Soundhole pickups

thomasw88 · September 2022

Just bought a 1990s Yamaha ld10. It’s very nice.

That means I now have 3 giggable acoustics, I’m keen to get a pickup for the yam.

Over the last 10years or so I’ve used Soundhole pickups (lr baggs m80, and takemine triax (rebadged lr baggs m1a,) plugged either direct to di box or via my acoustic amp to pa.

So question is, is anything better than the m80 in the Soundhole pickup world? Or anything comparable that’s a bit cheaper..

TheMadMick · September 2022

Don't know the answer to the question but I have a Fishman sound hole humbucker I got for a guitar that never arrived. I'd settle for £60.00 posted 2nd class.

ICBM · September 2022

I prefer the Fishman Rare Earth (original active one), but the passive humbucking one is OK too.

Soupman · September 2022

I have an LR Baggs m1a active which has adjustable pole pieces and a volume wheel. Not cheap but I do like it. (Never felt the need to adjust the pole pieces).

Also have a Fishman Rare Earth single coil pickup, which has no volume control but a really good sound. I've never had feedback issues but the Baggs is the one that gets the most use. The Fishman was a bit cheaper than the Baggs.
Would happily recommend both.

thomasw88 · September 2022

TheMadMick said:

Don't know the answer to the question but I have a Fishman sound hole humbucker I got for a guitar that never arrived. I'd settle for £60.00 posted 2nd class.

What model of fishman is it?

Gandalph · September 2022

My vote would probably go to the M80 but there are plenty of decent options around nowadays.

I recently reacquired my Waterloo WLK (initially sold to a very pleasant fellow forum member then traded back). They'd since fitted a Dimarzio black angel and I've been really impressed with it. Comes in a good few quid cheaper than the M80 too.

TheMadMick · September 2022

I believe it to be a Fishman Neo-D02 Humbucker Soundhole Pickup. Does that help?

thomasw88 · September 2022

TheMadMick said:

I believe it to be a Fishman Neo-D02 Humbucker Soundhole Pickup. Does that help?

Not for me but thanks for the offer.

Supportact · September 2022

I use a Schertler Ag6 pickup. Expensive but I've found it sounds very good, and you can add a second source (small mic or second pickup). I've always found the Fishman products very good in general though as well.

thomasw88 · September 2022

ICBM said:

I prefer the Fishman Rare Earth (original active one), but the passive humbucking one is OK too.

do you mean this one?
https://www.fishman.com/portfolio/rare-earth-magnetic-soundhole-pickup/

Have you played both the LR Baggs M80 & M1A? From looking at the specs the rare earth is in the same price bracket as the M1a.

Lestratcaster · September 2022

I too use the Schertler AG6 pickup (was actually @Supportact that recommended them to me). I also use the S-mic which is a small condenser mic to plug into the pickup to blend in. It makes a huge difference, even if you use 10% it sounds more natural and you get that natural air sound. Very easy to install and works great, had it for almost a year now. Swiss made and I don't think there's any distributors in the UK though.

danowens · September 2022

There was a guy who used to come to an open mic I regularly attended with a cheap Artec sound hole pickup. It was a real surprise to me that his sound was among the best of all the attendees. It seems unfair to compare sound hole and piezo, so I'll say that his sound was better than some of the Fishman Rare Earth-equipped performers.

TheMadMick · September 2022

thomasw88 said:

ICBM said:

I prefer the Fishman Rare Earth (original active one), but the passive humbucking one is OK too.

do you mean this one?
https://www.fishman.com/portfolio/rare-earth-magnetic-soundhole-pickup/

Have you played both the LR Baggs M80 & M1A? From looking at the specs the rare earth is in the same price bracket as the M1a.

That looks like the one and it's the only one I've ever used.

ICBM · September 2022

thomasw88 said:

do you mean this one?
https://www.fishman.com/portfolio/rare-earth-magnetic-soundhole-pickup/

Yes. I prefer the single-coil one for sound, but the humbucking one is (unsurprisingly!) quieter.

thomasw88 said:

Have you played both the LR Baggs M80 & M1A? From looking at the specs the rare earth is in the same price bracket as the M1a.

