Recording acoustic guitar with a pickup??

wildplum · 16th December 2009

Reading an older magazine, I came across this quote from Esteban (BTW the article is about recording acoustic guitar- not live sound), I quote from the magazine:

“The big secret to making classical guitar sound good is to router out the guitar
and put the pickup under the saddle,” says Esteban, former protégé of Andres Segovia.

Esteban goes on to talk about the need to have the pickup perfectly flat. It is clear he is talking about an under saddle transducer.

So, how common is it to record a classical or flamenco guitar using a pickup (with or without additional microphones).

DannyL · 16th December 2009

Well;

A pickup can be used, I would prefer a K and K, but if you are recording and acoustic instrument, use a mic. You will get a much better sound, more depth, more tone, and more dynamic range, if you use a mic.

Esteban is a lovely player but I would not necessarily trust his endorsements. Just because he studied under Segovia does not mean he inherited the master's sense of the aesthetic. I believe he has been hawking cheap guitars on a home shopping network for the past number of years.
This does not really strengthen his endorsement credibility.

BTW...the K & K pickups are sonically far superior to the under saddle pickups on classical guitars. (IMHO) Sorry Esteban...

16th December 2009	#1
wildplum Gear addict Joined: Oct 2002 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 333 Thread Starter	Recording acoustic guitar with a pickup?? Reading an older magazine, I came across this quote from Esteban (BTW the article is about recording acoustic guitar- not live sound), I quote from the magazine: “The big secret to making classical guitar sound good is to router out the guitar and put the pickup under the saddle,” says Esteban, former protégé of Andres Segovia. Esteban goes on to talk about the need to have the pickup perfectly flat. It is clear he is talking about an under saddle transducer. So, how common is it to record a classical or flamenco guitar using a pickup (with or without additional microphones). __________________ Wildplum Recordings a micro label, studio and remote recording service

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16th December 2009	#2
DannyL Gear maniac Joined: Aug 2009 Location: Sao Paulo Posts: 283	Well; A pickup can be used, I would prefer a K and K, but if you are recording and acoustic instrument, use a mic. You will get a much better sound, more depth, more tone, and more dynamic range, if you use a mic. Esteban is a lovely player but I would not necessarily trust his endorsements. Just because he studied under Segovia does not mean he inherited the master's sense of the aesthetic. I believe he has been hawking cheap guitars on a home shopping network for the past number of years. This does not really strengthen his endorsement credibility. BTW...the K & K pickups are sonically far superior to the under saddle pickups on classical guitars. (IMHO) Sorry Esteban...