I have a d-03 "silver oak" and a nice LV-09.
Both purchased because I fell in love with a J-05 I'd played at a friends house years ago.
Flash forward in time , he came to dinner tonight and gifted me with the very D-05 I first fell in love with!
I'm dumbstruck. It's in perfect condition plays and sounds fabulous and looks new but was made in 1998.
I need to electrify it as I gig regularly in an acoustic trio with a percussionist and another vocalist.
Any recommendations as to what is currently the best bet for a contac/mic combo pickup?
I'm anxious to use it as my main guitar and retire the D-03 to back up. While I love my D-03, this one is a cannon by comparison.
It depends how far you want to take it. Traditional pickup systems all have a somewhat metallic sound to them. If you're ok with that sound, there's a lot of affordable options. If you truly want the best tech available now, mic systems like the LR Baggs anthem give a much more natural tone as they are actual microphones so they hear the guitar more similar to more how our ears hear it (though being inside the guitar has limitations).
I wish I could remember the name of one I recently has which was essentially a mini mic that clips on the soundhole edge. That was quite a decent sounding pickup for around $200.
That's some gift.
I'd like to be his friend...
I personally am a big fan of the LR Baggs Hifi, that is easy to install with double sided tape and easy to remove also (versus a K&K pickup that requires superglue). It comes in at a decent price. For double the price, they created the LR Baggs hifi duet, which introduces an internal microphone and has been getting rave reviews.
I'd put in a K&K, get an external preamp and be done with it. I usually play solo guitar and voice, sometimes duets with another guitar. If I played in a loud rock/country group I'd probably look into something else. For me, the K&K thru a decent amp or small PA setup sounds like my guitar just louder.
Ed
Quote from: StringPicker6 on August 23, 2025, 06:58:27 AMI personally am a big fan of the LR Baggs Hifi, that is easy to install with double sided tape and easy to remove also (versus a K&K pickup that requires superglue). It comes in at a decent price. For double the price, they created the LR Baggs hifi duet, which introduces an internal microphone and has been getting rave reviews.
I was considering the LR Anthem but I also already have a Fishman rare earth with mic that is currently on my old epiphone texan. I'm considering pulling it off the Texan and trying it on the J-05 as the Texan only sees studio use.
That said this hi fi duet looks really interesting though a bit steep in price.Looks like a moch easier install than the anthem though.
These are wonderful problems to have.
Quote from: B0WIE on August 23, 2025, 02:59:12 AMIt depends how far you want to take it. Traditional pickup systems all have a somewhat metallic sound to them. If you're ok with that sound, there's a lot of affordable options. If you truly want the best tech available now, mic systems like the LR Baggs anthem give a much more natural tone as they are actual microphones so they hear the guitar more similar to more how our ears hear it (though being inside the guitar has limitations).
I wish I could remember the name of one I recently has which was essentially a mini mic that clips on the soundhole edge. That was quite a decent sounding pickup for around $200.
I'll have to look for that. Ideally something non invasive would be preferable though maybe not as practical as a more "installed" product.
In my main gig feed back isn't an issue as it's 3 vocalists, one playing percussion and one (myself) playing guitar, all using in ear monitors.
I have Schatten pickups in my guitars and I really like them. Admittedly I haven't plugged them in for some while.
If I were to put a pickup in my OM, I'd look at K&K PWM or the Lr Hifi system. The LR system is pricey though...
Quote from: Marc Willett on August 23, 2025, 01:09:29 PMI'll have to look for that. Ideally something non invasive would be preferable though maybe not as practical as a more "installed" product.
In my main gig feed back isn't an issue as it's 3 vocalists, one playing percussion and one (myself) playing guitar, all using in ear monitors.
I looked it up and it's by Bartlett. There's no drilling of the bridge and no need for large amounts of adhesives. I believe Larrivee uses a large end pin now so you don't need much, if any, modification to the end block. I may be mistaken though.
I definitely like the microphone option though as it sounds so much more natural. Under saddle/under bridge pickups always bothered me. The Bartlet sits on the edge of the soundhole with a little clip. I don't know how sensitive it is to feedback though. The LR Baggs have systems for preventing feedback.
Quote from: B0WIE on August 23, 2025, 07:31:50 PMI looked it up and it's by Bartlett. There's no drilling of the bridge and no need for large amounts of adhesives. I believe Larrivee uses a large end pin now so you don't need much, if any, modification to the end block. I may be mistaken though.
I definitely like the microphone option though as it sounds so much more natural. Under saddle/under bridge pickups always bothered me. The Bartlet sits on the edge of the soundhole with a little clip. I don't know how sensitive it is to feedback though. The LR Baggs have systems for preventing feedback.
This Larrivee is an odd one. Serial shows it's a 1998 J-05 but it has no endpin at all and the body shape is a Jumbo with a 12-1/2" upper bout, 10" waist, and 17" lower bout.
Thanks to all for chiming in. I've decided to save up my pennies and go with the HI Fi Duet. In the interim I mounted up a Fishman Rare Earth with mic that I wasn't using.
Quote from: Marc Willett on August 23, 2025, 07:53:03 PMThis Larrivee is an odd one. Serial shows it's a 1998 J-05 but it has no endpin at all and the body shape is a Jumbo with a 12-1/2" upper bout, 10" waist, and 17" lower bout.
Those are pretty standard Larrivee jumbo dimensions. My 99 parlor only had screwed in endpin strap button when I bought it. They started drilling out for the oversized endpins sometime after 2008 or so, I forget offhand exactly when. My bet was that it was easier to drill them all out than to differentiate between those headed for pickup and those not.
Ed
The pre drilled hole is pure Jean Larrivee brilliance.