STOP!.... Wasting Money on Acoustic Guitar Pickups! Journey Instruments

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Hello Everyone,
I have been struggling for a long time to finally find a decent sound of an acoustic guitar pickup. I am so tired of the unnatural of unreliable (noisy) sound of many expensive and inexpensive pickups on the market. No longer! The Journey Instruments Under Bridge Pickup is Insane! The best pickup Ive ever used.
Here is the link: journeyinstruments.com/produc...
The video referenced: • THE BEST ACOUSTIC GUIT...
Ive tried everything for the
LR Baggs Element
LR Baggs Anthem
Taylor ES 1
Taylor ES 2
K&K
Fishman
etc...
Gear used:
Camera; Panasonic G7 (1080P 60 FPS)
tinyurl.com/ycejtqwr
Lense: Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8
tinyurl.com/yc9gxpwy
Mic: Takstar SGC-598
tinyurl.com/yb5m4w8d
Drone: Phantom 3 (1080 60 FPS)
tinyurl.com/y7mz84yn
Other Camera; Sony a6300 (1080P 60 FPS)
tinyurl.com/y8u8pbp8
Other Camera Lens; 50m 1.8
tinyurl.com/y9n5plez
tripod thingy: JOBY JB00158-BWW Gorillapod Focus & Ballhead X
tinyurl.com/yd6smrzd
Edited in FCPX
Follow me on
IG: / mattzodamatoad
Twitter: / matt_zoeter

Пікірлер: 189

  • @kristmasdestroyer
    @kristmasdestroyer3 жыл бұрын

    Definitely putting this on the wishlist. Thanks for sharing!

  • @njcranes
    @njcranes2 жыл бұрын

    Wow. I was looking for this huge difference according to the build up to playing the sample. We are all on different a search for sound, but I did like the Anthem a little better, less highs. Interesting and thanks for posting!

  • @luisalbertomon9387

    @luisalbertomon9387

    9 ай бұрын

    I can slightly hear the quak of the piezo of the journey in some chords, I'd like the anthem better too

  • @chuckgibbons4121
    @chuckgibbons4121 Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for posting! You got me sold on it. Im gonna give it a shot!

  • @denlabz2992
    @denlabz29922 жыл бұрын

    I purchased a journey passive pickup after seeing your demo and had it installed in my gs mini. IT SOUNDS AWESOME! Thanks so much for your review!!!

  • @howabouthetruth2157
    @howabouthetruth2157Ай бұрын

    Excellent audio comparison/demonstration. I agree with you 100%.

  • @waltmooredanwilson8754
    @waltmooredanwilson87543 жыл бұрын

    Very good video. Thanks for the tips. I've been a guitar player for many years and always searching for a better sound. Also, I subscribed to your channel a little while ago. Good stuff. Take care and God Bless.

  • @Whitty43
    @Whitty434 жыл бұрын

    The anthem sounded better to be honest. The journeytek was good though but had some quack that you didn't get with anthem. The noise you mentioned would and is not noticed in a busy bar.

  • @Whitty43

    @Whitty43

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@the95s why if your playing with wedges do you think anthem is not for you? Feedback? I have used anthem numerous times and never feeds back and you cannot notice any noise whatsoever. The noise you mention would only be noticed when recording and you should use a proper external condenser for recording anyway. The anthem is superior in every way to the journey pickup. I feel that you may have been paid to endorse the journey, it seems a strange coincidence that the two reviews on KZread about the journey pickup both record into a daw and replay both audio tracks for comparisons.

  • @scottbecker3485

    @scottbecker3485

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@the95s Thank you for taking the trouble to respond here. The Anthem doesn‘t sound superior to me, but definitely more brilliant - and that‘s something a lot of folks are accustomed to from undersaddle piezos, and I figure they kind of don‘t want to miss that in a pickup, even it sounds more natural that way. So what about cranking about the treble on the JourneyTek (without add-on mic, please)? Would that help the old-school piezo lovers to feel more at home, and add a bit of bite and attack to balance out all that beautiful warmth?

  • @scottbecker3485

    @scottbecker3485

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@the95s Thanks for your take on that. Just re-watched both this video and your one on the version of this pickup with the mic added. Liking it (still). And after also having watched several videos by others on the Anthem as well as the Fishman Blend Matrix and others, I‘m eager to try the JourneyTek, probably with the added mic (though I read mixed reviews on that). Do you get much neck squeakiness (when sliding around) on this pickup, with and without the mic? I have one guitar with an otherwise great Schatten HFN passive pickup, but the neck speaks like crazy. It‘s a transducer bar that gets stuck under the saddle. Maybe it’s just my guitar (a Voyage Air dreadnaught, solid wood).

  • @EamonnSeoigh

    @EamonnSeoigh

    10 ай бұрын

    Hissing. Low level high freq white noise. There’s probably a filter available for the mic… Sustain: Are you using solid pins and a slotted bridge?

  • @ramspencer5492

    @ramspencer5492

    2 ай бұрын

    It had no sustain!

  • @rickraydubs
    @rickraydubs2 жыл бұрын

    It's incredible that they both sound mic'd, for me it's the Journey because of the lower output for live settings. I plan on playing out here in Nashville with the Journey so that's the one I've been wanting to go with, this helped make up my mind lol.

  • @rickraydubs

    @rickraydubs

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@the95s I did actually, I was originally gonna get the Lyric, but this is the most sensible for me.

