k has three transducers for an acoustic guitar, the EP004k has four for a classical which has a wider bridge.

[@HighRoadMusician]

This is a great video, however, I think the best sounding acoustic guitar pickups are the palethetic pickups made by Maton or Takamine. It's a shame these weren't included.

[@jwandhistools]

I have a Seagull Grand Parlor set up with huge strings and drop tuned. I want to use it for recording. Just big ambient chords. I want purity of sound. Not worried about feedback. Not putting anything under the saddle.

[@skepticalbystander]

Question: I have two pretty huge pedalboards for my electric guitars, and have always wanted to try plugging my acoustic in to see what things I can get with an acoustic sound, all the talk about needing a preamp for some of these, if I'm plugging into an electric guitar setup, I assume I don't need to worry about that? I'm trying to hone in on what pickup to get, I want it to still sound like an acoustic as much as possible, and not an electric as much as possible, I just want all my reverbs and modulation pedals and my lo-fi stuff available for an acoustic sound as well!

[@sdgtrlvr6922]

Check out the Shertler M AG6 with S mic M internal microphone. Not too well known in the US, but amazing sound. I’ve got one installed in my Martin D45 and also in my Santa Cruz Eric Skye signature.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

A friend of mine uses a Shertler mic along with the K&K for his mandolin. Sounds incredible.

[@doume116]

What nice guitars ! Contrats !

[@aaronl7669]

My friend got the Fishman humbucking sound hole pickup. It sounds pretty good

[@AlexPriceMusician]

I’ve really been digging it!

[@TheSingingDoctor325]

Great video, great information and I like your playing. I have an Anthem in my D18 and my D35 and they both sound great. I've been impressed by the JourneyTek that you can pair with thier JourneyTek microphone for under $150.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

JourneyTek had contacted me to demo their microphone in a video. They sent me it three times and each time the mic would clip inside the guitar and drain the battery, even when the cable was unplugged. Wasted a ton of time installing and removing them, as well as 3 9v batteries. I can’t recommend the internal mic system, but the piezo discs worked fine.

[@donpakka]

How could it be the ultimate acoustic pickup shootout without any mention of LR Baggs?

[@rw4170]

Thanks for the video. Some great (and timely) information, since I just bought an Alvarez parlor guitar, and want to get it amplified. I'm leaning very strongly toward the K & K mini, which was also recommended by the luthier I'm having install it, but now I'm considering the Journey Tek EP001K.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

It sounds a bit warmer in my experience, which some people may like. And it's much cheaper!

[@mootal2812]

Which sound hole pickup best for classical guitar?

[@JosephAlanMeador]

Helpful and thoughtful info here, thank you very much!

[@HighlightsVideoBlog]

Thx for doing these, Alex. I have the Journey Tek 3 P in my Takemini, I've happy very Happy with it. JT now has a Microphone w preamp unit that accepts the installed 3P units into it to create a system using both through a Blend control along with a Base knob and a Treble knob and volume too. Looks interesting for $100, (+ the 3P already installed.) I'm tempted.Did you do a Vid on this system?

[@whatwouldhousedo5136]

I actually want to give some props to Taylor's ES2 system. It gets a lot of hate but I think their approach is much better than other builders (the pickup is behind the saddle, not underneath it, and the pressure is adjustable with three screws in string pairs so you can "tune" it to your liking). It also picks up body taps fairly well for looping percussive effects. I use it with a TC Play Acoustic so it has the Body Rez built in and when you dial it in it's quite natural and dynamic. I have a Seymour MagMic in another guitar, and the Taylor sounds much better. I also have an old Fishman Rare Earth magnetic (not the blend) and I really don't like it. I though the Cloudvocal sounded really good in this demo.

[@AlexPriceMusician]

Thanks for your thoughts! I've had some recommendations to try the ES2 system. I've heard good things.

[@bogart5131]

I have 110e taylor with es2, it kept having feedback specially if I inc the volume even minimally, the bass and high keep on changing automatically also. I ended up changing the amp to fishman prey which is overall good.... i dnt want to have an es2 system anymore....

[@tiedyegeorgemorley]

I don't like it at all!

[@RonRivet]

Thank you for the excellent and very informative review, very helpfu! I just purchased a nice 2015 Martin hd28v and I was going to have a K&K put in it but after watching your video, I think I will either have a JourneyTek put in it or I will purchase a Fishman Rare Earth because I don't want a really bright sound. I already have a Taylor with an ES1 pickup that sounds bright and tinny. I really like the sound of my Taylor unplugged but not a fan of the ES1 system. I will be using the Martin at church for leading worship on Wednesday evenings with just my wife and her 12 string acoustic guitar and I think the JourneyTek or the Fishman will do fine for what I'm going to use the Martin for. So, with that being said, I guess I will be needing to purchase a preamp to run the Journeytek or the Fishman rare earth?

[@AlexPriceMusician]

The preamp is needed for the JourneyTek, but not the Fishman. The Fishman is awesome and versatile, especially if you’re running in ears as opposed to live stage monitors as then you can really use the mic without feedback. Just know that the Fishman will heavily affect the acoustic tone of the Martin as it is mounted directly on the top of the guitar. It’ll damped it. The JourneyTek will not affect the acoustic tone in that way.