L.R. Baggs Viola Pickup – 50mm with Carpenter output Jack
If you’ve ever seen one of your favourite artists playing an acoustic instrument live on stage, there’s a strong possibility that Lloyd (LR) Baggs to thank for how good they sound. A talented cellist in his teens, Lloyd Baggs discovered that he had a gift for building acoustic guitars. Musicians that sought out his guitars included artists such as Ry Cooder, Jackson Browne, Janis Ian, Graham Nash and others. As well as his superb craftsmanship, his deveopment of cutting edge acoustic instrument pickup systems saw his business grow to where forty years on, LR Baggs is a world leader in his field.
The LR Baggs Viola Pickup features a high quality precision LR Baggs pickup sensor embedded directly into the bridge. The placement of the pickup in the bridge minimises unwanted body noise and provides excellent string articulation and response.
The pickup is a miniature vibration transducer cast directly into a French made Superior Despiau Two Tree maple bridge for maximum sensitivity and signal transfer.
LR Baggs choice of a Despiau bridge is an important element of the success of this pickup system. A viola bridge provides 20% of the instrument’s acoustic output. Discretely and with humility, this little piece of wood can both glorify the genius of a beautiful instrument or indeed enhance the musicality of the most ordinary of instruments. In every case, it will play its part and write its own musical score in harmony with the instrument.
As an integral part of the bridge, it effortlessly captures the instrument’s inherent dynamics. Furthermore, it’s selective admittance pattern is aligned so that the signal is generated as the bridge moves in a left-right motion (in response to the string vibrations).
The transducer also rejects any impulse directed to the plane of the bridge, minimising annoying finger squeaks, body noise and feedback. The L.R. Baggs Viola Pickup also offers unprecedentedly consistent performance, faithfully reproducing the voice of your prized viola.
The LR Baggs is the pickup of choice for top pros like Mark O’Connor, Darol Anger, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Sara Watkins. An external preamp is recommended.
The LR Baggs Viola Bridge Pickup provides clean, pure sound from your viola without the need for a complicated setup and is the favourite of professional musicians the world over.
Each pickup is quality tested and carries a one year warranty. Please Note: LR Baggs products must be installed by an authorized LR Baggs dealer to qualify for warranty coverage. Technical assistance will not be provided for home or hobbyist installations.
Please Note: Returns can not be accepted after the bridge has been carved.
The Carpenter Jack
Fred Carpenter designed his heavy duty 6.35mm (1/4″ output jack for those viola players who need a more secure attachment than a one armed bracket. Designed to be mounted on the G string side just like your chinrest. When you plug in the output cable, it falls cleanly over your left arm, never to interfere with your playing!
• Carpenter-designed Side-mount 6.35mm (1/4″) Jack
• Larger Opening to suit a Viola
• Stainless Steel Fittings
• Very Sturdy, Built for Professional Use