LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup  

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    $249.00
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  • Your Price:
    $16900

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LR Baggs

Takes the M1 pickup to a new level of performance and convenience.

The M1 Active features built-in all class A electronics, so there's no need for any external preamps and it's compatible with any outboard equipment. The new volume control gives you fingertip access in any performing situation.

The M1 is a humbucking pickup with a twist. In a common stacked humbucker, the second, lower coil cancels hum, but doesn't contribute anything positive to the sound. In fact, it can muddy the sound of the main coil. The M1 unlocks the second coil. This allows it to make a positive sonic contribution while maintaining the pure open sound of a single coil--but without the hum.

TriAxial Dynamic Technology
The hum-canceling coil is suspended under the main coil by a tuned support that allows it to move in 3 dimensions. The primary coil moves with the guitar top and creates a body signal in the suspended secondary coil. This brings the M1 to life, with string and body sound all in one. It's like having a dual pickup system in your soundhole. And it's all passive! The support is carefully tuned to control motion in all 3 dimensions. This allows you to selectively add the presence and realism from the body signal while suppressing runaway feedback.

Features

  • Outstanding body sensitivity with great warmth and presence
  • Class A electronics
  • Long battery life
  • Top-mounted volume control wheel
  • Quiet, hum-free operation under the most challenging live conditions
  • High feedback resistance
  • Adjustable pole pieces with smooth threadless tops preserve fingerstylists' nails
  • Built-in gold-plated 1/8" jack makes moving or removing the pickup a snap

Discover vibrant, hum-free acoustic amplification. Order today!

Write a Review Overall Rating Customer Reviews 25 See all 25 customer reviews...

Returned it

| Review By: Angelo guarino | 3 months, 3 weeks ago

0 people out of 0 found this review helpful

Features:

I don't know if it was just my unit or if it was my guitar or both, but first the pick-up was VERY sensitive to buzz from the lights in the room.  Second, it seemed to really exasperate every slight string-buzz on my guitar.  I was SOOOO hopefull about this pickup, but I turned it right back around.

Quality:

Seemed to be very well built.  I was impressed with the quality of the build quality.

Value:
Overall:

Again, it didn't work for me .. electric buzzing plus string buzz highlighting made is a non-starter for me.

Do you own the product?:
Yes
Have you used the product?:
Yes
Musical Experience:
30 years
Style of music you play:
rock, folk
Where you live:
maryland

Did you find this review helpful? yes no1109150

SUPER pickup

| Review By: Dakota FlameRider | 7 months, 3 weeks ago

4 people out of 4 found this review helpful

Features:

I installed the M1A in my 1956 Gibson Southern Jumbo.  The sound is AMAZING.  I'm extremely impressed.  The M1A makes a fantastic vintage acoustic sound equally fantastic amplified.

 

One caviat, however.  Gibson really built tanks back then compared to the typical newer acoustic.  The tail block on the Gibson was about a 1/4" thicker than the M1A strapjack could accomodate.  Baggs extremely responsive and helpful tech support advised countersinking the hole from the inside.  That simply wasn't an option for me and there is no qualified luthier available so I had to get inventive, but I was able to engineer a fix that worked fine.

 

IMHO, spending the time to balance each pole piece is a necessity and results in a rich, bright sound with excellent sustain.  I am running the M1A with no EQ into a TC Helicon Harmony G.  There is PLENTY of gain.

 

I'm VERY pleased with this pickup!!!!

Quality:
Value:

The M1A is certainly at the higher price range of sound hole pickups, but it's well worth the investment, especially since it can move from instrument to instrument pretty easily.

Overall:

The mix of body and string sounds accurately reproduce the acoustic tone of my guitar.  The above mentioned strapjack issue was disappointing and nearly a show stopper but a bit of inventiveness resolved the issue.

 

An optional "long reach" strapjack would be a welcome addition.  My guitar can't be the only one in the world with an extra thick tail block.

