Everyone I know that love Taylor guitar say their electronics are crap.
Most Martins donāt come with electronics because people take
them out and install K&K pick-ups.
If an onboard tuner is the only reason to get electronics buy
a Snark tuner and leave it at that.
If you like the guitar and it happened to have electronics on it, then I would get it. I wouldnāt have it be the deciding factor though.
Havenāt been a fan of Guitar Center since I bought a Martin there years ago.
If the selling point is the Tuner donāt bother, they are not very accurate. If thereās an option of an Acoustic only one the same then get that instead but try it first. There can be differences between guitar to guitar, even the same model! Make sure that the one you try jumps out at you and tells you itās the right one, regardless of what it costs, be sure that itās what you really want!
Yeah. I donāt plan to buy at Guitar Center. Iād support a local small business instead.
If youāre not going to record or play on stage then Iād say electronics in an acoustic guitar are not a selling point at all. And honestly, the electronics in most acoustics are not that great, in my experience. The only one Iāve been at all happy with is the Fishman Aura VT Enhance that came in my Martin OM-35E (and even then I prefer micāing the guitar and also recording the output from the pickup and blending them). Usually, the electronics in an acoustic have that annoying āquackyā piezo sound that I donāt get into.
Built in tuner is also not a big deal, to me. YMMV.
Probably different in different countries, however here it seems as you go up the quality range in guitars more seem to have electronics than not - at least with what the stores have in stock.
If you think you might use a looper one day, or record your acoustic, it might be worthwhile.
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For me the electronics were not that important. I ended up with an acoustic with electronics because every guitar that had a cutout for better access high up on the neck happened to have electronics. If you fancy a time when you might access the frets above 12 or even 15 the cutout might be handy.
I bought a Seagull S6 with electronics when I started out and have regretted spending the extra money as I never use them, except for the tuner but a clip on is just as good. If you are never going to play live donāt bother, save the cash for some other goodies later on.
I never plug mine in, if Iām recording I prefer to use a mic and Iāve never played it in public. That model was only available with the electronics though.
personally, Iād go for one with electronics because I like to apply some delay or reverb when performing live, accompanied with my vocal (also with reverb)
If you would buy it only for the tuner and have no live gigging ambition now or withing several years, use a clip-on tuner I guess ;D
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My two cents. As others have mentioned built in tuner alone is not a good reason to get built in electronics. I use mine on occasion and works well enough for my ears, but I also have a few clip ons.
So unless you expect to plug-in donāt worry abut it.
That said, when I was looking for my guitar, I did not really āexpectā to plug-in. I hade been researching on-line for a while and wanted one that afternoon and The Breedlove Discovery Concert felt good, was in my price range and it just happened to have the built in electronics. However, I have since found it is nice to have the capability.
Generally when I record (A work buddy and I share recordings once or twice a month to gauge progress, and I plan to start a learning log here on the community board, and for the forum Open Mic) I record the same performance direct and from a mic via a two input audio interface. Having the built in electronics makes that easier and having built in electronics means you can record without even having a microphone.
It also allows me to record some acoustic parts to my Trio+ looper/band in a box to practice solo lines or different voicing all on my own.
All that said, In no way shape or form would I say you need factory installed electronics. As others have mentioned, if you want it down the line it can be retrofitted.
The ability to make acoustic backing tracks/loops is the thing I canāt do on my non electric acoustic guitar. I use my electric guitar to make the backing track/loops.
I did think of buying a clip on pickup but advice from the forum suggested that as they are āpassiveā ie no preamp, the signal would not be strong enough to activate the Trio+.
I would have thought any aftermarket āpickupā for an acoustic would have a preamp like my built in piezo system does. While I donāt have any actual experience with them Iām pretty sure Iāve seen youtube videos by tfwood (?) a Canadian Luthier where he adds 3 transducer dots to the bottom of the soundboard and that system does included a preamp and the associated 9v battery.
Hi my two cents worth, I have a martin 000-18 its old and without electronics - Im happy it doesnt have the electronics. Its a fun guitar to just play, and could always be micāed up if needed. I also have an acoustic Yamaha jumbo/drednaught which has a good pick up, I enjoy plugging it to an amp and messing with some delay and reverb and compression and chorus. I have a proper tuner for both, so tuner wouldnt be my selling point. Electronics could always be added later.
If you want to be able to use the Trio with your Martin, Gordon, then donāt let that stop you. Assuming that there are no active options, you can get preamps in external pedal form. I think the crux is balancing desire with budget.
Yes but thatās not a clip on pickup. Of course I could have a proper after market pickup fitted.
Have you looked at something like this, Gordon: https://www.fishman.com/portfolio/rare-earth-magnetic-soundhole-pickup/
Looks like you can fit it yourself without any work being done on the guitar. And youād just have to get used to the lead to the jack coming out from the soundhole.
ā¦.and never having used it I donāt know how good the acoustic setting would sound on my Katana 50 amp.
Yeah. Like I said in my original post, I have a Snark clip on tuner. So having a built-in doesnāt do much for me.
What Iām finding is that if I want the Martin 000 Jr with the cutaway style, then I have to get the electronic version. They donāt offer the cutaway without. Not sure thatās a big deal. As a beginning player, I havenāt ventured away from the first 3-4 frets. But one day, I might want to get further down the fretboard so the cutaway appeals to me. And I like the look of that guitar.