Wanna put in a pick up on my guitar, need help

[StevenYoo]

Hi,
I have an acoustic guitar I use to play with my church. It's a Takamine (can't recall the model#). We play churchy songs. Anyway, someone donated an amp to us and I thought "why not make good use of it and get a pick up?"

Anyways, I know NOTHING about acoustic pick-ups nor what different kinds there are. Are they hard to install? Will the store install it for me for a fee?

I'm playing happy-go-lucky churchy songs, nothing hard or too heavy. What pick-ups are best for these purposes?

Tell me everything you know about pick-ups. I'd like to be more knowledgeable about them.

 

[Colt45]

i dont know too much about them, but i have some spare ones from a fender somewhere in my room..
hehe
i guess its a little different with accoustic electric though..
have to put in a panel as well as a pickup

 

[BigJohnKC]

I have almost exactly the same situation. What I did was buy a external pick-up for the acoustic - it basically is a little thing that sits underneath the strings across the hole in the guitar. I think it cost me about 70 bucks, comes with a cord you can plug into an amp. The brand waq Dean Markley, I think. If you go to a guitar shop and explain your situation I'm sure they can help you. As for installing a pick-up in your guitar, I think that gets much more expensive and hard to do, but I am not sure.

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

i play electric but i might be able to help a little.

AFAIK, there are 2 kinds of acoustic pickups: piezo, and clip-in. the piezo's are actually your bridge saddles, and they pick up the sound of the string through touching it. they would probably be a pain in the ass to install. the clip in type just go into the soundhole, and should be fairly easy to use. just read some reviews online, and/or go for a good brand, i.e. seymour duncan or dimarzio, etc.

good luck

 

[Omegachi]

i want a guitar, anyone got one for sell? a used working one is fine with me, i just wanna serenade the ladies.

 

[StevenYoo]

so the ones that go across the hole... are those good?

I mean do they pick up sound as well as the acoustics with the built-in pick ups?

70 bucks, eh? What other brands make good pick ups and good guitar accessories in general?

 

[BigJohnKC]

I'd say the hole pickup I have is pretty good - I play with another two guys at my church who have acoustic/electric guitars and my pickup is a bit quieter than either of theirs, but if we turn up the input level it sounds the same. The only gripe I have is that it has a short cord, probably designed for people who will be playing right next to their amp instead of plugging into a board halfway across the stage. I have to borrow an extension cable to play in church. Overall, I think they are a good deal for those without a built-in pickup.

 

[StevenYoo]

ok, i found two Dean Markley acoustic pickups.

What's the difference between this one and this one?

 

[StevenYoo]

what other brands are good?

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

seymour duncan and dimarzio, other than that i dont know....dean markleys are good...i think gibson might make them, fender too....i've been out of the guitar scene too long to remember now.

go look at musicians friend, they should have a decent selection.

 

[squirrelman]

If I were you I would go to a store and ask them about these and see if they might have anything you could even try out. Whatever you do though DO NOT go somewhere like guitar center. They dont care about music or musicians they will tell you anything sounds good so they sell it. Go to a nice mom and pop music store and explain to them what you are looking for. Most of them really know what they are talking about and will honestly be happy helping you. As for what kind to get I would get the one that clips on the sound hole personally. For one Piezos sound awful. I had one once on a 12 string accoustic I had and It just sounded like garbage. Granted it wasnt a super expensive one but still. I think you are best sticking with a company like Dean Markley, Seymour Duncan, or DiMarzio unless you want to spend alot of money. You can always get something better but you will pay for it. If you need a list of good guitar shops try www.gbase.com and browse for any stores that might be in your area. They are a great place to start.

 

[StevenYoo]

<< If I were you I would go to a store and ask them about these and see if they might have anything you could even try out. Whatever you do though DO NOT go somewhere like guitar center. They dont care about music or musicians they will tell you anything sounds good so they sell it. Go to a nice mom and pop music store and explain to them what you are looking for. Most of them really know what they are talking about and will honestly be happy helping you. As for what kind to get I would get the one that clips on the sound hole personally. For one Piezos sound awful. I had one once on a 12 string accoustic I had and It just sounded like garbage. Granted it wasnt a super expensive one but still. I think you are best sticking with a company like Dean Markley, Seymour Duncan, or DiMarzio unless you want to spend alot of money. You can always get something better but you will pay for it. If you need a list of good guitar shops try www.gbase.com and browse for any stores that might be in your area. They are a great place to start. >>



thanks a lot, squirreldude, will do!

Thanks for the advice everyone