 

A choice of white or black might be welcomed by some; however, the white certainly stands out and is distinctive

Do you own the product?:
Yes
Have you used the product?:
Yes
Musical Experience:
Performing musician
Style of music you play:
Classic country
Where you live:
South Dakota

Did you find this review helpful? yes no1096271

Does not make your strings sound like rubber bands.

| Review By: Michael Whyte | 8 months, 3 weeks ago

1 people out of 1 found this review helpful

Features:

Not much to it. Very simple...the way I like it!

Quality:

I had previously been using an under saddle pickup of some or other variety (it had already been installed when I bought the guitar) and had never been happy with the live sound I'd been getting, even while using various "high end" preamps. The under saddle always lent a tinny sound to the guitar (decidedly NOT charactaristic of a jumbo body Guild), and the other soundhole pickups I'd tried (DiMarzio, Fishman) tilted toward the dreaded "rubber band" sound I'd always hated about acoustic-electric guitars. While I can't say the M1A fully captures the depth and richness of a nearly 40 year old guitar, it at least sounds natural, and with a minimum of fuss. I no longer need a preamp, and never use an outboard EQ (tried it and only managed to make my guitar sound worse). Just a DI and a good P.A. and soundman. My Guild lays comfortably in the mix with the rest of my band, and manages to stay present against electric guitar, lap steel, keyboards, accordian, and electric bass. Installation is super easy. The volume wheel is a bit awkward to reach at first, but I got used to it in short order.

Value:

All-in-all, a superb product for the price.

Overall:

I've been using the Baggs M1A pickup in my '73 Guild F-40 for three or four years, and it's a keeper. I plan on buying a second one for my 12-string.

Do you own the product?:
Yes
Have you used the product?:
Yes
Musical Experience:
Professional songwriter
Style of music you play:
Folk. Rock. What they call Americana, I guess.
Where you live:
Rockford, IL

Did you find this review helpful? yes no1094446

best acoustic pickup I've tried

| Review By: paul-ufb47 | 10 months, 3 weeks ago

3 people out of 3 found this review helpful

Features:
Quality:
Value:
Overall:

10

I put this pickup in my guitar about 2 weeks ago & dearly love this thing. Over the last 40 some years I've tried several different kinds of acoustic pickups. This one is a thousand times better than the under saddle unit I have been having a hateful relationship with for several years now. Wish they would have had this unit on the market 20 years ago. I can actually enjoy playing my flat top again.. now I'll have to relearn all those fingerpickin' & bluegrass songs that I quit playing when I went to electric guitar. It isn't cheap, but I can tell you it is worth it. I don't mind laying out the cash when something works this good.     I also like the color as it looks real good sitting on the blond top of my guitar.     No more eq / volume on the belt.

Do you own the product?:
Yes
Have you used the product?:
No
Musical Experience:
started playing in '69'
Style of music you play:
bluegrass,country blues,70's pop/rock
Where you live:
Florida

Did you find this review helpful? yes no864348

Really let me down...

| Review By: Kenny-vHAyN | 1 year, 4 months ago

1 people out of 1 found this review helpful

Features:
Quality:
Value:
Overall:
I heard some demos of this thing online and thought it would sound good. I've played a lot of acoustic guitars over the years and this thing honestly just sounded bad. It was running through a Universal Audio direct box into Lynx converters. I was astounded at how poor this thing sounded. It's extremely honky in the midrange. I can't believe nobody else has mentioned that. I mean, I can see on a guitar that has no midrange at all like an older Gibson or a Martin how this might sound good, but to me it just sounded bad. My onboard electronics were better, and they're just Fishman...so let down. Returned it the same day I bought it.
Do you own the product?:
No
Have you used the product?:
Yes
Musical Experience:
Guitarist, Recording Engineer,
Style of music you play:
All Kinds
Where you live:
Oklahoma

Did you find this review helpful? yes no1080432

See all 25 customer reviews...
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