L.R. Baggs Element Active Control System

I've owned it for around three years. Everything you need is here except E.Q, which I do at the amp(board, pa., etc...).

I installed it on my Taylor 310. Easy to do, but take your time. The wire keepers and the volume wheel are held on by foam backed tape. Mine didn't hold well at all, and I had to go back and glue them again. You really can't tell anything was changed.

I have a Takamine with the onboard 9V preamp, E.Q. system and I find this Element pickup to be on par from an output perspective. The basic dry tone is clear and well balanced. I lead worship at Church, and play around with friends. I play into a Behringer AX1000 and use the amps eq and effects. From the back of the amp I XLR out to the sound board, then through the mains and monitors. If the sound man doesn't have enough "Me" in the monitor mix, I can still adjust my tone and on stage volume at the amp.

I've been playing for 16 years. I own, or have owned, enough gear to know when something works. This is a keeper. I have a friend with a big $$$ Taylor with the Expression system. I like my tone much better, even with his axe through my rig. I have a friend with an I-Beam, and it is too sensitive for a loud stage. I never have a problem with feedback. The powered preamp and volume wheel at your fingertips is what sold me on it. I've played live every Sunday for around three years and it has never let me down. I've also run it into a Boss BR1600CD recording unit and the demos sounded great. Unplug when you aren't playing, or it will drain your battery. However, the battery life on this thing is forever. I change the battery about every six months just because, but I never had to. If I ever need to put a pickup in anything else, this will be what I buy. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Undersaddle pickup with tone and volume controls. See specs from other listings.

I installed this in a Martin D-15. It only required drilling a hole in the bridge and at the end pin jack. Very simple installation with well written instructions.

This is an excellent pickup that is very evenly balanced on each string. I play it through a Strawberry Blonde (SWR)or run direct through the house system. Either way it sounds great and in my opinion is the best you can buy for the money.

This system works very well in my Martin D-15 and was very easy to install. It has a well balanced sound and maintains the acoustic sound of the guitar. It's well worth the money to buy one of these.

It is an Under sadlle pickup read above reviews to read about it

I have it installed in my Taylor 110. It is being installed becuase i didnt have a pickup.

I love the sound very natural. Almost nothign was done to my guitar other than drilling for the end pin There is a voluime control that goes under the soundhole and a battery places in a pouch near the neck inside the guitar. Picks up fingpciking and strumming very well good output. And there is only feedback when the pickup is at max and facing the speaker or something.

I would defently replace it. It was affordable and cheap to get instaleld. I found it sounded better the the M1 made by LR Baggs. It is avery good investment. The people working at the store i bought it from said that the element is now coming stock on LAvariee and MArtins.

Pickup features: Active UST
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Simon and Patrick, MJ, Cedar Top
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Non
Other pickups on guitar: Non
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Rock to Classical
Reason for pickup change: Guitar did not include on board electronics

Perceived output level: Hot
Tone: Very well balanced
Sonic evaluation: Using a under the saddle Active Element from LR Baggs with a Fender Acousticsonic Jr. This pickup is great, for the cost and quality you can't go wrong!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues, rock, classical, finger picking just to name a few...

Comments: If stolen I would replace it!
I have been playing for 19 years.
I love the cost and the quality (no feedback!)
I looked at numerous other products... a under the saddle pickup is an under saddle pickup no matter whom manufactures it! The cost and quality this pick up was the number one choice of five guitar techs I chatted up... I did look at the Ibeam and listened to it but you have to play around with the EQ to get a good sound...With AE you can play without any setup, playing with EQ will just enhance the sound even more...

Pickup features: Active pickup with vol. control and preamp
Impedence or other specs: Runs on 9 V battery, includes endpin amp-jack and undersaddle

Model of guitar or bass: Taylor 214
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: K & K Big Shot
Artists using this pickup: Many!
You musical style(s): Folk, Rock, Blues, Comedy, Psychedelic
Reason for pickup change: It had none. And the Taylor Expressions sounds bad to me, and costs $500.

Perceived output level: Fairly real, a more mic'ed sound, and rich and bassy like the acoustic sound of this resonant guitar.
Tone: Balanced and full.
Sonic evaluation: I use the Ultrasound-50, and it's bassy, or a Fender AcoustaSonic and it's bright. The thing sounds so good on it's own that I am putting the K & K into another guitar. This and the B-Band have the best sound in any undersaddle. The addition of a hidden volume control makes it perfect for live work, too. This thing is fabulous.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: A lot of fingerstyle, some strumming, acoustic leads with a band, and as soo to back my voice. Ballads, Country, Rock, Folk, Jazz and Novelty.

