The best review I can give this was from my 2 boys (12 and 9). When I plugged this in at our church they said "It sounds just like we're sitting in the living room listening to you play only louder."

I am playing a Breedlove Eco Myrtlewood, but it came with only the basic Fishman Presys piezo pickup, so always sounded thin and nothing like the guitar itself sounds.

With the LR Baggs Lyric, the tone of the guitar sounded exactly like the real-life tone of the guitar, which is exactly what you want from an acoustic pickup.

I didn't have to do any modifications to the guitar as there was already a jack installed from the existing fishman. It was simply a matter of removing the fishman jack (which is modular so the wires just unplugged. No soldering or cutting of wires) from the fishman jack/battery housing and installing the Lyric jack into the fishmann housing. Worked like a charm.

I knew going in that having a microphone inside of an acoustic guitar would not be the best solution for amplification, but the results from the Lyric are below the bar as advertised. I watched a number of videos, including on the Sweetwater site, prior to the purchase and none of them highlighted the feedback problems. This baby has feedback problems, especially in higher (above 6K Hz) frequencies. It squeals. On the positive side it was easy to install, although my arm is a bit large for reaching inside the sound hole to install the preamp...that's just a personal problem. The threaded section of the preamp was not long enough to use the washers on the inside and still have threads available for the outside washers and nut. This left a not-so-elegant method of jamming the preamp against the wood block. Over time this will loosen and I'll have to keep tightening the outside nut. I don't want to get inside the guitar and try to modify the block - way too much work. I didn't want to affect the appearance of a nice guitar, so I chose the Lyric for its camouflage - that part works fine. The guitar still looks like an acoustic rather than an acoustic/electric. The amplification is very limited because of the feedback but works fine on a DI box into the DAW. I needed that because my studio is often too noisy for recording an acoustic with an external mic. Overall the pickup works - it wouldn't be a good for live performance as I would have liked.

I purchased this about a year ago. The initial pickup was defective, but Sweetwater offered to have me send it back, but I had already sent it to LR Baggs directly to have them figure it out. They send me a new one and I had that one installed on my Collings OM1. I have three other guitars with Fishman Rare Earth and thought I'd try this one based on other reviews I read, and I had installed and LR Baggs Anthem on my Larrivee so I knew a bit on the internal microphone. All that said, I'm really impressed, and happy with the sound this one produces, and I think I'll buy another for my other guitar. Nice to have the sound hole open with only a small adjustment knob.

When I first looked into adding a pickup to my Martin OM-28, I was thinking K&K so I wouldn't have a battery pack in the guitar. But I'd used a fishman rare
Earth for sometime and knew if I could only have it on the mic blend that would be my ideal. Mics have feedback issues though, so I figured a transducer or pickup would be better.

This Lyric is advertised as an under saddle mic without feedback issues (no more than any acoustic pickup, that is). So instead of gluing a transducer to the under saddle of my guitar I decided to try this. Well, 4 Martins later, I'm still using these.

I never tried a K&K but I can't see how anything would be a more accurate representation of the guitar's sound than a mic so I'm happy with my choice.

I have installed this 4 times now and it's super easy. Other than the 1/2" stepper drill where the end pin is, it's completely reversible too.

Also, the oldest of these I have is probably 7 years old? Maybe more. And the two sided tape has never been an issue. I was worried it would come loose. Nope.

With the battery pack against the center block where the neck and body connection is, I can't even feel the weight difference with the 9v battery.

The presence adjustment is kind of a pain because it's so sensitive, and it requires a special tool (included), but that should be a one time adjustment. The volume knob location is great IMO because you don't have any visible knobs on your acoustic.

If I add another acoustic to my collection I'm sure I will use this system again.

Made my guitar sound just as good plugged in as when it is not plugged in.
simple install, works great.
cons: no sound controls, just volume, so you have to go through something with an EQ if you need it.

My other two Lowden guitars have on board preamps, but I needed something for the third one. This Lyric brings out the natural sound of this jumbo axe (to the extreme left) with no feedback. Thanks again, Benjamin Nielsen!

My new system was easy to put in and sounds amazing!!! As always, the candy bag helped the installation too!! Thank you Sweetwater for being so awesome!!

I just installed this with the help of a couple of YouTube videos and I am very impressed with how easy to install and how well it works. My guitar already had a hole drilled through the end block since I was replacing an inferior pickup system. As one other review said, I had to crank up my Peavey VYPYR VIP-2 (on acoustic setting) to be sure I was hearing it through the amp because it sounds so much like guitar unamplified that it is hard to tell the difference. The sound techs at church had to crank up the gain on their board a little more than they were used to but once they did that it worked great!

I also like the little wire clips they give you to clip the wires to the side of the guitar to both keep them out of sight and so they don't rattle.

Installed it in a Norman Studio B50 (maple back and sides, spruce top)

The Lyric does an excellent job running through the Fishman LoudBox Mini, in a casual setting. It is impressive and simple, just a microphone under the bridge. Very happy with the results.

Ordered from favorite store, Sweetwater. They use Fed Ex which are very good. Martin D-18 did not come with pick up so had to drill strap pin hole larger to 1/2". Did so with Irwin Unibit after seeing You Tube Video. 2500.00 guitar and my first time to ever install a pick up. Martin sounded wonderful as was and now I get a great sound either miked up or using the LR Baggs Lyric pick up. Thanks to Sweetwater for excellent staff, products, shipping, and promotional videos. Watched their video of Ricky Scag using LR Biggs Lyric. Thanks.

