Upgrading pick-ups

[Texas_Blues]

I just found out the guitar I bought in September is electric also. It's a Epiphone AJ-200E, I tried out alot of guitars at guitar center and this one had "it." I was wondering how much and what acoustic pick-up would be good. Also how much does it cost to get pick-ups installed?

Thanks

 

[Texas_Blues]

No one?

 

[62Tele]

It really depends on what you want the pickup to do. I don't like the sound of piezos, so take that for what it's worth.

My favorite pickup is the K&K Pure Western Mini. I have one in my slope should Collings and in a Composite Acoustics Bluegrass and they sound great in both. Very natural, no quack, and easily dialed in. At band volumes, these will start to feedback if you aren't careful, so I use a Baggs M1 active in that setting. The Baggs is he cream colored pickup you see in a lot of pros guitars (Jeff Tweedy, Vince Gill, Tom Petty etc). I have my carbon wired with both pickups and I can use a stereo cable to run the Baggs to the monitors and the PWM (or both) to the mains.

Installing the K&K is pretty easy, but they sound much better installed with Crazy Glue (it's preferred by the manufacturer as well) which is a little trickier (but not too bad). Find a luthier who has installed these and they can do it in less than an hour. Installing the Baggs is as simple as removing your old endpin jack and putting the new one (pre-wired) in its place.

 

[Texas_Blues]

I kinda want a natural Acoustic tone.


So the pick-up is held in place by glue? All I would have to do is take out the endpin jack and wire it through there?

 

[coldfingaz]

I kinda want a natural Acoustic tone.


So the pick-up is held in place by glue? All I would have to do is take out the endpin jack and wire it through there?

Rob's putting another PWM in a D-35 for me this week... I love these pick ups, and this is a great step by step instructional for installation. I always have him do it, though...

http://www.frettech.com/kk/index.html

 

[Beagle1]

I kinda want a natural Acoustic tone.


So the pick-up is held in place by glue? All I would have to do is take out the endpin jack and wire it through there?

The K&K Pure Western Mini is a great pickup if you want a natural acoustic tone and don't plan on using it with a band. If you're going to use the guitar in a band situation, then get a DTAR Wavelength...it sounds almost as good as the K&K and won't feed back in high volume situations.

 

[Texas_Blues]

Yeah I plan on using it with a band.

 

[royd]

what don't you like about the current pickup?