not happy with element pickup

[lukeness]

Hi,

I just got my D03, and I love it. The sound is great. I love how it feels... but when I plugged in, the amplified sound left more to be desired. I tried tinkering with the EQ/notch etc... I just can't seem to get a good acoustic sound out of it. It either sounds too thin or too explosive.

My question is.... has anyone done anything to make it sound more natural?

My friend just got a Fishman Ellipse blend for his piezo equipped Tacoma... and it sounds amazing plugged in.

Next question is.... will the Fishman Ellipse Blend work with the LR Baggs element piezo?

Thanks guys!

[lukeness]

Anyone?



I just hear crickets.





Ok ok, how about if I buy an iBeam... can I install it and blend it with my existing Element?

[aaronjnoone]

Lukeness,

I've had the same troubles with my piezo equipped D03, so I bought a Fishman Ellipse Blend. MISTAKE! The Ellipse unit does not fit in the D03 because Larrivee's X-Bracing comes too close to the sound hole and will not allow proper installation of the unit. :UND>

The pickup I ended up with is the LR Baggs dual source. It comes with a UST and internal mic. It makes my D03 the best sounding amplified acoustic I've ever heard. It's too bad the Ellipse didn't fit, cuz I already had the Fishman piezo in there, so the upgrade would've been pretty cheap and easy to do, but just so you know, it won't fit.

Hope this helps,
Aaron

[sdelsolray]

Well, you're dealing with a UST.  Basically, pickups can be catagorized in two ways - (i) functional strengths/weaknesses and (ii) sonics.  

A UST is functionally good for ease of use, consistency from guitar to guitar, low cost, high volume before feedback and ability to cut through a mix (say a band with bass, drums, etc).  Functional weaknesses include untamed output range (voltage spikes), occasional string to string balance issues, and slight effect on unplugged sound.

Sonically, the UST has a certain sound, more or less.  Most folks do not like it, or at best they tolerate it because of a need to use it for functional reasons or becuase it's what came with the guitar in the first place (very common).  In other words, many don't like the sound of a UST but live with it.  Now, the sound can be adjusted with eq, often improved, and a quality signal chain will help too.

A UST alone has these sonic issues.  If blended with another source (dual source configuration), the sonics can usually be improved quite a bit.  The more common UST based dual source setups would add an internal or external mic, or add a SBT.  Sometimes a magnetic pickup is the second source.  Each of these setups have functional strengths and weaknesses too, and provide different sonics.

Recently, a few manufacturers have developed digital modelers that work with a UST.  This is just another type of dual source configuration.  These products (e.g., Yamaha Stomp, D-TAR Mama Bear, Fishman Aura) basically add a microphone-like second source and blends with the raw UST signal.  To most folks, they improve the sound of a UST quite a bit.  Again, a UST/digital modeler setup has functional strengths and weaknesses, and will sound similar to a UST/internal mic combination.

[lukeness]

Wow! This is all useful information.
Thanks so much aaronjnoone and sdelsolray.

This Fishman Aura looks kinda interesting...

[sdelsolray]

To add one more thought - the pickup(s) are just part of the signal chain.  The pickup(s), along with the speakers, are the most important parts, but the gear inbetween is important too (preamp, eq, effects, if any, and power amp).  Talking about pickup(s) alone can be useful, but the remainder of the signal chain, taken together, affects the sonics more than most people realize.