Met my expectations with flying colors! You just can't go wrong with LR Baggs! Install was a breeze, even the drilling out of the strap pin hole!
My Martin D28 sounds as good with the pick-up as it does unplugged, it does the job. Cudos to Sweetwater for the recommendation..

I recently installed this in my 1978 Conn F28 acoustic guitar. It was a relatively easy install. The guitar sounds great played thru my Fender Acoustic Amplifier.

Install is simple for anyone used to tools. Set up for sound was straight forward (presence setting tool was a little long for my sound hole). Plenty of volume head room. I've tried it direct into a mixer & into an acoustic controller, both give wide range of tonal possibilities. I prefer a pure acoustic sound from my vintage J-50. It comes through in a variety of settings. I am very pleased with my choice of the Lyric.

I'm using them as a supplemental pickup to my existing older LR Baggs pickups.

This picks up my hand percussion wonderfully when looping and rounds out the sound very nicely.

I installed them myself using a new stepped 1/2 inch bit. Getting the preamp tight was a little fussy. The rest of the install was straightforward.

I highly recommend this product.

The product works excellent. Great tone on my Martin 000-15M. Volume adjustment works excellent as well. Make sure you thoroughly clean the mounting surfaces with alcohol and let them dry to assure proper adhesion.

I installed the lyric in my Martin 000-15M. It's sounds fantastic, very true to the acoustic sound of the guitar.

The Lyric is the best! It allows the convenience and freedom of plugging in your acoustic guitar while still capturing that genuine acoustic sound. The sound is so good I don't even use a mic in the studio any longer, I just plug right in. I have three acoustics I use for gigging and they are all fitted with the Lyric.

I recently had the LR Baggs Lyric system installed into my Martin 2011 50th Anniversary model D-16GTL by my local Martin authorized luthier. He did a superb job on the installation. As soon as I got home I hooked it up to first to my Fender Acoustasonic 30 w/DSP, a superb amp. I proceeded to play for at least the next 2hours to revel in the wonder and enjoy the clarity and natural sound to come from the Lyric performing. I also then switched to my small 100 watt PA and just marvelled at the great clarity and Martin tone just blasting through the speakers. Sweetwater was quick to get the Lyric to me in a timely matter. I had to wait through the weekend chomping at the bit for the installation. I can say everything has been a wonderful experience!Thank you! I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Lyric for it gives the guitar's true tone coming out and that is what I wanted. Sweetwater facilitated this wonderfully. THANK YOU!!

I replaced a LR Baggs Double Barrel pick up in my Martin D16RGT with the Lyric. Before the upgrade I hated playing my acoustic plugged in and never felt like it sounded natural. The difference is Night and Day! No more piezo quack!!! It just sounds like my guitar only louder. I haven't had a chance to play it live but it seems feedback resistant with my studio monitors up pretty loud.

Well, I couldn't be happier...this pick up exceeded my expectations. I've used several other acoustic pick ups, the humbucker/microphone blend models mostly (the original LR Bagss Anthem wont mount into my Martin guitar, otherwise I would have tried that), and I could never really get away from the "electric" guitar sound, unless I went all mic in the blend, and that sounded horrible and was prone to feedback. Now, finally I have the perfect unadulterated acoustic sound that I enjoy alone in a room unplugged, but I am able to plug in, play loud, and add some distortion, phaser and chorus to the sound.

The other reviews are correct, that this mic has enough sensitivity to pick up the slightest nuances of your fingers swhishing over the strings, your hand or shirt cuff sliding across the soundboard, and every little tap and click. Of course, I want all these sounds, as I am a rhythm guitarist and my style is all about the harmonics and squeaking coming off the strings, as well as my tapping and drumming of the wood of the soundboard (think Rodrigo y Gabriela). I could never capture all that with any pick up, or even using a Shure SM57 mic.

I read in other reviews that the sensitivity knob is ultra sensitive, and I agree. The slightest adjustment makes a big difference. Basically, I dialed the sensitivity back until I lost the nuanced tones I wanted, and then dialed it back up a nudge until it had the shine I was looking for.

The manufacturer states that this pickup is chipped to respond to the sounds of your guitar and keep the mic in some sort of "sweet spot", and it must work because the pick up always sounds perfect, no matter how loud or soft I play. It works much better than the Shure Sm57 mic, and I almost never get feedback (unless I have the PA monitor very loud and pointed right at the guitar...and even then, it only feedbacks when the MXR phaser is on). I've solved this by tilting the monitor off to the side so it is not a direct shot into the sound hole of the guitar.

Finally, I will add that I use a BBE Acoustimax at the end of my signal chain, and this component really helps me dial in the tone absolutely perfect. Ironically, I bought that item mostly for the sonic maximizer feature, which really helped give my older pickup a more "acoustic" sound, but with this LR Baggs Lyric pick up, the sonic maximize seems to take away from the tone, so it is off. I use the acousitmax as an EQ, mostly, it allows me to add enough bass into the sound to create a nice low end, yet I can notch out the "muddy" frequency that often invades when you try to boost the bass. I think this solved the problem some reviewers claimed was the flaw of this pick up...not enough bass sound. I set all other EQs on PA speakers and mixing board to flat, and I make tone, gain, level adjustments with the acousitmax.

Anyway, short story is...if you are looking for a pick up that will capture the wide array of beautiful tones emanating from the strings and soundboard, without the nagging feedback from trying to play live with a microphone...then this is the one. Just play it through a full range PA or really nice acoustic amp, and be prepared to fine tune the sensitivity knob to the micrometer.

