L.R. Baggs Anthem Complete Control Acoustic Pickup

"LR Baggs has taken a truly giant leap forward with the Tru-Mic Anthem system. And by focusing on a microphone-oriented solution an approach that many players and certainly engineers regard as the best way to capture a guitar's natural toneï¾—LR Baggs is helping raise the bar for what players can expect from an accessibly priced system." Premier Guitar Magazine review

LR Baggs Anthem System includes:

The Tru-Mic adheres to the bridge plate inside an X-braced guitar. It weighs only 1/2 ounce, avoiding any significant dampening effect on the instrument's natural sound. The housing positions the mic just 3 millimeters from the guitar surface, to achieve very high gain before feedback, and capture the sound of the entire vibrating guitar top. The sound quality and feedback resistance of the Tru-Mic set it apart from other "hybrid" mic/transducer systems that are primarily undersaddle-pickup based.

The Element undersaddle transducer in the Anthem System normally augments the mic at only the lowest frequencies, to add punch and authority. It works with common string spacings and saddle widths, for uniform string balance, and is flexible for more efficient contact and sensitivity. (Note: LR Baggs recommends professional installation for all undersaddle pickups.)

The Preamp/Controller is a featherweight unit that adheres below the edge of a 4"-diameter soundhole on a standard X-braced guitar. It puts you in control, with volume, mic/pickup mix, phase inversion (for feedback control), critical mic gain and battery-check right at your fingertips. The mix control allows a blend between the augmented mic and the undersaddle pickup at full-range when desired.

Also included are an endpin jack (1/2" hole required) with wiring harness, battery connector with no-drill battery bag, self-stick internal wire clips, and peel-and-stick adhesive for the mic, preamp and battery bag. 9-volt battery required.

• Tru Mic dimensions: 2.27" x .735"x .48"
• Tru Mic weight: 0.5 oz
• Pickup active sensor length: 3.4"
• Pickup thickness: .038"
• Pickup width: .092"
• Battery type: Single 9V
• Battery life: 170 hrs.
• Mic range: 250Hz - 20kHz

Snapshot

Think you know what an internal microphone is all about? Think again. This mic will shatter your preconceptions.

This revolutionary new amplification system features our patent pending Tru-Mic microphone technology. The mic is mounted to the bridge plate inside of the guitar to capture the majority of your guitar's true voice in a way that only a microphone is capable of - plus it is amazingly feedback resistant. Our Element Under Saddle Pickup carries only the lowest frequencies for punch and authority.

A sound hole mounted controller has volume, mix and phase controls with a battery check feature so you can always be sure of your battery at any gig.

Now you can plug in, crank it and sound more real than you ever thought possible.

LOUD • ANALOG • REAL
After 30 years of effort we have done the very thing that every amplified acoustic guitarist has dreamed about and the very thing that no other pickup manufacturer has been capable of—unlocking the potential of a microphone to capture the very essence of your guitar with high feedback resistance for demanding stages.

Not obvious but equally important is that the natural ease and dynamics of the Anthem Tru-Mic liberates you to play freely without having to compensate for the pickup system. Now you’re free to play the way you like, plugged in or not.

For the Anthem we used no modeling, no illusions, it’s not “like” a mic, it’s not “like” your guitar. This is a mic and what you will experience is your guitar, loud and with the fidelity and dynamics that come from a real microphone.

TRU • MIC TECHNOLOGY

At the heart of the patent pending Anthem is a revolutionary new type of microphone. Utilizing a proprietary noise canceling mic, the Anthem Tru-Mic eliminates any annoying honky or boxy qualities that have been previously associated with internal mic’ing, leaving the pure and natural sound of your guitar the way only a real mic is capable of doing.

Because the mic is positioned within a few millimeters of the guitar top, it has very high gain before feedback. The mic housing mounts easily to the bridge plate and the mic capsule hovers just 3 mm above its surface to take advantage of the PZM or “boundary” effect. This Tru-Mic technology picks up the sound of the vibrations of the entire soundboard and makes the mic unusually free from placement issues.

