[eetdrinkanbmerry]

what do you guys think of having a plastic box embedded in to the body of your guitar??

[evileye]

I absolutely hate the idea. If your buying a really nice crafted guitar which is made of some beautiful rare brazillian rosewood or something the last thing I'd want is a big bloody hole drilled in the side of it and a plastic box (well put) shoved into it. I mean sure for people who are using their guitar as their gig guitar (Shane for example) that's fine, it's needed. But these ejits adding onboard electrics onto an allready expensive guitar (Gibson, Martin, Taylor) etc I think it's just pure stupidity. Your paying for this really expensive handmade guitar and then your paying for an optional hole in the side with some plastic gizmo shoved in? No thanks. You buy an expensive guitar and want to play live, get a mic' (or two). You want to record? Well use a mic', it'l sound miles better for recording anyway. Giging musicians I can see the sense behind it, but if your paying huge money for a gutiar that your just going to be using at home or whatnot and your adding electronics to it... It's beyond me. Really is.
*End rant*

[annoying_2001]

i have one, it's a dean exotica dao, i bought it because i like the sound on just the straight acoustic, i've plugged it in once or twice, nothing great. but my next guitar won't have any plastic boxes. i don't hate the idea, like eye does, but i don't like the idea either. an acoustic guitar is for acoustics, not electrics. but to each his own.

[pimp_vince]

couldn't even fathom crappifying my taylor. plus the case won't allow for it... funny how they call it a "custom-designed" case, when i can't even put electronics on it. (not that i would, just making a point). does an internal mic (non-hole forming) do a good job or should i just stick with my duo of shure condensers?

[evileye]

couldn't even fathom crappifying my taylor. plus the case won't allow for it... funny how they call it a "custom-designed" case, when i can't even put electronics on it. (not that i would, just making a point). does an internal mic (non-hole forming) do a good job or should i just stick with my duo of shure condensers?

Dont know about an internal mic, but i've just bought a shure mic' for my gibson. I know that soundhole pickups do just as good (well actually in a fair few cases better) than the in built systems. Fishman do a good soundhole pickup.

[goldrush]

Yeah, why commit to permanently altering your guitar with something that may become unwanted or outdated in a few years. Keep everything "outside the box". There's no reason to "stick a plastic box" onto your guitar when you can get what you want with an outboard setup.

I have an "old" mini-flex internal mic on my Martin D35. It definitley has limitations. I think the modern transducers they stick inside the body under the saddle re-create the acoustic tone the best. I have a K&K mini western in my Martin 000-28EC and love it. It's passive (so no more worrying about battery changes in between string changes), so I just use a preamp and get a great signal that stays true to the tone of my guitar.

This post has been edited by goldrush: 08 April 2004 - 06:07 PM

[eetdrinkanbmerry]

excellent replies guys!!! I totally agree. I think the way to go if you have a beautiful (expensive) guitar, is to either get a fishman rare earth and put it in when you need it, or get a skiled luthier to put in a saddle pick up. I have a passive LR Baggs with an external LR Baggs Pre amp and eq. Or one of those mics!

[evileye]

excellent replies guys!!! I totally agree. I think the way to go if you have a beautiful (expensive) guitar, is to either get a fishman rare earth and put it in when you need it, or get a skiled luthier to put in a saddle pick up. I have a passive LR Baggs with an external LR Baggs Pre amp and eq. Or one of those mics!

Yeah, that's certainly the way to go allright.