I just had to write a review to say how impressed I am with the Lyric. I put this in beautiful McIlroy A25, small jumbo, played through a Fishman Loudbox Performer, and through my home rercording system with headphones and it just sounds great. I've used several acoustic pickups including Fishman Matrix (UST plus internal mic), Fishman Aura VT Enhance, and the LR Baggs Anthem. I think the Lyric is my favorite of all. I thought this would be inferior to the LR Baggs Aura, which was previously installed on my guitar, but I think it sounds more natural and it eliminates the Element UST which I think detracts from the acoustic tone. The Lyric has less bass response than the Anthem, but actually a more balanced, natural sound, closer to an unplugged acoustic, without the exaggerated boom. The overall tone has no boxiness or quack, just a natural sound. Very cool. And a shout out to Matt and Sweetwater for always excellent service.

I wanted to add a pickup to my 40 year old Guild G37(spruce top, arched maple back and maple sides). This guitar has beautiful tone and lots of natural volume. Did lots of research and decided to go with the LR Baggs Lyric. I had narrowed my choice down to either the Lyric or the Fishman Rare Earth Humbucker but I really don't care for the looks of a soundhole pickup. Installation was pretty straight forward, the only traumatic part was drilling in to my "baby" to enlarge the strap pin hole to 1/2". I used a step drill and reamer and the results were excellent...whew.

As far as the results go, all I can say is WOW!!! It really captures the true sound of this wonderful guitar. I run it into a Vocalist Live3 for vocal harmony then to my Bose L1 Model II system. Simply spectacular in my humble opinion!

Thanks to Ryan Thorpe for all his help and advice as usual.

Amazing! Clearly the best "pickup" I've ever heard. Indistinguishable from a large diaphragm condenser mike at 10". And no feedback or handling noise to speak of. Great way to amplify a fine acoustic guitar for solo use. Probably wouldn't use it with a band and lots of stage noise, but with in ear monitors and a relatively quiet stage not a speck of feedback. And I wouldn't use it on any kind of cheap guitar. There are better solutions for those that make the instrument sound better than it is.

Just replaced my trusty I Beam with the Lyric. Have used I Beams in all my guitars but a recent install just didn't do the guitar justice. It's a custom 12 fret, slot head slope shoulder dreadnought. Absolutely the best guitar I've ever owned or played, and so the challenge became finding a way to get that magic sound onstage. I had been using an Ear Trumpet Labs Edwina as a single mike solution, and was very happy with the sound, but that setup was not working for noisy environments. I need a feedback resistant pickup to get enough volume. The I Beam just couldn't capture the tone and timbre of the guitar. I might as well have been playing a Guitar Center special. So I installed a Lyric and I'm absolutely blown away by the transparency. I did a test recording with three signals, a large diaphragm condenser, a small diaphragm condenser and the Lyric. Then I could solo the tracks to evaluate the sounds of each. The Lyric was very close to the small diaphragm, recorded at 9 inches and aimed at the upper bout. Wonderful transparency and amazingly lifelike. The Lyric may not be the perfect solution for every application, but it sure worked for me with this guitar. Very happy with the outcome.

I purchased this LR Baggs Lyric pick-up from Robert Williams (superb to work with, as always) at the recommendation of my guitar instructor. My luthier installed it in my Martin OM. Wow! It totally knocks my socks off! Its clarity is stunning, it's warmth is all-enveloping and its "real", vibrant tone is exactly what I was looking for to elevate my Martin to a whole new level.

There are less expensive pick-ups out there but, if you're looking for crystal-clear amplification, without sacrificing the integrity of your guitar's "true" sound, the Lyric is the one for you.

I'm thoroughly delighted! Thanks to Robert and Sweetwater for taking such good care of my Martin and me.

Recently, I pulled out my J-50 Gibson acoustic guitar with the intention of using it to do a thirty minute praise and worship concert in another state. Many years ago, I had a pickup installed inside the guitar, but it never had decent sound reproduction when plugged into an amp or board. During rehearsal for the concert, I noticed that the female plugin was not making constant contact with the TS quarter inch plug.
I researched to find the "best" solution for this guitar as it has an adjustable bridge. I was immediately drawn to the LR Baggs Lyric Microphone System. I received the new Microphone the day before the concert. Within one hour, I had removed the old jack and wiring from the guitar. Apparently, when the original pickup was installed inside the guitar, it was glued down to remain there for good! I simply clipped the wire from the small pickup and proceeded to install the LR Baggs.
As with any internal pickup installation, it should be remembered that the endpin preamp threads must go through the endpin strap hole far enough to put the final strap holder ring attachment on the endpin. In fact, one washer had to be left off the installation to make this pickup work correctly.
When I put new strings on the guitar, tuned it several times, and plugged the cable into the LR Baggs, I was blown away! This instrument was brought back to life! In fact, I haven't used any other instrument but this guitar since the new LR Baggs installation!
It is an excellent product!

Replaced a Fishman Matrix blend with this thing. Installation was a breeze and it sounds fantastic live (I play in a large church). Had to tweak the presence adjustment to dial it for recording but it sounds great especially on finger style pieces (Martin D1R - that is pretty low-end heavy). Recommend without reservation.

Great acoustic pickup!!!! Easy install very clear and accurate sound!!!!

After a reasonably easy install in my Guild GAD-30R and plugging directly into an inexpensive console, I'm really pleased with the excellent sound and output.

I"ve had a Martin OM-28 for a couple years, and it didn"t come with a pickup. I didn"t want to modify it by drilling out the end pin hole to 1/2" or by mounting a battery pack inside the guitar, so I"ve used a Fishman Rare Earth Blend for two years (without permanently mounting it). I"m tired of mounting the sound hole pickup when I need to plug in so I decided to shop for a new pickup.

