The Best Acoustic Guitar Pickups for Steel & Nylon Strings

The Best Acoustic Guitar Pickups for Steel & Nylon Strings









Alexander







March 17, 2024







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Are you wondering what the best acoustic guitar pickup is for your particular needs? Here, we’ll give you our thoughts on our top picks for the best acoustic guitar pickups for steel and nylon strings.









Best Hybrid Pickup





LR Baggs Anthem Tru-Mic Active Acoustic Guitar PickupThe LR Baggs Anthem is a high-fidelity acoustic pickup that blends a piezo system with microphone signals.








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Best Passive Pickup





DiMarzio Black Angel DP234DiMarzio, often associated with electric pickups, gets our recommendation with their bright sounding and feedback resistant Black Angel acoustic pickup.








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Best Humbucker Pickup





Fishman Rare Earth Humbucking Pickup With MicThe Fishman's Rare Earth is a soundhole pickup with incredible clarity and great sounding warm tones, which works well for stage and recording use.








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Best For Beginners





Seymour Duncan Woody SA-3 HC Hum-Cancelling PickupThe Woody SA-3 is a premium wooden pickup that delivers consistent, noiseless tones while being easy to install and use, ideal for beginners.








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Best Bridge Plate Pickup





LR Baggs iBeam ActiveThe LR Baggs iBeam is a good alternative to conventional piezo strips. It attaches to the bridge plate, offering clarity, feedback suppression, and easy installation.








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At the dawn of jazz and the big band era, a guitarist was surrounded by plenty of instruments that could easily overpower an acoustic guitar.
Soon, microphones became available, which became the only option to amplify a guitar’s sound by putting a mic a few inches away from the soundhole.
Then came the invention of pickups – a way to capture the vibration of the strings and convert it into audio signal that can be amplified. This made it easier for guitarists to get their sound heard.
These days, there are now pickups developed specifically for acoustic guitars. These have opened the way to freedom of movement and sonic possibilities in terms of sound isolation and tone shaping.
Featured here are the best of these acoustic guitar pickup systems, which you can install to your acoustic guitar, to transform it into a stage-ready instrument.






















Table of Contents












The Best Acoustic Guitar Pickups Round Up













LR Baggs Anthem Tru-Mic







DiMarzio Black Angel DP234







Fishman Rare Earth







Seymour Duncan Woody SA-3







LR Baggs iBeam







Kremona NG-1







LR Baggs Lyric Classical













Things to Consider When Buying Acoustic Guitar Pickups















The Best Acoustic Guitar Pickups Round Up















LR Baggs Anthem Tru-Mic



Best Hybrid Pickup

















LR Baggs Anthem Tru-Mic Active Acoustic Guitar Pickup



Guitarsite Expert Opinion







One of their best offerings is the Anthem, which blends piezo and microphone signals, giving you the most natural, pristine sound possible. This allows you to enjoy good sounding mic’ed tones and the feedback suppression of a regular piezo pickup.





















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Loyd Baggs, a guitarist and woodworker had a deep fascination with guitar tone manipulation and construction. Founded in 1979, LR Baggs is famous for their high-fidelity acoustic pickups. This passion for guitars is reflected in their products.The LR Baggs Anthem is a hybrid of microphone/piezo pickup. There’s no need for special tools other than gluing, using velcro or adhesive tape to attach the battery pack and pickup inside the guitar. However, in some cases, you might have to drill a bigger hole for the endpin to fit.While it is not a hard install by any means, it’s still advisable to get a luthier for good measure.You have the standard volume for levels and a mix dial for blending the piezo and the microphone signal. Turn it to the right you get more of the piezo pickup. To the left, you get more mic signals. Next to the dial is a phase inverter to avoid phase canceling.This pickup gives you so much tonal control. For the most part, piezo pickups isolate the sound of the strings, producing a tinny sound. While microphone pickups tend to capture the full-bodied resonance of the guitar, you’re raising the possibility of feedback and noise.With the LR Baggs Anthem, you’ve both the brightness of a piezo and the full resonance of a microphone pickup.If you’re the type of guitarist who’s particular in shaping your sound in different venues, the LR Baggs Anthem will fit you like a glove.







