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Post by andyhowell on Aug 15, 2016 12:03:24 GMT
I was sitting in the Cropredy field on Saturday with nothing much to do except watch extraordinary music. The sun was up and the beer was good. Today's festival big screens can be fascinating. I found myself getting interested in pickup and amplification options.
Given that the sound here is always superb — and the same basic setup is used for the PA — I was fascinated by the range of acoustic instrument tones that I heard. Now, I know that sitting in a field, listening to a big signal chain (and being a little relaxed with alcohol) isn't that scientific. But ...
... I reckoned I could tell who was using K&K systems (there is somethigndistrinctly 'woody' about them.
... what really grabbed my attention was the Baggs Anthem system — you can always tell this by the adjuster thingy that sites in the soundhole. Everyone of these I saw during the weekend sounded, well, horrible. Does anyone else use this system?
I also heard pickups from a number of others. Headway bands were being used a lot by violin players (sometimes doubled with a DPA 4099) and I know some of the musicians were using their pickups. These all sounded good. As did the Rare Earths and Sunrises (Rare Earth sounded better). And I guess here were more than a few Fisham Under Saddle systems that must have sounded good as well.
But those Anthems!
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Post by gavdav on Aug 16, 2016 8:20:57 GMT
I've heard nothing but good things about the Anthem, but actually... I'm not a big fan of the sound through PA. It does sound 'mic like' but somehow squared off...and I'm really not sure about it in a band context - seems to work well for soloists in small venues.
When we did the little gig at Halsway recently, everyone was using a different pickup system - Anthem, Rare Earth Blend, Headway etc. and Martin (Sarah McQuaid's engineer) managed to conjur superb sound from all of them.
In the Fyldes I'd had headways and a Baggs undersaddle - no appreciable difference save the volume wheel on the Baggs. Since I switched to split saddle guitars, I'd been planning on spending the frankly pretty scary £350 on anthem systems, but have in the meantime been using the Rare Earth Blend. As a result, I've since decided to stick with it - it sounds great, is easily controllable and reasonably non-invasive.
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Post by andyhowell on Aug 16, 2016 14:45:03 GMT
Thanks Gary. I think that makes sense. I am interested in the Kudos Blend from Vandem - Rare Earth next gen I guess. I'm using a Headwa at the moment which I'm quite impressed with!
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Post by gavdav on Aug 16, 2016 14:48:04 GMT
I've got a headway in my cittern and had them in two other guitars. They work well sound pretty good and are very low hassle.
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Post by anchorboy on Sept 17, 2016 13:44:01 GMT
KnK trinity system with the outboard preamp is hard to beat imho
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Post by andyhowell on Sept 17, 2016 15:00:39 GMT
KnK trinity system with the outboard preamp is hard to beat imho Has never knocked me out for some reason.
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Post by jackorion on Sept 22, 2016 6:15:15 GMT
I use the Anthem SL and I've never had a better plugged in tone.
I've used Rare Earths, M1a and the 'best thing since sliced bread' k&k and the k&k had the worst tone of everything - muddy, prone to feedback, waaaaay too much bass.
Normally when I say this was my experience I get told - 'it wasn't installed properly', 'you needed the k&k preamp', 'you're standing in the wrong place', and, on one USA based forum of note one 'Hawaiian' guy suggested I play electric guitar unless I could afford a pendulum sps-1 and some custom speakers plus demand an hour soundcheck!
I just did not like it at all, and I've tried it in several guitars!
The Anthem is really really nice to my ear -enough bass, enough detail but not too much of either - occasionally it can be a bit bright through some PAs (or through some soundmen!) but an Orchid DI allows me to adjust that from the stage.
I have heard it sound good in some peoples guitars but I don't think it's all that - it actually has a very 'piezo' like attack in the upper mids and trebles to my ear...
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Post by andyhowell on Sept 22, 2016 8:25:16 GMT
I feel the same about K&K. Strange old world.
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