Archtop Pickup

[dobro]

Howdy...

I've got an old Gibson L-4 archtop (oval sound hole) that I'm thinking about getting a pickup for. I'd rather not drill holes or use superglue...there is no pickguard on the guitar. I'm looking for as accurate acoustic reproduction as possible, not a magnetic pickup. Music is primarily folk/singer-songwriter stuff....strumming and single-note leads primarily - little finger-picking. Mostly small venues, but with the occasional good-sized outdoor festival a possibility.

I've had a Schertler Basik recommended, but I am very open to other suggestions.

I'm primarily a dobro player (go figure!) and I finally saw Jerry Douglas playing through his new Aura system (pickup and pedal) last week, and am convinced it's the best thing out there for the dobro...I see a bunch of other Aura pedals, for dreads, jumbos, OMs, etc., but nothing for archtops. I'm wondering if one of the guitar pedals would work for the L-4 with an appropriate (whatever that is) pickup.

Barring that, I'd likely go through a Baggs Para-acoustic DI.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Lee

[improviduto]

K&K Sound has a number of options for amplifying acoustic instruments. I have a K&K Sound Pure Archtop installed in my archtop, and I love it. No need for a preamp, either. I run it through a Fender Acoustasonic Jr.

[dobro]

Thanks...I'll look into those.

Anyone else? FWIW, I'll be running my signal to the house system, not an amp.

...or judging by my playing last night, I may drop-kick the guitar into the next county and just stick to the dobro...sheesh!

[drive-south]

If you are planning to run through a house PA, I would definately get a preamp so you will have some control over your' tone and volume.

K&Ks can be used without preamps, but most people report much better results when using a preamp. I run mine through a K&K XLR preamp.

driive-south

[dobro]

Thanks....I've got the Baggs now...but for doubling on dobro and guitar I'd need another. I heard David Lindley last week also, he was running his Weissies through a D-Tar that sounded great...they've got a two-channel pre, so that might be the ticket.

[esiegel]

and if you are planning to drop kick it, give me a call and I'll take it offa your hands. I've been looking for a deal on one of these for a while.

E

[bazooka47]

I would go with the K&K archtop model. I installed one in my '59 Super 400, and it works great. It attaches with super glue and is removable. I went with the 'vintage jack' so I would not have to drill out the tailpiece.

I also have a '29 L-4 (VERY cool guitar), and I am thinking of putting a K&K in that one as well.

I also bought the K&K preamp, which works very well.

[Rob DiStefano]

Haven't found an *acoustic* archtop transducer that I totally liked, though the K&K twins offer the best tone I've heard so far sans and with a valid preamp.

[dobro]

The K&K gets a lot of votes anyway. Has anyone tried a Schertler? They seem to be the hot ticket for mandolin.

[urlkonig]

I have the Schertler -- and yes, once you find the optimal placement for it, it works very nicely. Very pricey though. I used it on my mandolin for a while, but recently got the Baggs Radius for that.

I have K&K's in a 12 string that work great; I could never get them to work in my Taylor 6-string -- and have been wary of installing them in my old Epi... might be worth a try though, given the other thumbs-up replies.