I build, but I also do repairs. My shop is now runs full time, so I install a ton of pickups — some because the instrument lacks a pickup, others because the player is unhappy with the factory-installed you-name-the-brand.
Personally, I can identify an under-saddle transducer pickup (UST) a mile away, and my ears just don’t like it. Customers who bring in a guitar with an LRBaggs Anthem (blended UST + mic) often have the guitar biased toward the mic.
I like the K&K bridge plate pickups, but they’re a pain to install, and an even bigger pain to de-install.
I generally sell (and stock) the LRBaggs Lyric microphone — essentially the microphone half of the Anthem. The mounting position is somewhat flexible, which can be helpful in some instruments.
For a bridge plate pickup, I lean toward the Schatten HFN active VT — very similar to the LRBaggs Ibeam, but much less expensive (at least in Canada).
Half of my own guitars run the Schatten, the other half the Lyric. Customers are happy with both, but the Schatten is almost half the price of the Lyric, so sales are biased more than 2 to 1.
For the odd customer who performs with a really loud band in various locations, feedback is an over-riding concern. For them, I’ve been installing the Seymour Duncan SA6 Mag Mic — a combined microphone and sound hole-mounted magnetic PUP, with a blend control. When feedback gets out of hand, the player can bias the PUP to the magnetic side — sounds less natural, but eliminates the feedback. It’s a bit pricey, but the right solution for some players, and very easy to move between instruments.
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