doves in flight pickup

[daviddove]

hi, i'm new to the forum.

i just got my hands on a doves in flight acoustic and i'm more excited than words can convey. i have a question though, i'm wondering what would be the ideal pickup to use with this guitar. anybody help?

[Gilliangirl]

Wow, another Canadian! Welcome to the forum! I don't know the answer to your question but the other very knowledgeable folks on here sure will. Enjoy your new guitar!

[Johnt]

Hi David

 

Welcome

 

You'll get all sorts of advice from "Fishman to Fender" but for my mind

 

take a look at LR Baggs Element ACtive

 

Standard fit on a lot of Gibsons at the moment, very discrete and reliable.

 

http://www.lrbaggs.com/html/products/systems_element.shtml

 

No drilling except enlarge end pin and has a volume control which is soundhole mounted.

 

Poist a pic of the Dove please?

 

BR

 

John

[drathbun]

I can't say enough about the LRBaggs Active iBeam. It has the most natural sound from any pickup I've used (Baggs, Fishman, Markley).

[jefleppard]

+1 on the i-beam and welcome to the forum!

[daviddove]

hi. thanks for the advice. i guess i should specify what i'll be using the guitar for. i'll be playing both solo and with a full band, so i guess the pickup needs to have the ability to play at all volume levels. i just read that the i-beam doesn't handle loud volumes very well and isn't recommended for playing with other loud instruments. is the element better for this, or maybe the LB6? thanks.

 

i will post pictures once i get my hands on the guitar, it's still in transit.

[gibsonsj]

I have both the 2008 doves in flight and the gibson sj300. I had an LR Baggs I Beam active system installed in the dove and I'm very pleased with the results

[Guest]

hi' date=' i'm new to the forum.

i just got my hands on a doves in flight acoustic and i'm more excited than words can convey. i have a question though, i'm wondering what would be the ideal pickup to use with this guitar. anybody help?[/quote']

 

Hi and welcome. Nice to see another Vancouver-area forumite here!

 

I'm thinking there is no "right" answer, no "ideal" pickup for your guitar. Instead, I'd say there are several "right" pickups for it. They would include systems such as the LR Baggs, K&K 'Pure Western', Fishman Natural Matrix, and others. My own preference is the Highlander IP2 which I have in at least one maple Gibson, and it performs very well.

 

Trouble is, there are not too many guitar techs in Vancouver, in my expereince, who handle much more than Fishman. I know of one guy who handles the Highlander, although I've lost track of him. There's a fellow on the west side who may handle some other pickups sytems, but I think you'll need to scout around and see who handles what, and how comfortable they make you feel with their offerings.

 

I generally deal with Barry Ewart, who has teched for a lot of the big acts in and around town. (Little acts too.)

 

I suspect your Dove, being a relatively large, maple-bodied guitar, would sound fine with a Fishman Natural Matrix II (or whatever the current iteration is).

 

Post some pics once you get it!

 

Fred

[jefleppard]

my vote is for either the element or the i-beam though the i-beam has a feedback issue in a live setting and a soundhole cover and/or preamp is recommended as well as being mindful of your own stage position. the i-beam has the most genuine sound of any pick up i've ever heard.

OAN (on another note!), i'm a bit shocked at shrimer's comments about the lack of reliable techs in a town with such a lively music scene that is continually catching national attention. (we are talking about BC, right - not washington?)

[Guest]

OAN (on another note!)' date=' i'm a bit shocked at shrimer's comments about the lack of reliable techs in a town with such a lively music scene that is continually catching national attention. (we are talking about BC, right - not washington?)[/quote']

 

Cunk,

 

I didn't say that there was a lack of reliable guitar techs in Vancouver. There are a number of them here. However, my point was merely to observe that there seem to be very few who offer a 'wide range' of acoustic guitar pickup systems.

 

Sure, you can buy various systems on display at the counter, but the 'installation tech' might have been a Subway Artiste the week before. Perhaps things have developed in the last little bit, but my experience has been that the choices are Fishman or Fishman-for-Martins. :-)

 

Fred

[Jinder]

it should be mentioned that Fishman is not necessarily a bad choice at all, despite their pickups being a very common choice. I have LR Baggs Element Actives in my J45 and Hummingbird which sound brilliant, but I have a Fishman Acoustic Matrix Natural II in my SJ200 which sounds like the end of the world. I have a Matrix in my baby Guild parlour which sounds incredible too. I would say that the Baggs is a more detailed and nuanced sound, whereas Fishman has much more headroom for strumming and is generally a bolder pickup.

[jefleppard]

 

Cunk' date='

 

I didn't say that there was a lack of reliable guitar techs in Vancouver. There are a number of them here. However, my point was merely to observe that there seem to be very few who offer a 'wide range' of acoustic guitar pickup systems.

 

Sure, you can buy various systems on display at the counter, but the 'installation tech' might have been a Subway Artiste the week before. Perhaps things have developed in the last little bit, but my experience has been that the choices are Fishman or Fishman-for-Martins. :-)

 

Fred[/quote']

 

sorry for my misread, fred. the zit-faced, former pannini jockeys around here all work at the guitar centers in metro detroit