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LR Baggs Session-VTC Active Undersaddle Acoustic Pickup Demo

Under-saddle Acoustic Guitar Pickup with Soundhole-mounted Tone Control, EQ, and Phase Inversion

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Studio Warmth for Your Live Performance

The LR Baggs Session VTC pickup and preamp system was inspired by the company's drive to deliver the best and most natural-sounding acoustic-electric products in the world. This system uses new technology to add harmonic content to your tone for creating the sound of an expertly recorded acoustic guitar that you can take onstage. The Session VTC's dynamic EQ compresses certain frequencies on the fly to eliminate any trouble tonalities. And it utilizes the company's popular Element pickup to read the sound of your guitar's top, avoiding the unappealing piezo "quack." The Session VTC may just be the new standard in acoustic-electric tone.

Puts studio sound onstage

In creating their Handcrafted Video Sessions — a YouTube series of live performances by a slew of LR Baggs artists — the company was inspired to go the extra mile in putting high-quality acoustic tone in a pickup system. With the addition of added harmonics, the Session VTC warms your acoustic's plugged-in tone. This imparts a tape-like saturation that is next to impossible to get outside of the studio. As a matter of fact, the company is so passionate about the Session VTC's tone that they wanted to give it the tone of "an experienced audio engineer using some of the world’s finest studio gear."

EQ that responds to your playing

Keeping with the "studio-like tone" promise, LR Baggs outfitted this system with dynamic EQ. In essence, this is a series of compressors over the low, mid, and high frequencies that respond in real time to the way you play your guitar. It's much like having your own studio engineer at the gig. This dynamic EQ is ideal for eliminating any problematic frequencies that can muddy up your tone or take off into howling feedback at loud volumes. It also evens your tone and sustain the harder you play. Once you experience dynamic EQ, you'll wonder how you lived without it.

Element pickup

The Element under-saddle transducer has a minimalist design and broad surface contact area that lets it get the most out of your instrument. It is engineered to sense every movement of your guitar's top, delivering natural tone that is free of the typical piezo "quack" that can plague typical under-saddle designs. It is also a fantastic way for modern fingerstyle players to get the most from their percussive techniques. And with controls located conveniently in the soundhole, you won't have an unsightly preamp cut into the side of your guitar.

LR Baggs Session VTC Pickup and Preamp System Features:

  • Acoustic-electric guitar pickup system that delivers the sound of a studio-recorded instrument
  • Added harmonics offer a tape-like saturation for a warmer tone
  • Dynamic EQ analyzes your playing and compresses frequencies for an even tone at all times
  • Pickup senses the guitar's top, not string movement, eliminating piezo quack
  • Convenient soundhole-located controls
  • Easy-to-read multi-segment battery check

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At Sweetwater, we're so picky that what we call a "demo" is actually better than what most music retailers sell as "new" gear! Our gear hasn't endured hundreds of people a week plunking away at all the keyboards, fumbling through Stairway to Heaven on every guitar or playing with every fader and knob on a mixer or control surface.

What demo means to us is that we've had it out of the box, or maybe it was in a customer's hands for a few days and isn't "factory fresh" as a result. Every demo item we sell has Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty, and has been tested and verified up to "new" specs by our factory-authorized technicians to make sure it's in perfect working order before we ship it to you.

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Tech Specs

  • Instrument: Acoustic Guitar
  • Type: Piezo
  • Position: Undersaddle (3/32" and 1/8" Saddle)
  • Active/Passive: Active
  • Built-in Preamp: Yes
  • Controls: Volume, Tone, Phase Invert, Analog Warmth, Battery check,
  • Features: Feedback Resistant
  • Power Source: 1 x 9V (170 hours)
  • Manufacturer Part Number: Session-VTC

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Great acoustic pickup

All great sounds,tones from an electric acoustic pickup are subject to several factors. The guitar,the pickup, the amplifier or PA, and the players ear for the sound they want. I have had many p'ups from all manufacturers and have found the Session VTC to be the easiest install and best resulting sounds that I want. It has good volume and bass treble adjustments. This p'up with my knowledge of EQ through my PA and NuX amp are just wonderful.
I like the LR Baggs lineup of acoustic p'ups and don't see how you can go wrong with this one.
My opinion
Music background: 13 yrs in CenterStage music 35 yrs with Acoustics.
Rated 5/5

Sounds GREAT - and NO feedback!

Just had this pickup installed in my Collings D2H and Collings OMGH acoustic guitars and WOW!
I'd had K&Ks in them before and they were thin sounding and boy did they feedback!!!
One of my friends at Collings had recommended this particular pickup, the VTC, for Collings guitars and he was right on the money.
Rich sound (sounds awesome through my Henriksen "The Bud" amp!) and I haven't had to wrestle with feedback at all. Haven't been on stage yet with it, though, but something tells me these will do great. (My Collings friend told me one of his friends, performing with a famous country duo, uses the VTC and has had no onstage feedback problems.)
So...thought I'd pass the good news along! We're all (musicians) brothers and sisters in arms, so we need to share our wonderful discoveries to keep our audiences satisfied!
Music background: Singer/songwriter, longtime professional musician (lead guitarist, bassist, keyboards player).
Rated 5/5

Lrbaggs Session VTC

Love this pickup. It works great. I did have the Anthen but never did use the mic much because I'm now playing at bigger Venues and using their sound. So I couldn't get the right sound. I could when using my PA not a problem at all. I have now played live twice with the Session VTC. I love it. The tone control is awesome sounds great and gues what no problems with feedback without a sound hole cover. I highly recommend this. Also Phil Schwan has been my sales person contact for many years and does a awesome job every time. He's just a phone call away if I have any questions.
Music background: Texas Country music
Rated 5/5

Amazing

I make acoustic guitars and honestly I wouldn't make one without this pickup. It is honestly the best pickup I ever used. It's truly an amazing pickup and you can hear every not on every fret. Outstanding LR Baggs on this one. This pickup fits most guitars with ease, of coarse there are few that need some modifying but worth it. So worth the extra bucks compared to other pickups.
Music background: Guitar Maker, player
Rated 4/5

Installed it in a Taylor 818E

Installed it in my 818E.
I never was happy with the way the 818 sounded with the ES2 in it. The ES2 sounds OK in my 858, 810 but not the 818.
But didn't want to remove the ES2 incase I wanted to sell it down the road.
Was going to go with the anthem but the mic won't fit on the bridge plate without totally removing the ES2. Decided to install the Session VTC pickup instead . At first I thought something was wrong with it. Had to much distortion when I strummed hard. But realized I had to dial in the saturation control with the tool that comes with the system. This is a different kind of pickup you have to spend some time with it. But I must say my 818 has never sounded so rich and vibrant . Sounds great on the big stage I play on. I like the system but dialing it in takes time. Might be different in a another type of guitar.
The never ending search for good plugged in acoustic tone. LR Baggs is a good company. Sweetwater Rocks.
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