L. R. Baggs M1 Magnetic Acoustic Soundhole Pickup Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI'd come across some MP3's posted on the Internet demoing this pickup, and i had to try it.
I got a local store to match the Guitar Center's price of $139. I've seen it for a bit less since then.
This pickup has been a dream come true! It mounts easily in all of my guitars, including my Washburn EA-10 with the goofy oval soundhole.
It comes with some extra pole pieces; not really "spares", but different ones for different applications. It also comes with Mogami cables and an endpin - with a 1/8" jack on the pickup body, you can either mount it permanently, or have the extension cable coming out of the body. You can also of course switch between the two (once you've installed the endpin jack. The endpin allows for adding a 2nd pickup to the output (such as an existing undersaddle).
Of course there are the advantages of all magnetic soundhole pickups: easily removable, feedback resistant, none of the "quack" that you get from the undersaddle designs.
I went out of my way to test this thing live and in the studio.
Right out of the box, the string-to-string balance is absolutely perfect. I haven't used it with anything other than phosphor bronze strings, but they DO include some different pole pieces for people who use different strings.
The most amazing thing to me, is that my acoustics actually SOUND acoustic, which is NOT something i'm used to in a magnetic pickup. I plug it into a Behringer active DI, which gives it a bit too much high end but is easily cut back at the board. I plan on eventually getting around to programming some presets for EQ'ing this thing live, but it hasn't been a problem yet.
It completely BLOWS AWAY my undersaddle pickups live and in the studio. I can't say enough about how good this thing sounds. When A/B'd with a large diaphragm microphone in the studio, it obviously doesn't sound as good, but basically holds its own, and even *adds* sonically to the overall sound.
This pickup is a stacked humbucker that actually lives up to its sales pitch. I've found that it *does* take into account the top vibration of the guitar it's being used in, which is why it sounds like an acoustic. In my jumbo, it's large, bright and open sounding; in my parlor, it's dark and bluesy.
I play with and without a pick, using glass and steel (chrome) slides, from the saddle to up over the 14th fret. Even the tunes where i strum right over the pickup haven't caused a problem for me.
This thing is every bit as responsive to attack dynamics as the undersaddle pickups i've been using for years, but withOUT any of the harshness - it actually sounds GOOD when you tap on the soundboard with a pick or your fingers.
I've had sound guys add (an unknown amount of) compression to me live, with great results. This thing just makes me WANT to play acoustic live!
My advice for anyone interested is to search online for posted MP3's of just how "acoustic" this magnetic pickup actually sounds.
I realize they probably expect guitarists to use an acoustic preamp or one of the other many breakout boxes available, but personally i would've like to see a volume knob option, maybe on the pickup itself.
While you *can* adjust the pole height, you canNOT adjust the height of the entire pickup. I'm sure it has to do with the fact that it requires SOLID contact with the soundboard in order to achieve that acoustic sound, but it seems like they could come up with something whereby you could adjust the height and then "lock" it into place with a screw or something.
It hasn't been a problem for me personally, but i've read about guitar models where this has been an issue (with MANY soundhole pickups; to be fair).
This one seems stupid to even mention, but some choices in color would be nice. Even just one dark color would've been something i could've used in my parlor guitar. I don't think there is anything wrong with a pickup being HEARD and not SEEN on stage!
The quality is typical of L.R. Baggs. Even with taking it in and out of guitars all the time, i never feel like i'm in danger of breaking it.
It seems to be made out of a rigid plastic, which makes sense. The cables they supply are Mogami, so there you go!
I've been using the Baggs M1 live and for recording for six months now and i am totally satisfied.
Even without using any of the outboard preamps, mixers and "acoustic" direct boxes designed specifically for acoustic guitar pickups, this thing just totally sounds great, and withOUT the quack or feedback problems i used to get with undersaddle and mic'd situations.
For the sound alone, i'm giving this a five!
Jumbo Sunshade rated this unit
on
2004-11-18.