  • @Wistbacka
    @Wistbacka Жыл бұрын

    On the flip-side; you should never really record an acoustic through the pickup system. You can record it via pickup for adding it to the mix. But in general, have two external microphones if you want the most natural and full sound. The pickups are mostly intended for live performances afaik. And in such a setting I think they do a great job.

  • @pureblood5903

    @pureblood5903

    4 ай бұрын

    Yeah, but who has a sound studio?

  • @piotrkanarek

    @piotrkanarek

    Ай бұрын

    @@pureblood5903 Who told you, you need a studio to record acoustic guitar with a microphone?

  • @pureblood5903

    @pureblood5903

    Ай бұрын

    @@piotrkanarek Background noise....duh

  • @brianrenenielsen923
    @brianrenenielsen9236 ай бұрын

    Thanks for taking the effort of sharing. Great Legwork 😅

  • @TheFarout69
    @TheFarout693 жыл бұрын

    I use a magnetic pup in both my guitars. A Fender Tele neck in one and a LR Baggs M1 in the other. They work great with fuzz and tube amps. I never could get a good sound with piezo's. I have heard and had some nice ones, but they hate my rig. My clean acoustic sound is awesome but I might just add fuzz. In the studio, we mic it for clean stuff. Compress it and run it through a plate reverb.

  • @danelefranc418
    @danelefranc4183 жыл бұрын

    I have wasted time and money on pickups and upgrades on replacements for piezo type pick ups which I just do not like the dead sound they produce. I will take your heads up and give Journey a go, Thanks mate

  • @mikelewis2707
    @mikelewis27074 жыл бұрын

    Great Product.... Love em!!

  • @MEMO-sb1sd
    @MEMO-sb1sd2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks 🙏 Very helpful

  • @dkerwood1
    @dkerwood1 Жыл бұрын

    The best thing I ever did for my tone was to pick up an IR (impulse response) loader and start building custom IR's for my specific instruments and pickups. You take a detailed EQ picture of the mic'd tone of your instrument, then a similar picture of your direct tone, then build an EQ curve to make the direct tone sound like the mic'd. Alternatively, maybe you have a live acoustic that you'd like to sound more like your studio one. Mic up the studio one, analyze the live guitar's direct tone, and set up an IR to make the live one sound great.

  • @DKinMN

    @DKinMN

    9 ай бұрын

    Bingo. An anthem with an appropriate IR is as good as it gets.

  • @fernieboy6195
    @fernieboy61953 жыл бұрын

    Thanks my man !!

  • @TheJoshSchneider
    @TheJoshSchneider2 жыл бұрын

    This is a great video thanks for your info! I’ve been thinking about a Baggs anthem, but from what I’ve heard in Demo videos they are a bit thin. Your video proves the point. I think this is because the microphone cuts everything under 250 kHz. They do this to eliminate stage feedback. I currently am using B Band under saddle pickups. They have the fullness that I love, but they are prone to stage feedback and I do play with a band at church. I’m still not sure I’m gonna switch. Thanks for posting!

  • @reginaldbowls7180

    @reginaldbowls7180

    2 жыл бұрын

    If it cut everything under 250khz you would hear a damn thing.

  • @TheJoshSchneider

    @TheJoshSchneider

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@reginaldbowls7180 the microphone is meant to add only a little “air” to the primary pickup, but Baggs has turned this idea around so that the Anthem’s microphone is the primary sound source, at least for frequencies above 250 Hz. Below 250 Hz, the sound is provided by the Element, with the split managed by a fixed-frequency electronic crossover circuit incorporated in the all-discreet internal preamp.

  • @TheJoshSchneider

    @TheJoshSchneider

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@reginaldbowls7180 To further tweak the sound, you can also use the recessed trim control to adjust the volume of the mic relative to the Element in the crossover circuitry, essentially balancing the high and low frequencies, because the mic handles only frequencies above 250 Hz. This is not an adjustment you would typically make on a gig; it’s intended to fine-tune the system to account for differences in guitars, installations, or your playing style.

  • @MichaelStoneham

    @MichaelStoneham

    Жыл бұрын

    Use an external preamp with your B-Band. The Behringer ADI21 Acoustic Preamp DI at $30 is an excellent copy of the Tech21 Sansamp Para DI Pedal at around $300. An external preamp like this will solve all your problems. It will cut any feedback you have.

  • @christianboddum8783
    @christianboddum87833 жыл бұрын

    Piezos has the best signal to noise ratio, no competition. I just installed an Adeline piezo on my classical guitar, it is an on body pickup, so it doesn't have the the problem that under saddles have, it doesn't have the high end quack. Placement on the body is critical, but I found it ;-) Best part is that I have the jack on the body pointing to the floor, fitting a classical playing position, and a volume control. Unfortunately it doesn't fit the normal case anymore, but it's not a guitar that leaves the house anyway ;-) But now I can record it, and I have done no structural damage to the guitar - sweet! I'd like to add that an active di. is a good idea. I recently tested it with a Radial Pro 48 Di. and the result was very pleasing after a little eq. And the impedance matching it gives, takes care of body noise ;-)

  • @MichaelStoneham

    @MichaelStoneham

    Жыл бұрын

    Great idea on an external preamp. I use a Behringer ADI21 Acoustic Preamp DI at $30usd. It is an excellent copy of the Tech21 Sansamp at around $300. Worth a look at for such a cheap price.

  • @tilmanj
    @tilmanj3 жыл бұрын

    I use the acoustic guitar pickup when playing on stage. For studio recording I would always use a microphone..

