Our friends at L.R. Baggs were kind enough to submit their new M1 Active magnetic sound hole pickup for review this month. Playing 50+ acoustic shows per year, I have just the guitar picked out to install the new M1 system in. Being a fan of L.R. Baggs products already, I simply can¹t wait to test the latest from the company who¹s trademark is ³Relentless Innovation in acoustic amplification."

Install-
The install of the M1 is a breeze, and in most cases - unobstructive of your guitar. Most acoustic guitars come equipped with a tail block strap jack or existing input jack. The input jack for the M1 requires a clean 1/2" hole in the tail block, in instances where there is not a hole already present, minor drilling may be required. The M1 is complete with everything you need to easily complete the install including necessary allen wrenches, and self stick wire clips, pre-wired strap jack assembly, and of course the active pickup with a battery installed. Since the M1 is a sound hole pickup, no routing of the rosette is necessary. Installation instructions are clear and understandable. The M1 also comes with a spare battery and three spare pole pieces. The M1 is fully adjustable with clamp screws to accommodate varying thickness of an acoustic guitar¹s top. All in all the process was completed in about 20 minutes.

Sound Check -
We all know that when you find a tone, you know it pretty much immediately. This is basically how it was with the M1. I had the sound hole pickup installed in a Tacoma Dreadnaught DF 21, Spruce Top, quilted maple back and sides in an incredible cherry sunburst finish. This guitar has no electronics, so it was an obvious choice to install the M1 in. A bit about the M1 and how it works. The M1 active utilizes ground breaking triaxial dynamic technology. What this means is that, when installed, the M1 moves in a three dimensional pattern with the body vibration of the guitar. The hum canceling coil is suspended under the main coil by a tuned support that allows it to move in three 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, somewhat of a dual source system in one magnetic pickup.

That is the technical application, the literal application is nothing short of awesome. I tested the M1 in a perfect user environment, at a live acoustic show. My partner and I have a two man acoustic show that we play out 50-60 shows per year. In this setting, I ran the Tacoma Dreadnaught into the L.R. Baggs Para DI that I have used for years, directly into the mixer. A Carvin 1200 mixer. This mixer sports a three band eq section on the individual channels and a master nine band eq to the mains. The master eq is set pretty much flat for I insert a ART 31 band eq, and a Barcus Berry enhancer through pre-eq insert point. The main eq is set with a slight ³smiley face" curve with modest boosted frequencies in the low and high end. During sound check, with the channel eq set flat the M1 was amazingly transparent. Well balanced eq with a tight low end, detailed mids, and sparkling highs. Each of the six pole pieces are adjustable to cut or boost the output of each string.Very little adjustment was needed from the factory settings. I ended up lowering the pole pieces for the high B and E strings, and a very slight raising of the low E and A strings. These adjustments were however bery minimal. My channel eq ended up with a slight dip in the midrange, and a slight boost in the low end, highs remained flat.

With this setting, I had tweeked a tone that would rival any bridge transducer or piezo system. Feedback? Forget about it! The M1 is incredibly feedback resistant, quiet and hum free. The M1 has a built in class-A preamp that is powered by a lithium battery for 1,000 hours of playing life. They even supply you with one additional battery! The M1 has a thumbwheel style volume control on the high E side of the pickup, conveniently located for quick control. I ended up using this guitar for the entire nights show with no additional adjustments.

Final Check -
The L.R. Baggs M1 Magnetic Pickup is the best I have heard in a sound hole pickup. With the ability to adjust each individual pole piece for each string, you can certainly customize nearly any tone you are looking for. The incredible resistance to feedback, and quiet signal to noise ratio make the M1 a true winner. Installation was no big deal, and once installed the M1 can be taken out in seconds with wiring staying intact for quick re-install, should you feel the need. At a list price of $249.00 and a street price of $189.00, the M1 is a bit more expensive than other sound hole pickups out there, but believe me, well worth the investment.

L.R. Baggs
483 Frontage Road
Nipomo, CA 93444
805-929-3545
www.lrbaggs.com