Pros:







Captures natural and authentic tone well




Versatile due to hybrid pickup




Reliable feedback suppression








Cons:







DIYing is a challenge. Best installed by a luthier




Controls are a bit more complex



















Specifications:
Type: Piezo / MicrophoneRequired Mods: Endpin, Setting Pickup in Bridge, Mounting Soundhole ControlInstallation Difficulty: ModerateControls: Volume, Mix, Phase, Battery Check, Mic Level















DiMarzio Black Angel DP234



Best Passive Pickup
















DiMarzio Black Angel DP234 Passive Soundhole Acoustic Guitar Pickup



Guitarsite Expert Opinion







DiMarzio Black Angel produces bright acoustic tones and minimal feedback. Its a magnetic pickup ideal for dynamic playing styles and in tandem with external mics and other pickups. Offering dynamic response and minimal feedback, it installs easily with a 3.5″ endpin. Combines well with piezo pickups or mics for natural, bright tone.





















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If you hear someone mentioning DiMarzio Black Angel without having prior knowledge you’ll probably think it’s an electric guitar pickup. If you take just a second to visit their lineup of artists, you’ll see Steve Vai and Joe Satriani as the first two artists.This pickup, however, is tailor-made for acoustic guitars. It captures the intricacies of the dynamic playing styles and is responsive to pick attacks.Feedback is next to none provided that you have the right levels dialed in.While it still has the tinny characteristics of a magnetic pickup, you can easily combine it with a piezo pickup or an external mic. You also have the option to invert the phase with a phase switch to ensure that the sound waves don’t cancel out.The installation is almost a trip in the park. Just keep in mind that the endpin is designed to fit a 3.5″ hole. With that in mind, there’s no need for further modifications.Overall, this mid-priced acoustic pickup system is meant for those who are seeking a natural acoustic tone on the slightly brighter side.










Pros:







Brilliant, pristine sound without being too crisp




Responsive pick attack




No further modifications needed




Good resistance to feedback








Cons:







Lower to mid-end resonance is a bit lacking




Lacks the trebly bite of piezo pickups













Specifications:
Type: Magnetic Soundhole MountedRequired Mods: Endpin (Optional)Installation Difficulty: EasyControls: Phase switch





























Fishman Rare Earth



Best Humbucker Pickup
















Fishman Rare Earth Humbucking Pickup With Mic



Guitarsite Expert Opinion







Fishman’s Rare Earth soundhole pickup offers easy integration with amps or PA systems without instrument modifications. Setup varies in ease, from simple attachment to potentially drilling for a permanent output jack. Recommended for its quiet operation, earthy tone, and versatility in live performances and recordings.





















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The Rare Earth soundhole pickup is Fishman’s easy-to-use soundhole pickup, allowing you to go straight to amp, PA, or direct recording.There’s no need for unnecessary modifications to your instrument. However, the consensus towards its setup is a bit mixed. It can be as easy as simply attaching the pickup to your soundhole, tightening the grip, and plug-in into your favorite amp or straight to PA.The challenge would be drilling a hole to permanently place the output jack if you don’t want the cable dangling, but you can use it either way without sound issues.Setting up acoustic guitar soundhole pickups tends to be a hit or miss depending on your skill level. I’d suggest going to a luthier when in doubt.Speaking of sound, the Rare Earth is well-loved for its super quiet operation, thanks to its stacked coil humbucking design, which is based on electric guitar pickups. It has an earthy tone. Courtesy of the neodymium magnets and discrete circuitry that are tweaked for acoustic guitars.Couple that with the mic that comes with it, you get a full-bodied, acoustic sound. This means being able to tailor your acoustic guitar tone for live shows and even recording.The Fishman Rare Earth Humbucking acoustic guitar pickup uses active electronics, which means that it can fine-tune the sound a bit, to add more warmth and low end than expected from conventional magnetic soundhole pickups.Finally, it is packaged in a smaller discreet frame which would not distract from the natural beauty of your guitar. You will find mostly favorable reviews for this highly recommended acoustic guitar pickup.If you’re looking for a high headroom pickup that’s easy to setup and remove, then the Rare Earth humbucking Pickup is highly recommended.










Pros:







Full-bodied mids and lows




Rare earth pickup tailor-made for live shows




Built-in mic can be used for studio recording








Cons:







Installation can be a challenge




The pickup dial is hard to reach


















Specifications:
Type: Humbucker/MicrophoneRequired Mods: No mods requiredInstallation Difficulty: HardControls: Volume














Seymour Duncan Woody SA-3 HC



Best Acoustic Pickup For Beginners
















Seymour Duncan Woody SA-3 HC Hum-Cancelling Pickup



Guitarsite Expert Opinion







It is revered for its hand-crafted, wooden construction, ensuring consistent tonal excellence. Designed for simplicity, it offers pristine sound quality with minimal noise, delivering a bright, crisp tone complemented by unexpected richness in low to mid frequencies. Installation is effortless, making it an ideal choice for beginners venturing into the realm of pickups.





















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