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Post by otis1960 on Oct 28, 2020 20:37:58 GMT
Canvassing opinions and experiences again folks, please:
I have tried, over the years, a good number of acoustic pickup systems. The best, to my ears at any rate, thus far have been a K&K pure mini (in my OM28), and the Baggs Anthem in my McIlroy AS10C.
There are, of course, a load that I have not tried.
My Falstaff is now in build, so I need to decide what to ask Roger to fit into Mr. F. Roger claims the Headway to be the best that he has found, and there are certainly a lot of Fyldes with Headways fitted, but I have no experience of this system. The Anthem would be a safe option, and works well with my Acus, but am I potentially missing out on an excellent alternative?
So, do any of you good people have a Headway system? Could you offer an opinion?
Any help gratefully received.
Thanks
Otis
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Post by jangarrack on Oct 28, 2020 20:53:48 GMT
Have a look at this old post from January 2018, which I hope may be helpful or at least interesting. The post explains my experience and the rest thread has loads more really useful advice to consider. Soundhole pickups
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Post by otis1960 on Oct 28, 2020 22:17:17 GMT
Thanks jangarrack
Interesting stuff.
Martin Simpson told me about his Highlander&Feather system, and it is certainly a very detailed sound (in his hands at least).
John Smith recommended the Baggs in a dual source stereo arrangement; again, this sounds very natural when he is playing live.
However, I don’t really want the complication of a stereo signal, with the question of how to handle and EQ the output, as I am rarely playing in large venues these days.
The Anthem would allow me to blend the two sources easily, and is a beast that I am at least used to, but I am hopeful that someone will have some real life experience of the Headway that I could draw upon.
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Post by dreadnought28 on Oct 28, 2020 23:06:18 GMT
K & K. Apart from the end pin no drilling and nothing under the saddle. My choice 100%. I’ve removed all the other pickups in my numerous guitars.
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Post by andyhowell on Oct 29, 2020 8:36:09 GMT
I am a very happy Headway owner and can see why Roger has that view. Paired through a good preamp it is a very decent signal.
Many do like the K&K but if I was looking at a good one today I would import an Ultra Tonic by the designer of the Tonedexter James May.
The UT is made by K&K but has two extra sensor pads. It is not cheap.
However, the Headway is a great pickup and always sees me getting compliments for the amplified town. I use mine with a Tonedexter.
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Post by jackorion on Oct 29, 2020 9:03:04 GMT
I think the LR Baggs Anthem is a really good 'plug and play' pickup - I used the SL version in my Martin for several years and I always felt it sounded nice - plus the 'feel' of the sound was very acoustic, meaning I could play with my usual dynamics. If I ever get to the point where I need a simple 'road' guitar that'll be played through loads of systems where I'd have little control then I'd get the Anthem SL fitted in it.
However - I have moved to the K&K in my guitars now. Initially this was because my Collings OM2hT has a traditional cut through saddle and the Anthem wouldn't work, but, once I'd found a good preamp match, I started to appreciate the 'directness' of the K&K and the fact it sounds more 'fat' than the Anthem. What I missed was the 'air' on top that the Anthem gave, and the feedback resistance (I've always found the K&K, contrary to toher players, to need a notch at 100-200hz in order to tame low end mud and feedback).
So I now have a dual K&K/DPA system that I blend through a Felix and I'm really, really happy with this. But then I do prefer to use my Ear Trumpet Labs Edwina mic if I can!
So I guess the short answer is - if you don't want to faff around with stereo signals, and you want a simple plug and play system, I think the Anthem (SL in my case) is the way to go.
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Post by PistolPete on Oct 29, 2020 12:08:54 GMT
I have an Anthem SL in my Gretsch Jim Dandy & I think it does the best job of sounding 'acoustic' of any pickup I've owned. Unfortunately when I got my Gibson archtop installing one wasn't really option so I ended up going with K&K for both that & my Yamaha for the sake of having everything matching. As others have hinted the sound from your K&K is as good as your external preamp - I ended up going with the RedEye Twin as it allowed me to feed both guitars into a single PA channel (& Ray Wylie Hubbard uses one I'll also add that on Wild Violet 's recommendation I installed a JJB K&K copy in an acoustic I lend out at open mic nights and put through the same preamp as a real K&K there's very little difference tone-wise.
