Chosing a Pick-up: LR Baggs or MISI

Hi there,

I'm hesitating about which pick-up to chose between the Ukulele Misi trio and the L.R. Baggs 5.0.

From older posts and reviews, the sound seems nice with both, and I don't really have a preference between an easily chargeable short-life battery and a long-life one that's a bit harder to change...
But there are still a few things I'm not sure about that could help me chose:
- Can anyone tell me if it's actually easy to control the volume on the L.R. Baggs? It would be very useful for me as I sometime need to put more volume on fingerpicking parts, less on heavy strumming ones... But I can't really imagine how this can be done quickly with the volume control being inside the uke?

- Is the difference of weight really noticeable? I imagine both are so light that we barely notice them.

- Is there any way to know when to change the battery (in the LR Baggs case), so that it doesn't finally die at the wrong time (counting 300 hours of playing is not an option!) ?

Thanks in advance for your help!

(I posted something similar in another place but can't find it anymore, and I believe the post was not actually sent. But please excuse me if this message already exists...)

All I can help you with is #1: it's very easy to control the volume on the Baggs, as the control is right at the sound hole, not deep inside. You even could adjust it during a song.

Thanks DaveY, this alone already helps a lot, I was afraid it would not be easy to control the volume!

Michaniel said:

- Is there any way to know when to change the battery (in the LR Baggs case), so that it doesn't finally die at the wrong time (counting 300 hours of playing is not an option!) ?

Click to expand...

I don't use a pickup, but based no what I've seen herein, my understanding is that most people just change them on a regular basis (e.g., every 3-6 months depending on how much it's used). So, frequently enough to avoid the risk of the battery dying during a performance.

Sounds like you can't go wrong with either system.

I love my MiSi's. HMS made a great video comparing different pick-ups:

While I prefer the sound of the LR Baggs 5.0 to the Mi-Si, I sure like the concept of the Mi-Si....I don't want/need the volume knob and the extra wires of the 5.0 inside the instrument to rattle around/vibrate against the wood during play.

And I'm wondering when the Mi-Si will be upgraded
to include the actual LR Baggs 5.0 pickup element. It currently uses a different pickup element, as far as I can tell. I can definitely hear a sound difference
in the HMS comparison video between the Mi-Si and the Baggs 5.0.

-- Charles

chasapple said:

While I prefer the sound of the LR Baggs 5.0 to the Mi-Si, I sure like the concept of the Mi-Si....I don't want/need the volume knob and the extra wires of the 5.0 inside the instrument to rattle around/vibrate against the wood during play.

And I'm wondering when the Mi-Si will be upgraded
to include the actual LR Baggs 5.0 pickup element. It currently uses a different pickup element, as far as I can tell. I can definitely hear a sound difference
in the HMS comparison video between the Mi-Si and the Baggs 5.0.

-- Charles

Click to expand...

Why would it rattle? As long as your luthier knows how to tie the extra wire, there shouldn't be any issues. I hear more issues of people's Mi-Si not having a charge vs. the LR Baggs, where it's easy to carry extra 3V batteries.

chasapple said:

While I prefer the sound of the LR Baggs 5.0 to the Mi-Si, I sure like the concept of the Mi-Si....I don't want/need the volume knob and the extra wires of the 5.0 inside the instrument to rattle around/vibrate against the wood during play.

And I'm wondering when the Mi-Si will be upgraded
to include the actual LR Baggs 5.0 pickup element. It currently uses a different pickup element, as far as I can tell. I can definitely hear a sound difference
in the HMS comparison video between the Mi-Si and the Baggs 5.0.

-- Charles

Click to expand...

The MiSi uses the LR Baggs element. It's the same UST in either of them. And nongdam is correct, you should have no issues with things rattling around if it is installed properly.

Here is the review and comparison that we did a while back
http://ukeeku.com/2012/04/02/l-r-baggs-five-o-ukulele-pickup-full-review/

I have two identical ukes (Koaloha Sopranos with Tenor neck), one with the MiSi and one with the Baggs 5.0. The Baggs sounds MUCH better. I like the MiSi's concept and the rechargeable battery (a really cool feature), but sound-wise, there is really no comparison. The MiSi sounds decent but the Baggs is sweeter and much more transparent. I always get comments on how good it sounds. It is the best undersaddle pickup I have ever heard on a uke.

As far as the battery goes, I change mine every 6 months and have never had a problem, even when gigging a lot. Plus the battery pack is stuck on the inside with Velcro so it is easily pulled out for string changes. And 2032's are cheap enough. Cheaper than 9-volts.

Based on what I've learned from Andrew at HMS, at times a pickup has to be matched to a specific ukulele. For example, kegmcnabb's KoAlohas sound better with the Baggs than the MiSi. Andrew and KoAloha recommend the Baggs for the KoAloha tenor (I'm not sure about for the other sizes). Not every seller knows which pickup is best; I could have bought my KoAloha from an on-ground store, but they were going to send it out to get a different (and passive) p.u. installed, which I later learned (by playing one with that p.u.) would have been a bad move.

JonThysell said:

I love my MiSi's. HMS made a great video comparing different pick-ups:

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing this video Jon, much appreciated. Great comparison of pick-ups by Aaron at HMS.

nongdam said:

Why would it rattle? As long as your luthier knows how to tie the extra wire, there shouldn't be any issues. I hear more issues of people's Mi-Si not having a charge vs. the LR Baggs, where it's easy to carry extra 3V batteries.

Click to expand...

My experience with wire rattle during play is with my 1999 Taylor grand auditorium guitar
Which had a Fishman Blender internal pickup/microphone installed.

The 9v battery block was mounted to the neck block and the wires back to the
End pin travel along the underside of the sound board, along with the wires from
The gooseneck mic. So sometimes I hear wire rattling against the soundboard. It drives me crazy sometimes but I don't know of any good luthiers here on Maui to try to fix it--and I'm too lazy/cheap to send it to Taylor to have a new system put in.

So that's where my fear of wire rattle comes from. Maybe it's unfounded if installed correctly in a ukulele.
But the limited wiring of the mi-si, compared to the LR Baggs 5.0 appeals to me for that reason--but I sure like the 5.0 sound better based on the HMS comparison video.

the Baggs is the best sounding pu I've tried. I've used it awhile and have not changed the battery yet. they are super cheap by the 10 or 20 card on ebay.