Jaco Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Hi everyone, So it's time to get a pickup for my sweet lovely HOT 1966 Gibson J-50 guitar. She has the adjustable bridge (bone) which makes it a bit more tricky pickup wise.. This guitar is all about wood! extremely dry, resonant, full bodied and loud! and I want the pickup to bring that out! true tone.. I do not want to save money, not looking for an OK pickup but also not for an expensive pickup just for it's price.. Of course each guitar reacts different to the same pickup, so I'd like to hear about your experience on that matter. If anyone experienced different pickups with a vintage Gibson of the same style please do share your knowledge with me (-: I need it for live shows, big, small, solo and with a band, I play both finger-picking and strumming. Thanks in advance and cheers, J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 I only use magnetic soundhole pickups - Dearmond 210s and a Kent WRC-18. Back when I started playing these were about the only thing out there so maybe I just got used to them. They are not the most acoustic sounding pups out there but are warm sounding and you can dial in a bit of a growl with ease. You can also plug them into any old amp you want. Thing is with these pups you are not hearing the guitar a whole lot. So they will sound pretty much the same whether slapped across the soundhole of a 1960 Harmony Sovereign or a 1942 J-50 (both of which I do use these pickups with). But if you like that Elmore James/Lightnin' Hopkins vive these pickups are just what the doctor ordered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Josh Harty plays a '65. Combo pickup - Sunrise in the sound hole, and a K&K. You might consider also the Tance Audio Amulet Mono - I love mine, but have never put it thru a 200 event tour like Josh did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainpicker Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 I'm with zomby on this one. When I heard what Amy Helm's guitar player was getting out of an old LG-2 with a soundhole pickup and some pedals it completely validated soundhole pickups for me. Plus, a soundhole pickup is the least intrusive way to amplify and you can easily remove it and get back to the guitar that you began with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlotHeadSlim Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I'm with zomby on this one. When I heard what Amy Helm's guitar player was getting out of an old LG-2 with a soundhole pickup and some pedals it completely validated soundhole pickups for me. Plus, a soundhole pickup is the least intrusive way to amplify and you can easily remove it and get back to the guitar that you began with. I've heard a lot of good things about the K&K Pure Mini pickup. I personally don't own one but I've heard many sound tests and I like the sound of it over others. It also isn't costly. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaco Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Thanks guys, yeah I am gonna check out the K&K... will update with the results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kebob Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I've got numerous pickups in my guitars (Fishmans, Baggs, K&K). It really depends on what you'll primarily be doing with the guitar. If you're primarily playing it in a live band setting, go magnetic pickup. If you're going to use it primarily as solo or duo situation, go K&K. If you'll be doing a little of both, I'd go magnetic soundhole as it will do both scenarios without the feedback headache. I like the K&K, but it will have feedback issues in a full band setting with monitors, etc. Of all the pickups I have, I'd rank the Fishman Aura and Ellipse Blend pickups the best for any and all situations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubee Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 I have a Pickup the World pup in my '52 J-45 and a K&K mini Western in my AJRI. Both are transducers mounted under the soundboard, and work very well. They sound quite 'acoustic' if you use a good preamp or into an acoustic amplifier & I've used both on stage a fair bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kebob Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I have a Pickup the World pup in my '52 J-45 and a K&K mini Western in my AJRI. Both are transducers mounted under the soundboard, and work very well. They sound quite 'acoustic' if you use a good preamp or into an acoustic amplifier & I've used both on stage a fair bit. I'm curious -- when you state you use K&K mini "on stage" -- is it in a full band setting with floor monitors, full PA, etc. or just in a solo/duo type setting. I'd like to install a K&K mini in my D-18V but I'm wary of too many feedback issues in a full band setting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I have K&Ks on more than one of my instruments and have been very pleased with them. Substantial gain, natural sounding and no real feedback problems playing solo or duo. If you go with a preamp (external) be careful to get a good impedance match. I've been using the Orchid DI/pre out of England and it sounds great IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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