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Vintage J45 - adding electronics

uncle fester

By uncle fester
in Gibson Acoustic

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uncle fester

uncle fester

Posted
Posted

Hi All,

 

I'm looking at new / newish 'vintage model' j45s... Anyways - I really like the vintage models in all ways, except they don't come with any electronics.

 

If anyone has opinions out there (trying to coax you shy bunch of individuals :) - is it blasphemy to add electronics to a vintage model, and if not - any opinions on a good way to go. It looks like the most popular are either the Baggs session or Fishman aura...

 

Thanks again for any input.

 

Rgds - billroy

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JuanCarlosVejar

JuanCarlosVejar

Posted
Posted

Hi All,

 

I'm looking at new / newish 'vintage model' j45s... Anyways - I really like the vintage models in all ways, except they don't come with any electronics.

 

If anyone has opinions out there (trying to coax you shy bunch of individuals :) - is it blasphemy to add electronics to a vintage model, and if not - any opinions on a good way to go. It looks like the most popular are either the Baggs session or Fishman aura...

 

Thanks again for any input.

 

Rgds - billroy

 

BR,

 

No, It's called "Retrofitting"

 

 

I wouldn't know anything about it but I am not against the idea of putting a pickup in a guitar you like.

 

 

 

 

JC

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duluthdan

duluthdan

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I put a K&K in a 1957 J-50, and wish I'd just stepped up and put in the Trance I like so much. As soon as I get my act together for the 360 mile round trip to the luthier in Boulder, I am putting the Trance in my new Vintage J-35. http://www.tranceaudio.com/amuletm.html The one in the Martin D-35 works like a champ. Plug and play, no putzing with pre-amps.

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BluesKing777

BluesKing777

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Depends on what you want to do with it, but while I enjoy mucking about with pickups on old guitars ( I just had a thread nobody looked at), I am the exception to the rule. If you drill into a vintage guitar worth big bucks, you are losing money hand over fist..if you want to sell it again.

 

That said, you can get soundhole pickups to place temporarily...have the lead dangling out the front of your guitar. Baggs, Fishman, Sunrise, lots of others have these.

 

Everyone says K&K, but there is a catch with them.....first you have to drill out the endpin area to fit the plug and secondly the pickup parts need to superglued to the bridgeplate to get the best sound.

 

I have got a few guitars that have been (fairly) cheap buys because they have been tampered with, that is had a pickup installed. Eek, they say! Perfect for me to fiddle with some electronika, but the evil enemy of the vintage J45 collectors! [mellow]

 

So most people that want to gig would buy a new or recent used with electronics already in it and save their old J45 for playing at home or in the studio.

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Buc McMaster

Buc McMaster

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For simplicity it's hard to beat a K&K PWM. Simple, nearly invisible install.....no maintenance (battery)......good acoustic tone with most any system. Considered to have high output, a pre-amp is not required but does provide impedance matching that can be a source of unwanted tonal coloration. As far as having to drill for the endpin, this is true of any on-board system short of a corded sound hole pickup.

 

And yes, I have a K&K in my J-45 Vintage and use a Red Eye between it and a PA system. Bucster recommended gear.

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MorrisrownSal

MorrisrownSal

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1520825431[/url]' post='1923204']

For simplicity it's hard to beat a K&K PWM. Simple, nearly invisible install.....no maintenance (battery)......good acoustic tone with most any system. Considered to have high output, a pre-amp is not required but does provide impedance matching that can be a source of unwanted tonal coloration. As far as having to drill for the endpin, this is true of any on-board system short of a corded sound hole pickup.

 

And yes, I have a K&K in my J-45 Vintage and use a Red Eye between it and a PA system. Bucster recommended gear.

 

Agree with Buc...

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OldCowboy

OldCowboy

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If it's a new instrument and you need to use a pickup, retrofitting doesn't much matter. If it's a genuinely older instrument, and you cut it up, you'll certainly devalue it. You might or might not care about that - just sayin'☺

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uncle fester

uncle fester

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Folks - Thank you much, this is the perfect input I was hoping for. A true vintage (i.e. something from 1968) is my dream, but for my Gibson starter kit, at this very moment I'm looking at the new 'vintage' guitars.