  • @markthomascecchini1
    @markthomascecchini1 Жыл бұрын

    I am thankful to find your video! I was excited about the Anthem and have just installed it. After reading the instructions many times I understand 3 different reasons for noise… Did the person you spoke with at Baggs tell you to try adjusting the teeny tiny little mic knob while the blend knob is rolled all the way to the neck? The one you need the jeweler screwdriver or I got a convenient long plastic tool to adjust mine. Says it’s “critical to performance” The ELEMENT… did they make sure yours is far enough past the E -String? (It’s not active for the last 1/8”. The barrel housing must be covering the input jack and not be loose or there will be noise. The list goes on… phew 😮‍💨 thank you -Mark The

  • @Stephen-zx4uf
    @Stephen-zx4uf Жыл бұрын

    I have the Anthem in a nice Breedlove guitar and it sounds great. But, am running into problems when using it with a specific pedal that i really want to use on a few songs, so am looking at installing the K & K or Journey as a potential replacement, or keep them both installed, so appreciate you creating this comparison. You noted processing the audio, then there's KZread working their magic on the audio as well, so it's never certain we're hearing a good approximation to the recording you created. From what I hear, the Anthem has distinctly higher fidelity sound and the Journey seemed to be holding a buzzy standing wave. Been listening to a lot of comparisons of the Journey with the K & K which are pretty similar. In this/your demo the Journey sounds defective compared to all the other videos seen/heard. The visual display of the tracks suggests a bit of this "mud" in the Journey track as well, especially compared to the much cleaner visual display of the Anthem (which correlates with the difference heard in the audio on this end). It's also uncertain whether the Anthem is using the mic, or pickup, or a blend of the two. The room mic "C" was night/day the best sound to my taste.

  • @simonecamplani2430
    @simonecamplani24304 жыл бұрын

    The tree concat pickups are still a piezo tranducer system, positioned in a different way. Im' happy you like it better that the undersaddle one, btw.

  • @jfj794
    @jfj794Ай бұрын

    Great review! Many professional acoustic players use this type of passive system. It’s the only way to go IMO unless maybe if you play in a loud band and need to cut through the mix with a more electrified acoustic sound.

  • @davidosbiston9699
    @davidosbiston96992 жыл бұрын

    I have K and K pure classic with Trinity Pro preamp and Im very happy with that.

  • @darrylday30
    @darrylday302 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the video! I’ve got a lyric and I’ve struggled to get it to work. Lots of low mids that get worse as the the monitor level goes up. By the time I realized that the bad sound wasn’t my fault, the warranty had expired. I’ve heard other anthem installs that sound WAY better than what you’ve got going on. I think we’ve both been burned although yours may just be a the result of a poor installation of the under saddle piezo (or not). I’ve installed JJB pick up that looks exactly like yours (clone of the k&k) and it sounds a lot your journey pick up. I like it but I have to eq the harmonics out at around 120 hz to prevent feedback live. How has the journey been live with a band and loud monitors? I’m thinking about adding the James May Ultratonic to tame those booming lows and resonant harmonics. What do you think?

  • @darrylday30

    @darrylday30

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@the95s Thanks!

  • @efrenveslino5075
    @efrenveslino50754 жыл бұрын

    I'm looking for the best pick up for my Greg Bennett 12 string guitar, can you suggest the best pick up so I can save my guitar as well. Thank you very much.

  • @calvinnapier9977
    @calvinnapier99773 жыл бұрын

    Good video! What preamp are you using with the Journeytek when playing live?

  • @AthelstanEngland
    @AthelstanEngland2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the review. With the anthem you can set the balance/blend between the microphone and the piezo pickup. Do you remember how it was set?

  • @AthelstanEngland

    @AthelstanEngland

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@the95s smashing thank you. Sounded great. Hoping the Mrs has taken the hint (and the LR Baggs link) as my birthday's coming up!!!

  • @jethrodann.burcao4126
    @jethrodann.burcao41264 жыл бұрын

    sir did you use a preamp ? or just plugged and play?

  • @MichaelStoneham
    @MichaelStoneham Жыл бұрын

    At 5:42 the volume cut out for a bit. So missed some of this demo. Under-saddle pickups are still installed in new guitars so they still have there place. Every player is after a slightly different sound from their instruments. I prefer a more, richer sound with less treble and high tones. With any pickup type I roll of the high treble a bit and boost the bass. With any piezo disk style pickup, with one 2 or 3 disks, I find they are really hot and pickup extra finger and body noise. So I ways use an external preamp pedal. The Behringer ADI21 Acoustic Preamp DI at $30usd is a great option. It's an excellent copy of the Tech21 Sansamp Para DI Pedal at around $300.

  • @rabinrai5203
    @rabinrai52034 жыл бұрын

    is the journeytek 3 piezo or 4 piezo pick up better? they have same price

  • @realguitarshredder
    @realguitarshredder3 жыл бұрын

    Have you tried the ik multimedia acoustic stage

  • @bessiebraveheart
    @bessiebraveheart11 ай бұрын

    Hello from England, I like the overall sound of the Anthem. Depends what sort of sound you are looking for, and what genre of music you are trying to emulate. I've just put a magnetic pickup into one of my acoustics, and I think it sounds great for the music I like to play. Other might think it sounds crap.

