LR Baggs AEG-1 Guitar Review

@lrbaggsmedia @LRBaggsResources

[MattaPhillipsmusic]

I was so excited to try these out. I knew I wanted it within a few minutes of playing it. I used it for a gig the same day, through the venue into the pa. Everything sat flat, mic at noon, tone at 9 o clock. Sounds excellent. Played with someone playing electric and even worked well when I hit the boost on venue to solo. Looking forward to using it more and more. I see a nylon option in the future for sure. It is a fierce competitor of the acoustasonic, multitac and T5. Sitting at a price point that is crazy competitive. I have the englemann spruce top model.

[flexismart]

I purchased an AEG-1 Torrefied as soon as they were available. Baggs sense of acoustic tone has always appealed to me, and I have 5 guitars with Baggs systems. My (rather complex) pedalboard is optimized for a Taylor 816 with a Baggs M1A, and when I plugged in the AEG-1 there was a noticeable ‘thump’ on the attack of any string. Adjusting the mic presence and rolling off the bass frequencies of my EQ has helped a lot. Being a particularly percussive player I can use the thump to my advantage, which on my other guitars I have to accentuate with electronics. Overall, this is an outstanding guitar (and a bargain for what you get) that places squarely between an acoustic and an electric guitar. It feels like an electric in size and neck feel, but sounds like an acoustic through a PA. Thanks for your testing and discussion of this innovative guitar.

[cohoonatube]

Wonderful demo, thank you! Not having basic T, M, B controls is a missed opportunity... may still get one as I agree, it's a wonderfully natural sounding A/E. I'll be able to shape it well on my Boss Acoustic Amp.

[jimwaller]

Great info. Putting the HiFi Duet in my OM35 Custom Shop this week, and can't wait to hear the outcome! Thanks for al the great info!!!

[DavidPennybaker]

The ones I played (two of each) all had slightly twisted necks. I bought one of the torrefied versions (the one with less twist in the neck) and had it PLEK'd (fortunately for me, a local shop has a PLEK machine).

[scottbecker]

€2400 at Thomann in Germany 😮 Really wanted one, but not at that price point. P.S. Torrified would have been my choice, too.

[rickwebermusic]

I'm leaning towards getting one of these (torrefied model), because play acoustic plugged in every week at my church. I also have the LR Baggs Venue DI, which seems like it would be a match made in heaven for the AEG-1, tone wise.

[BrandonPetrucci]

I've talked to you a bit about the Duet Aaron which I had put in my Yamaha LL-36 3months ago. I've had the Anthem in my Larrivee L-72 for a few years & at this point I will say that the Duet has made me appreciate the Anthem waaaay more. It's not that I've just 'yet to find' a sound w' the Duet I'm happy with, I hate to say that I just don't like it and the reason(s) are evident to me in hearing these AEG's ... same goes w' mine, no matter what I do it sounds jusssst underwater. I have my Anthem's mic gain set to at least 75% mic and that addition of the Element undersaddle puts it over the top and 'above water', at least to my ears anyway. It's kinda a bummer for me as I got the LL36 last Feb & waited 9 months for the Duet when I so wish I'd just had the Anthem put in. The mic gain is really important in the Anthem & Duet & I spent many hours figuring out the balance between the mic gain & blend w' my Grace Felix & usual suspect pedals. Protocol states that you should turn the blend all the way to mic & adjust the mic gain til it sounds the best but I eventually went w' a different approach, I put the blend right in the middle & adjust the gain. W' the mic gain set all the way to the mic side I settled on 4 ticks the other way so one shy of dead middle. But still, for my style anyway I just prefer the Anthem & it's attack from the Element. I'm not giving up & I"ll say that I may change my mind completely w' time. That 'a ha' moment could happen w' it & I hope it does but if it doesn't in a few months I''m gonna have it replaced w' the Anthem ... If Lloyd ever put an Anthem in the AEG there's no doubt I'll get one ... Aaron what's your take on what I'm talking about w' the attack of the Anthem vs the Duet? Is it in there somewhere & I just need to find it? Also, I wear studio monitor HPs all the time so every little thing is right there in my head ... and I'm a strait perfectionist who won't settle for less than what I'm looking for ... one last thing, I find the silo mic is too bright & metallic, then when I try & blend in the pickups to counter this, it goes 'under water' ... any advice appreciated

[jonberry]

sounds like this guitar could really benefit from some bass and treble knobs (like the ES2). I agree the tone adjustments don’t do much of anything. This guitar sounds fine, although I’m not crazy about the pickup system. I’m also not crazy about the looks of it. I agree it’s a good value, but it’s not something I would consider for gigs. Also that near 7 pound weight is super heavy for an acoustic. I think a “stage guitar” is a great idea, but this isn’t the one…for me.

[stephanbockholt]

Maybe a soundhole m style pickup with the silo mic?!😊

[johndiggs]

The difference in tone was amazing... agreed, the torrified sounded best...

[matz]

I own one and it’s a great guitar. We use it in our bluegrass band. I tried a fishman loud box mini and a blackstar sonnet 120. But the Bose s1 pro plus won hands down.

[jeffreywilliams]

About the nut width- I thought it was a bit cramped at first, but once I filed the nut slots down (they were super high) it plays fine. For example, I couldn't sound the G string on an open A7 chord easily before lowering the slots. They should sort that out- most people don't have nut files.

[MichaellynnJrSAM]

I just bought the Torrified, OMG sounds amazing

[JTB--]

Another excellent video! btw... what is the Fret material they used instead of Stainless Steel? Nickel Silver? Happy New Year!

[nickkoziol]

Crazy guitar huh? I played one at the music store and I think I’m going to get one. I really liked it.
It has the acoustic sound that I think fender was going after with the Acostisonic.
I will say….sadly, I think the AEG-1 is before its time and won’t take off the way it should.
Ironic, because this is the acoustic guitar stage musicians were looking for the whole time.

[mkrj]

Thanks for the great review. For a stage guitar and given the price I’m surprised there is no 3 band eq. Maybe the pup is dialed enough to not need it. That said I like running my guitar through a 10 band eq pedal and have had good results that way even with a k&k pure mini in a non-electrified guitar.

[DavidPennybaker]

I think they could sell more of them if they'd add an under-saddle pickup, too (you'd need an extra knob for blending it in) . . . that would let those who prefer some of that Anthem sound to be blended in.

[johnfrymyer]

It is a rgeat soubding guitar on the video, but live sound can really be different. Thank you fr reviewing this. Now, do I sell my Godin and buy one of these?

[johnpicinich]

Bought the torrefied model from Sweetwater. Could not be more happy with it. I've had a wide range of hybrid electric-acoustics (Taylor, Godin, Fender) and never fell in love with their acoustic tones. This one does it for me!!!