Would you recommend putting a pu in a Martin?

[hugo]

I'm just wondering if anyone would rec. putting a pu in a Martin? Does it ruin the worth of the guitar? I'd like one in it but I think the guitar would lose it's value due to that mod? Anyone have opinions on this topic??

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by hugo

I'm just wondering if anyone would rec. putting a pu in a Martin? Does it ruin the worth of the guitar? I'd like one in it but I think the guitar would lose it's value due to that mod? Anyone have opinions on this topic??

BLASPHEMY!!!

mud

[mudbean]

SACRILEGE!!!

mud

[mudbean]

I'm faklempt ... talk amongst yourselves.

mud

[RickG501]

It's your guitar, do what you want. It might slightly alter the value, but as long as you put good quality p/u in it, and you have it professionally done, the value of the pickup should offset(to some degree) whatever loss in value. Do not cut a hole in the side of the guitar for one of those pre-amp, equalizer deals though.

Go fishman like you would find installed from the Martin factory, or mike the guitar. Microphones are cheaper than a good p/u system. JMHO.

I however bought a soundhole p/u that doesn't require cutting holes, so far I don't really like the p/u, but that said, I haven't heard it through an acoustic amp or a PA. Which has to sound better than through my 30watt Crate.

[hockey_head]

you don't need to permanently install a pickup nowadays.

There are some really cool preamps out there that allow you to say put an "oyster" pickup on the top and blend it with a condenser lavalier clipped to the soundhole.

even martin sells guitars with saddle transducers

you don't have to drill out the strap button and install a jack anymory, lots of groovy alternatives now. especially ask around about clip on condenser mics.

[Colt W. Knight]

Mic it or get a noninvasive pick up. Acoustic pickups kill the tone of a good acoustic in my opinion.

[hugo]

You know what, I can't do it. I can't cut into that beautiful wood. I feel like I'm hurting it or something. I can't do it and I feel guilty for even thinking about it. To all the Martin finatics, please accept my most heartfelt apologies.
And especially to Colt, man I'm sorry. Please forgive me for even suggesting it? Please don't hate me, it was a moment of insanity, followed by vomitting.
I'm kidding but to be serious, I feel awful for even thinking it. I picked it up tonight and damn near cried when I looked at it. Next time somebody punch me out!
Mudbean, dude are you gonna be okay? I'm sorry man. Truly. It really was a moment of shear insanity.

[danocaster]

put in a Highlander !!

aimed at the Martin crowd and used by CSN&Y and Jackson Browne and other vintage Martin users . VERY natural sounding pickups !!

[blue metalflake]

+1 on the Fishman idea. Martin offer it as an option on a lot of models

[Colt W. Knight]

It's an acoustic guitar, not an electric. That's just my opinion. Let it ring out naturally, but I am not a gigging musician - so the advantages of a pickup might make up for the everything else.

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by hugo

You know what, I can't do it. I can't cut into that beautiful wood. I feel like I'm hurting it or something. I can't do it and I feel guilty for even thinking about it. To all the Martin finatics, please accept my most heartfelt apologies....

Mudbean, dude are you gonna be okay? I'm sorry man. Truly. It really was a moment of shear insanity.

I'm O.K., I'm O.K. ... breathing deeply ... O.K., thanks, Hugo.

mud

[Southern ILL]

If you are gigging or enjoy playing it through a amp then yes.....But you can also find cheap A/E w/solid top to gig with....I love the K&K Pure Western Mini loaded up in a cheaper Blueridge or Johnson Carolina or Morgan Monroe Creekside....Sounds to my ears like a mic'd acoustic through my Ultrasound.Easy to install...no batteries....$99 or cheaper...Me likey!!

[rand z]

i put a baggs i beam in my om 21 about 4 years ago. it has the built in preamp and the only mod i had to do was enlarge the end pin hole slightly to fit the larger diameter of the preamp an d1/4 jack. the i beam itself is installed with a truss that fits through the pin slots in the bridge and a battery bag is velcro-ed to the neck block (nothing permanent). the pickup is double taped to the bottom of the bridge block... and you do have to find the sweet spot by moving it around a bit.

it, imho, sounds quite a bit better than the martin i have that came with a fishman blender. much more "acoustic sounding" than an under bridge saddle pickup. i think it more accurately captures the resonance of the over all soundboard.

imho.

rand z tropicalsoul.net

[studio1087]

Installing K&K Pure Western or Fishman Thinline passive only calls for reaming the endpin hole slightly larger to fit the input jack which also becomes the strap holder or endpin.

I have K&K's in a D-15 and an OM16GT.
I have a Thinline in a Martin 12 string.

I have the K&K Pure Preamp that I clip to my belt or amp. There are no dials or slide-fades on the guitars.

A good luthier can remove the endpin electronic jack and match the mahogany or rosewood and plug the end pin hole back to normal size some day. They glue in a tiny wooden dough-nut.

Pay a luthier to do the install. It's cheap ($35). Do not ream the end pin hole on a Martin by yourself.

