LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup 

Comments about LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup:

This was a replacement for a Martin Thinline 332 in an Epiphone JC200. The installation was a piece of cake, although a little extra drilling was required for the input jack. The tonal quality is exactly what I was looking for.

Comments about LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup:

wowwwwww!!! ive played many acoustics with different preamps and with other soundhole pickups and none come close i play it in my1996 taylor 410 dread and its absolutly brilliant

Comments about LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup:

Guitar with thicker tail blocks will also need to have the 1/2 inch drilling enlarged to 11/16 inch from the inside of the guitar body. The depth of this bore must be only deep enough to accept the internal washers and thread the locknut and barrel onto the threaded section while leaving the proper amount of protrusion of the external threaded section that the external washer, retaining nut and strap ring thread onto. Enough of the 1/2 inch drilling must remain in order to center the strap-jack in the hole and allow the assembly to be adequately tightened with the lock nuts. I used a step drill to progressively bore the 1/2 inch hole from the outside using a hand-held drill at slow speed. I progressively bored the 11/16 inch hole from the inside using a larger step drill, a 3/8 inch drive mechanic's ratchet with 9 inch extension and socket to drive the step drill.
When removing the battery, press "down" firmly on the battery, where it says to press. The battery will rock out of it's recepticle. Using a pencil with a soft eraser is helpful.

Comments about LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup:

Watch out. All those great reviews you read may be ringers. I fell for them and was appalled at the hollow mid-range quack. Was halfway decent thru my Bose L1 but soon found out at live gigs (festivals and TV without the L1) that it was hollow and tinny no matter how I adjusted the poles and the EQ on my Baggs Venue preamp. Sent it back.

Comments about LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup:

I bought this so I could connect my Taylor Big Baby to my Xbox while playing Rocksmith.

Temporary installation was simple: Loosen the strings (Big Babys are slightly undersized), and slide it in. Permanent installation is also easy if you trust yourself with a drill (get a step bit). The only install issue I had was with the included wire clips. They are very flimsy, and can loosen if you move the guitar too abruptly.

The sound coming out is very clean and true to tone. It handles effects well (the game is called Rocksmith after all), but it can be a bit disorienting since you also hear the full acoustic sound. The built in preamp allows me to play my guitar through my karaoke system, so I can play along with any song in my library.

All in all, I am very pleased with my purchase.

Comments about LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup:

Overall I gave this a 9 because the volume control wheel is just a tad small and you may get a little tapping sound if you do any real hard strumming but overall you won't find better !
I used this pickup on my Martin Custom D rosewood , I installed it myself in about 15 minutes if your not adept at using a drill have a luthier do it . If you do it yourself put tape over the where you drill out the endpin hole that way you won't chip out your finish .
Very well built and high quality materials used
If your looking for a easy to install and high quality sound pickup this ones for you ! No hum and no feedback . For the price you won't find better.

Comments about LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup:

Again, it didn't work for me .. electric buzzing plus string buzz highlighting made is a non-starter for me.
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.
Seemed to be very well built. I was impressed with the quality of the build quality.

Comments about LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup:

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
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!!!!
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.

Comments about LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup:

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.
Not much to it. Very simple...the way I like it!
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.
All-in-all, a superb product for the price.

Comments about LR Baggs M1A Active Soundhole Magnetic Pickup:

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.