I chose the LR Baggs Lyric after reading reviews no hearing sound clips. I was going to buy the Anthem but I chose the Lyric over it because after 2 years with a Fishman Rare Earth Blend I knew I ONLY used the microphone blend—I never dialed in the pickup. So I figured the Lyric made more sense for me. Plus, there"s much less hardware mounted under the sound board with the Lyric.

I love this pickup because it really sounds like my guitar through the amp. It seems very resistant to feedback. I thought it was easy to install (if you"re doing it yourself). And it only has a small volume and presence control that mounts at the sound hole and isn"t cumbersome.

I mounted the battery pack at the neck joint as instructed and it seems to keep the guitar"s weight balanced—meaning you don"t really notice it.

I wish I"d done this sooner

Was very impressed with natural sound with this system my d 28 sounds as great plugged as unplugged

I purchased the Lyric for installation in a Larriee LS-03 (Red Spruce over Rosewood) that I didn't want to modify extensively. I was a bit concerned after reading a few reviews where individuals struggled with finding an optimal install point for the mic and wrestled with eq issues but I decided to try the Lyric for myself.
The install was simple, especially since the Larivee's end pin is already drilled for a 1/2 inch preamp. I removed the end pind & t-nut, lightly sanded and cleaned the bridge plate and mounting points for the volume & battery and started the install. Honestly, the hardest pat (which wasn't hard) was setting the depth for the end pin jack and snugging it down. Installing the other components is just a simple matter of presing them in place and then securing the wires. I did install the microphones between the bridge pins and the bottom of the guitar rather than in the standard location which is between the bridge pins and the soundhole based on a pre-install conversation with the techs at LR Baggs.
I ran the Lyric directly into my Fender Acoustasonic 90 to adjust the presence on the Lyric which, to my ears, needed a tiny reduction. Honestly, I was pleased with the sound from the outset. Next I ran the Lyric throuch my LR Baggs Session and was even more pleased. So far I've tried both the Sesson and a Zoom A3 with great results ... even through my portable Behringer PA ... and the Lyric simply sounds great.

I absolutely love the sound of this little thing in my Stonebridge OM-35ASR. For solo gigs, it's awesome and works exactly as promised. If you play in a band, this WILL NOT WORK for you. Feedback is so ridiculous even with a soundhole plug. Get the anthem if you play in a band. End of story.

Awesome natural sound. Better than using an external microphone. Great sound with my Martin HD-28.

Played the first gig with the Lyric in my Martin D-15M tonight in a restaurant and couldn't be happier. Sounded grreeeaat through my Bose, I had already tested it at home and decided to use the Neumann KMS105 preset in the Vocal mics bank, because it seemed to pass the sound through untouched. At the gig, I used the little tool to adjust the presence, which I liked set almost all the way counter clockwise, I dialed in 2.4db Low and cut 1db Mid, added light compression and reverb, and there it was. The natural sound of an awesome guitar made louder. The low E string frequencies had a round sound without being boomy and muddying up with the A string's frequencies. I've previously never really known what was meant when people refer to "detail" in guitar tone, never thought about it really, but it occurred to me tonight exactly what it is because I was hearing it. I stood right next to the Bose and got no feedback whatsoever all night. After the place closed, I stood in front of the Bose, facing it, with the volume as loud as I'll set it when Spring comes and I'm back outside on the patio, still got no feedback whatsoever. I was concerned about it working well with the Digitech Vocalist Live4 that I always use. (I send a line back to the VL4 from the guitar channel strip so it doesn't affect my guitar sound.) The harmonizer works well normally, but it seemed to work even better tonight. It was like it was hearing the guitar more clearly, which stands to reason, because I was too. I'm nearly as happy about all that as I am the fact that I didn't have to do any real modification to my guitar. Expand the strapjack hole to 1/2 inch? No problem. Here's the thing: if you don't like the sound of your guitar unplugged, find one that you do like first, then put the Lyric in it. I made subtle adjustments to my playing, since the mic does pick up hand noise very well. I play a pretty heavy percussive right hand style, lots of clicks and chops, so I had to dial that down a little, really just be aware of it, that the sound of my fingers just tapping the top is audible. But it all sounds very natural. I didn't have to work at controlling it, it was just a subtle thing I noticed in the sound, so I lightened up a little. I did make a recording with the Lyric already. I'm no expert on how to record guitar, but I'm telling you it sounded very good and was an easy get. I again used the Bose T1 mixer as a pre, did even less eq than I did in the restaurant tonight, into a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, to Garageband. It came through beautifully. Highly recommend the Lyric if you have a good guitar. Good in, good out. I'm a huge fan of this product!

The sound you get from this is clean, pure and crystal clear! If you need to be mic'd, this is a great way to do it!

I own a Seagull Excursion Walnut 12 string. The natural sound is really very good and sounds better than the Takamine and Breedlove that I own which cost must more. The onboard piezo sounds ok but not what I was looking for. Purchased a lyric and installed into the Seagull and it came to life. It sounds incredible and the warnth and woodiness of this guitar can now be heard in ever chord and string. Add a lyric to your favorite acoustic and you'll hear what I mean. Thanks Aric Brenner you came through once again!

This is the best transducer device for an acoustic guitar in the industry. I installed it myself in minutes. I personally like the sound of it with the mic sensitivity dialed back slightly from the factory setting. It reduced fret noise and unnecessary contact noise. With that slight adjustment though, I'm in business. Sounds great through an AVALON U5.

A fine piece of equipment...just perfect for my acoustic spanish requinto...

Put the Lyric in my Martin 000-15m and it could not be any more perfect. Sounds like you put a hot condenser mic in front of the guitar. After a few months of use in multiple live situations I have had no issues with feedback (But that was with an in-ear monitor set up)

I would highly recommend this system to anyone with a guitar wanting to get that "warmth" to come through.

