Amplification

[crimsonlake]

I'm curious and I haven't seen any reference at all to adding electronics to a kit or a scratch build. Has anyone done this? If so, what have you used?

[deadedith]

I added a Baggs active I-beam to the 000 I built for my nephew. He's on the road a lot with his band, and the sound of the guitar gets good reviews. The pickup is a very very light unit that adheres to the bridge plate and has a hidden volume wheel just peeking out of the soundhole. It was fairly easy to install, comes with a bit of a pre-shaped eq in the endpin unit, and is close to being microphonic in quality. Best of all, for me, there is nothing under the saddle to fuss with.
The best acoustic pickup is a microphone. It that is not feasible, an in-hole called the Rare Earth blend is the best I've ever used; it has a small condensor mic on a gooseneck that you blend with the built-in magnetic pickup to give you the mix you want. It's wonderful, but expensive. The ibeam is fairly inexpensive.

[tippie53]

I have used K&K western my favorite and Fishman pickups also pretty good. Any quality pickup will be fine . The K&K is a series of 3 transducers mounted to the bridge plate and have no noticeable effect to my ears

[deadedith]

I've heard good things about K&K also but haven't used one yet.

[kencierp]

I am partial to Fishman products and also the "poor mans" K&K -- JJB check this out very nice, very reasonably price and custom work is not a problem!

http://www.jjb-electronics.com/PPS-200.html

[Kevin Sjostrand]

I have a thread from a couple of years back on this.
I put JJB Electronics Artist passive pickups in two guitars, and a LR Baggs IBeam in one, which is active. It comes with a small sound hole volume control. I've taken all three guitars to Guitar Center and plugged them into various amps. They all sounded great.
The JJB system is built by a small guy in the USA, and is basically a copy of the K & K Mini, I think. 3 small tranducers that glue on under the bridge on the plate. It is easy to install, and is only $50 shipped. It makes my guitar sound louder, not different. I like that. And you can always attach an affects box to it going to the amp or soundboard.
The Ibeam is also very easy to install and probably easier to take out if you ever wanted to.
The procedure for installing these is really not very hard at all, and other than the endpin jack looking like one, most of them are not noticable, which I like too.

Kevin

[Ben-Had]

K&K Mini, all the way!

[Woody OKeefe]

I Have used the I Beam passive with the Gigpro preamp, excellent combination especially with a acoustic combo amp. The K&K mini is also nice if installed properly. I have also used LR Baggs M1 passive which does not seem to need a preamp. It is a sound hole mounted and works best with nickel wound strings but bronze works well also.

[Guitar Hack]

I am a fan of the JJB Prestige Elite 330. It is pretty much the same as the K & K Western Pickup but only costs $50. I have put in 3 of them and they are every bit as good as the K & K. Some people don't like the bigger transducers but you can get the 15mm size on request. I have a Taylor 335 12 string that had a Fishman under saddle pick up. It sounded great plugged in. I hated the sound of the Taylor unplugged and surmised the under saddle pickup was robbing me of "Parlor Tone". I pulled out the Fishman, put in the JJB as well as making a new saddle, (bone of course) and put in bone bridge pins. I now have the "Parlor Tone" I like. It was worth every penny to me.

[pete nardo]

i just pulled the trigger on a K&K Pure Mini and K&K Pure Preamp to install in my recently completed 000! lookin forward to that!