Comments: I would love to have these in every guitar. I am experimenting with various pickups in different guitars...watch for the results when I lend these for MP3 samples at www.dougyoungguitar.com!

Pickup features: Active
Impedence or other specs: Under saddle

Model of guitar or bass:
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: New installation. First pickup.

Perceived output level: Strong, but not too hot. 9
Tone: Well Balanced. 9.
Sonic evaluation: Using with a Larrivee OM-09 in conjunction with an AR Acoustic amp. Absolutely beautiful tone. As close to a microphoned sound as I have found. Clear and well balanced. Very responsive to picking technique and attack. 9

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Country and Folk. Excellent match.

Comments: If lost or stolen, would replace immediately. Have been playing on and off for 40 years. Love the clarity, responsiveness, and that it sounds much like the guitar. Chosen because it had the best sound to my ear for my purposes. At this time, it's the best I have come across for under $200.00.

Pickup features: UST w/ onboard preamp. Volume, bass, treble, phase and notch controls
Impedence or other specs: N/A

Model of guitar or bass: Rainsong DR1000 dreadnought
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fishman stereo onboard blender
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Acoustic, pop/rock/folk etc.
Reason for pickup change: While I love the unplugged sound of the Rainsong, I thought the Fishman setup was excessivley bright & brittle amplified. Figured there was a reason Rainsong switched to the Element system in their newer guitars.

Perceived output level: definitely hotter than the Fishman setup, probably 1/2 again as hot
Tone: More dynamic than Fishman. With contols set flat, had bassier lows and glassier highs, though not quite as brittle. Seems very balance . It is still an under saddle piezo so there is some quack, but not as much as the Fishman
Sonic evaluation: Use the Rainsong w/ this set up into a Baggs PADI w/ a Zoom 504II effects box int the loop into a Carvin PA620 200 watt PA. This pickup is still a bit brighter than my Fishman MAtrix II that is in my Yairi rosewood dread. But it's much better than the Fishman was in the Rainsong. The Rainsong is a VERY resonant guitar and Baggs especially voiced the element system for Rainsongs to take this in account.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I flatpick and strum mostly but also finger pick. Seems better than the Fishman for both styles.

Comments: I've been playing for 25 years and gigging twice a week for the last 2 years. Also have a Yairi DY90 w/ Fishman MatrixII. This seems to be an all around better fit for the Rainsong. Even though the Fishman had a built in condensor mic, it feedback at very low levels and really just exagerated handling noise (IMHO). I would just use the pickup and suppliment w/ an external condensor mic (AKG C1000s) when gigging. The Baggs seems more Feedback resistant as well. The one thing the Fishman has over the Baggs is the Notch filter was much more effective. I don't know if it went deeper or what but it would just grab the feeding back note and eliminate it. The Baggs is not quite as effective, but that could be that it doesn't feedback as easily anyway. I will honestly say I almost prefer the plugged in sound of my Yairi w/ the Fishman than the rainsong w/ the Baggs (and especially the Fishman) because it has a warmer bass response, but that could be because I'm just used to it. The Rainsong, though, sounds much better supplimented with the external mic though, more balanced and less boomy. I would bet an Element in the Yairi would sound even better. I can't say that this is the best undersaddle pickup available because I haven't heard them all (Like the PUTW stealth, Highlander, Schertler etc.) but I definitely think it's an improvement over the Fishman Matrix, at least for this guitar, plus, the standard element active is cheaper than the Fishman Matrix and has a volume contol as well. If I played my Yairi more, I'f probably repalce the Matrix in it with an element. I think this is now probably one of the best single source pickup systems available, if not the best. I bought this on the recommendation of other rainsong owners who had tried both systems and am not dissappointed. The retrofit was SUPER easy, no soldering or anything. The pickup itself is SLIGHTLY thinner than the Fishman pickup and may cause buzzing if your action is already very low. A simple saddle replacement or truss rod adjustment should rectify this. Does it sound just like my guitar only louder? Of course, not, no pickup does! But, it does sound more natural than what I had before, more feedback resistant than contact pickups (K&K, B-band, PUTW #27), and not as metallic as magnetic soundholes (although I admit, I haven't heard the new Baggs M-1 and am very curious). In response to the previous Rainsong owners review, Baggs told me they had tried the i-beam and i-mix sytems for the Rainsong and they did NOT perform as well as they had hoped (probably because Rainsongs are SO resonant), that's why they just use the Element system for Rainsongs.

