Hi Gary. Nice to see someone else playing through the Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge. I bought one myself in march 2020 to play gigs outside during lockdown and still to this day it's my favorite acoustic amp. It makes a fundamental good tone, it has a good natural reverb and best of all - it's super sturdy. A big plus is the D.I. output which I use to connect the Fishman to a louder PA/Active Speaker when playing bigger gigs. Greetings from Denmark.
Hi Mikel, thank you for watching. I love how natural my acoustic guitars sound through the fishman Loudbox amps. Thanks for watching 1’s for the nice greeting from Denmark!
Nice video, Gary! I've been enjoying your stuff recently. However, I think K&K gear is a little misunderstood by a lot of people. Firstly, you can run the Pure XLR on pedal power. You just need a 9v battery clip adapter (which is easily acquired and one might've even come with your voodoo labs). K&K preamps come with a small notch cut out of the sidewall where it meets the snap-on top so that you can run the cable from said adapter out. I've run a K&K Trinity preamp this way many many times with no issues. Additionally, everyone always compares active pickups (like the anthem or lyric) to the Pure Mini, which is passive, and that's really and truly apples to oranges. Active pickups already have built in preamps. This is why they often need batteries inside the guitar and weigh significantly more than a Pure Mini. The point of the Pure Mini is to keep the system minimal and lightweight with no internal batteries. The tradeoff you get is the need for some sort of external preamp or EQ. A better comparison would be the Anthem and the K&K Trinity. Both are active combination systems with a pickup and a mic. The K&K stuff has more of a learning curve, but it's really great once you've figured out how to get the most out of it.
I put A K&K Pure Mini (w/Sound Wheel) in my 2008 Martin D-28 Marquis. I ran through my Fishman amp and was a bit disappointed. I bought a Zoom A3 PreAmp and WOW! Totally an acoustic sound but amplified. Just love it.
Having watched your offering here I think there’s a point missed. I have two fine acoustic guitars I play regularly. One I travel with and the other I record and use for my top shows. The instruments are similar to yours. My traveller is a older Taylor 510 which I installed an Anthem in. I used the Anthem because it provides a great flat sound with the option of a good dual source mic. It’s really a nice tone and sounds somewhat like the guitar. This guitar was setup with an end pin jack and did not need to be cut. My second guitar is a Martin OM18A. The guitar is a near cellular knock off of an original 1933 instrument. Even though it’s a reproduction it’s a very finely crafted light weight instrument that I did not want to damage or fill with a preamp or battery. So enter the K&K and the vintage jack option. Again no reaming was needed to instal an output jack and only the very light weight pickup is added. The guitar is extremely unique in its voice. The K&K captures the tone of the guitar as well or better in some ways than a mic. It requires a preamp and if I wanted a volume control i could have installed K&ks volume control add on and it would still have been passive. The quality and texture the K&K offers is much deeper compared to the Anthem. This is a situation where the anthem could not be installed in the Martin. To me it’s a more true representation of your guitars tone. It gives you more information than needed and you must filter the unwanted part out. For experienced players with more setup time it’s the best IMHO. That said I still really appreciate the Anthem for its excellent sound, simplicity and ease of use. These two pickup systems are not equal as there are limitations to the Anthems installation. I also have the Bose L1. Great rig. Thanks for the reverb demo. Very nice. Inspiring!
I could not have said it better. The right tool for the job. Make minimal changes to your high end guitar so it’s inherent acoustic tone is untouched. Yes times one million!!
I have the fishman matrix in a martin om cherry..sounds real good but now, once again cuz of Gary Roberts, I find myself shelling out more shekels for gear I didn't know I needed! Gonna have to get an Anthem for the new om 28 md
This was a great review with playing examples! I am more a Anthem person my self like you say simple plug and play. I have another account with K&K mini but haven’t played it with a pre amp. Take care!
Gary I’m getting a Martin and I hear both ways. Does the LR Baggs anthem change the sound at all of the guitar when not using the preamp? I’m getting a Baggs anthem put in my guitar because sweetwater doesn’t carry the KK mini brand. Thanks and sorry if you mention this I’m messaging you before I finish your video. Hehe.
