Pickup recommendations for 1973 F212XL

[Rob Reilly]

I have been using a Seymour Duncan Woody humbucking pickup for a few years, which is inserted and clamped in the sound hole. It works fine in my own amp.

I'm now playing in a church with a built in sound board system, and find I can't hear myself over the rest of the band.
The sound guy has me cranked up all the way, and he says he can't do anything more.
I'm just not happy with that pickup.
Looking for recommendations.

Elderly Instruments has the LR Baggs Hi-Fi but they only show it in a 6 string and it requires a 9V battery inside the guitar.
I don't think I'd like to have to remove all the strings just to change a battery.
They have a few more versions like the K&K Pure 12 String with sticky pads you put under the bridge plate.
Thoughts?

 

[Br1ck]

I've only used Dazzo pickups in my 12 string, and a friend has them in his F 112. In fact I have them in six guitars. If you walk into a shop, they will sell you what they have on their shelf, usually K&Ks which I don't care for but many do. Here is the deal, any piezo pickup will need its impedance matched to the first devise downstream. That is in the guitar, where you need the battery to power the preamp, or a pre amp outside the guitar which can be phantom powered, powered by 9 volt, or both. You can get just a DI, but most people like to have some EQ and gain available. Your piezo pickup will want to see around 1 meg ohm. I generally do not like an under saddle pickup, mores in a 12 string. They tend to have either a hot or a weak corse of strings. You can have a magnetic sound hole pickup that is hotter semipermanently put in your guitar like a Sunrise. Once again, with or without a battery. You can have a bigger endpin jack/battery box put in, like Taylors come with, but you need a largish hole.

Also to consider is cost. You can easily spend three or four hundred dollars. Baggs has a new pickup incorporating the HiFi and a mic that is promising but battery powered. Also keep in mind you won't be changing batteries all that often provided you don't leave the cord plugged into your guitar.

 

[rg2002]

I'm very happy with Trance Audio Amulet with phantom power (no battery) in my F212, but it is pricey

 

[Cougar]

They have a few more versions like the K&K Pure 12 String with sticky pads you put under the bridge plate.
Thoughts?

That's what I had put in my F512. But like @Br1ck said, in order for it to sound decent, it really needed "its impedance matched to the first devise downstream.... a pre amp outside the guitar which can be phantom powered, powered by 9 volt, or both." My solution was a Behringer ADI21 V-Tone Acoustic Driver DI Pedal for 39 bucks. (I know you can spend a whole lot more for a DI, but this little item did the trick!)

 

[chazmo]

Have you tried an external preamp, Reilly? Maybe that'd be sufficient rather than changing your system.

I think I'm going to offer up my K&K preamp soon in FS. Given where I am in my life, I'm unlikely to ever use it.

 

[Rob Reilly]

Thanks for all the replies. I can see there are a lot of choices on the market.
That's a good point about the battery lasting a long time. I suppose I could change it when I change strings.
It occurred to me that maybe Guild does something themselves about pickups in acoustics, so I looked on their website, and it turns out they do.
They don't offer the F212XL anymore, but they have a F512E, and they sell it with or without an LR Baggs Anthem system pickup. They ask $4700 for it so it must be the best.
I found that pickup online. It's like a little microphone under the bridge plate. There are a couple of different price levels, and I'll have to do some research on whether or not and how it can be installed in my old reliable stage-mate.
Kind of like going back to the old days of playing into a mike on a stand

 

[Central Florida Folkie]

K&K mini’s for 12 string along with a Radial PZ Pre would make your guitar sound heavenly…

But I still prefer to stick a mic in front of it and avoid pick ups altogether

 

[chazmo]

Thanks for all the replies. I can see there are a lot of choices on the market.
That's a good point about the battery lasting a long time. I suppose I could change it when I change strings.
It occurred to me that maybe Guild does something themselves about pickups in acoustics, so I looked on their website, and it turns out they do.
They don't offer the F212XL anymore, but they have a F512E, and they sell it with or without an LR Baggs Anthem system pickup. They ask $4700 for it so it must be the best.
I found that pickup online. It's like a little microphone under the bridge plate. There are a couple of different price levels, and I'll have to do some research on whether or not and how it can be installed in my old reliable stage-mate.
Kind of like going back to the old days of playing into a mike on a stand

There are many choices, Reilly. Before you change anything, try an external preamp (belt clip or on the floor). That's assuming you like the sound of your Woody to begin with. Seymour Duncan has lots of choices for new pickups.

And, regarding "best..." I won't touch that as beauty is in the eye of the beholder here [cough, cough, Seymour Duncan Wavelength Duo. ] . Seriously, the only thing objective that can be said about your choices for electrifying that beautiful F-212XL is that old electronics should always be jettisoned for new stuff in the acoustic world. Your Woody isn't in that category.