  • @musicmania3945
    @musicmania39453 жыл бұрын

    Would it work for a classical

  • @Carlsings
    @Carlsings Жыл бұрын

    I agree the Journey sounds better and I think for a live situation more so because in the studio you can always "fix it in the mix" and a plain sounding guitar can be hopefully tweaked into nirvana. Good demo comparison. I was already eying that one and tried to go cheap instead with a Donner soundhole pickup (w small mic). Well, mine sounds cheap and is hard to make it right going direct in a PA for sure as the volume is pretty much either on or off and there's no "tone" control. The built in Fishman or LR Baggs that have EQ and such are better IMHO. Then again live you need some processing or a good acoustic amp and preamp et cetera. In studio I prefer a real good mic or two instead anyway. Thanks for my non electric Orangewood I'm still searching for a live pickup.

  • @penfold7800
    @penfold78009 ай бұрын

    Definitely seems more clarity and resonance pickup from that Journeyman. ..BUT a fairer comparison would be to have it plugged into a PA with a singing microphone present and then record what's coming out of the standalone mixer or PA pass-through. What I would like to hear is if there's any feedback or resonance crossover. You won't get a genuine representation of an actual live on-stage performance if you are recording directly from a mixer or computer if there's no PA and large speakers filling the room with sound and natural reverb etc. The LR Baggs has built-in noise suppression, which in a similar way to the legacy Dolby system cuts down noise but in doing that will lose some of the full range of sound. The Journeyman doesn't have this so you will get a fuller sound range, BUT you will also get more resonance crossover and feedback in a live setting. The 'noise' you refer to is actually 'buzz' from the powered amp in the preamp of the LR Baggs system (it's probably something to do with the frequency electricity flows through the circuit). This is completely normal and you won't hear it over the natural 'hiss' of a PA in a live setting.

  • @twohornedpuppet85
    @twohornedpuppet853 жыл бұрын

    Soundwise both pickups have their place i feel. What sells the Journey for me is the easier installation.

  • @larrydering1598
    @larrydering1598 Жыл бұрын

    I installed a JJB 3 transducer system on my Taylor 814ce after suffering with their ES1 for years. The JJB is like the k&k at half the price. Super good tone and so much better than the Taylor system. I use a Fishman Aura Spectrum preamp or the baggs DI both are great.

  • @the95s

    @the95s

    Жыл бұрын

    Nice! Really struggled to use the ES2 or ES2 for any system or recording. The JJB is probably pretty simular to the Journey Instruments

  • @Meddled
    @Meddled4 жыл бұрын

    Journey pickup just sounds like typical piezo tone. Plasticky attack and nasal. It isn't a substitute for a mic'd acoustic at all.

  • @Meddled

    @Meddled

    4 жыл бұрын

    Zoeter Music I would use a clean electric guitar. It's a fallacy that plugged in piezo tone even approaches the acoustic tone of a guitar. Piezo acoustic is a unique tone that has its own niche.

  • @5urg3x

    @5urg3x

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Meddled Clean electrics don't sound like acoustics though. Piezos are different but they can be made to sound at least somewhat decent with processing. It's still no substitute for an actual mic'd acoustic though, you're right.

  • @Meddled

    @Meddled

    3 жыл бұрын

    Nick K I don't suggest that clean electrics sound like acoustics at all. If I go to an open mic thing (or more usually one is thrust upon me!) I would rather listen to a guy playing a Tele into a Champ of other small amp, over another piezo acoustic assault. All that booming unfocused low-mids and shrill attack like a credit card in a desk fan. How is the full bandwidth assault of a piezo acoustic tone anything like an intimate acoustic performance?

  • @5urg3x

    @5urg3x

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Meddled It can be EQ'd and processed to be a lot better than what you're describing though, that's my only point...As to which I would prefer, a properly processed piezo tone vs a clean electric, I think it would depend on the song and style.

  • @PlainD
    @PlainD5 ай бұрын

    I wonder if the Journey has to have a pre-amp to produce any usable sound. I once had a single piezo (or transducer?) pickup under the bridge, and I needed a pre-amp with it.

  • @duaneandshellysoldtimegosp9031
    @duaneandshellysoldtimegosp9031 Жыл бұрын

    I bought a journey based on reviews like this. Just got it installed, and wow! I'm a believer. I have a K&K pure mini in another guitar, and it sounds just as good or better at half the price.

  • @the95s

    @the95s

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad you like it definitely alot cheaper!

  • @jeffrey.a.hanson
    @jeffrey.a.hanson Жыл бұрын

    It’d be interesting to hear them mixed with EQ. The mic noise is certainly an issue. Luckily I got a Taylor T5 Koa for a ridiculous price, and it’s a savior in live settings. That Journeyman for $50 is a steal and simple installation, tho. Oddly it sounds a lot like Kurt Cobains live humbucker sound from Unplugged.

  • @markthomascecchini1
    @markthomascecchini1 Жыл бұрын

    Did you use a jig to shave the saddle down .032” to compensate for the size of the element pickup? You mentioned speaking to, LR BAGGS, customer care. The installation guide states they refuse to advise any non-pro installer. Are they serious?

  • @NickMcC
    @NickMcC2 ай бұрын

    I've been demoing a ton of acoustics the last few weeks and this is one of two systems I've found that people love to brag on, but are plagued by noise. The other is the Yamaha SRT2. SRT2 sounds lovely, but has so much noise that I can't justify buying a guitar with it installed.

  • @christianboddum8783
    @christianboddum87833 жыл бұрын

    What impedance is the Journey seeing ? Piezos like 1-3Meg Ohms for best (most linear) reproduction ;-)

  • @trollerswifthasenteredthec1970
    @trollerswifthasenteredthec19703 жыл бұрын

    I feel like you should have more subscribers just for the amount of effort you put into setting up a home studio.