I bought the Lyric for my Bourgeois Country Boy mainly because of Ricky Skaggs, having heard his live sound with it and being amazed how natural it was... So natural in fact that I didn't notice he was plugged in until his second show. From everything I read it seemed the ideal choice, and I was not disappointed. The sound from this system is amazing, clear, natural and not at all "pickupy".
Through a good sound system (plus the Baggs Session DI) it sounds about as close to a louder guitar as a person could ask for. Very, very happy with it!

Been playing over 50yrs. Played in every kind of live situation, and recorded in world class studios in LA.
This is the best I have ever owned/played/heard, and I've tried them all. I put it in a spectacular vintage 000-45 and it sounds amazing. So very accurate through my Bose L1 or in the studio. They always put a studio condenser in, but the lyric by itself is really great. Buy it. You won't be sorry.

I love these pickups! Put them in all my acoustics. My $500 acoustic sounds better than my $2500 Taylor with this pickup. Very easy to install and use!

This thing really did impress me. Right out of the box I was receiving a little feedback through the PA. (Bose) after a little adjustment it seemed as if the pickup learned what I wanted and just kept getting better. The sound is very true and telling. Don't even bother installing in a poor sounding guitar. It only amplifies your natural sound. She's not a miracle worker. I read reviews before purchasing and they were all amazing despite a few negative ones. Those few negative reviews sound like they are coming from the guys that have been playing a long time and think they know what they are doing, and when you go to the venue they want to play your stuff and try to tell you how to set it up and how their stuff is better. Don't mind the haters....truth is that this was a great option for me. I now have one in my D-18 which sounds great. But I put one in my '74 takamine F-349 mahogany and was blown away.

This pickup is used by many including one of my favorites Sturgill Simpson.

Bottom line. If you're looking for a darn good pickup. This is it.
If you're a snobby **** that doesn't like anything other than a Taylor or you are constantly on Facebook complaining about music...it isn't for you.

I tried this Lyric in my jumbo after hearing on several YouTube videos how the plain (unwound) strings ring out nicely, and it's the best I've found yet for giving you what you need to work with for a stellar sound. I still have to EQ pretty strongly to get the clarity and warmth I like, but the end result is excellent! Nothing is missing and the output is just as well balanced as the unplugged guitar. It still works great with a rubber feedback buster in the sound hole, too. Bumping your guitar around or hitting the top with fingernails or a pick is louder than any other pickup I've tried, but I'm kind of looking forward to being able to drum on my guitar a bit without having to whack it hard to be heard. String squeaks are louder, too, but fresh coated strings fix that. I think I'm gonna get a couple more of these for a couple of my other favorite guitars I want to make stage-worthy.

i had an under saddle pickup in one of my acoustic's that finally gave out after 40 years. i looked at the quantity of reviews for the Lyric and the amount of positive reviews before buying this set up. i should have paid more money and bought a different brand, one that i was familiar with. the more costly set up would also have given me more than just one sound source. the Lyric's one stick on mic did not at all impress me. to their credit, Sweetwater did offer to work something out to exchange it.

This is the most accurate way to represent your guitar in any "plugged in" format. Crystal clear and sounds like a microphone... Because it IS! Enough volume and punch to still work in a full band, even with floor wedge monitors. If your guitar is cheap and plastic, I wouldn't put this in it because it really does tell the truth. If you have an all wood guitar, that you love the way its sounds "unplugged" then the Lyric is for you. No feedback that i've experienced yet but i'm sure if I tried I could get it to howl. You should be fine, especially if you EQ properly with an external DI or on the mixing desk's EQ from the house. It is very "microphonic" so be advised that buttons from your shirt tapping your guitar can be heard as well as some "handling noise" if you're an active player that moves around a lot. If you're in a band it'll be covered up.Still can't get over how pure this thing sounds. It really sings!

Bought two. Put them in a Taylor 310, and 314. Paired with the LR Baggs Venue Di, the guitars sound fantastic. Very impressed by the Lyric system.

This is, without a doubt, the worst purchase I've ever made. This pickup system is boxy, thin and highly prone to feedback. I replaced my Taylor Expression system with this and it's unusable in live situations because of the feedback issues--even at low and moderate volume. Our band's other guitarist is using a competing offering with his Gibson and it sounds fantastic. Before you buy this, go to any search engine and type in Baggs and feedback. You'll see that this is a prevalent issue. BTW, I am using a Baggs preamp system and have tried relocating the pickup in multiple spots to no avail. Steer clear of this product.

I have a taylor 814ce with the unfortunately horrible taylor expression system. The pick up system would pickup signals from the stage lights and was very unnatural sounding . I loved the guitar when unplugged. So I decided to look for a new pickup system. I heard of the Lr. Baggs lyric system and was a bit unsure being a internal mic. But I took the risk and I am in love ! So natural my guitar but only louder! I had to strip the taylor expression system and the installation was so easy. Mind you it was the first time install (I don't recommend if you are not confident in installing any pickup system) best decision I ever made! I am now a loyal Lr baggs customer.

I've played live using taylo ES, Fishman undersaddle and other pickups but LYRIC is the best I 've used.
I put it on mi Taylor GS mini two weeks ago and Im in love...
Amazing sound , good resistance to feedback and also you can use it for studio recording.
I recommend it, buy it !

I play small to mid size acoustic guitars so keep that in mind with this review. I have three different Baggs pickups in 3 different guitars. I put the lyric in a custom martin 0-15sm parlor. It was simply perfect. If I wanted big dreadnaught bass I probably would have opted for the anthem. Not much more can be said but I echo other users of this pickup. Very happy with this product.

