Acoustic guitars with magnetic pickups fitted?

Evan · March 2022

Does anybody know of any reasonably priced acoustic guitars (£300 - ish) with a magnetic pickup already fitted? What I’m really looking for is one with a piezo as well, there used to be some Sire models a couple of years ago, I think they were called R3 and R7 and were £300 and £700 respectively, but they seem to have been replaced by the Larry Carlton models.

I really like the look of the Gretsch Gin Rickey and the Recording King Dirty 30’s with a gold foil, but they don’t have the piezo.

Any assistance would be much appreciated.

Tannin · March 2022

Not in your desired price range, but you may find this one-minute demo from the always-impressive Lloyd Spiegel interesting.

These start at about £1200 here, probably £1600 in the UK. Why not look at adding one on aftermarket? Surely it would be a lot cheaper.

Winny_Pooh · March 2022

Ibanez talman tcm50 and some older model.
Fender jzm deluxe.

I'd not buy one for home practise though as not as toneful as a non-cutaway dreadnought.

Evan · March 2022

Tannin said:

Not in your desired price range, but you may find this one-minute demo from the always-impressive Lloyd Spiegel interesting.

These start at about £1200 here, probably £1600 in the UK. Why not look at adding one on aftermarket? Surely it would be a lot cheaper.

Yeah, aftermarket pickup is a good shout, I just thought it’d be easier if it came with one. I’m not really an acoustic player, so 300 quid is about my limit.

TheMadMick · March 2022

I have an after market Fishman Humbucker which sounds quite good. Bought it for a guitar that never arrived. If you wanted it, I could let it go for about £50.00 which is a good price.

Kristo · March 2022

Guild M-240E Troubadour, then add a K&K Pure Mini afterwards.

Evan · March 2022

Kristo said:

Guild M-240E Troubadour, than add a K&K Pure Mini afterwards.

Thanks, I’ll definitely be looking into that one.

Evan · March 2022

TheMadMick said:

I have an after market Fishman Humbucker which sounds quite good. Bought it for a guitar that never arrived. If you wanted it, I could let it go for about £50.00 which is a good price.

Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.

sev112 · March 2022

Epiphone 200 has both

Tannin · March 2022

My understanding is that you really need to have two outlet jacks because the amplification and FX requirements of the two pickups are so very different. You don't want to be running a clean acoustic feed through a raunchy electric amp, and a humbucker through a sweet, clean acoustic amp is pointless. But (I hasten to add) I've never tried it - I'm strictly an acoustic player. But if adding an aftermarket pickup, two individual outputs is what you'd get by default.

dazzajl · March 2022

One of these would get you there. Not sure you’ll find one under £300 though. This one is in a less desirable colour and might end close to the start price??

I can say they’re very very good. I had the 12 string version and it hits the spot on both the magnetic and piezo pickups

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CRAFTER-SLIM-ARCH-SA-BUB-HYBRID-SEMI-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR-BUBINGA-/294836829197?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Evan · March 2022

Tannin said:

My understanding is that you really need to have two outlet jacks because the amplification and FX requirements of the two pickups are so very different. You don't want to be running a clean acoustic feed through a raunchy electric amp, and a humbucker through a sweet, clean acoustic amp is pointless. But (I hasten to add) I've never tried it - I'm strictly an acoustic player. But if adding an aftermarket pickup, two individual outputs is what you'd get by default.

The Sire guitars I saw in an Andertons video had knob to control the balance between the sound hole pickup and microphone sound and there was only one jack, but as I said they’ve been replaced by the Larry Carlton models.

Evan · March 2022

dazzajl said:

One of these would get you there. Not sure you’ll find one under £300 though. This one is in a less desirable colour and might end close to the start price??

I can say they’re very very good. I had the 12 string version and it hits the spot on both the magnetic and piezo pickups

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CRAFTER-SLIM-ARCH-SA-BUB-HYBRID-SEMI-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR-BUBINGA-/294836829197?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Thanks for the suggestion, but that’s a bit too much like an electric guitar for my requirements.

