pick up for acoustic?

Question

several questions about pickups...

1.what would it exactly do?

2.if i installed one would there be a reduction in general sound quality?

3.how much (canadian)?

Answer 1

There are 4 different methods for turning the acoustic guitar sound into an electrical signal:

The first type fits directly under the saddle and picks up the string vibrations. It is connected to a preamp that fits inside the guitar and goes to a jack that fits in the hole at the base of the guitar. That jack also serves as the strap lock.

The second type is an internal microphone that fits inside the guitar and picks up the acoustic sound.

The third type is a soundboard transducer, a small flat pickup that is glued or otherwise attached to the bottom of the soundboard (top) of the guitar. The transducer picks up the sound via the vibrations of the soundboard as the guitar is played.

The fourth type is a magnetic soundhole pickup, which is attached directly to the soundhole and picks up the vibrations of the strings from there.

Each type has its strengths and weaknesses. In my opinion, the best ones take two (or more) of them and combine them into one system, allowing you to "blend" the different sounds.

If properly installed, none should compromise the acoustic, unplugged sound quality of the guitar.

These pickups can run from about $50 all the way up to several hundred dollars.

Among the best manufacturers are:

Fishman (www.fishman.com)
K&K (www.kksound.com)
Pickup The World (www.putw.com)
Dean Markley (www.deanmarkley.com)

There is a very good message board/forum for asking questions and learning more. It's called the Acoustic Guitar Forum--www.acousticguitarforum.com.

Hope this helps...

Answer 2

There are different kinds. Some go under the bridge saddle and are wired so you plug into the guitar through the back strap pin(replaced by a plug-in jack). Plug it into an acoustic guitar amp or a P.A. system. What it does is amplify your sound without using a microphone. It can make a good sounding guitar sound bad, a bad sounding guitar sound good..........it mainly depends how you adjust your tone. There are so many kinds....get a catalog or go to a website or store like elderly music and ask questions & try out things. There are pickups that go in the sound hole that are a little less expensive. I don't know canadian vrs. US dollars....just check some websites. Good luck.