I play guitar ok, but I've never been one to hang around guitar shops, or other musicians really .. and my technical knowledge is pretty meager.
When I perform out in public, I've got a little slide in Dean Markley pickup that fits 'normal' size guitars, but it's too wide to fit in my smaller guitar's soundhole, which is one I prefer to pick on.
I also don't like mic'ing my guitar because I feel like having to hold my guitar steady in front of a mic, even when recording, inhibits my energy a bit. I prefer to stand and to be able to wander around a bit when playing.
So ... what's a good solution that would enable me to perform with my preferred, beloved, smaller guitar? Are there adjustable pickups, or even smaller ones for smaller guitars?
I tried to find something for my parlour but as you say, none of the regular sound hole units do it. The favorite option seems to be the K&K system which has transducers which stick inside the guitar and do not require an undersaddle strip. I'm sure there are folk here who have experience of this type of thing.
quick reply cuz i'm "working"... i've got k and k minis in 3 of my guitars. a blueridge br163, supertone archtop and a simon and patrick "parlor". i had to buy a preamp for the s and p because the volume was significantly lower than the other two. other than that, it sounds fine. well, i mean... for a pickup.
FWIW, and as an alternative option, I might just add that I've used an external mounting Schatten Dualie soundboard transducer ever since I got hold of my little Stella.
It's relatively cheap, and once you've figured out the sweet spot on your guitar top, very easy to attach with a special putty that does no harm to your guitar. The sound is far better than with any of the undersaddle piezos that I've come across, and you could use it with practically any instrument that has a large enough surface to attach. I found that the putty made by another company, Schertler, works well with the mic (they too make soundboard transducers, only much more expensive). The putty that my luthier originally gave me was far too agressive to use on a mic to be removed after each performance.
The Schatten works plugged straight into my acoustic guitar amp (although I use a passive volume pedal in between, mostly to be able to attach a longer guitar cable and mute the mic when I take a break). If a venue has a P.A. I have my own D.I box to go through with. I've gotten some compliments on my sound.
If you stand and wander you should of course be careful not to step on the mic cable and tear it off.
This is by no means to say, that soundwise the (condenser) mic isn't the best way to go, as others have already suggested. It just depends on where and how you must work; sometimes you just don't have all the options you wished for.
I've got the Baggs new Anthem installed in my OO and it sounds as good as the SM 57 that I use on my Nationals, its got what they call a Tru mic stuck to the bridge plate, I got some great comments on it after playing at the Ottawa folk fest this summer,
I have a parlor with a Fishman Rare Earth that sounds alright. I have both the active single coil and the active humbucker. I believe the the single coil rounds more natural. I also just installed a Sunrise in another parlor with great results even though the pole pieces don't line up quite right with the strings. I also have a LR Baggs M1 active which I planed to try out, but it wouldn't fit in the 3 1/2" soundhole. I should add that I have a Fishman Aura 16 on the way and it might just change everything!
« Last Edit: November 09, 2012, 02:58:54 PM by Westside Ryan »