 

My takeaway is with it being a new guitar - adding the electronics (something like a K&K) is pretty non intrusive - but when i'm lucky enough to get something truly vintage - don't mess with it.

 

Thank you again - rgds billroy

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Hall

Hall

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If it's a new instrument and you need to use a pickup, retrofitting doesn't much matter. If it's a genuinely older instrument, and you cut it up, you'll certainly devalue it. You might or might not care about that - just sayin'☺

 

 

 

That is how I see it also.

 

 

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BluesKing777

BluesKing777

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I think the OP is referring to the modern “Vintage J45” iteration, not an actual vintage J45.

 

I’d put a K&K in there, great pickup for a J45.

 

 

Der!

 

Thanks Jinder, I thought he meant a real vintage, not the Vintage, which is new not vintage and won’t be vintage for a while... :(

 

So drill to your heart’s content. Though everyone says you can’t tell the difference between Standard model and Vintage (new) and the ha ha True Vintage once they are electrified, so if you were playing live a lot you would save money and get the Standard with pickup already. Unless, you liked the ‘feel’ of the Vintage (new)... :)

 

People have done all kinds of things in the past to torture some of my guitars - cost them though!

 

 

BluesKing777.

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seamonkey

seamonkey

Posted
Posted

Hi All,

 

I'm looking at new / newish 'vintage model' j45s... Anyways - I really like the vintage models in all ways, except they don't come with any electronics.

 

If anyone has opinions out there (trying to coax you shy bunch of individuals :) - is it blasphemy to add electronics to a vintage model, and if not - any opinions on a good way to go. It looks like the most popular are either the Baggs session or Fishman aura...

 

Thanks again for any input.

 

Rgds - billroy

 

i wish i were happier with K&K. i don't want to (install)a pick up in my J45 Early, and i have been pleasantly surprised with my Bags M1. as someone mentioned, it really depends on how you're using it. if a cord hanging from the sound hole doesn't annoy you (it's growing on me) it may be the way to go. great reports on the kent armstrong? one too, but i don't care for the way it looks, and in video comparisons i looked the M1 better, though i think i'm the only one

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seamonkey

seamonkey

Posted
Posted

Hi All,

 

I'm looking at new / newish 'vintage model' j45s... Anyways - I really like the vintage models in all ways, except they don't come with any electronics.

 

If anyone has opinions out there (trying to coax you shy bunch of individuals :) - is it blasphemy to add electronics to a vintage model, and if not - any opinions on a good way to go. It looks like the most popular are either the Baggs session or Fishman aura...

 

Thanks again for any input.

 

Rgds - billroy

if i had to install something it would be the baggs anthem sl

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uncle fester

uncle fester

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Thanks again all for the replies, and education. After reading the thread, and then another on mic'ing guitars - I believe my immediate option is to figure out how to mic the guitar (and myself) vs installing a pick up. I play out rarely - aspire to do much more, but until that happens, I would prefer to get a truer amplification of the sound of the guitar - vs the convenience of on board electronics.

 

So long and short, until my stadium tour kicks off, I'm going to go the mic route... once i've got 7 cities in 7 nights... i'll look to the onboard pick ups.

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seamonkey

seamonkey

Posted
Posted

Thanks again all for the replies, and education. After reading the thread, and then another on mic'ing guitars - I believe my immediate option is to figure out how to mic the guitar (and myself) vs installing a pick up. I play out rarely - aspire to do much more, but until that happens, I would prefer to get a truer amplification of the sound of the guitar - vs the convenience of on board electronics.

 

So long and short, until my stadium tour kicks off, I'm going to go the mic route... once i've got 7 cities in 7 nights... i'll look to the onboard pick ups.

 

find a used LR Baggs M1(passive) you'll not regret it, and it's fun to see what your guitar sounds like with reverb and stuff. i'm constantly amazed at how good it sounds.

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