  • @pascalpoitras7287
    @pascalpoitras72874 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the review, already installed that Journey pickup, sounds very natural for the price...what do you suggest for the preamp pedal to boost the passive signal before plugin into the amplifier? Something that doesn't brake the bank like the ADI21 from Berhinger... Thank you in advance.

  • @pascalpoitras7287

    @pascalpoitras7287

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@the95s Thank you!

  • @scottbecker3485

    @scottbecker3485

    3 жыл бұрын

    With other pickups (have yet to try the JourneyTek, and soon will), I use the FireEye Red-Eye Twin, which has two channels (for two separate guitars or two pickups on one guitar) and a simple EQ dial for adding or diminish treble. Not sure, though, if it‘s a good match for this passive pickup. That said, it offers pristinely clean sound and even manages to naturally reduce the infamous piezo „quack‘“ a bit.

  • @steverogers5956
    @steverogers59566 күн бұрын

    It would be interesting to hear the Journey compared to the K&K Pure Mini, which is the same type of pickup.

  • @alexbojko6194
    @alexbojko61944 жыл бұрын

    Hi, i'm beginner in the "world of pickups". You can use this pickup in live performances and in studio or you need some special extra preamp?

  • @alexbojko6194

    @alexbojko6194

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@the95s Okay, thank you for explanation

  • @neilmchardy9061
    @neilmchardy906110 ай бұрын

    For small gigs with low amplification I used to use an amazon condenser lapel mic. Just hooked in the sound hole. It was a bit Feedback inclined but the sound was superb. The cost? £7.

  • @rickotley
    @rickotley2 жыл бұрын

    Jaw still dropped... (Thank you)

  • @decemberswitch
    @decemberswitch Жыл бұрын

    good info and comparison between pickups. well done. A common studio engineering trick is to record both a mic and pickup at the same time, and this video shows that the anthem seems just kinda crap for that application. Its just not enough mic (sounds cheap and nasty - obviously compared to a $2-4k studio mic) and far too noisy. Live i dont think people would notice the sound, but horses for courses. The K&K style piezo would be more useful for this use case.

  • @the95s

    @the95s

    Жыл бұрын

    Honestly I'm so surprised there was so much noise and boxiness to the tone. Not a fan of the piezo pickup but at least it's consistent for live use

  • @howabouthetruth2157
    @howabouthetruth2157Ай бұрын

    That Journey 3-sensor passive pickup that looks near identical to the K&K Pure mini is the best & most natural sounding pickup for acoustic guitar that I've ever heard........even better than the K&K, and costs only 1/3rd of the price for a K&K. Some may disagree, believing the LR Baggs systems that use an additional internal microphone "sound better". That's because they haven't performed on stage enough and/or performed where higher volume was needed. Those systems that include an additional internal microphone are prone to feedback. I've been playing guitar since 1974, and also gigged for decades. I KNOW what a good amplified acoustic sound is supposed to sound like..........and ya just can't beat this Journey 3-sensor passive system..........and how it also happens to be the lowest cost in the industry. People need to understand: when it comes to the natural sound of a good acoustic guitar, if ya really use your ears & pay attention, you should notice that a good acoustic guitar actually has a very slight woody, sweet distortion. And nothing comes closer than this Journey system. TIP: When installing either a Journey or near identical K&K Pure Mini, instead of using the mounting jig provided with each, simply cut a full-sized jig that will enable ALL 3 TRANSDUCERS to be mounted at once. Use something like an old debit or credit card, or anything else with a similar stiffness & thickness. Using scissors, carefully cut the card so that it fits the bridge plate, yet still clears any bracing. Once ya have it cut to the correct size & dimensions, carefully drill or punch holes that line up perfectly with the bridge pin hole for both E strings ( the outer string on each side of the bridge ). Then make marks/dots for the exact location of the remaining bridge pin holes. ( These don't need to be holes, because you only need the 2 outer holes for the locating pins. ) These 4 marked dots along with the 2 outer holes will allows you to use the putty & position all 3 transducers perfectly. You use the exact same procedure from there, using 3 little balls of putty, and make sure all 3 pickup transducers are in the perfect position. Now you can mount all 3 transducers at once, instead of doing the same procedure 3 times using the much smaller jig that is provided. This improved method also ensures that none of the transducers touch or overlap each other. I don't know why Journey and K&K haven't came up with this improved jig yet..........because it works much easier and much better..........in 1/3rd the time.

  • @thefreese1
    @thefreese14 ай бұрын

    Sustain really hasn't mich to do with the pickup.. its the woods in the guitar. Yes , even on an under saddle pickup . What keeps the strings vibrating is the wood . Yes.some inder saddles will absorb somewhat. For instance a flatline vs a pickup wrapped in heat shrink or wrapped in cross hatch of wire. But the body , bridge, soundboard material and neckjoint are what actually allows the string to vibrate for longer durations of time . Also you can pull the pickup in the same guitar and replace it, and if the contact isn't exact on the bottom of the saddle , sustan will suffer.

  • @michaelduke2026
    @michaelduke20263 жыл бұрын

    K & K make a pick-up like this, but it costs about twice as much. Any thoughts on how theirs compare with the Journey?

  • @duaneandshellysoldtimegosp9031

    @duaneandshellysoldtimegosp9031

    Жыл бұрын

    I have a K&K pure mini, and just installed a Journey in another guitar. Journey sounds the same or better.