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Post by ocarolan on Oct 29, 2020 12:29:24 GMT
Otis, like you I'm a confirmed K&K mini user, but before that I did use for many years a guitar that had a Headway UST already in when I got it. It worked very well and had a decent sound, certainly better than other USTs at the time - a bit more in-yer-face than the K&K and prone to being even more so with hard playing. I did like the sound with careful playing though and it worked very well in a band context - I used it in a ceilidh band, and found it worked well in the overall mix and sounded recognisably acoustic. I was less keen on the sound for solo use though, esp when compared with K&K. The K&K scores loads better on representing playing dynamics and in representing the instrument natural characteristics of tone.
Roger is certainly keen on Headway, but bear in mind that many of his customers gig intensively in large venues and noisy situations where good feedback resistance is a necessity, and I reckon the Headway is likely to be less fuss to handle than K&K in those situations.
You could, of course, consider having a Headway UST as well as K&K minis installed .....
Keith
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Post by otis1960 on Oct 30, 2020 0:12:47 GMT
Thanks to all of you for your considered, and valued, opinions. Not sure that I am much further forward, but you have given me food for thought, and a new avenue to investigate with the Ultra Tonic, which looks very promising (I can just imagine what Roger would say to that request)
In summary thus far:
Lots of love for K&K, but I would need to give careful consideration to the preamp Headway seems like a good system, but perhaps optimised for more dynamic playing styles? Baggs a reliable plug-and-play generalist option.
Oh, and thanks Keith, but perhaps not
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Post by mandovark on Oct 30, 2020 18:00:46 GMT
Just to throw in my experience of a Headway UST, which I had installed in a Fylde mandolin. The sound was pretty good as USTs go, and it certainly cut through the mix. The issue that I had with it was volume: there was too much of it! I usually play all my instruments through a single channel using an Orchid acoustic preamp, and I had real trouble switching to the mandolin because the signal from the pickup was so much hotter than everything else I was playing. Obviously this wouldn't be an issue if you're not switching between instruments on the same channel, but it's something to keep in mind if you are.
I use K&Ks in pretty much everything now, and it definitely makes my setup more straightforward.
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Post by andy3sheds on Nov 3, 2020 17:59:38 GMT
Another advocate for k&k a spot on match for my Fylde Oberon which I used to play through an AER all eq set flat I had no qualms choosing k&k for the next guitar I wanted to amp up
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Post by otis1960 on Nov 3, 2020 22:15:44 GMT
I must confess that I am thinking K&K, not least because it is simple and pretty non-invasive, and it does sound excellent in the OM28. The Ultra Tonic looks really interesting, particularly the new version with only two sensors; however the setup needs more investigation before I talk to Roger again.
Thanks to all for taking the time to share your experiences, I do really appreciate the input. I’ll let you know what transpires when it does.
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Post by andyhowell on Nov 4, 2020 10:28:31 GMT
I must confess that I am thinking K&K, not least because it is simple and pretty non-invasive, and it does sound excellent in the OM28. The Ultra Tonic looks really interesting, particularly the new version with only two sensors; however the setup needs more investigation before I talk to Roger again. Thanks to all for taking the time to share your experiences, I do really appreciate the input. I’ll let you know what transpires when it does. The decent YouTube reviews of the Ultratonic do suggest a much better sound than the K&K even without any preamp shaping — it is about 10db louder in output as well. I'm thinking of investigating at some point
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Post by jackorion on Nov 4, 2020 13:28:23 GMT
An issue for me with the Ultratonic is that big feedback suppressing sensor wouldn't fit on a vintage style bridgeplate, meaning you'd have to attach it to the top of the guitar...
plus the whole mini dip switch thing looks really fiddly and complicated to set up...
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Post by malcolm on Nov 4, 2020 13:58:02 GMT
Another advocate for k&k a spot on match for my Fylde Oberon which I used to play through an AER all eq set flat I had no qualms choosing k&k for the next guitar I wanted to amp up I agree, having tried many others over the years, K&K is the only pickup I use.
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