K&K Pure Westerns are fantastic......about $135 installed.



http://www.kksound.com/purewestern.html

If you are playing acoustic guitar (unamplified) in a small group of people...they cannot even see or tell that the guitar has electronics.

[casterway]

Pickup? No. Floyd Rose whammy bar? Sure!! Heh, heh...

[markinlondon]

My Gibson J45 has a Fishman piezo with a (i think) Powerjack. Like the options above (Studio1087) you wouldn't know it was there unless you peeked through the soundhole and saw the battery clip on the heel block. It presents a decent buffered signal to the desk.

[cletus]

http://www.music123.com/LR-Baggs-Dua...28128.Music123 I've got this in my custom Gibson acoustic. Love it.

[rhinocaster]

I would go with the K&K Pure Western. It's the first pickup I've heard that sounds like your guitar only louder. The I-Beam is OK, and I've never heard a Fishman that I liked.

Go with a passive system and run your preamp externally. Add as little mass to the guitar as possible. For me, that means K&K. I spent 14 months listening to high end acoustics before and after pickups were installed, and I simply couldn't tell when the K&K had been added when the guitar was played acoustically.

The K&K pickups are so good, we rarely had customers leave the shop without adding them to their brand new, $5000 guitars.

[Anybox]

Go for it! You bought the guitar to play ,right. Its value lies in your enjoyment not what you can sell it for later. I have an 0M 28 V I installed a K&K mini. It has been a great move for me.
Enjoy your instrument and hey, don't let it own you ,you own it!
Best regards!!

[BottyGuy]

You can order K&K pickups with "Vintage Jacks" so you don't have to drill the end out wider, see the K&K Site. The vintage jack needs an 3.5mm plug rather than a standard 1/4" guitar plug, so an adapter or modified cable is required, the jack is made by Tapastring. It also cost and extra $80.00.

An under bridge pickup and the vintage jack will allow resale without damage, I would think that a quilified luthier would be able to remove the sensors.

[Telarkaster]

I don't understand what the fuss is all about: Martin sells guitars with pickups that are preinstalled. Why would it be a sin to put in an after market pickup or mic? It would probably cost you less that a stock one from Martin.

I have heard great things about the KK Western Mini. However having an under the saddle pickup (piezo) has it's advantages: with a band at high volumes it's less likely to feedback. However it doesn't sound as nice as a condenser.

My friend's Larivee has the best of both worlds: a piezo AND a condenser, with a blend knob to balance the sound.

One other thing to consider: you may want to think twice about putting in a huge preamp control panel in the side of your guitar. If ever you want to remove it you'll have a barn door to fill. The other thing is that these pickups get obsolete real quick and replacing them is a bit of a pain if you've cut into the wood.

I had a fishman installed in my classical and it was fairly non instrusive. Instead of a condenser mic glued to the sound board inside, a tiny hole was drilled under the saddle in the bridge assembly and a strip of wire was laid under the saddle, connected to the preamp unit inside. A 9 volt battery was attached to where the neck meets the body inside, and does not affect the tone at all. The end pin hole was enlarged for the jack, that was the biggest intrusion.

As for Fishman pickups not sounding good, it really depends on the amp. EQ really helps...

[gibsonjunkie]

I have Fishman under saddle pickups in all three of my acoustics. My first I did myself (stupid mistake). It came out fine, but I now understand the mess I could have made of it. I had a luthier install the ones on my Hummingbird and J-200. I'm glad he did it, and I really don't think it will effect my resale value since (I hope) by the time I sell them they'll be so old it won't matter.

[Al Watsky]

Well I've done hundreds of acoustic installations in the last 20 years.
You can argue about the relative merits of one brand or type over the other, but if the installer knows how to get the job done its not going to effect the value of the instrument. If your talking about a vintage guitar you might want to think twice, or 3 or 4 times. There is no point in altering a historic instrument, but if its a current production model and correctly installed its fine.
Lately the sound hole pickups are sounding better and better. I often suggest
the LRBaggs sound hole PU's and K&K's are hard to beat if you don't need lots of sound pressure level, K&K has done a fine job with those multi sensor pickups, they are a great product at a good price. RMC pickups are the best for classical guitars, where your need high Sound Pressure Level, almost the only show in town, really, but require lots of know how in the installation . Now I'm getting opinionated. Its best to not install anything if you don't "need" to. Whats the point exactly ?
I do lots of playing both on stage and in the studio. I've played acoustic often, and when I need to do stage work I pick up one of my utility guitars, which are late model production things. When I'm in the studio I use guitars without pickups that I play into mics. Don't install pickups in acoustics just for kicks, they do effect the sound to some degree.

[marvelous]

I recently customed ordered a 2007 Martin D-41 from the Martin factory & I had them install a pre-amp in it. It is the best decision I ever made. It has been played at church several times through an amp & it sounds GREAT!
Yes, I have had those that can't imagine putting a hole in a guitar for some reason. I'll never understand that thought. But I just nicely reminded them who's guitar it was & who paid for it.
It's YOUR guitar, if you want want installed go for it.
Of course I am never selling mine.
Marvelous
2000 Fender Nashvile Telecaster
1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird
2007 Martin D-41