LR Baggs AEG-1 – is this the new best-sounding electro-acoustic on the market?
$1,599/£1,599, lrbaggs.com
Does the world really need another electro-acoustic guitar? In this age of overflowing landfills and dwindling resources, it’s more than reasonable to ask whether we need yet another brand dipping its toe into the higher-mid-price electro market that is already chock full of quality instruments and, it must be noted, already contains the pickups LR Baggs is famous for?
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But what we have here isn’t just another brand putting its stamp on a standard auditorium-sized guitar object with a pickup in it and calling it new – this is something much more exciting. This is Lloyd Baggs – who along with Larry Fishman probably knows more about acoustic amplification than anyone else on earth – using every bit of his expertise to create an instrument that is a stage acoustic unlike any other I’ve played before. The AEG-1 isn’t just another electro-acoustic, it might be the most important electro-acoustic of the decade.
The AEG-1 in Sunburst Sitka Spruce, Torrefied Sitka Spruce and Natural Engelmann Spruce. Image: Press
LR Baggs AEG-1 – what is it?
After a career building various pickup systems and transducers for some of the best acoustic guitars around – not to mention some well-regarded pedals too – Baggs has finally decided that it’s time to tackle the issue that has plagued acoustic guitar players for decades. How do you make an acoustic guitar sound as good as it does in the studio in an on-stage environment?
“My desire to faithfully amplify the acoustic guitars I was building as a luthier led to the creation of our pickup company,” Baggs explains of his return to building. “It became my life’s work to eliminate every obstacle to playing live acoustic guitar easy, inspiring, and fun. The AEG-1 is the realisation of this philosophy and I’m incredibly proud of this instrument.”
As realisations of his philosophy go, in practice it’s quite an unconventional and challenging one for the traditionally minded acoustic player – with its semi-acoustic body depth (6.35cm), languid body shape and curved edges, it has something of the Swedish modernist furniture vibe about it, even in this lovely deep Sunburst Sitka Spruce option (it’s also available with Torrefied Sitka Spruce and Natural Engelmann Spruce tops).
Image: Press
Interestingly, the sides of the guitar are made of plywood – albeit a quality US-made ply derived from poplar that Baggs chose after being inspired by the use of the material by modern design legends Charles and Ray Eames. The strength and stability offered by this sometimes derided composite type in guitar building would, claims Baggs, provide the perfect platform for the rosewood back and spruce top to vibrate fully.
The other striking thing is the neck – or more accurately, the way the neck joins the body. This four-bolt join is paired with a new patent-pending neck support system which, according to Baggs, negates the traditional need to strengthen the top and back to ensure things stay where they should be. Inside it reminds me of the older German-style carved wood bodies of long ago – very cool. It all allows for the top and back to be voiced independently of each other, and fine-tuned to provide greater sensitivity and superior tone to feed the internal pickups.
Ah yes, the pickups – the heart of everything here is Baggs’ HiFi Duet system, a version of which was made available before the release of the AEG-1. It combines the HiFi Bridge Plate Pickups and the Silo Microphone. There’s also an all-discrete studio-grade preamp onboard (controlled by a three-control panel on the top edge) that promises to offer studio-grade tones in any environment. A big claim.
Image: Press
LR Baggs AEG-1 – feel and sounds
With its distinctive built-in suspended soundhole insert, if you’re an acoustic traditionalist the AEG-1 certainly looks a little odd and futuristic at first. But once I hold it in my hands and strum it, my preconceptions fall away. Everything about the LR Baggs AEG-1 is rounded. All of the edges of the guitar on the front and the back are rounded to your body and where your arm would typically come into contact with sharp edges. The African mahogany neck is a slim C-shape so it plays easy and fast – it’s wonderfully ergonomic.
Unplugged, the AEG-1 doesn’t sound bad for practice around the house. I wouldn’t challenge anyone to a guitar pull with it, but that’s obviously not what it’s designed for. Plugged in is where this guitar truly comes to life.
As I run the AEG-1 into Taylor’s impressive new Circa 74 acoustic amplifier, I instantly understand why so many live performance artists are now touring with and raving about the AEG-1 – including Grammy Award-winning Americana musician Molly Tuttle. Because for so many of us, myself included, the holy grail of a stage acoustic guitar is one that really does offer you that sound that you hear back through the monitors when you’ve recorded it in a studio with a really great microphone setup. The AEG-1, more than any other electro-acoustic I’ve tried, captures that in a wonderful and inspirational way.
Lloyd Baggs crafting an AEG-1 prototype. Image: Press
You can hear your fingers on the strings, the nuances of your picking and strumming, and so much more. You can even mix things up with the onboard preamp with its phase inverter, mixing up different levels of the mic and transducer, but everything is good. It just sounds like I’m moving the mic around the guitar to get that just right position, and when it hits… wow, it’s really something.
There is an open-air ambience to the AEG-1 which is hard to explain but can only be understood when you play it and hear it live. Consciously, you know that you’re playing this narrow-depth crossover electro thing, but to your ears, this guitar defies logic – it’s like you’re playing a proper acoustic guitar.
It also reflects the brilliance of Lloyd Baggs as an engineer and luthier. No matter how hard I try and how much I turn up with this guitar, it simply does not feed back – this is a tool for a musician made by a musician. One who understands the issues and headaches we all have and devises innovative solutions to them.
LR Baggs AEG-1 – should I buy one?
Simply put, the AEG-1 is the best sounding electro-acoustic guitar I have played – or heard – plugged into an amplifier. It’s also a wonderfully ergonomic and comfortable instrument to play either seated or standing, and while its looks are certainly not conventional, they’re unlikely to provoke the same kind of reactions that a Fender Acoustasonic would, for example.
Obviously, the AEG-1 is unlikely to replace your favourite traditional acoustic flat top in the studio or at home, but that’s really not what it’s for. If you’re taking it out to gig or jam, this is a dramatically improved proposition in almost every way – it’s more comfortable, easier to transport, more rugged and most importantly of all, it will sound better plugged into an amp or PA system than any other guitar in your collection.
If like me you’ve always been a little underwhelmed at how a plugged-in acoustic sounds in a live environment, maybe give this a whirl – for $1,600, it might be the most important gear purchase you make this year or next.
LR Baggs AEG-1 alternatives
The most obvious competitor in looks and intention is Fender’s Highway series ($999/£949), which takes a similarly slimmed-down approach to the stage acoustic guitar. Then there’s the crossover stuff; Fender’s Acoustasonic Player Jazzmaster ($1,199/£999) is a popular contender for feedback-free acoustic sounds with some electric stuff in there too, while Taylor’s venerable T5z ($2,499/£2,199) is an oldie but a goodie.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