MIC AND PICKUP RADICAL NEW TECHNOLOGY

The sound quality and feedback resistance of the Anthem Tru-Mic now allows the mic to be the primary sound source in a mic/pickup system. This is unlike previous systems where only a small amount of the mic could be used to add some “air” to the dominant pickup signal. This is a radical new relationship between a mic and a pickup, as all of the detail, warmth and personality of your guitar is captured by the Tru-mic. The mic is augmented, for only the very lowest frequencies, by our Element under saddle pickup.

CONTROLS

The feather-weight control unit contains all of the essentials; volume, mix and phase. It nestles securely just inside of the soundhole for easy fingertip access. The mix control allows a full blend between the augmented mic and full range pickup. A multi-segment battery check allows you to maximize battery life and peace of mind.

Under the hood is an all discrete preamp/mixer with our pure, clean LR Baggs signature sound that is trusted by top artists around the world. We have done all of the engineering so you can just plug in and enjoy the real sound of your guitar and the way you play, night after night.



Reviews

"Acoustic Guitar reviews a new internal mic and pickup system that produces remarkably natural amplified sound.

While many companies are pursuing modeling approaches to overcome the limitations of traditional pickups, Baggs has chosen to take a decidedly different direction, and the results are impressive. "


 "Anthem represents a significant step forward in the quest to produce amplified acoustic tone worthy of the best acoustic guitars. "
Acclaim

“This system will stay in my guitar. No way am I taking it out. You and you're team have done it again.” Rick Rubin – Dutch’s Music

“The Anthem sounds just like the guitars. No "box" or "hollow" sound and absolutely no feedback. My search is over!!” Jody Norris – Musician

"After months of anticipation, the latest acoustic guitar pickup has arrived from LR Baggs. They call it the Anthem, we call it the Awesome.”
Brian Michael – Gryphon Stringed Instruments

"...it now ‘feels’ like I'm playing a steel-string acoustic guitar. The string attack when playing through the Tru-Mic is very pleasing.” Jim Bybee - Roland Corporation U.S.

“The Anthem is FANTASTIC! By far the best amplified sound that I've heard from my guitars. BRAVO!” Jennifer Martin - Musician
holy $%*# !" Gayla Drake Paul

 “…I was stunned the first time I plugged in. Every jaw in the band hit the stage. MASSIVE sound.” Gene Miller – Amy Grant Band

 "The Anthem is by far the best pickup system I've ever used. It captures a broader array of colors and tones from my guitar, which makes it more fun to play. On top of that, it doesn't feedback! A real breakthrough!" - Justin Young with Colbie Caillat

 “They call it the Anthem, we call it the Awesome.” Brian Michael – Gryphon Stringed Instruments

 "The authenticity of the Anthem SL's reproduction of my Martin D-41 is staggering!" Bud Tower - Musician

 "The new Anthem pick up has been fantastic on Ray's tour. I can play at any size gig and the sound engineer dials it in quickly and loves the tone! We both agree it transfers the true sound and personality of my guitar." - Greg Leisz with Ray LaMontagne

 "The Anthems are just amazing..I've installed them on more than 6 guitars and every owner raves about the amplified tone plus the amount of headroom it offers..unlike anything in the market" - Jarvis Wong - Musician

 "I have only dreamed that someday technology would allow this quality of sound outside the walls of my recording studio." Louis Drapp - Recording Engineer
"The Anthem is the best sound I've ever had. Now, it seems that you've again jumped in front of everyone else. I can't help but think that the Anthem will be state of the art for quite some time." Pat Flynn - 5 time winner "Best Acoustic Guitarist" readers choice Frets Magazine.

 " I could have never anticipated this and I still can't hardly believe it. " John Standefer - 2002 National Fingerstyle Guitar Champion

 "so amazing! Sounds like 3D!!!" - Jes Saito

 “The Anthem sounds just like the guitars. No 'box' or 'hollow' sound and absolutely no feedback. My search is over!!” Jody Norris – Musician

 "I've been amplifying with an Anthem SL system for a week now. I'm SO glad that I took the leap of faith and opted to put it in my gigging guitar. It's definitely a step up from anything else I've used." Gary Hall - Musician
“...it now ‘feels’ like I'm playing a steel-string acoustic guitar.” Jim Bybee - Roland Corporation U.S.
“The Anthem is FANTASTIC! By far the best amplified sound that I've heard from my guitars. BRAVO!” Jennifer Martin - Musician

Related Articles:

Brand Spotlight: LR Baggs