Evan · March 2022

After watching hours of YouTube and chewing things over, I’ve realised that I really want a small bodied acoustic guitar with an old school bluesy, Dearmond type pickup like the one on the Gretsch Gin Rickey, which is called a Gretsch Deltolux and costs about £60.

People seem to really like the Gin Rickey, including Eric Bibb (maybe if it’s good enough for him, it should be good enough for me), but now I’m thinking that maybe I should just get the best £300 - ish parlour, 00 or 000 guitar I can find and then fit the pickup later

I like the look of the Recording King Dirty 30’s, but also Sigma, Alvarez - too much bloody choice! Anyone come across Lag guitars?

dazzajl · March 2022

I think of all the ways to get where you want to go, the Gin Rickey looks like the best. Part of the sound is that the guitar is crap and if you put that type of pickup on the best parlour you can get for £300 you might end up neither here or there?

For disclosure, I personally think the GR looks and sounds great and REALLY want one

Evan · March 2022

dazzajl said:

I think of all the ways to get where you want to go, the Gin Rickey looks like the best. Part of the sound is that the guitar is crap and if you put that type of pickup on the best parlour you can get for £300 you might end up neither here or there?

For disclosure, I personally think the GR looks and sounds great and REALLY want one

Yeah, I’m extremely tempted by the Gin Rickey,and I really like the idea of that electric sound, but I’d also like it to sound good acoustically and maybe arrive (because I can’t go anywhere to try them out at the moment) with a decent action, nice fret ends etc.

Actually, I’ve not heard anybody say that the guitar itself is crap, until you said it. Have you tried one out?

guitarjack66 · March 2022

Evan said:

After watching hours of YouTube and chewing things over, I’ve realised that I really want a small bodied acoustic guitar with an old school bluesy, Dearmond type pickup like the one on the Gretsch Gin Rickey, which is called a Gretsch Deltolux and costs about £60.

People seem to really like the Gin Rickey, including Eric Bibb (maybe if it’s good enough for him, it should be good enough for me), but now I’m thinking that maybe I should just get the best £300 - ish parlour, 00 or 000 guitar I can find and then fit the pickup later

I like the look of the Recording King Dirty 30’s, but also Sigma, Alvarez - too much bloody choice! Anyone come across Lag guitars?

I would have suggested the buy the best and fit the pick up later but it sounds like a boring suggestion and you seem to be after a particular sound. All I can say from a personal point of view is 'the better I get,the better the sound becomes' and while you are likely a much better player than I'll ever be I would advise some caution on getting a guitar based solely on how youtubers tend to show them. Those people are seriously talented (mostly) and could make air guitar sound melodic and tuneful.

dazzajl · March 2022

Evan said:

dazzajl said:

I think of all the ways to get where you want to go, the Gin Rickey looks like the best. Part of the sound is that the guitar is crap and if you put that type of pickup on the best parlour you can get for £300 you might end up neither here or there?

For disclosure, I personally think the GR looks and sounds great and REALLY want one

Yeah, I’m extremely tempted by the Gin Rickey,and I really like the idea of that electric sound, but I’d also like it to sound good acoustically and maybe arrive (because I can’t go anywhere to try them out at the moment) with a decent action, nice fret ends etc.

Actually, I’ve not heard anybody say that the guitar itself is crap, until you said it. Have you tried one out?

Only crap in the sense that it’s made from cheap materials that you wouldn’t go near if you wanted a good acoustic guitar, in the normal sense of expectations. I love the cheap honky sound on all the demos.

Evan · March 2022

Now I’m getting fussy - I’d also like 14 frets available.

Evan · March 2022

Well, in the end I bought the Alvarez Delta 00/TSB from Andertons for 279 quid, arriving today. I’ll probably get the Gretsch Deltolux pickup fitted at some point.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions, they’re all much appreciated.

Tannin · March 2022

Good for you. I hope it gives you good service.

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Acoustic guitars with magnetic pickups fitted?

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Guild M-240E Troubadour, then add a K&K Pure Mini afterwards.

Guild M-240E Troubadour, than add a K&K Pure Mini afterwards.