Everything I wanted as far as mixed types of pick up for best sound, and great control, simple controls and easy install the only issue I had was sticking the wire pads to the guitar inside but I just supplied some of my own glue and no problem the pick up sounds great and has nice adjustments for different setups

Okay…been thru at least 8 to 10 amplification systems for high end flat tops since 1995, okay, kind of a quest, I guess. I have a Collings Braz/Adirondack D2H, built for me and rec'd by me in May of 1997…(serial # 3130. It didn't take long to stop even looking at anything under-saddle, and the closest I came to almost good was a Seymore Duncan sound hole PU with a mic built in I had installed in the late 90s. I gave up shortly after, and had a blast experiment with different mice/placements, etc., and found some very good sounds…but…was unhappy with the pre-recordingset=ups that seemed to take 4-ever. Then I tried the Lyric on the advice of these know-it-alls at Sweetwater…and, they are know-it-alls for one reason. They know…it all. Had it installed by a man in Central PA whose name is Kevin, and his business id called Full Custom Music Repair. (Please don't delete this, guys! He is very reputable, and is the go=to=guy for many top makers.
OK…this thing, when installed, was taken to Guitar Center to experiment a little, since other than my board, I have only one acoustic amp. I ran it trhu Loudboxes, Trace Elliot, everything I could find, and noticed a pretty good sized crowd gathering outside the acoustic room…kinda a rare event at a Guitar Center, unless shredding. Anyway, this, IMHO, is as good as it gets. Do your self, your sound man, and your audience a BIG favor…MIC it (from inside!!)

Over the years I just couldn't bring myself to use piezo-electric bridge pickups. I could always hear the difference and I have great guitars. So the sound is really important to me. When I heard that the technology was PZM, it was a wakeup call. Then, I heard the demos and decided to take the plunge with my new Collings. I had a luthier install it only because the guitar is new and needed modification to put in the Lyric.
It just sounds like the guitar only louder. Just like when I mike it with a condenser mic. I couldn't be happier.

Had this installed on my Martin 000-15m thanks to the brilliant suggestion of our rep Ben Porter at Sweetwater. Guys I'm gonna be honest with you. Playing in different worship teams over the last 15 years I've always seen the same thing: great sounding acoustic guitars with cheap, compressed, distorted, piezo-type pickups and electronics that make the guitar sound like some sort of bright, "tingy" costco-special acoustic when plugged into the sound system (Guitar players, you know what I'm talking about)... What's sad is the acoustic is almost ALWAYS impossible to "sit" right into the mix due to how harsh and unnatural it sounds. That's where the LR Baggs Lyric comes in. I could attempt to describe the sound in 5,000 words but I wont. Bottom line- it's literally a STUDIO MICROPHONE IN YOUR ACOUSTIC. NOT a pickup... And it sounds heavenly and natural plugged into ANY sound system with NO feedback problems. Watch any and all youtube demos that you can... it's for real, people. When playing live, it frees me to have the mobility of a normal "plugged in" acoustic/electric guitar, but with the incredible sound and detail as if I was seated on a stool with 2 condenser mics carefully placed on the guitar. Brilliant, I say. Brilliant. BUY IT.

I just had the Lyric installed in my Taylor 310 and let me just say that I'm floored by the sound. I listened to the online samples and was a little skeptical that it would actually sound that good in my guitar. I was wrong.
I'm a full-time musician and recording artist and the first time I plugged this baby up in the studio I couldn't believe my ears. NO noise, NO ugly "quacky" sound, ALL beautiful, true acoustic tone quality. BRAVO!

In well over forty five years of playing I have had or played most acoustic pickups on the market. Pickups that run the gamut from expression (profane expressions) to body sensing magnetic sound hole and fishy sound holes pickups, piezo pickups under saddle and top sensing, factory installed to luthier installed pickups. This is the first pickup I have used where the amplified sound stays true to the sound and the touch response of the guitars natural sound. Perfect no, but dang close. This pickup lets me play my acoustic like an acoustic. Very good feedback control. I like it so much I have bought several for my Martins and Taylors and each guitar has retained it's character amplified.

Just purchased and installed two of these. WOW! I'm blown away. Put one in a Guild D125 & one in a Taylor 410 Dreadnought. Took about 20 minutes to install. Was gonna go with the Anthem, but after listening to the sound-clip demos, I personally preferred just the mic by itself as opposed to the blend. I don't regret my decision one bit. Don't hesitate, just buy it.

Loved this pickup in my Martin D-45, so I bought another and put it in my 1965 Martin D-12-20. Finally got a chance to play it live this weekend. Another 5 Star WOW!

Nice clean clear natural sound, as good as a nice condenser mic. Getting the right sound from a good 12 string can be tricky. Capturing the full sound of a well aged 50yo Martin is even harder. This pickup makes it easy. Did roll off about 3db of treble and midrange on the mixer, but that was it. Perfect acoustic sound!

Installation is really easy. The only scarey part is drilling the hole for the preamp, but a luthier will do it for next to nothing. Everything else attaches with double sided sticky tape. You can test fit it by pressing it lightly onto the bridgeplate, check it with a mirror, and easily detach in and relocate it if necessary. Once you have it in right, just press it firmly and it's done. It really is that easy!