I have the Anthem in a few Martin acoustics. All of them sound wonderful Acoustically. When playing amplified, for me, there is no better plug and play acoustic pickup that sounds musical and natural: LR Baggs Anthem. It is the easiest to use and doesn't need any sort of external preamp. All that is built-into the pickup.
@@gair1944 Hey I was just thinking about the tuner Pop you get with the K&K Preamp, why you dont try putting your tuner first on your signal, that will work as a tuner for all your lines, regardless if you have 1 or 2 lines coming out signal change?
@@gair1944 let me know if it worked, in case not I might think in some other solution. I'm not a rig guru but I like to build pedalboard for musicians.
If I may, I'd like to add a pickup that I love and that hardly ever gets a mention. It would compete with the LR Baggs Anthem (which I'm not crazy about because of it's looks). The pickup is the Fishman Matrix Infinity Mic Blend. I have it in a few Martins and it is just the most amazing sound. I haven't tried it in a gig setting (re feedback) but if you have feedback you can adjust the blend towards the under saddle pickup. I'm very much a believer in pickups that have a microphone as well. Great video - many thanks.
Thanks for sharing this. I haven't tried the Fishman Matrix Infinity Mic Blend but I would love to. I'm sure its equally great! They make exceptional acoustic amplification gear!
@@gair1944 I don't like the Fishman Aura which includes modelled sounds of live mics. The Matrix Infinity Mic Blend was launched late 2018. I have no idea why it hasn't been advertised more but all of the reviews are outstanding. I can attest to that!
Does the anthem take away any tone or texture from the natural acoustic guitar tone? I play/record mostly unplugged at home but the occasional solo wedding or church service. Wondering if something more minimally invasive would be better.
Sorry for the late reply. If the Anthem alters the unplugged acoustic tone, it is minimal. I love the sound of my anthem equipped acoustics. They sound great unplugged too
I strongly prefer the LR Baggs Anthem. It is vastly more natural, more plug and play, resists feedback better, you don't need an external preamp. With the K&K, you must have an external preamp to sound as good as possible and it still lacks the 'air' that the LR Baggs Anthem gives me.
Not true. I have a K&K in my D18 and have been considering going to the Anthem for a while now. I have an Anthem installed in my 00015sm and love it. Can't ever really get the K&K to sound great for strumming... For single note stuff, it's great though. But it always needs a good preamp and eq to get there.
Another video artist states the Lyric, which is basically the TruMic half of the Anthem, is a truer representative of the acoustic guitar's tone. However, they feel it is better suited for gigs where you are not competing with other loud instruments. They feel the K&K is better for that louder venue. It is less likely to feedback or pick up noise or some other instruments vibes. Would you agree?
It agree the lyric is the trumic is nice representation but in my experience you need the full anthem for best overall giggable sound. I have a k&k in another guitar and it is way more feedback prone than any other pickup I’ve tried. It needs a lot of outboard preamp eq shaping and is still more challenging. I choose the full anthem every time as the most musical, most plug and play, low maintenance pickup.
@@gair1944 That's weird, I had the exact opposite experience. When using the mic part of the Anthem (which is where the good sound is), I just couldn't avoid getting feedback. I ended up sending my Anthem back because this. I replaced it with a K&K which has zero feedback. Just make sure to turn down that low end and you shouldn't have any problems. :)
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Hi Gary. Nice to see someone else playing through the Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge. I bought one myself in march 2020 to play gigs outside during lockdown and still to this day it's my favorite acoustic amp. It makes a fundamental good tone, it has a good natural reverb and best of all - it's super sturdy. A big plus is the D.I. output which I use to connect the Fishman to a louder PA/Active Speaker when playing bigger gigs.
Greetings from Denmark.
Hi Mikel, thank you for watching. I love how natural my acoustic guitars sound through the fishman Loudbox amps. Thanks for watching 1’s for the nice greeting from Denmark!
