Element Active System and Martin acoustic guitar

[John Hunter]

Hi, I sing solo and with a small band using a 30 year old Martin acoustic. Anyone used an Element Active System from L R Baggs with one of these. Any feed back about a good pickup to use would be great.
Cheers,
John Hunter, Melbourne Australia

[GeraldG]

Well, I'm opting for the Anthem blending system for my Martin HD-28... and may opt to put one in my Taylor also, depending upon how impressed I am with it. I want a little more control and complexity than a UST alone can provide. It has the Element UST and a condenser mic that you can blend together. The blender circuits and preamp are on a unit that attached to the underside of the top just in the edge of the soundhole so your controls are at your fingertips (without having to cut a barn door in the side of your guitar), minimal alteration to the guitar is required...the usual endpin hole reaming to fit the jack, and a small hole for the UST wire in the bridge saddle slot. Everything else sticks in place with peel-and-stick adhesives (provided)...so it should be an easy install. The biggest thing I need to find out now is what bridge saddle material is best. The Martin came with bone, which is unbeatable (IMO) for pure acoustic unamplified sound, but may not be the best choice sitting on top of a transducer. I may need to cut a new saddle out of Tusq or something like that.....I've asked that question on the "Tech Support" forum, awaiting a reply. I went ahead and ordered a Tusq 3/32" blank just in case. I'll just hold on to the original bone saddle in case I ever decide to remove the system.