  • @HunterShawMusic

    @HunterShawMusic

    Жыл бұрын

    Have a K&K Trinity system with the preamp in my Collings 0001E. Haven’t heard anything that sounds better through a PA IMO, and the opinion of many of the engineers and musicians who’ve mixed/played that guitar.

  • @Andre4548

    @Andre4548

    Жыл бұрын

    I think the JJB PRESTIGE-330 is better than either. Same price as the Journey Tek, but a better build and made in the USA. I have 2 guitars with the Journey Tek in them (a Journey Instruments FP412 Parlor guitar, and a PRS SE Custom that I had one installed in, but when I picked-up a used Guild F-150 last year, I went with the JJB. I think it sounds better than both the K&K and the Journery Tek. The owner of JJB personally answered my questions and delivery was less than a week.

  • @JanKosowski
    @JanKosowski2 жыл бұрын

    A lot of what you describe is just the difference between different types of pickups. Of course, any microphone inside the body will be noisier, etc. I agree that piezo is excellent in a live situation, but that's why I love K&K. It would be more interesting to compare JI with K&K, which is a kind of an "industry standard," especially in the fingerstyle community.

  • @eazyrider6122
    @eazyrider6122 Жыл бұрын

    I think a 5 band 7 band equalizer pedal would iron out any diffrence there and also give you so much more tone capabilities..

  • @the95s

    @the95s

    Жыл бұрын

    For live use we use HX Stomps for acoustic so we can use anything for EQ's to IR's works great!

  • @StevenPatrick
    @StevenPatrick2 жыл бұрын

    hey will this pickup work for nylon stringed guitars?

  • @StevenPatrick

    @StevenPatrick

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@the95s ok thanks

  • @Stratster68
    @Stratster682 жыл бұрын

    LR Baggs Anthem is a fabulous pickup. Works great on my guitars. I have been playing for over 45 years. Not sure what your problem was\is. But it's not LR Baggs fault. Sorry. If it LR Baggs) was too hot, that is why it is ADJUSTABLE.......

  • @rong648
    @rong6482 жыл бұрын

    I installed L.R. Baggs Anthem SL in my guitars. I was able to blend the pickup and the microphone to match the acoustic sound of my guitars.

  • @TheOnlineBusker

    @TheOnlineBusker

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi, I'm between the Fishman Rare Earth Mic Blend and the Anthem, for a gig going through the house PA. How does the Anthem sound for a gig, have you used it in that setting? Thanks!

  • @rong648

    @rong648

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@TheOnlineBusker No I haven't. I have a Fishman LoudBox Mini and a Fender Acoustasonic Amp. I'm able to blend the mic and pickup to match the acoustic sound of my guitar. When I do play with a bass player I have to stay away from his amp because of the mic.

  • @TheOnlineBusker

    @TheOnlineBusker

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@rong648 Hey thanls for the reply! Wow that's another thing I'm thinking of, a Fishman Loudbox, not sure which of the series for a small bar gig....but would still need to be pretty loud, as the house PA is usually rubbish in the bars here.... how's the loudbox mini? Any good? Cheers!

  • @rong648

    @rong648

    2 жыл бұрын

    I think using the Mix D.I Output you should be fine. I'm playing in a small church and my Mini is able to keep up with a bass player and keyboards.

  • @usualsuspect5173
    @usualsuspect5173 Жыл бұрын

    Didnt you have to super glue the journey pickup under the bridge?

  • @the95s

    @the95s

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes it's 3 small contact pickups very easy to install

  • @DaveDexterMusic
    @DaveDexterMusic2 жыл бұрын

    Maybe you touch on this somewhere, but certainly for recording at home or in a controlled space, I don't think either of these remotely cut it compared to a "real" microphone. I genuinely don't get why you'd use these pickup mics in preference, unless it's for gigging or busking etc. Even though one pickup was better, they both still have that thin plackiness to my ear. Maybe it's a budget thing?

  • @geamax1
    @geamax14 жыл бұрын

    The three dots from kkk or journey they are bot transducers just like an undersaddle piezo. I like Anthem balanced 75% mic and 25% piezo. The mic comes pre EQ on the Anthem. One that I really like is the fishman infinity blend. If you use a stereo cable doble end you can actually equalize them independently only really bad thing is you cant have a loud onstage monitor cause it will feedback a lot. The key for amplifying acoustic guitars is to amplify its natural sound and for that you have to like the sound of your guitar unplugged. None solidwood guitars will sound like they are inside a box using microcondensers. Piezo pickups wont give you that nor any type of transducers they will always sound synthetic. If you like the sound of your guitars unplugged I suggest the DPA d:vote 4099 is an on stage microphone condenser is like 750usd tried it on my Eastman DT30D Double top sitka spruce and rosewood back and sides solid woods and on my Eastman e10SS Adirondack and Mahogany solid woods and is just 95% proximity to the sound of my guitar unplugged the only thing is I am very agressive on stage and I felt it to fragile for my performances. If you look it up you see what I mean. Great video by the way.

