Gibson and Baggs are promising a “major leap forward in acoustic amplification” with the launch of their HiFi DNA acoustic guitar pickup system.
The pickup is already preinstalled on a wide range of Gibson acoustic guitars, in both Original and Modern Series, and features a similarly non-invasive “peel-and-stick” instalment procedure as Baggs designs such as the HiFi Duet. But with a dual Class A preamp processing the signal from the bass and treble bridge plate pickups, the HiFi DNA gives players “unprecedented fidelity”.
Lloyd R Baggs, founder of Baggs (which was known as LR Baggs until the subtle rebrand earlier this month), says it gives you the same gain before feedback as Baggs’ Element under-saddle pickup.
“The name ‘DNA’ speaks to our character as relentless innovators and to what this new sensor can do,” he says. “It’s lighter, more flexible, and more responsive. Less mass and stiffness means more life, more breath, more truth from the guitar.”
That is always the dream, that the acoustic guitar remains fundamentally acoustic even if you are playing it through an acoustic guitar amplifier. We want naturalism. Baggs says it is the dual preamp design that makes all the difference. Baggs had never been able to produce it at scale.
“Now, each sensor has its own preamp stage before they’re blended, which keeps both signals pristine,” explains Baggs. “If you combine two mic diaphragms – or two piezos – before amplification, they tug on each other, and the sound can get muddy. Separating them preserves every detail.”
Baggs says we should think of the HiFi DNA system as behaving a little like choir mics. One of the sensors is focussed on the bass strings, the other on the treble strings, and the signal from each gets fed through their own Class A preamp.
Baggs insists it is a new way of capturing the acoustic guitar, and you can hear the difference. “You get ambience without losing attack, space without losing touch,” he says.
The HiFi DNA sensors are lighter and more flexible than their predecessors. Controls are mounted in the soundhole. Inside the box you will find a mounting jig. Each sensor is colour-coded to aid instalment. There’s no drilling or gluing to the saddle. But note: Baggs recommends a pro tech sets yours up.
Head over to the Gibson website and you’ll see that the system has been rolled out across all the favourites from the catalogue.
Gibson Acoustic’s senior product development manager, Robi Johns believes that they have solved the age-old problem when playing live onstage with an acoustic – that it doesn’t sound quite like itself, it loses that naturalism.
“In the studio, with a great microphone, you can hear the whole voice of the instrument – but live, that colour and character were always compromised,” he says. “The first time I heard Lloyd’s new HiFi DNA pickup, I was stunned. It felt like I wasn’t listening from a point in space anymore – I was inside the guitar. It was the solution I’d been chasing since the 1970s.”
The HiFi DNA acoustic guitar pickup is available now, priced $299. See Baggs for more details. See Gibson for a range of acoustics with it pre-installed.