Yes - I owned a M1A for a while, and have played the M80. I prefer the Fishman (either version), the sound is cleaner and clearer - the M1A is more midrangy, and more prone to feedback, although still not very.

Stuckfast · September 2022

I use a Sunrise. Doesn't much resemble the acoustic sound but it sounds good and is consistent.

Soupman · September 2022

Just been to a buskers. A couple of people commented on how good the single coil Fishman Rare Earth sounded. (I use a thumb pick & a finger or two).

ESBlonde · September 2022

I use the fishman rare earth humbucker and built in condenser mic. The blend is just a little mic for air and crispness.
I do like to run my acoustics through a Mesa Rosetta analogue DI if I’m unsure of the PA or engineer, that way I can pre set the tone before it gets butchered.

It can get quite loud with decent monitoring before feedback starts to raise itself.

shufflebeat · September 2022

I'm not a fan of magnetic pickups in acoustic guitars but I do like to keep abreast of the discussion and hear nice things being said about the Monotone offering at a similar price to the Bags m1a:

https://www.mojotone.com/pickups/acoustic-pickups?page=1

I have an m1a in a box somewhere but I hear more love for the m80, which you already have.

ICBM · September 2022

shufflebeat said:

I'm not a fan of magnetic pickups in acoustic guitars

I’m slightly unusual in my requirement in that I want to use a magnetic pickup for a deliberately more ‘electric’ sound as well as sounding like an acoustic, including with overdrive sometimes, so feedback resistance is a major priority. I still want it to sound like an overdriven acoustic though, if that makes sense - if it’s too much like an electric you may as well use an electric guitar!

I probably should have bought an old J-160E before they became silly money.

thomasw88 · September 2022

shufflebeat said:

I'm not a fan of magnetic pickups in acoustic guitars but I do like to keep abreast of the discussion and hear nice things being said about the Monotone offering at a similar price to the Bags m1a:

https://www.mojotone.com/pickups/acoustic-pickups?page=1

I have an m1a in a box somewhere but I hear more love for the m80, which you already have.

For me the main advantage is that they are much more resistant to feedback.

I've had various guitars/pickup system over the years, but always struggled in a band situation with acoustics. I just found personally that using the m80 with an acoustic amp into the pa a)sounds great and b) doesn't get feedback. One less thing to worry about. If I was playing in an acoustic band or backing a singer etc then might be different.

Will check out the monotone although I'm thinking of just putting in a jack socket into the LD10 and then being able to swap the M80 between a couple of guitars) it is a ballache moving the LR baggs between guitars but it's not something I'd do that often.

Supportact · September 2022

Depends for me. If i know I've got plenty of time for a proper soundcheck, i know the venue, i know the engineer etc, then I'll use an undersaddle pickup with a Fishman Aura Spectrum pedal and an eq. But that can sound worse through different PAs/different rooms etc and can take a while to dial in.

The soundhole pickup i use for other occasions (most of them) because I know I can get a good usable sound with minimal faff, and less chance of feedback. Which is all i need really.

shufflebeat · September 2022

thomasw88 said:

shufflebeat said:

...the Monotone offering...

...the monotone...

To clarify - the spoolchucker decided to rebrand the Mojotone (just tried to do it again) - my fault for not checking.

Soupman · September 2022

@thomasw88 I use an LR Baggs m1a, but you can get a separate jack for a second guitar, then just unplug the cable from the pickup, remove the pickup & insert it into the other guitar & connect new plug. Job done.

thomasw88 · September 2022

Soupman said:

@thomasw88 I use an LR Baggs m1a, but you can get a separate jack for a second guitar, then just unplug the cable from the pickup, remove the pickup & insert it into the other guitar & connect new plug. Job done.

Yeah that's what I'm going to do in the short term anyway.
I use a Tanglewood TW15ns in the house for teaching but rarely gig with it and that has a Takemine Triax (rebadged M1a) so I'll probably rip that out and put it into the current gigging guitar (simon & patrick) and put the M80 in the Yamaha.. See how that feels.

