LR Baggs iMix with M1 Review

[gmacdonnell]

Hi Folks,

     I'm new here, but it looks like a great place! I just thought I'd share my experience with the incredible iMix system from L.R. Baggs. There are a lot of great systems out there these days, but some guys might be curious about this particular setup, so here goes!

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The Dilemma
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   I'm a professional player, (real smalltime, though, but still, I don't have to do 9-5 except on my guitar, ;) )and do a lot of different kinds of gigs. I mainly play flatpicking style, but I also do a lot of Travis picking, and love and play jazz as well. But I need to do it all with 1 guitar, (at least 95% of the time, anyway.)

    I've played so many pickup systems over the years, (K&K, Trance Audio, D-Tar, Fishman, B-Band, etc.) but I'm a minimalist kinda guy, and have tried to narrow it down to just the very, very best stuff. To me, that means L.R. Baggs

    I need to have as compact and versatile a setup as possible, cause I often will be sharing a small van with a bunch of other players. A lot of outboard gear or multiple guitars just isn't going to cut it! I play solo, duets and full band gigs, so I wanted something that could handle it all, but I demand a realistic and natural sound.

    I bought a new, super versatile LV-03r that I just love, (I got it based on some reviews here, and then being blown away in person by it.) So I needed the pickup system for this guitar.

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Save Some Money
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    While you can special-order the iMix with the M1, there's actually some advantages to putting the system together on your own. All you need is the standard iMix, passive M1, and the M1-C3 cable, ($20, as it's a proprietary Mogami with internal components to perfectly match the M1 to the preamp.)

      Plus, you'll have the Element, to use or sell. You can actually just install it, and then choose any 2 of the 3 pickups, to match whatever gigs or tour you're doing!

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The Pickups and Installation
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      I LOVE the iBeam. I've had K&K, D-TAR, Schatten and even Trance Audio pickups, but the iBeam is the best combination of tone, feedback resistance, and lets the true voice of your instrument shine. And I'm a huge fan of the M1 pickup. For me, it's the first magnetic pickup that's truly natural sounding, (which isn't to say other ones don't sound great.) I mean, it's like a dual-source system on its own.

      I should say that installing on Larrivee's couldn't be easier, since the strap-jack endpin route is already done, and there's already the cable channel in the bridge for the UST, so no drilling at ALL! Plus, since Larrivee uses and recommended Baggs, it's a perfect fit, every time.

      Installing the M1, iMix and iBeam is really easy, too. You get a couple extra adhesive strips, which is good, because you can play around with the exact position to get the sound you want. Directly under the saddle makes more of a UST/Mic combo sound, with a lot of presence, but "air" and a solid low-end. Moving it back towards the pins adds more depth and air to the sound, and warms it up. It sounds more like "mic" than a pickup. Either way, it doesn't get "tubby" at loud volumes, and is more feedback resistant than any other SBT I've used.

   And out of curiousity, I did install and test the Element. It's an incredible UST, and not "quacky" at all. I've never been a UST fan, but the Element would be great for most players. I'll probably end up using it for some band gigs.
If you've heard the high-end UST's like D-Tar and Highlander, the Element is right up there. It's pretty body-sensitive too!

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Tone Heaven!
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   The standard Element/iBeam iMix is an incredible system in its own right, but for me, the M1 makes it even better.

  I've used a lot of excellent systems, but the M1/iBeam is really special. It captures that "Larrivee" sound perfectly, and you can really hear the acoustic details coming through, even at loud volumes. Feedback resistance is great, and by using the simple controls, you can get an infinite amount of great tones, either fatter, warmer and more "mic" like, or crisper, clearer and more immediate.

  It's hard to pin down what exactly makes it so special, but maybe it's because the iBeam is so mic-like, yet doesn't get tubby and feedback easily, and that the M1 has a clear, natural sound, plus the body-sensing coil to add even more realism. It's like having 3 pickups working in harmony!

   I can get very "acoustic" strumming and flatpicking sounds, plus delicate fingerstyle tones. I can get beautiful jazz-box tones that I think Wes would've loved! The dynamics are far beyond the standard for piezo systems: there's unlimited headroom. And the harmonics just leap out of the speakers. It's pretty hard to believe that is pickup system, and that there's no mic involved!

   I've used this setup on some festival gigs outside, running through huge p.a.'s, and I've used it in bars and coffee houses, and it always gets a wonderful, natural sound. (Tom Petty uses this setup when he plays stadiums, so I guess it doesn't feedback


I can't say enough great things about this combo. The preamp itself, (like all Baggs preamps,) is incredible: no noise, transparent tone, and built incredibly well.

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Wrap Up
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For $330 total, it's easily the best-sounding, most versatile, and flexible system I've ever had.  And it's a bargain! The 2nd best setup I've had was a Sunrise/Trance Audio combo that cost $1000 just for the basic parts, plus $200 to install! The tone of the Baggs setup exceeds that of the Trance/Sunrise, but it also is much lighter, and far easier to install.

So if you're looking into this wonderful combo, I'd strongly consider getting the standard iMix, M1, and M1-C3 cable separately. If you shop around, you'll not only save more, but you'll have the option of the Element pickup.
That way you have even more flexibility, and can simply plug in whichever 2 of the 3 pickups would best suit the tour or series of gigs you're doing.

Most importantly, you'll have perhaps the most natural, transparent and acoustic sounding system available, for a fraction of the cost of similar quality systems. 

All in all, I give LR Baggs M1/iMix two thumbs way, way up! 


Keep on pickin', keep on grinnin'!

[Dale_I]

I've got the same set up in my LV-10MR. I plug in the M1 or the Element interchangeably depending on the set up, but it works great either way. Been playing it that way for a couple years now. Two thumbs up.

[ncognito]

Are you saying that it's possible to use all three components simultaeously?  If so how?  Are there then two chords coming out of the end pin area?

           DAVE

[gmacdonnell]

Hi There,
   
    Well, according to my tech, by rigging up a splitter, you could run all 3 simultaneously, and  just use 1 cord. The downside would be that 2 of the pickups would have to share a channel, (and mid-range EQ) on the internal preamp.
The new iMix's have a relative phase switch, and the iBeam and Element work together real well, so I bet there are guys out there who use all 3.

     But what Dale does, and I'll be doing, is plugging in 2 out of the 3 pickups at any given time. So if I'm doing a solo or duet gig, I'd probably run the M1 and Element. For flatpicking, as good as the M1 sounds, the iBeam/Element setup might be a better match.

    Or if I'm running through a real loud system, at a festival or something, where feedback could be a problem, I could use the M1 and Element. Since the M1-C3 cable matches the M1 to the iMix preamp so perfectly, you can really tailor the system and the sound to exactly your requirements.

    I just was thinking, that since it's almost the same price to buy the M1, the M1-C3 cable, and the regular iMix as it
to buy the M1 iMix, that it might make sense to get all three pickups for some guys.

     I for one never have been a fan of UST pickups. I had preferred SBT's over even the good ones, like the Baggs Ribbon.

     But the Element is such a natural sounding pickup that it doesn't sound like a normal UST to me, and sounds so great that I'll end up using it for sure. 

[Dale_I]

Yeah... what he said. But, I run the iBeam all the time and switch between the Element and the M1. I would probably never run all three. There really isn't a need. The only reason I switch from the Element is if I get too much reaction from the top and start a feedback issue.

I actually like the "attack" of the M1. Very nice and natural sounding.