Definitely pulls through the more natural sound of the guitar, if some what 'boxy'. Have this installed in a J45 and will need to follow up with a DI carrying a notch filter in order to get a more controllable sound from this thing.
A warning and also a slight let down is just how sensitive this pickup is to other movement noises around the guitar. A button or buckle from an item of clothing tapping the guitar can really boom through the pickup.
Not something you consider but makes sense once installed given that his is a microphone not a pickup.
Does what it says on the box but in practice not sure just how usable this is as not recommended with a feedback buster and also just makes the guitar too over sensitive to natural rubbing and tapping which occur when planing an acoustic guitar.
Also, the filter adjustment method is ridiculous... The included plastic screw driver tip bent on minimal use, a very handy feature which is not easily accessible and should be adjustable via something you can access quickly with your finger rather than what is essentially a toothpick with a flat head.
Not sure how long I'll keep this.

The Taylor DN3 sounds better than many more expensive guitars, and it's Brother the 314, as it comes, no electronics. (It does NOT come with a Pick-up).
After a couple of Sound-hole Passive Pickups were tried, I installed the LR Baggs Lyric, and what a deal!

This Pick-up allows the DN3 to Show Off it's wonderful tones through PA and Acoustic Amps. It even sounds awesome through my 1965 Vox Vicount Amp, 60 watts. Thank you LR Baggs!

I had the Lyric installed in a Bourgeois Country Boy in December after reading multiple reviews. When I first plugged in the presence control was set hot thus very bright. Spend some time playing and listening to SLIGHT adjustments. Then I added my Baggs Para DI into the signal chain. The plugged in guitar came alive and started singing to me. It is great! I did learn not to overpower the Lyric with the gain or volume controls on the DI or mixer. There is a sweet spot and you will know when you hit it. My guitar amplified now sounds like my guitar , just turned up. Truly great for this solo acoustic performer. Definitely a best buy!

You may be like me and see the raves and think to yourself - no brainer! STOP and READ!

If you're like me - this seems to make perfect sense. You've seen the youtube videos and heard from Mr. Baggs himself - the mission of the Lyric was to fully bake what the Anthem could only accomplish half-baked. You're probably next thinking - even better, you don't have to shave off your saddle and deal with the equal volume between strings. This thing appears to be (and is) a breeze to install.

If you want to read the good, just look at what everyone else is saying - but what about the "bad"?

Here's my experience: What you'll notice is there's something missing... something pretty significant. Whether it is a deal breaker or not is based on preference. The EQ range that is shelved is the lower mids and bass (lets get specific - somewhere around 250K and below). The tech at LR Baggs confirmed that they compress and attenuate a lot of the lower mids and below because this is what will feed back.

The problem is that it's not just "scooped" (like you would do with an EQ). What you can scoop, you can unscoop to some degree. But it's more like it's cancelled out - that nasally out-of-phase tone on the lower-mid and bass frequencies.

The end product is something that is clear and natural, but does lack percussive punch. When you try to dial it in on a PA or EQ, you're essentially fighting it. The result is strange and unnatural when you try and accentuate these frequencies and ultimately you can't really do it!

If you think this is going to be an issue, I recommend the Anthem by design (though I have not tried it). In concept it seems to be what better suits me and perhaps you as well.

Either way, I would proceed with caution because it's not going to be a slam dunk for everyone. Though I really wish it were!

Was suggested by a friend of mine for my Martin D-16GT. Installed it with no problems. It acts just like it should, a mic! My guitar sounds exactly what it sounds like acoustically. If you are wanting a excellent mic pickup for an acoustic, this is the one!

Put this in my 91 Martin D-45. Truly plug and play! Sounds better than if it was miked!

There was another pickup in the guitar when I bought it, so the installation was easy because the end block was already drilled. It was as simple as bolting the Preamp in, attaching the mic to the bridge plate with the double sided tape, the volume control to the sound hole, again with double sided tape, the battery bag to the head block, and tying down the wires, There's a great installation video on YouTube that shows everything in detail.

Plugged it in for the first time at a solo gig yesterday. My PA is JBL Eons and a Behringer mixer. Ran it through the system with no EQ at all and it sounded perfect! Didn't even have to tweak the brightness adjustment! A lot of other musicians there, and everyone was talking about how good the guitar sounded!

Ordered another one today for my 65 Martin D-12-20. I'll let you know how it works with a 12 string.

I've been through several other Fishman / Lr Baggs Pickups, Taylor's Expression System, and the best I've tried yet has been the D-tar personally. I just got a new Martin HD Guitar and did not want to put in a UST for potential sound degradation due to this instrument being so nice. My Luthier tried to talk me out of installing the Lyric because his experience with internal mic systems where that they sound boxy and feedback. I ordered the Lyric anyways... Well "somehow" they have solved these issues because feedback is manageable and it doesn't sound boxy at all!! Very nice!! I will not say it sounds as good as a well mic'ed guitar in the studio because it doesn't, but it sure gets darn close!! To the average musician's ear it could be easily mistake for a mic on a recording. This is the best pickup we have on the market yet, especially without modifying your guitar and maintaining the purity of the instrument.

I put the Lyric in my 712ce Taylor that had the older Fishman system. The Lyric is crystal clear. It captures the natural tone of the "acoustic guitar" without being overly bright, thanks to the presence control. Because of the more accurate sound, single string picking is much easier and more natural sounding. On the old system, when playing down the neck on the small strings, the tone would shrink and finally disappear especially when playing in a live situation with a band. Now they ring like a bell. My only complaint is on the low. Playing solo, I miss the richness of the lower frequencies, but in a band situation, the low end loss isn't as noticeable and may actually be an advantage since low end can really muddy up a mix. Overall, I love the Lyric.

This pickup must have been defective. After installation, the volume pot was very scratchy and noisy and feedback was terrible. It was not usable and completely died the second time I tried it. Both through a Bose PA and an acoustic amp. Thinking the battery was weak, I installed a new one, but the pickup was DOA.

