LR Baggs Lyric

Well, Lloyd Baggs and his team have done it again. With the new Lyric pickup, they've raised the bar for what we should expect in a pickup system. Truth be told, they kind of did this already, with the release 3 years ago of the Anthem. The Anthem "Tru-Mic" pickup system is a brilliant application of the tried-and-true pressure-zone mic setup, combined with an undersaddle Element for added kick and feedback resistance. We have found remarkable success with that pickup system, especially among our pro customers. Worship leaders in particular love its full tone and high gain before feedback. They often return to buy several at a time from us.

But the Anthem frankly took a while to catch on. In an industry where it seems like every two years we get a new Best Pickup Ever, I think folks were waiting to see how it would actually work in real stage settings. I suspect that Baggs was, too, all the while tweaking and refining the technology in anticipation of the next generation of this pickup, the Lyric you see posted here.

The Lyric uses the same mic design as the Anthem, suspending the sensor just millimeters above the bridgeplate, so you get a microphonic tone, but without the main liabilities of internal guitar mics: boxiness and feedback. This is helped by a little bit of built-in electronic feedback-canceling magic. The system also includes a soundhole-mounted volume control, the smaller version like in the Anthem SL.

I guess it's no surprise that the Baggs Lyric is already racking up accolades from both professional reviewers and everyday players like you and me. This is a fantastic new pickup, and since Shoreline Music is the only guitar store that guarantees even installed pickups, it's really not much of a gamble to stick one in your guitar. If you've been in the market for a pickup upgrade, now may be the time.