Members Gary in NJ Posted March 10, 2008 Members Share Posted March 10, 2008 At the suggestion of a few of our fellow forumites I purchased and installed an LR Baggs pickup system in my guitar. This was a departure from my original goal of finding a new guitar with an integrated pickup system. I had used various add-on pickups in the past and for one reason or another was never completely happy with the installations. After realizing that I just couldn't get what I wanted as OEM equipment I decided to take the plunge and build my own "perfect" guitar. The project started with the purchase of a Blueridge BG-160. This guitar was chosen for its excellent natural tone and playability. I added some Tusq bridge pins that added some sustain. I may experiment with other pins too. Anything is better then the OEM plastic pins. The LR Baggs system I choose for this guitar is the iMix/M1/Element package. This is a custom order from LR Baggs (through my local guitar shop) as it is a departure from their standard iMix/M1/iBeam system. I wanted an under saddle pickup instead of the iBeam because the guitar will be used in an acoustic rock band and feedback might be an issue with the iBeam. The Element is an excellent USP. It actually has a warmer tone then the M1. I found this very surprising because it runs contra to my experience with USP's. The M1 has incredible natural tone and articulation. With the two pickups blended 50/50, the amplified tone is identical to the acoustic tone. And that was the goal. Biasing the one pickup over the other provides me great flexibility. That was my other goal. My concern about having a system that seemed like an add-on to the guitar was unwarranted. The system is well thought-out and is well integrated in the instrument. At band rehearsal I was able to play as loud as I wanted without any feedback. Luckily I have a notch filter and string dynamic control on the amp (Fender Acoustisonic Jr) because the BG-160 body just sings. I'm sure that feedback would be an issue without these controls. It really is great to hear the low strings of my guitar above the mix. In an acoustic band a lot of picking can be lost behind the drums and bass. This normally causes me to turn up or over play. I was able to play comfortably without over-boosting my volume. It's great when things are easy. Thanks to Jake and Aug for suggesting this route for me. It has worked out great and I can't wait to play it out live in two weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jake7 Posted March 10, 2008 Members Share Posted March 10, 2008 Awesome, I am really glad it all worked out for you after the intial setting up! The M-1 is quite trebly, but you can warm it up slightly by placing thin cork shims under the wings/clamps.You will still get the soundboard resonances, if you tap the top with an M-1 you get a fairly trebly "knock" sound, if you put the cork in and do the same it's more of a thump, this takes some of the presence from the sound, which works great for me. But if the blend is working for you as it is, I'd stick with it for sure....dont fix whats not broke! I just thought I'd add the cork info in case anyone was reading this thread after searching about M-1's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gary in NJ Posted March 10, 2008 Author Members Share Posted March 10, 2008 Awesome, I am really glad it all worked out for you after the intial setting up! Regarding that, I have installed USP's before and have always left the bottom edge of the saddle square (or mostly square). The installation instructions for the Element were adamant that a forward-lean of the saddle was required. I used the drawing as a reference angle, which was a mistake. I felt compelled to follow the instructions, but my gut feeling was it might be a problem. I was glad that I left my saddle a bit high for the first attempt, figuring that I could always remove more later during a string change. These is still a bit of buzzing in the M1. My bass player noticed it last night at rehearsal. I still need to sort this out with LR Baggs. They haven't responded to my email from last Thursday. It is canceled by touching the jack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AugTPD Posted March 10, 2008 Members Share Posted March 10, 2008 I'm glad you're happy with the amplified sound. Baggs is really taking over the acoustic pickup market lately (or at least it seems like it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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