Dan Tyminski has partnered with acoustic amplification specialists LR Baggs in a series of videos about the company’s new HiFi Duet multi source pickup and microphone system.
A serious tone guy, Dan had resisted the use of a guitar pickup for some time, as he was unable to find one that responded and sounded like his instrument through audio reinforcement.
“I’m currently running the HiFi Duet in both guitars I’m playing out. In the past, I would never use a pickup because it never suited the way I needed to sound. I’d rather my guitar have been a little quieter and sound great than be loud, harsh, and bad. But audiences have grown, the demand has grown, and these new Duets have changed the way we’re able to do things now. I can play louder than ever and still feel the breadth of my instrument.
It’s been a pretty amazing crossover for me—to go into a wired sound and still hear acoustics.”
The HiFi Duet combines a pair of pickup sensors that attach to the bottom of the bridge plate, paired with their Silo Mic, also mounted on the plate, but suspended within a small frame that isolates it from the acoustic vibrations of the top. These two sound sources are mated with a special studio-grade preamp with a multi-pole crossover built in, which mounts just under the sound hole.
All of these elements mount with a peel-and-stick adhesive, requiring no modifications of any kind to your guitar, and which can be easily removed if needed.
The first video is in an interview format, with Dan talking about his experience with the HiFi Duet, and playing a few songs that are associated with his live shows.
In something of a staging error, the video shows a high-quality recording microphone on the guitar, which had been placed for comparison purposes, though LR Baggs assures us it was not used in the filming of these videos.
Dan then plays Man of Constant Sorrow in full…
…followed by God Fearing Heathen…
…and Dark Hollow.
Here are a few photos provided by the manufacturer to see how the LR Baggs HiFi Duet system is placed. You can find out more about this dual source amplification device online, and see where you might see Dan Tyminski live and hear it for yourself.
The HiFi Duet sells for $449.