  • @123elvislives
    @123elvislives4 жыл бұрын

    There you for your review I do have a LR Baggs anthem the one that you make a hole in your guitar and put it in The sound for me is good but the price is a problem I can't see that it is worth the money I am looking at one of theses Journey pick ups the one that has the microphone and under the bridge or l mite just get the one you are talking about Yeah l would love to hear from you Thanks David Thumbs up from Australia 🇦🇺👍🏼👍🏼🇦🇺

  • @123elvislives

    @123elvislives

    4 жыл бұрын

    Zoeter Music Thank you for your reply I have been in touch with them and yes the microphone one is a add on to the one you have EP001K if that's the one you have now if you do have that one you can pear it with the EPS001-05K and that will give you the microphone and Bass treble volume Balance and a button for Phase I live in Geelong Australia 🇦🇺 and was talking to Rob and Wendy by email and Rob said that they have a store in Melbourne which is about 1 hr away from me which sell there stuff So l might start of with the one You have and see and listen to what it's like Thanks David Keep safe l say and God Bless 👍🏼🎸

  • @mojoefelix
    @mojoefelix Жыл бұрын

    Of these two, I would definitely chose the Anthem. It sounds OK and more natural. The moment you switch to Journey, all I notice is piezo quack, which is characteristic of any piezo UST.

  • @TRONOFTHEDEAD

    @TRONOFTHEDEAD

    Жыл бұрын

    Funny…because the journey p/u is not an UST. 😉

  • @DennisHicks78749

    @DennisHicks78749

    Жыл бұрын

    Yeah, he misstated that it is an under saddle pickup. But the Journey pickup actually has three sound board piezo transducers.

  • @DennisHicks78749
    @DennisHicks78749 Жыл бұрын

    This is an apples and oranges comparIson. The Journey is not an under saddle, it is a soundboard pickup. It has three piezo elements that adhere to the underside of the soundboard. The Anthem actually has an under saddle pickup, as well as a microphone built into the preamp board that mounts inside the guitar. You may prefer the sound of one over the other, but if you prefer this soundboard pickup, you might want to try other soundboard pickup systems to find the one you will like the best. I prefer under saddle to soundboard pickups. I also like this new setup with a mic that is blended with the ust.

  • @mattwilliam4803
    @mattwilliam48032 жыл бұрын

    -what I'm hearing is.. the Journey's warmer and cleaner sounding... and THANK YOU for saving me over $250 !!!

  • @Jmans247massathon
    @Jmans247massathon Жыл бұрын

    I liked the Anthem. Sounded less muddy with more resonant highs.

  • @stephaniedodt2389
    @stephaniedodt23893 жыл бұрын

    I agree. I like the the Journey much better.

  • @Therapyxx
    @Therapyxx9 ай бұрын

    The only one thing, which sounded most realistic - is magnetic pickup. Everything else has noticable electronic tone

  • @howabouthetruth2157
    @howabouthetruth2157Ай бұрын

    Please read my other lengthy comment for a very helpful tip. In this audio comparison, the Journey system clearly does a better job of replicating THE SOUND OF THE WOOD...........not just the strings.

  • @roryoconnor861
    @roryoconnor8612 жыл бұрын

    The Journey sounds like a pretty bog standard piezo pickup to my ears. The Anthem lacks a bit of warmth but sounds infinitely better to me.

  • @sagrsalem6340
    @sagrsalem634011 ай бұрын

    Maybe it work for acoustic guitar But it is too Dark on classical nylon strings guitar .. I installed it with super glue to get the best contact . but it sounds not good it doesn't work with Nylon guitars

  • @Dannyvm27
    @Dannyvm2710 ай бұрын

    So you actually think that the journey pickup sounds better? Interesting because the anthem sounds WAY more natural and closer to a mic sound.

  • @yakacm
    @yakacm2 жыл бұрын

    You're thinking about it wrong, pole piece pickups for acoustic, like non transducer types, aren't supposed to faithfully produce the tone of the guitar, they are supposed to give a tone that's different from full electric or acoustic, think Kurt Cobain unplugged. For the longest time I thought KC had just added that pickup to an acoustic, but it's actually a Martin D18-E, which comes with 2 pickups from the factory. Gibson and others, also make acoustics with humbuckers fitted.

  • @lyonsson6480
    @lyonsson64804 жыл бұрын

    I didn’t think either of them sounded super great, both needed a lot of EQ tweaking. To be perfectly honest the first one sounded like it needed less tweaking to me.

  • @MsDenver2
    @MsDenver22 жыл бұрын

    You haven’t said what your amp is , I use a AER acoustic amp and they are the best

  • @scottmoreau5630
    @scottmoreau56303 жыл бұрын

    Sounds like you had a dud with the Anthem. You shouldn’t have noise and it sounded pretty thin and bright. It’s too bad you didn’t get a chance to try another because your results seem to indicate an issue. The Journeyman is nice but nothing revolutionary. K&K have been around for a good twenty years or more. They can sound good for sure but I would be looking into the Dazzo or Trance Amulet.

  • @markBAMBOO12
    @markBAMBOO128 ай бұрын

    Yeah we need more crispyness

  • @flash8051
    @flash8051 Жыл бұрын

    When I read comments like this: "all I notice is piezo quack" I wonder, WHAT in the world is he referring to? What is he be hearing that could conceivably be characterized as "quack"??

  • @radioraj1
    @radioraj13 ай бұрын

    In the beginning of video you mentioned that there are two main problems of pickups for acoustic: feedback and unnatural sound quality. You described in detail sound quality, but say nothing wrt feedback. I don't too much care about sound quality in studio, because you can record acoustic guitar via microphone in ideal studio circumstances, but I'm very dissapointed of acoustic feedback on on live gigs. Unfortunately you've said nothing about this.

  • @TheOnlineBusker
    @TheOnlineBusker2 жыл бұрын

    At 4 minutes (ish) I thought the Anthem sounded better. But it's moot anyway, as you wouldn't record acoustic with line in, you'd use a mic in front of it.... the only reason I can see (and need) one of these types of pickup is to do a gig when all you have is an acoustic guitar.... you know?