Therre is a LR baggs element lying around in another guitar as well but I never really use that one.

guitarjack66 · September 2022

Are there any pick ups where you can basically pick up and go? (No pun intended. Well maybe a little.' What I mean is that most seem to involve a lot of fiddling but arent there any plug and play type things?

thomasw88 · September 2022

guitarjack66 said:

Are there any pick ups where you can basically pick up and go? (No pun intended. Well maybe a little.' What I mean is that most seem to involve a lot of fiddling but arent there any plug and play type things?

mic n mic stand??
Singer I play with uses a couple of mics like that. To be fair it sounds great solo, but in a band situation probably wouldn't work.

Lestratcaster · September 2022

guitarjack66 said:

Are there any pick ups where you can basically pick up and go? (No pun intended. Well maybe a little.' What I mean is that most seem to involve a lot of fiddling but arent there any plug and play type things?

I got an Irig Acoustic stage as a backup/spare to my Schertler AG6. Its pretty decent and gives a natural sound. The mic is in the shape of a plectrum which simply clips into the soundhole edge on your guitar. Then you plug a guitar cable from the active box thing to wherever you need it. I've used it a few times and it does the job with very little hassle.

ICBM · September 2022

guitarjack66 said:

Are there any pick ups where you can basically pick up and go? (No pun intended. Well maybe a little.' What I mean is that most seem to involve a lot of fiddling but arent there any plug and play type things?

Seymour Duncan Woody. Doesn't sound brilliant, but OK. Requires no tools to fit and you just need to plug it into a DI box.

guitarjack66 · September 2022

Lestratcaster said:

guitarjack66 said:

Are there any pick ups where you can basically pick up and go? (No pun intended. Well maybe a little.' What I mean is that most seem to involve a lot of fiddling but arent there any plug and play type things?

I got an Irig Acoustic stage as a backup/spare to my Schertler AG6. Its pretty decent and gives a natural sound. The mic is in the shape of a plectrum which simply clips into the soundhole edge on your guitar. Then you plug a guitar cable from the active box thing to wherever you need it. I've used it a few times and it does the job with very little hassle.

That's an interesting concept. The idea of having to get hands inside a soundhole and glue or screw tiny mics and things in difficult places seems like a pain.

Lestratcaster · September 2022

guitarjack66 said:

Lestratcaster said:

guitarjack66 said:

Are there any pick ups where you can basically pick up and go? (No pun intended. Well maybe a little.' What I mean is that most seem to involve a lot of fiddling but arent there any plug and play type things?

I got an Irig Acoustic stage as a backup/spare to my Schertler AG6. Its pretty decent and gives a natural sound. The mic is in the shape of a plectrum which simply clips into the soundhole edge on your guitar. Then you plug a guitar cable from the active box thing to wherever you need it. I've used it a few times and it does the job with very little hassle.

That's an interesting concept. The idea of having to get hands inside a soundhole and glue or screw tiny mics and things in difficult places seems like a pain.

Yeah its very quick and easy and you can swap it between guitars in seconds. All this gluing and screwing with some installations puts me off getting them as I don't want to modify the acoustic too much.

Lewy · September 2022

Supportact said:

Depends for me. If i know I've got plenty of time for a proper soundcheck, i know the venue, i know the engineer etc, then I'll use an undersaddle pickup with a Fishman Aura Spectrum pedal and an eq. But that can sound worse through different PAs/different rooms etc and can take a while to dial in.

The soundhole pickup i use for other occasions (most of them) because I know I can get a good usable sound with minimal faff, and less chance of feedback. Which is all i need really.

That’s the nub of it all. Lloyd Baggs framed it best when I heard him talking about walking down a street in Nashville and hearing so many amazing players using less than stunning plugged in sounds and essentially it boils down to the trade off between what he called “fidelity” (ie sounding like an acoustic) and “stability”. There’s how good your gear can sound, and then there’s how good it is realistically going to sound on the specific gig given sound check time, pa etc Most approaches to introducing fidelity also introduce instability and sometimes it’s not worth it. I definitely found that when trying to make a Baggs Lyric work for me playing lots in London with uninterested/incompetent venue sound people!

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