Acoustic Guitar Pickup Options: Your Guide to What We Use
Most RainSongs are acoustic-electric guitars. The reason is that our carbon fiber instruments are nearly impervious to the rigors of live performance. Take yours from the frozen trunk of a car into a sweaty nightclub and hit the stage. The guitar will be in-tune and sound terrific. And don't panic when your drummer accidentally knocks your RainSong off its stand. The guitar will still be in one piece and play perfectly.
But all of this means nothing to acoustic players if the instrument doesn't also have great-sounding and reliable electronics. RainSong has you covered here too. Working with some of the finest acoustic manufacturers to offer the best acoustic guitar pickups, we've outfitted our acoustic-electric guitars with top-shelf components ready to deliver natural acoustic tone when you take the stage.
Keeping with our tradition of having a wide variety of options for little to no extra cost, we offer a few different types of pickup options. Each one is specified for specific models but is available as a custom option on our other guitars. So, from fingerstyle-favorite pickups to natural-sounding preamps for live-stage strumming, let's dig into them.
Note: The L.R. Baggs options come standard with the Stagepro onboard active preamp. It lets you dial your tone quickly and easily via a 3-band EQ tone controls and a volume control, pull out problem feedback frequencies with an intuitive Notch control and phase switch, and there's even a highly accurate onboard tuner for on-stage peace of mind.
LR Baggs Stagepro Element
The LR Baggs Stagepro Element pickup and preamp system is our most widely used onboard electronics package. That's for a good reason. It sounds terrific and offers piezo's feedback-fighting benefits for live performances.
But LR Baggs approached the undersaddle pickup a bit differently with this one. Instead of responding directly to string vibrations, it picks up the soundboard vibrations. The result is a much warmer and more natural tone without the spiky "quack" that can plague other piezo designs. You can actually hear the real sound of the strings!
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LR Baggs Stagepro Anthem
Nothing can beat a great microphone for capturing the authentic voice of acoustic instruments. But if you've ever tried this approach in a live performance, you probably quickly ran into howling feedback issues. Other companies offer internal microphones and microphone pickups as a workaround. But the LR Baggs Anthem solves this dilemma with an onboard condenser and Anthem TRU-MIC technology. Harnessing the PZM effect and noise cancellation, it gives you a studio-quality microphone sound.
If the Stagepro Element is our choice for loud stages, the LR Baggs Stagepro Anthem is our favorite for nearly everything else. And that makes sense, as it also includes the Element piezo pickup as part of its voice, pairing it with its condenser. You can mix the two pickup sources to get the clarity and feedback-resistance of the piezo Element AND a warm natural mic'd-up tone.
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K&K Sound Pure Mini
The K&K Sound Pure Mini acoustic guitar pickup is the industry standard for fingerstyle guitar and players who value nuance over volume. Installed under the bridge plate inside the guitar, this body sensor design captures the energy and movement of the entire instrument without the added considerations of additional controls. The Pure Mini is also a passive design. That means it doesn't require an onboard battery to power a built-in preamp, making it a great option if you have an outboard preamp you already love.
Worth mentioning when considering the K&K is its feedback-prone nature when pushed too hard. These pickups are generally used for solo acoustic performances and intimate settings. For best results, use them for the coffee house or fingerstyle gigs where you need a bit more volume and a full sound. You'll fall in love with their great tones. But they're not well suited for getting above other instruments or a loud venue.
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*Not available on 25YR and APSE models.
Pure Acoustic
As we said, RainSong guitars are favorites for gigging guitarists everywhere. But if you've ever played one unplugged, you know how enchanting the acoustic sound of a skillfully crafted carbon fiber guitar can be. So we wanted to include our guitars without electronics in the article as well.
These instruments are not afterthoughts. In fact, we have multiple Vintage and Nashville Series acoustics that come Pure Acoustic from our factory. Their big lows, clear high end, and powerful projection let these guitars stand on their own. Best of all, nearly all of our guitars are available like this. So, whether you want a guitar to mic in the studio, something for around the campfire, or even a blank slate to add your own after-market electronics, Pure Acoustic is the way to get the true tone of the guitar.
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Available on:
*Not available on 25YR and APSE models.
Which acoustic-electric pickup is right for you?
We care as much about the plugged-in sound of our carbon fiber acoustic guitars as we do their unplugged tone. It's the connection between you and your audience. And thanks to incredible brands like LR Baggs and K&K Sound, the different pickups we offer ensure you get the best possible performance from your RainSong every time you plug in.
Do you want a RainSong with one of the non-standard acoustic guitar pickup systems you see here? No problem. Just fill out the Custom Shop form here, and we'll get back to you asap and make it happen.