Wife wants to know what I want for X-mas. What's a good pickup for a D-55 ?

D30Man

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AYAND, if you've been reading all these years, people are always raving about the K&K pure mini, and I think that's a passive p/u but follow the link and see if that something you're looking for.......

https://www.kksound.com/products/puremini.php

Pure mini's a great. I have had several over they years and they never disappoint.. However, I have a luthier up the street who has designed his own dual source pickups that are top notch. All of my Guild acoustics have these now..
 

JohnW63

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My Guild CO-1 has the pure mini and it sounds pretty good. I just think the actual mic in the guitar would be most accurate and having the ability to blend that with a not so feedback prone source, like UST or SBT would be great to customize the sound.
 

JohnW63

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I've continued looking into the offerings, I would be great to NOT have in internal battery, but very few have that. Many just come with a wire to the basic 9v batter plug. I think I would change that out to a box, so if it leaked, it would stay in the box. If I could position the box in a location that could be accessed without removing the strings, or slacking them enough to get my whole hand in the guitar, that would be an OK option.

If you have a battery, where have you installed it to make changes quick and easy ?
 

gibsonjunkie

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The DTAR Multisource has a nylon bag that would keep any leakage from spreading. Id also consider paying a pro to install it. The extra $50 might be worth it. When my tech installed the DTAR in my J-200 he had to come up with a creative way to avoid the bracing. He did it with a dowel and piece of pickguard material and did an amazing job. I also now put batteries in only one of my acoustics and take that out playing - that way I'm not worrying about 8 acoustics with dead battereis, only one.
 

fronobulax

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If you have a battery, where have you installed it to make changes quick and easy ?

The person who installed the PU in my B50 (it was installed when I bought it) stuck a piece of velcro on the inside at the neck block. The battery is in a cute little drawstring bag that has the corresponding velcro on the outside. Slack the strings, detach the bag, swap the battery and reverse. The problem is that the battery is too heavy for the adhesive on the velcro so a good shake and things detach and rattle around inside. The solution is a stronger adhesive or a bigger piece of velcro. I haven't done that yet because it gives me something to complain about and when I use the B50 it is not amplified so there is no battery in place.
 

jgmaute

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I had a Baggs M1 Active put in my D55 and think it's a very natural sound. I also have them in my '53 Martin 00-18 and my '98 Martin 00-16DBR so I'm a bit biased! I honestly am not wild about the look but really like the sound.
 
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K&K Pure mini pickup system ( passive) with the off-board k&k pure preamp! ( the preamp even has a belt clip if you want it on your belt or guitar strap, if you run a battery in it. )
Sounds great on every Guild I have it on! My first choice! I also have the soundhole volume control in all of mine too. It’s passive, so it’s more of an on/off switch than anything else.

But here’s the slight caveat... the k&k picks up the sound of the guitar and amplifies it nicely, so if you have a great sounding guitar, you’re golden!

Cheers!
 

dbirchett

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AYAND, if you've been reading all these years, people are always raving about the K&K pure mini, and I think that's a passive p/u but follow the link and see if that something you're looking for.......

https://www.kksound.com/products/puremini.php

Let me add my 2 pennies' worth of recommendations for the K&K. I have 4 acoustics and all of them have K&K minis in them. They sound good without a preamp. They sound great with one. They do not require batteries and they do not affect the acoustic sound when you are not plugged in.
 

MLBob

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Wander around on the K&K site and look at all the acoustic PU options. If you e-mail them you'll get an immediate reply to any questions. I've always been a big fan of the K&K passive systems, but they offer both active & passive options on most of their configurations.
 

Charlie Bernstein

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Those active pickups probably sound great, but I don't like batteries, either.

For a swanky axe like a D-55, I'd be tempted to go simple with a passive soundhole pickup (no mods to the guitar) and a rugged active DI without many knobs or switches (less to fiddle with).

Let us know what you end up with!
 
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fronobulax

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Your worries are over. Soundhole pickups don't hurt soundholes, and there are other ways to beat feedback.

They used to. I don't have the guitar anymore or pics to prove it but the pickup is still in a box somewhere. I did a search and there are only a couple that I think might not have the same design flaw that tore up the rosette if the PU was installed and removed. Is your experience based upon a specific model or perhaps you put it in and left it in place? Thanks.
 

Charlie Bernstein

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They used to. I don't have the guitar anymore or pics to prove it but the pickup is still in a box somewhere. I did a search and there are only a couple that I think might not have the same design flaw that tore up the rosette if the PU was installed and removed. Is your experience based upon a specific model or perhaps you put it in and left it in place? Thanks.
I used a Dean Markley ProMag for years, and it never left a mark. I've seen plenty of makes of soundhole pickups on other guitars, and I've never noticed any gouging on any of them.

But it does sound possible. Sorry to hear about yours!
 
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fronobulax

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I used a Dean Markley ProMag for years, and it never left a mark. I've seen plenty of makes of soundhole pickups on other guitars, and I've never noticed any gouging on any of them.

But it does sound possible. Sorry to hear about yours!

Thanks. My offending pickup is also a Dean Markley with a similar design but a couple decades older. Maybe it's the frequency and/or care of installation? In any case I'll try and temper my opinion next time I offer it. Thanks again.
 
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