Nice video, Gary! I've been enjoying your stuff recently. However, I think K&K gear is a little misunderstood by a lot of people. Firstly, you can run the Pure XLR on pedal power. You just need a 9v battery clip adapter (which is easily acquired and one might've even come with your voodoo labs). K&K preamps come with a small notch cut out of the sidewall where it meets the snap-on top so that you can run the cable from said adapter out. I've run a K&K Trinity preamp this way many many times with no issues. Additionally, everyone always compares active pickups (like the anthem or lyric) to the Pure Mini, which is passive, and that's really and truly apples to oranges. Active pickups already have built in preamps. This is why they often need batteries inside the guitar and weigh significantly more than a Pure Mini. The point of the Pure Mini is to keep the system minimal and lightweight with no internal batteries. The tradeoff you get is the need for some sort of external preamp or EQ. A better comparison would be the Anthem and the K&K Trinity. Both are active combination systems with a pickup and a mic. The K&K stuff has more of a learning curve, but it's really great once you've figured out how to get the most out of it.
I much prefer The K&K Trinity to the Baggs. Hopefully they Hifi duet comes out soon 🤞
I put A K&K Pure Mini (w/Sound Wheel) in my 2008 Martin D-28 Marquis. I ran through my Fishman amp and was a bit disappointed. I bought a Zoom A3 PreAmp and WOW! Totally an acoustic sound but amplified. Just love it.
Great report!
great demonstration, thank you Gary!
Thank you for your kind comment. My pleasure. I hope it was helpful
Having watched your offering here I think there’s a point missed. I have two fine acoustic guitars I play regularly. One I travel with and the other I record and use for my top shows. The instruments are similar to yours. My traveller is a older Taylor 510 which I installed an Anthem in. I used the Anthem because it provides a great flat sound with the option of a good dual source mic. It’s really a nice tone and sounds somewhat like the guitar. This guitar was setup with an end pin jack and did not need to be cut. My second guitar is a Martin OM18A. The guitar is a near cellular knock off of an original 1933 instrument. Even though it’s a reproduction it’s a very finely crafted light weight instrument that I did not want to damage or fill with a preamp or battery. So enter the K&K and the vintage jack option. Again no reaming was needed to instal an output jack and only the very light weight pickup is added. The guitar is extremely unique in its voice. The K&K captures the tone of the guitar as well or better in some ways than a mic. It requires a preamp and if I wanted a volume control i could have installed K&ks volume control add on and it would still have been passive.
The quality and texture the K&K offers is much deeper compared to the Anthem. This is a situation where the anthem could not be installed in the Martin. To me it’s a more true representation of your guitars tone. It gives you more information than needed and you must filter the unwanted part out. For experienced players with more setup time it’s the best IMHO. That said I still really appreciate the Anthem for its excellent sound, simplicity and ease of use.
These two pickup systems are not equal as there are limitations to the Anthems installation.
I also have the Bose L1. Great rig. Thanks for the reverb demo. Very nice. Inspiring!
I could not have said it better. The right tool for the job. Make minimal changes to your high end guitar so it’s inherent acoustic tone is untouched. Yes times one million!!
I have the fishman matrix in a martin om cherry..sounds real good but now, once again cuz of Gary Roberts, I find myself shelling out more shekels for gear I didn't know I needed! Gonna have to get an Anthem for the new om 28 md
This was a great review with playing examples! I am more a Anthem person my self like you say simple plug and play. I have another account with K&K mini but haven’t played it with a pre amp. Take care!
Thank you! I love the Anthem.
Wow ill have to get one of those fishman amps. I have a kk and it sounds like that amp will save the day
I've played several different acoustics through the Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge. All of them sound natural. Great amp. I still love mine years later.
Gary I’m getting a Martin and I hear both ways. Does the LR Baggs anthem change the sound at all of the guitar when not using the preamp? I’m getting a Baggs anthem put in my guitar because sweetwater doesn’t carry the KK mini brand. Thanks and sorry if you mention this I’m messaging you before I finish your video. Hehe.
I have the Anthem in a few Martin acoustics. All of them sound wonderful Acoustically. When playing amplified, for me, there is no better plug and play acoustic pickup that sounds musical and natural: LR Baggs Anthem. It is the easiest to use and doesn't need any sort of external preamp. All that is built-into the pickup.
@@gair1944 awesome man! Thanks for the kind reply. Appreciate it. I will stay with it.
Thanks for making it public. Very interesting.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Such a great demo! God bless!
