I have been think of putting a passive Ibeam in my OM-1A paired with a PADI Box.

Wonder what everyone use with their Guitar? Any had experience with Ibeam/OM1A combo?

Hi there. I have an OM3HE and am using a passive IBeam. I like it paired with the Para Acustic DI and the MixPro. I plan to possibly install a second pickup somewhere (without cutting anything) and using a stereo cable with the MixPro to see if I can get anything more from it.

I can crank this pickup up pretty loud and not have feedback. The bridge plate is fairly beefy compared with other guitars I have installed IBeams in, so it's not as responsive, but the sound is very realistic. It does pick up finger taps from the sound board way more than an under saddle does (no, I've not put one of those in my Collings).

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uncle john
OM3HE

Thanks.

Do you find the Passive mode with enough gain? I heard from others that if the cable to the PADI is too long.. the Passive Ibeam might not have enough output..?

Well, since I got the MixPro, the PADI stays home a lot. The MP clips to my belt so the cable I use is only about a meter long. I perceive no signal loss or noise increase when using a longer cable to connect the MP to the board.

I never had good results using phantom power and XLR cable with the PADI and it's heavier than the MP. Also, the MP does not go through 9V batteries as fast.

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uncle john
OM3HE

All pickups color the sound some. The "sounds just like your guitar but louder" is just advertising hype believed by people with inferior hearing. <g> That said, there are some nice pickups out there and you just have to find one that colors the sound in the way that sounds "right" to you.

I had a very disappointing experience with a Baggs I-Beam in another guitar I own. Difficult to place correctly, not a lot of output. Feedback prone. I used it with a Baggs PADI, which helped some. Overall, I think the I-Beam is vastly overrated and I wouldn't recommend it.

I put a Seymour Duncan Mag Mic in my Collings OM-2H and, to my ears at least, it is heaven. I play through a small PA, and every now and then I just find myself stopping to appreciate the richness of the sound. Even my wife, who kindly tolerates my guitar hobby, has remarked that the Duncan sounds better than any amplified acousitc she has ever heard, very professional sound. It's a magnetic soundhole humbucker, with a small mic underneath which can be blended by a dial on the PUP. Another dial controls volume of the blended sound. I understand that Laurence Juber helped voice the pickup for Duncan, and plays it in his live performances. Easy to install temporarily if you want to see how it sounds, then if you like it you can install permanently. The drawback is it's expensive, lists close to $400, but can be bought at the chain stores in the $250 range.

I heard a B-Band AST in a nice Martin OM a few weeks, and thought it sounded fairly natural. It mounts under the bridge, like the IBeam, but is supposed to be less sensitive to placement. I'd pick it over my I-Beam any day of the week.

I use a 3 year old dual source B-band UST with their Core 99 Internal Endpin Preamp and the internal B-band mic. It is exceptionally natural sounding but is a bit weak in terms of signal strength. I've read that they have continued to improve on the signal strength and string balance in current models. The signal strength is of no consequence since I plug into a raven labs PMB-1 preamp/blender and then take that into my Mackie board. I am going to try the new Bband 1470 AST sound board transducer in my Taylor 514CE to replace the barndoor Fishman Prefix Preamp. If that goes well, I will probably add an AST to my existing Core 99 preamp and replace the internal Mic. Will report back when that happens.

Gary

As long as I'm walking on thin ice, I might as well dance!

No pickup. Just a microphone to record with. When I play live I usually play electric guitar, so I have the pickup thing easy. Since all pickups are a bit of a compromise, and the room and PA also change the sound, I think most of the popular pickups are probably just fine. It still won't sound like your Collings, but it will sound OK. Even a microphone changes the sound, although not usually as much as a pickup. Once it's amplified, it's different no matter what you do.

When I amplify, I use the Fishman Rare Earth Blend through an SWR California Blonde.

I like it allot. But, I admit that I am no expert in this area and rarely "plug in".

quote:

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Originally posted by Hap:
there are some nice pickups out there and you just have to find one that colors the sound in the way that sounds "right" to you.

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I think that pretty much says it all. (except for what I'm gonna add <G> )

I am in love with the sound Michael Hedges got, but I'm sure his acoustic (Barbara) sounded quite different with no amplification. Richard Thompson is another example, in my opinion. His guitar sounds almost like a hollow body electric (and we're talkin' a Lowden now, so don't be offended all you Collings diehards) to me, but I love it, and I love what he does with it.

I think if you have enormous amounts of money, time, and resources you can eventually get the sound you're hearing in your head. If you're a regular schmoe like me you end up adapting your playing to sound good with what you've got, changing what you can when you can.

Tony

Love, Song, Dancing.

Ya know, I was just thinking of posting this very question in the "gear forum".... Thanks Ed!

Presently I'm using a B-band Core99 UST in my CJ-A. It's doesn't have the "ice-pick to the forehead" sound of so many piezo-based USTs, but it does have a sort of "plasticy" tone if played softly with a pick while turned up loud. I've been debating going to SBTs (Pickup-the-World, K&K, or perhaps B-band 1470) or possibly blending two pickups again. I did determine that B-band's internal mic really stinks. I'm debating replacing that channel of the B-band preamp with a SBT. I'm leaning heavily towards B-band's 1470 SBT. For awhile I tried using a Sunrise soundhole pickup in combination with the B-band UST, using a Baggs MixPro. It worked really well for fingerstyle. My problem (aside from wimpy volume output) is the weight of the Sunrise pickup (a brick). It's so heavy that I think it deadens the soundboard. There's also the issue of leaving it in place while traveling. Its so heavy that if could be jarred out of place. If it bounces around loose inside your guitar there's a great possibility of damage to your instrument. I've been debating the iBeam. My instructor has a passive iBeam in his CJ, which he runs through a Baggs PADI. The combination sounds great - akin to my B-band UST, but a bit more airy. I can't help but think that the active iBeam model would sound better still. My take on the iBeam is that it was designed with Martin-type dreadnoughts and OM's in mind. The best sounding applications I've heard have been from this type of instrument. Most of the detractors of the iBeam that I've heard are of decidedly not-Martin type instruments (Taylors etc). I've tried a Fishman Rare Earth Blend - decent sound, but an intangible something was missing in it's tonal range; I'm not sure what. I was running it through a Baggs PADI and dry, into an SWR California Blonde amp. I've no idea what the answer is. According the the guy who works on my guitars (ObiWan-John Thurston - THE MAN if you're in the Balto-Washington area), DiMarzio's virtual vintage soundhole pick is the cost-to-performance leader hands down. He loves them. Your milage may vary....