I'm considering installing a pickup in my OM2H and wanted suggestions/opinions from those of you more learned than myself. I'd prefer one where you didn't need an external pre-amp, if possible.

I welcome your thoughts and thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Bill

FWIW: After trying multitudes of pickups, I find the K&K mini Western to be the best out there. Only $85 at Shoreline and it has as good as sound as PUTW without the need for the preamp... but the preamp helps tremedously if going into a Mackie mixer or P.A. mixer. If you have an Ultrasound amp, you don't need the preamp as much. K&K pickups sound most natural to me but not necessarily the best if you want to play stadiums or with a rock band. For those setting, use a mag-type like the Baggs M-1 or Sunrise. Note: get the mini style since it fits on the bridgeplate better than the larger size.

Thanks, Kenny. I do have an Ultrasound amp and don't play out. This is just for around home and possibly at jams. I have heard good things about the K&K mini.

+1 for K&K Pure Western Mini. It's hard to believe a $90 pickup can be so good, but it really is. Read the reviews on harmony central. K&K sounds like your guitar, so if you like the way your guitar sounds (and what Collings owner doesn't?) you will love the K&K. I have them on three guitars now, soon to be four.

Here's a clip of one of mine. It sound just like the guitar:
http://home.mchsi.com/~dberch/MP3s/The_Fisherman.mp3
K&K Pure western, direct in, on a Larrivee OM-05MT

iBeam is very good too, but far more prone to feedback than K&K.

As Kenny said above, if you play in VERY loud settings, you might consider a sound-hole mag like the Sunrise or the Baggs M1. Sounds like that's not going to be the case - at least for a while They don't sound much like your guitar, but are nearly impervious to feedback.
Good luck!
David

On my OM1A, I used to have the Baggs Element (under saddle). I recently switched to the Baggs iMix. It gave me the ability to blend the two pickups to my preference. On 90% of my gigs, I play through my UltraSound AG50DS3. I have a Baggs PADI but only use it if I will be too far away from the amp for EQ purposes.

Ace
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Another thumbs-up for the K&K Pure Western Mini.

OM1 > Ultrasound Ultra PDI preamp > AER 60/2 amp. Great set-up for a smaller venue solo gig.

I be lovin' dem K&K Pure Western Minis....

I love my K & K, but as has been suggested, you might want an external pre-amp or very powerful amp for certain situations, since the signal is not real strong.

Also, if you do the install, be VERY careful with the epoxy glue they provide. It does very bad things to your finish.

Still, I think it is best option to maintain acoustic sound unless you get crazy with two internal pickups.

quote:

Originally posted by KilgoreKid:
I'm considering installing a pickup in my OM2H and wanted suggestions/opinions from those of you more learned than myself. I'd prefer one where you didn't need an external pre-amp, if possible.

I welcome your thoughts and thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Bill

Pickup choice depends on many factors, including the instument, music styles, right hand techniques used, whether you play solo or in a band, whether it's part of a signle or dual source setup, venue, the remainder of your signal chain and personal preference.

A good thing to do is to listen to the pickup samples on Doug Young's site:

http://www.dougyoungguitar.com/pickuptest.htm

Spend an hour or so listening to the samples. You'll probably find a few that stand out to you. Next, see if those favored pickup combinations will work for your situation.

Regarding the outboard preamp, EVERY pickup needs a preamp, it's just a matter of where it is physically located in your signal chain. Some are placed into the guitar, some plug into the endpin jack, some are in separate outboard units and some are in the acoustic amp or mixing board. Perhaps you will be satisfied with just running a cable from your guitar to an amp. But that won't work well with some pickups (e.g., PUTW #27, #54). So do your research before you buy. It's a pleasant journey.

Doug's site is indeed great info..
I have a Fishman Ellipse Blend that I think sounds great and has a soundhole blender. Good stuff. Very hard to make it feedback. Dial a little internal mic in and you've got a pretty natural sound.

For simplicity of installation, clarity of sound, and trueness to the sound of the guitar it's put into, I like the K&K Pure Western mini. I've gone straight into an Ultrasound with no preamp and it sounds great. I have them in two utterly different guitars: an OM1A cutaway short scale, and a CJ indian/adirondack. They sound completely different, and those differences come through the pickup. Now, when you get in a noisy bar playing with a group, a lot of that nuance gets buried. There's no way around that, but a mike just does not cut it. I"ve been doing this for forty years. For the easiest, truest sound, especially for the money, you can't beat K&K. If you want three pickups and all that exotic outboard stuff, knock yourself out, but the audience won't know it. Unless you're playing before dead quiet, respectful audiences (and how many of them are there?), I think the Oregonian boys have it nailed. In a quiet room, a Sennheiser and a 30 year old Cognac.