  • @Garry572301
    @Garry5723013 жыл бұрын

    Wow, this pick-up reminds me of the Barcus Berry pickup that was installed in my 1975 Ovation Balladeer, over 45 yrs. ago... no messing around with batteries... Great Review... Thanks

  • @verboproductora3225
    @verboproductora32253 жыл бұрын

    If you had to choose between Baggs anthem and Journey, which of the two produces less feedback? which would be more useful to play with a band in different environments?

  • @MichaelStoneham

    @MichaelStoneham

    Жыл бұрын

    Any piezo pickup without a preamp will be very hot and prone to feedback. So I use an external preamp with them. There are many to choose from Behringer ADI21 Acoustic Preamp DI. Tech21 Sansamp Para DI, Fishman and others also make these.

  • @MikaelLewisify

    @MikaelLewisify

    Жыл бұрын

    To my ears the anthem sounds much better.

  • @oscarsh2909
    @oscarsh2909 Жыл бұрын

    Might sound strange mate, but for chords, try your iPhone or a Zoom handheld. You will be surprised.

  • @daveschellenberg5894
    @daveschellenberg58942 жыл бұрын

    like the anthem

  • @thomasowen2148
    @thomasowen21483 ай бұрын

    the Anthem sounded much more balanced in tone and freq consistancecy between strings

  • @williambaldwin7611
    @williambaldwin76118 ай бұрын

    I feel like I'm being punked. There are problems with both as there are with all piezo pickups, but the anthem sounds more natural and more dynamic. The journeyman sounds more nazily and overly compressed, but yes I guess that compression will net out to more sustain...but it's not natural at all to my ears.

  • @5urg3x
    @5urg3x3 жыл бұрын

    It sounds a lot more compressed to me. I'm not sure that's really a good thing, to be honest. If you want a compressed sound you can do that after you record it with a compressor, but with this, you're stuck with that compressed sound.

  • @5urg3x

    @5urg3x

    3 жыл бұрын

    Zoeter Music Not compressed quality, like an MP3 vs a WAV - I’m not talking about that kind of compression, I mean the sound waves are compressed. You can see it in the waveforms. The dynamic range isn’t anywhere near as full as the other one. You can hear it as well. True it’s subjective, some folks might like that, it does have a unique sound, my only point was that if you want to load up a compressor plugin (like the built in Logic compressor which actually is quite good) you can achieve similar results, and it gives you more flexibility in terms of controlling the sound to be exactly what you want it to be.

  • @5urg3x

    @5urg3x

    3 жыл бұрын

    Zoeter Music Does this Journey pickup have an onboard EQ that can be adjusted via trim pots? If so, I would recommend setting all the pots to be 100% flat (like at 12 o’clock or 5/10, right in the middle) and maybe make an updated video with that sound. Otherwise, if there’s no way to actually control the EQ, and that’s what you’re stuck with...yikes. It doesn’t really have anything to do with preferences even, because you’re not going to want the same exact sound all the time for every single recording session anyway. If you’re doing an R&B track, you might want the fuller bass and compression. If you’re doing some country stuff, or classical...you’d probably want the opposite of that. It’s about having total control over the sound.

  • @davidsparks3491
    @davidsparks34913 жыл бұрын

    I actually preferred the Anthem, though for the price the JourneyTek is a great pickup

  • @scottbecker3485

    @scottbecker3485

    3 жыл бұрын

    Maybe with a bit of treble dialed in then the JourneyTek might have pleased you (and me) even more.

  • @glasgowbusker
    @glasgowbusker11 ай бұрын

    You do realise that from 5m44s-6m02s there is no sound at all - did you forget to unmute the track for this part of the demo? Otherwise nice review, thanks!

  • @the95s

    @the95s

    11 ай бұрын

    KZread is blocking the audio unfortunately...

  • @glasgowbusker

    @glasgowbusker

    11 ай бұрын

    @the95s 😄LOL that's funny - they're blocking one track but not the other? Maybe the sound of the Anthem is too faithful to the original 😂

  • @FatMattOutdoors
    @FatMattOutdoors2 жыл бұрын

    I'll give it a go, it is less than 1/4 the price of the Anthem and the Anthem-SL.... I do like the Anthem sound better..... But for the price...... Why not........ The Journey is so close the rest can be handled in post or via processing when in a live setting....

  • @chrisschut4533
    @chrisschut4533 Жыл бұрын

    I like the sound of the Anthem way more.

  • @phenixreturns
    @phenixreturns2 жыл бұрын

    cool you will have a free product :)

  • @kenanbarends5543
    @kenanbarends5543 Жыл бұрын

    Anthem hands down

  • @PhillProbst
    @PhillProbst2 жыл бұрын

    Ok, so nothing new here ... another example of a passive bridge plate transducer system ... just like K&K (the original) or JJB. I have them in all of my guitars ... my preferred type of pickup system.

  • @DonGlennTV
    @DonGlennTV Жыл бұрын

    They both missing the thickness of the bass

  • @terryfitzpatrick5602
    @terryfitzpatrick56028 ай бұрын

    KK Pure Mini. Just as good, same concept and less money

  • @bkt6025
    @bkt602510 ай бұрын

    Journey way better on the ears, hate the harshness of most pickups

  • @Audi.5000
    @Audi.50009 ай бұрын

    That Journey pickup sounded like garbage! The Anthem was way better. You should put the Anthem back in your guitar and have someone who knows what they are doing dial it in for you.

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