The appeal of playing acoustic guitar is that personal experience when sound washes over when playing. Unfortunately, sharing the sound with others can be challenging. When you need to reach an audience in a concert or compete with the drums and electric instruments, you need an amplification system to assist the guitar. Figuring out the right equipment and using it can be daunting.
To amplify the guitar, you can use mics in quiet settings. However, guitar pickups are more convenient since they provide higher volume, allow movement, and isolate your guitar sound. There are many types of pickups in the market. To help choose the best, you need some tips.
Here are some tips to help you choose the best acoustic guitar pickups:
User-Friendliness
For instrumentalists and singers who play in chord-based styles, you can get a straightforward rig that you can use easily. However, dealing with various sound technologies, feedback, room acoustics can be distracting and frustrating to a performance. In such cases, the magnetic soundhole pickup suits best as a simple option. The pickup is feedback-resistant, affordable, and does not need batteries. Also, they require minimal installation as you pop them to the soundhole behind the strings.
Cost-Effectiveness
Magnetic pickups are either active or passive. Passive pickups have a simple design. They don’t need the power to control sound as they send a signal to the amplifier through a cable. However, since they produce low output, you might need a preamp to boost the volume. Passive pickups are simple with no fuss design and lack fancy features. It makes them cheaper compared to other pickups.
Mounting Style
Microphone-based pickups utilize capsules that came with various mounting styles. The internal and external goosenecks are more common. Generally, microphones are finicky. However, they have an incredible sound. When installed inside the guitar, the pickups are prone to feedback hence poor sound quality.
The Need for Higher Volumes
A sound transducer is microphonic and has feedback issues when used in high volumes. Also, passive pickups produce low output and might need some amps to increase the sound. However, an active pickup uses a battery to control sound. They utilize preamps to boost production and shape sound and are fitted or external. Due to the added power, active pickups tend to be louder and brighter. Preamps have equalizer controls and enable you to blend multiple pickups.