Pickup features: Undersaddle Pickup with onboard control system
Impedence or other specs: I have no idea

Model of guitar or bass: Rainson OM-1000
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: don't know
You musical style(s): strummin, fingerpicking, rocking
Reason for pickup change: N/A

Perceived output level: strong output. compares to other 9-volt systems
Tone: clear, bright balanced and even across the strings
Sonic evaluation: I play a Rainsong OM-1000 through a Crate D250 acoustic guitar amp and this pickup in this guitar is a great combination. I mostly play guitar in my church setting but also with my band outside of church. The Element delivers a clear, quite, accurate representation of the guitar. The guitar itself is very bright, very clear and clean and I found that I had to really tweak with the EQ before I could get a good sound. The reason is that graphite instruments like Rainsongs will transmit ALL the frequencies to the pickup which in my case left me with a midrangy honk when amplified. However, when I had dialed out the midrange frequency that was the problem, I ended up with one of the best guitar sounds I have ever heard. Warm, full and bright all at the same time with a depth that put a smile on my face. I waited to do this review until after I used it live at my church where it is just guitar, percussion and vocals and my friend who was out in the audience said it was the best amplified sound he had ever heard (to be fair I also use a AKG condensor mic on stage but when he was dialing in the sound he thought that the tone coming out of the amp with the pickup only sounding warmer than the guitar did unamplified!) I think that his comment says it all. I also really appreciate the Element's on board notch filter and phase shifter which removes feedback in most cases, can achieve significant volume before feeding back. The coolest feature of the onbaord system is that the battery is accesable via a pop-up hatch that makes changing the battery so easy I actually laughed when I figured it out. My only caveat is that the pop-up hatch tends to buzz a little when I hit the bas strings.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It is a great match for my styles which are mostly straight ahead strumming in rock band, folk and church scenarios. Works well for fingerpicking too!

Comments: This pickup has restored my faith in undersaddle pickups! I was going to add a K&K sound pickup or an Ibeam to my guitar but I might not after hearing how great this pickup sounds in this guitar. The tone is about as good as one can get for an undersaddle pickup and it easily blows away the Fishman matrix (which I have heard in other Rainsongs so I can make a direct comparison)I have been playing for 12 years and have only had the Fishman system in my guitars. I will never go back to Fishman products as I have now been converted to Baggs! The only thing I don't like about this pickup is that I miss the percussive elements of acoustic guitar playing (but then again no undersaddle pickup will reproduce those sounds anyway)and also the tone doesn't quite shimmer in the highest frequencies like the raw sound of the guitar. If the pickup got destroyed I would probably replace it with the Imix system by Baggs so I can have the best of both the undersaddle and the bridgeplate pickup worlds. I am very interested in trying the bridgeplate pickups by Baggs and K&K as the concepts behind them make sense to me. But until the budget allows, I am very happy with the performance of this pickup, and I believe that it dominates anything else out there in the undersaddle transducer market! I give it an 8 because of the buzz in the battery cavity, otherwise I love it!

Pickup features: Active pickup
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender F-35
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock. Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, John Mayer style
Reason for pickup change: I didnt have one in this guitar and I wanted to use it for live full band shows.

Perceived output level: Similar to Fishman natural pickup
Tone: a little bassy but my guitar is a little bassy so its probably balanced well.
Sonic evaluation: I use it with the Fender Acoustasonic Junior Amp. This is suitable for smaller live environments.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a good match for my style. Strumming mostly.

Comments: I have had this guitar for a couple of years and had an Ibanez Talman acoustic electric guitar to use when I needed to plug in. However I like using my Fender more so I finally decided to put in a pickup. This blows the Ibanez away. A very natural sound. When I play it seems like its my guitar but louder, which is what a pickup should do. I was going to go with a Fishman but decided to take a chance with the LR Baggs and im not dissapointed. Very nice sound. It might be nice to have some EQ control on the guitar but it does have volume control so its not that bad to EQ at my amp. I would definately replace this if lost or stolen.

Pickup features: active under saddle transducer
Impedence or other specs: high impedance

Model of guitar or bass: Guild D-50
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: n/a
Other pickups on guitar: n/a
Artists using this pickup: not sure
You musical style(s): folk, acoustic instrumental
Reason for pickup change: New guitar, first pickup

Perceived output level: High output; lots of gain before feedback (actually, no feedback experienced yet)
Tone: Bassy, however this matches the tone of the guitar. Has a crisp clear tone
Sonic evaluation: I run the pickup through a preamp and then a DI box either into an acoustic amp (Yorkville AM 100) or through a PA (canon to canon)
This combination results in some control over the natural boominess of the guitar while maintaining the "purity" that seems to come from using the canon input on a board or amp.
The resulting sound is penetrating but exhibits excellent acoustic tone in my opinion.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play acoustic folk and instrumental fingerstyle based styles. I guess the pickup is suited to that but

Comments: