gibson hummingbird quilt --- factory LRBAGGS element ... EEEEEK

[datadump]

wassup all. second post here so please forgive me if i'm naive / off-base.

i just bought a gibson hummingbird quilt (maple) and it was equipped with apparently an LRBAGGS element pickup. i felll in love with the guitar acoustically. then after almost a year playing it at the local store -- i finally bought it recently.

oddly enough i didnt ever plug it into an amp at the store because i felt it didnt need to be plugged

anyway-- i took home my dream guitar (thanks to wife approval) and plugged it in at church rehearsal --- --- - - and i was somewhat taken-a-back. the pickup system sounded terrible on a ~4000CAD guitar.... whut?? huh???
1. does LRBAGGS + gibson not talk to each other to put the RIGHT pickup system on a premium guitar? it sounded like a cheap model takamine guitar (no offense) .. nothing like acoustic sound i fell in love with

2. i'm about to buy an ANTHEM or ANTHEM SL on the guitar.... and remove the factory under saddle pickup. i saw one too many Lyric demos on youtube that sounded horrible (like the sound came from a cavern).... can lrBAGGS help suggest what is recommended for my guitar so it sounds like my gibson acoustically? (i love lrbaggs -- i have the anthem on my taylor and it changed my life -- so i hope i can get some suggestions for my gibson).

3. will the anthem or anthem SL change my acoustic sound ? please comment on SL and Full anthem.

THANK YOU LRBAGGS in advance for your honest reply.

[MorganEliot]

Hi Datadump,

I'm sorry your not loving the tone of the Element in your Hummingbird. It is very difficult to completely and naturally amplify acoustic tone, especially with an under-saddle pickup by itself. Under-saddle pickups, in general, are widely popular because of their ability to give you what you need while being incredibly stable and reliable. With that said, the Element is a very solid pickup, and tonally it really lends itself to cutting through a full band mix and being more apparent while retaining an acoustic tone. This of course depends on how the FOH engineer mixes everything.

If you are wanting the most natural tone you can get while still maintaining your unplugged tone, I suggest going with the Anthem SL. It is the best of both worlds when it comes to using a microphone and under-saddle pickup.

The Anthem SL should not change your acoustic tone from what your guitar is currently producing, while having a minimal amount of gear inside of your guitar.

As with any new pickup, you will have to take a little time to get everything dialed in to sound like your guitar with the mic level control as well as some basic EQ if it is needed.

[datadump]

thanks for your reply. incidentally i found someone on kijiji selling his Anthem SL and i jumped on it on impulse

Hmm ./.. reading between the lines here... are you suggesting that the full Anthem changes the acoustic tone of the guitar when unplugged?

Hi Datadump,

I'm sorry your not loving the tone of the Element in your Hummingbird. It is very difficult to completely and naturally amplify acoustic tone, especially with an under-saddle pickup by itself. Under-saddle pickups, in general, are widely popular because of their ability to give you what you need while being incredibly stable and reliable. With that said, the Element is a very solid pickup, and tonally it really lends itself to cutting through a full band mix and being more apparent while retaining an acoustic tone. This of course depends on how the FOH engineer mixes everything.

If you are wanting the most natural tone you can get while still maintaining your unplugged tone, I suggest going with the Anthem SL. It is the best of both worlds when it comes to using a microphone and under-saddle pickup.

The Anthem SL should not change your acoustic tone from what your guitar is currently producing, while having a minimal amount of gear inside of your guitar.

As with any new pickup, you will have to take a little time to get everything dialed in to sound like your guitar with the mic level control as well as some basic EQ if it is needed.

[MorganEliot]

No problem,

That's some pretty killer timing!

As for the full Anthem having any significant impact on your acoustic tone, I would have to say that holding the guitar and playing it will be of more consequence. Your arm being in contact with the guitars top will be more noticeable. Will it have any more impact than the SL? I'm sure it may, but is so minuscule that it is no cause for concern.

[datadump]

No problem,

That's some pretty killer timing!

As for the full Anthem having any significant impact on your acoustic tone, I would have to say that holding the guitar and playing it will be of more consequence. Your arm being in contact with the guitars top will be more noticeable. Will it have any more impact than the SL? I'm sure it may, but is so minuscule that it is no cause for concern.

i have the anthem on my taylor 310M and i just dropped off my gibson to the luthier to install the anthem SL. i found personally i preferred using anthem at full MIC position then backing off a TOUCH towards the saddle. i figured thats what the anthem SL would do so bit the bullet. i also kind of like the way the SL looks (more inconspicuous than the full anthem) -- crossing my fingers.

thanks for your help morganeliot

[jiff 41]

L R Baggs Element

Hi,
The other guitarist in my band has a Hummingbird with an element pickup & it sounds the same amplifeid as acoustic,, Interesting to know what's the difference?

[datadump]

dunno? i have the quilt edition with maple side/back, as opposed to the usual mohogany?

[jiff 41]

Hummingbird/Element

I have a M1a on my Martin D35, & I'm very happy with it but always willing to listen to alternatives.
He didn't know what he had in his Gibbo but I thought it sounded lush!, & I was surprised when he said it was an element cos of the sound!
Usually I don't like elements (the Quack as it's called?), but his sound has none of that!, Sounds like it's miked it's that good?, But really loud!
I'm having a Venue for Xmas my Darling wife told me last night!!, As I have a need for more volume playing live with the band we're in!, So I'll see where to go (If anywhere!) using the Venue with my M1a!

[datadump]

Installed the Anthem SL last week and I cant say how much I love the plugged in sound now. Thank you LRbaggs.

Much more close to acoustic sound of this guitar. Less of the quack sound... more airy body sound if that makes any sense.

[Caleb_Elling]

I know exactly what you mean. I love my Anthem SL!

[Tonedog]

I've found that it's important to spend a little time with a good DI box (or EQ) with any under-saddle transducer. I'll plug in through my DI box into an acoustic amp, or powered monitor and work to get a good sound at home and take note of the settings on the DI box (Para DI, or Session DI), then when I arrive at church I have a known good starting point, and the sound guy can make small adjustments at the board to make things sound great. I try hard to arrive with a known "good sound" so that the sound guy doesn't have to do much. If I plugged an under saddle into a passive DI, it's totally in the sound guys hands... it could be a great guitar, but not sound good through the PA. To me, it's always worth investing in your own DI box and knowing how you need to set it to get good results.... Some sound engineers can work magic, others not so much.

Tonedog

[jiff 41]

I had my Venue yesterday & tried it in rehearsal, WOW what a difference, loads of tone variation & more volume than you can shake a stick at!

Very happy, I'll play with it further, but first impressions are great!

[datadump]

Ive got a fishman plat proeq analog preamp di. Good amount of control.

Sometimes I like to turn on this mysterious red box called bbe sonic maximizer to get play with some "presence" -- like an exciter?! But not always . Depends if my set has some heavy strumming or whatnot.

But in anycase, I like the idea that without all these pedals, I get a good sound out from the pickup first.... Then finetune if I can afford to bring my small pedal box .