Thank you! I hope it was helpful
@@gair1944 Hey I was just thinking about the tuner Pop you get with the K&K Preamp, why you dont try putting your tuner first on your signal, that will work as a tuner for all your lines, regardless if you have 1 or 2 lines coming out signal change?
@@GiovannyAlabi1 thank you for the idea. I have my tuner 2nd in the chain now so it’s worth a try.
@@gair1944 let me know if it worked, in case not I might think in some other solution. I'm not a rig guru but I like to build pedalboard for musicians.
Great playing
Put a James May Ultra Tonic upgrade on the k&k....kills the woof and gives you a volume knob without a battery.....it is a game changer
So , do you think the LR bags could do well in a live setting with a band? Or stick to k&K pure
I am an admitted LR Baggs Anthem fan boy. It is my favorite PU. I think the K&K can be more feedback prone.
@@gair1944 yeah, I feel you, I have to say though they both sound really good. I’m having a hard time deciding.
Are you using a Tonematch?
If I may, I'd like to add a pickup that I love and that hardly ever gets a mention. It would compete with the LR Baggs Anthem (which I'm not crazy about because of it's looks). The pickup is the Fishman Matrix Infinity Mic Blend. I have it in a few Martins and it is just the most amazing sound. I haven't tried it in a gig setting (re feedback) but if you have feedback you can adjust the blend towards the under saddle pickup. I'm very much a believer in pickups that have a microphone as well. Great video - many thanks.
Thanks for sharing this. I haven't tried the Fishman Matrix Infinity Mic Blend but I would love to. I'm sure its equally great! They make exceptional acoustic amplification gear!
@@gair1944 I don't like the Fishman Aura which includes modelled sounds of live mics. The Matrix Infinity Mic Blend was launched late 2018. I have no idea why it hasn't been advertised more but all of the reviews are outstanding. I can attest to that!
Does the anthem take away any tone or texture from the natural acoustic guitar tone? I play/record mostly unplugged at home but the occasional solo wedding or church service. Wondering if something more minimally invasive would be better.
Sorry for the late reply. If the Anthem alters the unplugged acoustic tone, it is minimal. I love the sound of my anthem equipped acoustics. They sound great unplugged too
any suggestions for a guitar strap for my new D18? I Like the Sound of the LR Baggs ! Keep it up!
I like the ball glove leather Martin straps personally
So which of the two gives you a 'broader' sound? As in, the most real acoustic tone? Great video by the way.
I strongly prefer the LR Baggs Anthem. It is vastly more natural, more plug and play, resists feedback better, you don't need an external preamp. With the K&K, you must have an external preamp to sound as good as possible and it still lacks the 'air' that the LR Baggs Anthem gives me.
Your guitar with k&k pure is rosewood? If it were to be mahogany I think you would not need the preamp.
Not true. I have a K&K in my D18 and have been considering going to the Anthem for a while now. I have an Anthem installed in my 00015sm and love it. Can't ever really get the K&K to sound great for strumming... For single note stuff, it's great though. But it always needs a good preamp and eq to get there.
Another video artist states the Lyric, which is basically the TruMic half of the Anthem, is a truer representative of the acoustic guitar's tone. However, they feel it is better suited for gigs where you are not competing with other loud instruments. They feel the K&K is better for that louder venue. It is less likely to feedback or pick up noise or some other instruments vibes. Would you agree?
It agree the lyric is the trumic is nice representation but in my experience you need the full anthem for best overall giggable sound. I have a k&k in another guitar and it is way more feedback prone than any other pickup I’ve tried. It needs a lot of outboard preamp eq shaping and is still more challenging. I choose the full anthem every time as the most musical, most plug and play, low maintenance pickup.
Which system of the two produces less feedback? could the k & k be more convenient to use to play in a band?
The Anthem is a lot more resistant to feedback. K&K is very feedback prone in a band or louder situation in my experience.
@@gair1944 That's weird, I had the exact opposite experience. When using the mic part of the Anthem (which is where the good sound is), I just couldn't avoid getting feedback. I ended up sending my Anthem back because this. I replaced it with a K&K which has zero feedback. Just make sure to turn down that low end and you shouldn't have any problems. :)
do you like the anthem better than the k&k
No survivors as pickups on acoustics just all sound terrible. LOL