Acoustic Guitars - with or without Pickup?

[quietdrive]

I am gonna buy a Tacoma JM9... should I get one with or without Pickup? I've heard several stories about a Pickup not being good for the overall sound of an acoustic guitars. Any thoughts?

[juicylime]

It's simple. Would you like to use the guitar live? If so, then having a good pick up is an extremely sensible move.

[quietdrive]

Ok, but what about the whole "a Pickup may not be good for the overall sound of your acoustic guitar" type of thing? I think I read this stuff on EdRomans page.. but then again he's a crazy fella

[sdelsolray]

A under he saddle (UST) pickup can diminish the sound of the guitar when played unplugged, according to some folks. A soundhole magnetic pickup (mag) will rob the sound too, but for different reasons. A soundboard transducer (SBT) will not effect the unplugged sound.

[quietdrive]

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

A under he saddle (UST) pickup can diminish the sound of the guitar when played unplugged, according to some folks. A soundhole magnetic pickup (mag) will rob the sound too, but for different reasons. A soundboard transducer (SBT) will not effect the unplugged sound.

Ok.. so the usual pickup does indeed mess up the sound. Any more thoughts?

[juicylime]

I bet it has some impact on the sound, and as someone who plays a high end acoustc, I would guess that for the most part it is probably negligeble. Although I should qualify that by sating that haven't done and A-B. Considering the versatility it adds I'd say that it's usually agood idea. Unless of course the guitar is intended mostly for recording, if that is the case I'd try and go for a high quialty clip in transducer of some sort as it leaves you au naturale for recording.

[Jetblack]

Well, it really depends on the guitar and on the pick-up. Fishman, despite making utter crap, do have one really nice acoustic guitar pickup. Its called a "Rare Earth", and comes in a humbucker or a single coil. The humbucker sounds really nice. Other that that one, I can't really say I've ever heard an acoustic guitar with a stock pickup that sounded anything like the sound of the actual guitar.

[kissingonstilts]

It does indeed depend upon what sort of sound you are seeking. A pickup brings another colour to the sound - not one that I personally enjoy or would make use of, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't. It depends upon what sorts of tone colours you want in your recordings. For the sound of the acoustic guitar (sound moving air), pickupless would offer the best translation.

[A440]

I guess the obvious answer is if you can afford it get 2 guitars, one without pickup for recording (your posh guitar), and a cheaper guitar with pickup for live. This is what I do. I've tried quite a few pickups and the best UST (under saddle) pickup I've found so far is the 'Highlander'. The Highlander 2 system also allows the addition of an internal mic. The industry standard is the Fishman Matrix UST...which is ok but can have a little piezo 'quack' to it.

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by quietdrive

Ok.. so the usual pickup does indeed mess up the sound. Any more thoughts?

Yeah. Spend an hour or so at this site:

Pickup Comparisons

[picksail]

On one hand, I prefer to find a guitar that works well in the context of a recording environment. In which case, a pick-up may very well work to it's detriment.

On the other hand, if as you've stated elsewhere that you're doing a lot of contemporary pop/rock productions and you may perform some of these parts yourself, it sucks to get stuck in a pinch, where no one is there to press 'record' for you. This is where the pick-up would prove quite handy.

It's a double-edged sword so pick which works better for you situation.