I've never been satisfied with acoustic systems. In the past we have seen insanely expensive systems that sound nothing like your unplugged guitar, let alone any unplugged guitar. This system is the exception. From hard strumming to finger picking this system stays true to the dynamics, response, and tonality of your natural guitar.

This pickup was easy to install. It took about 20 minutes from start to finish. I use a graphic eq to get a balance that works well for me because inuse thensame amp formboth but if you only play acoustic, it balances well with the amp tone controls. I play a 40+ year old Yamaha 230 that now sound fantastic.

Ok, first things first. Kudos to Sweetwater for amazing customer service. My first Lyric had distortion in the signal, and Sweetwater replaced it quickly, no questions asked. The replacement sounds clear and as it should.
Now, if you are looking for a warm deep tone, this might not be for you ... for instance, I've heard the element deliver more bottom. But if you want a natural tone that sits great in a band mix, this is it. There is hardly any low end thump, but lots of mid and highs. NO QUACK!! I had hoped for a little better feedback rejection, but there are limits, since it is a mic after all. Mine is in my Guild D55 and it sounds pretty much like the guitar itself, with some low end rolled off. It's a PZM, and if you know what they sound like, you already know what this does.
I'm trying to avoid the usual hyperbole, and be honest, so I'll just say, It's a keeper, but I'm looking for a way to make it 'rounder' sounding.
Bottom line, I'm happy with it.

If you have an acoustic guitar, and you plug into any kind of sound system you should have this mic/pickup/preamp. I play a taylor 214ce which has a less than amazing pick up in it, (it was super easy to install, didn't even have to drill, it fit right in the hole of my old pickup.) and I fell in love with my guitar all over again. No pedal or effect or pickup can compare at this cost. Creates an entirely new dynamic in the mix. My taylor with the lyric makes my guitar sound better than guitars twice the price. I love it.

Great Mic ...sounds like real mic's ..it also Depend on your guitars true sound. if your guitar Sounds great it will sound great If not it will never make it beautiful
and the noise Floor very low + feedback resistance very Nice.
this is a good solution for players who don't have Isolated home studio
because it doesn't record the room .
I wished if they make many choices like K&K external preamp Idea's

After installing it, which is not such a tough task, it seems to work pretty good. I installed it in a gs mini since I did not care for the magnetic pickup designed for it. I will say proper placement ( under the bridge centered) is critical to have a sound that is not boxy. My first attempt was not very good and I moved it more centered and results were good. It is a nice alternative to many pickup possibilities. When amplifying it make sure you know you working with a mic and not a piezo pickup.

This pick-up is a game changer. There’s nothing like on the market at this point. It’s a plug and play internal “mic” that delivers real acoustic guitar sound, not boxy or requiring a ton of EQ or full of UST “quack”. It just plain works. It’s not prone to feedback and it’s super easy to install (placement is not critical).

I've tried to amplify my instrument all kinds of ways and constantly struggled to get the real sound of the instrument to come out of the speakers. External condenser mics were the closest but of course were very prone to feedback and bleed, even with a lot of eq notching to minimize feedback frequencies etc.

I've now got 2 anthems and 1 Lyric installed in different instruments. They are both absolutely INCREDIBLE in terms of the (good) lack of feedback. For the first time I can actually really rely on the internal mic signal, and get a consistent sound every night.

It also really helps with recording if you are comping between multiple takes. Using some of the Lyric signal helps keep the takes more consistent in terms of the sound fingerprint so to speak, so that you don't hear as much of a difference sonically between takes that always happens to some degree as a result of the guitar being held a few millimeters farther or closer from the mic or at a tiny bit different angle.

In terms of the actual sound, be warned that the this thing really puts out whatever you put into it. If your instrument sounds bad unplugged, it's not going to magically sound great amplified with the Lyric in it (although it will probably still sound a lot better than a top-notch instrument that only has an undersaddle piezo pickup.) I have one instrument that is a bit mid-range-y and the signal the Lyric puts out from that instrument is...well really mid-range-y (I just eq it to make it sound nicer...still a big improvement overall.) One of my other guitars has a much higher quality top on it with more bass and highs, and (big surprise) the signal coming out of that one is super nice. If you like the sound of your instrument, you're probably going to like the sound of it amplified via the Lyric - that's my experience anyway. I have yet to hear anything better out there in terms of a real solution for amplifying acoustic guitar. I'm pretty impressed! And I hope LR Baggs continues on this track that they're on lately with the Anthem and the Lyric.

One final thing I've noticed about the Lyric vs. the Anthem: the Anthem gives you the possibility of getting a little more bass, which can help depending on your instrument. Even though the added bass is just coming from the undersaddle, at those low frequencies it's not offensive. Whatever they did with the "black box" circuitry on the Lyric in terms of low-end "tightening" mentioned in the product description, it results in noticeably less bass in terms of the low low end, which is understandable and probably a good thing for most acoustic guitarists, who don't really need those low lows anyway and are better off not having the extra feedback that comes with those frequencies a lot of times. I like a lot of low end and find myself boosting the crap out of the lows on the Lyric channel, but again that may have more to do with the instrument itself than the Lyric, hard to say. From what I can tell, I would recommend the Anthem over the Lyric if you do a lot of drop-tuned or percussive stuff and you really want some big thump and big bass.

I love this pickup - I use my guitar in front of 1000+ people at a large church auditorium and it worked flawlessly. I installed the pickup in a Martin SWDGT, cherry back and sides with spruce top and it sounds awesome. Highly recommended for any type of venue, even studio recording.