On board electrics questions...

[nnickusa]

OK, I've decided to make my dread an acoustic/electric. To whit, I have picked up a couple options for said electrics.

The first is an LR Baggs IMix, which combines their undersaddle and the newer I-Beam. Thi one requires a hole cut into the side of the guitar to accomodate the onboard preamp. This rig is quite dear at retail prices, but I picked it up for $100 more or less....I supose that if I don't love it, I could then have a soundport

The second option is a Fishman Ellipse Matrix, which has the undersaddle piezo, and an adjustable microphone that can be moved around in the body of the guitar to find a good spot for it...The benefit of this one is that it doesn't require any cutting, slicing or dicing of the guitar....

Now, the weather gods having been kind, and me finally working out my poor man's dry room, I've got the box done, and am ready to fit the neck this weekend. I'm going to go with a dovetail again, as I only just received the neck bolt stuff I ordered, and didn't really plan for it on this one...All the fittings for this one are gold. Open Gear Gotoh tuners, gold frets, gold plated brass pins, and gold strap pins...

Anyway, here are a couple shots of the body, the electrics and the neck, etc. B/S blackwood from Steve at Dorrigo. Top, Michael Connor reckons, redwood, tho I bought it as cedar. Neck figured blackwood from Steve, with a Tas Oak centre lamination. Fingerboard and bridge pink gidgee. Herringbone rosette, and purfling. I still have a few issues with getting the routing fr the bindeing right, and it's a bit thin in spots, but it'll do....

So, the question is: I'm inclined to try the Fishman first. If I don't like it, I can install the LR Baggs later. I don't really care about the side mounted eq, as I'll keep this one as an A/E. Has anyone tried either or both of these systems, and are there any opinions as to which might be preferable?

Couple pix..and thanks in advance

[kiwigeo]

Nick, have you considered K and K Western? I use their stuff as do alot of others in here.

[nnickusa]

Hey Martin,

yeah, i've looked at those, but these two came up cheap, relative to RRP, and I tought I'd have a shot at them. No reason not to try a few alternatives, I thought. I've heard good things about the Ibeam, and I like the idea of a mike to try and produce the acoustic sound. I'm a fan of miked up acoustics reather than the onboard stuff,but onboards make sense.....

I'll likely try out the K&K evetually....

[EricDownunder]

I know nothing about electrics but your yipi-stick is looking great.

[Nick]

I do like the L.R Baggs gear after installing Elements & onboard pre amps in my last two builds (no iBeam but the Element UST gave a very 'natural' sound & replicated the acoustic sound very well) but the Fishman is supposed to be an excellent system also. Personally I'd go with the Fishman system simply because you wouldn't be left with any 'extra' holes should you not like it & decide to remove it.
I like the neck, matches the body perfectly, going to look good when its all finished.....for a dready

[scripsit]

I've got the Fishman system you mention installed in a Jack Spira 0000 (he put it in for me when he built the guitar).

Run through a small Roland acoustic amp it has a very natural sound which, importantly, sounds to me very much like the guitar unamplified.

I've got the microphone fairly low in the box, pointing at the back, and a bit of this mixed in with the piezo makes a big difference to the sound.

I've always disliked the piezo quack, and find, for instance, that even some of my heroes like Martin Simpson have a discernable amount of it present when playing live (at least on the live albums I've heard) when this is the sole pickup system.

The volume control is convenient to hand with the Fishman and there are no obvious signs that the guitar has electronics on board.

I've also got a cheap(ish) Martin dread with the factory installed Fishman microphone/piezo in it. This works fine, too, although there is plenty of boom when amplified which is probably what dreads are for anyway. The flip out volume and mixing panel on the side of the guitar is ugly and sort of upsetting every time I look at it, but this is about appearance more than audio quality.

By the way, in regards to soundports and the like, I find no difference between the sound of the Martin with the flip out panel closed or open. Is this something to do with the size of the hole?

Kym

[nnickusa]

Thanks for the opinions and kind words, guys....

Nick, I'm inclined to try the Fishman first, but I could also put that into the OM I built and be able to remove it....Decisions, decisions.....

Of course, I also have a Dean Markley Super Natural sound hole pickup, which is the least intrusive....

I'd have to think that any pickup that relies on the strings vibrations for amplification(ie: undersaddle, or soundhole) has to have some element lacking, so I've been leaning towards the Fishman because of the mic.....Of cou=rse,the preamp probably has more to do with it than the pick up.....

Kym, I asked the question about soundports and opened a can of worms, with the consensus opinio being that they don't help, hurt, detract from or improve the sound.....OI!!!!

Anyway, the back on this thing is going to quite spectacular when it's finished, I think..I'm going to spray it with Mirotone, I think, but I want to impart a subtle "burst" with shellac first.....

Might take a while.....Makes my head hurt, all the options....

[P Bill]

Nick, the guitar looks great, you haven't wasted any time between jobs!

I used a McIntyre Feather under sound board piezo on an archtop. It is now teamed up with an end of fingerboard Kent Armstrong. My mate is quite happy with this configuration.

I'll give the K&K a go next time.