appropriate acoustic pickups for F-30R?

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Hello All,

A while back I had posted a question regarding an older guild my friend had given to me and you helped me to determine that it was a 1977-76 model, for which I am eternally grateful!

Now, after some time spent pondering, I was wondering: could you suggest a method and/or brand of acoustic pickup that would be the least invasive and damaging to the guitar, but that would also maintain the best quality and versatility for medium-sized gigs (think bars, to upper-sized staged venues)?

Also, I was planning on polishing up the fret board with a little Old English. Is this advisable?
I would be using this approach: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/54572-wire-wool/

Thanks much!
-Z

here's the link to the original post: http://www.letstalkguild.com/ltg/showthread.php?185468-help-me-date-my-F-30R!
 

Rayk

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Pick up wise least damaging is sound hole type
Many to choose from , a lot of folks like K&K mini they have a few different models . I use miniflex 2 , dual condenser Mics both these systems install through sound hole but have the jack exit out the tail strap button . That would be the only alteration .
Miniflex also has a strap on set up for the sound hole . But I think the price is up there a tad and it just depends on what you want to spend .

Here's miniflex link
www.miniflexmic.com/products.htm

Here's K&K
www.kksound.com/instruments/acousticguitar.php

Regular sound hole pickups like Fisher and Baggs can be found at your regular shopping places like Musicans friend or Sweetwater or other .
 
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txbumper57

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Welcome back ttheothereye! Just a few things on cleaning the fretboard. First before anything I would take a damp cloth with warm soapy water and try to clean the majority of the gunk off of the fret board. This will take the majority off. Wipe it clean and then with another clean microfiber cloth wipe it dry before using the Steel Wool.

When you use the 0000 Steel wool you want to do so very lightly. Also before you Steel Wool the fretboard you want to also mask off the top of the guitar next to the fretboard and at the top of the sound hole. This will prevent any Steel wool shavings from Scratching the finish on the top of the guitar along the edges of the fretboard. Also be very careful to use a light pressure with the Steel wool. Be conscious of the edges of your fretboard where the Nitro finish starts and not to "polish" the finish edge away. If this happens it can allow the cleaning/conditioning liquid to penetrate the Nitro on the edge of the fretboard which may start the peeling of the finish along the fretboard binding.

As far as a cleaning/conditoning solution for the fretboard, you want to make sure you use a product with NO silicone in it. The silicone can get into the grain of the wood and cause damage to the wood itself. Once it is in the wood it is almost impossible to get it all out. Straight Lemon Oil works great for the Ebony your fretboard is made from. Apply a small amount of Lemon Oil to a cloth and "wipe it" into the fretboard using many light coats. This way you don't use too much and you can see the fret board actually start to take the lemon oil in. This will insure you don't get too much on it as a little goes a long way. Continue wiping in light coats until you feel the fretboard is nice and conditioned but not over conditioned. The use of too much conditioner at one time can result in inlays coming loose among other things. Wiping it in with a rag, you should be fine.

To clean the rest of the guitar I would recommend using VIRTUOSO Cleaner and Polish. You can find it on EBAY for about $20 for a bottle of cleaner and polish together. Once again you want to make sure you don't use anything with Silicone in it. The Virtuoso Cleaner and Polish is made for Guitars with Nitro finishes and I use it on all of my Guitars. One bottle of cleaner and polish should last a long time as you use it in Very small amounts. Use a microfiber applicator pad to apply it and a microfiber cloth to remove it.

As far as pickups are concerned there are several that leave a small footprint on the guitar itself. I would stay away from some of the sound hole mounted pickups as they can cause damage to the top and also react to the nitro finish where they mount. Some pickups to look at would be the K&K Pure Mini, DTAR Muilti-Source, and L.R. Baggs Lyric or Anthem models. All are Excellent models and installation requires very little modification to the guitar itself. Hope this helps and you have an Awesome F30 there, Take good care of it and play it in Good Health!


TX
 

Neal

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I have a K&K in my F-30, F-47R, and F-50, so that I can choose the size and tonewood "flavor" I am in the mood for whenever I play out.

The K&K requires that the end pin be reamed out to fit the 1/4" jack, but that is pretty much it in terms of modification. The three transducers are super-glued to the bridge plate.

The K&K produces a warm, natural tone that allows the acoustic properties of the tonewood to shine through. There is no volume or tone control, however, so some folks opt for a belt-clip preamp for sound-shaping. I just plug mine into the PA and away we go.

Neal
 

Rayk

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Miniflex haters you should try one hahahaha ....
 

txbumper57

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Miniflex haters you should try one hahahaha ....

Not a miniflex Hater, The miniflex may sound Great but with the 2 condenser mics I would be worried about Feedback at live Band Volume levels. Looks great for the singer songwriter scene and sounds good too. His F30 is a pretty rare bird, Only made for 2 years in the 70's with all the F50/D55 style inlays, Not to mention there were very few made for those 2 years. I would say no to a sound hole pickup for sure. The last thing you want to do is clamp a pickup to the sound hole and risk damaging the finish or the top of that guitar. Sound Hole pickups can be great and have their uses But in my opinion a sound hole pickup won't begin to do that guitar the justice it deserves as far as replicating and producing the actual Natural Acoustic tone of the guitar. I would seriously consider the K&K Pure Mini as it is the least invasive and most straight forward pickup for reproducing the guitars natural tone without the risk of damaging or extensively Modifying the guitar. They also work great at full volume band levels without a lot of feedback issues. Just my 2 pennies worth.:angel:

TX
 
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Rayk

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I'm just poking lol there actually suppose to be pretty good at feed back but I can't say for sure . I know a few artists that use them but there instrumentalists doing that tapping and beat the guitar thing .. So jealous anyway I think the Mics are out of phase that might what helps again I don't for sure and I'll doubt I'll ever find out

But a good point to research ;) sorry about my other post had know idea you posted back here and I was not sure if anyone really ever heard them in action before .
 
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