Whether you’re looking to conjure crisp clarity or crunchy character from your steel-string, these 10 soundhole pickups cover a range of sounds and prices.
LR BAGGS M1 Active
This active pickup promises 1,000 hours of playing time on a single battery. Its built-in volume control, gold-plated 1/8" jack, and adjustable pole pieces offer flexibility and high-quality feedback-resistant sound.
$229 street
lrbaggs.com
EMG ACS
With a custom-designed internal preamp and adjustable pole pieces, this pickup is built to deliver clarity with a low noise floor and a broad frequency response.
$159 street
emgpickups.com
DEARMOND Tone Boss
This passive humbucker includes an onboard volume control and adjustable pole pieces, and comes in black, cream, and tortoiseshell trim options.
$89 street
dearmondpickups.com
RECORDING KING Gold Foil Soundhole Pickup
For lo-fi, old-school sounds, it doesn’t get any simpler—or more affordable—than this.
$49 street
recordingking.com
CURTIS NOVAK DA-1200 Soundhole
This customized copy of the iconic DeArmond soundhole pickups comes in three coil options—vintage, hot, and GT. It’s available with either 250k or 500k volume pots, and can be configured with various cable options.
$359 street
curtisnovak.com
FISHMAN RareEarth
Available in both humbucking and single-coil models, this low-current active neodymium pickup runs for up to 240 hours on a set of batteries.
$219 street
fishman.com
SEYMOUR DUNCAN Woody HC
With a custom maple, walnut, or black-stain housing, these double-potted humbuckers deliver an elegant look.
$79 street
seymourduncan.com
MOJOTONE Quiet Coil NC-1
This active option is voiced to mimic the sound of a condenser mic and promises over 500 hours on a pair of lithium batteries.
$199 street
mojotone.com
BARTOLINI 3AV Acoustic Guitar Soundhole Pickup
Designed to be installed on a soundhole’s bridge side, this stacked-coil hum-canceling pickup features ceramic magnets and B-string mass compensation.
$136 street
bartolini.net
KNA HP-1A
This active neodymium humbucker features a mahogany-capped birch housing and comes with a 1/8" to 1/4" cable.
$119 street
knapickups.com
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- Guitar Shop 101: How to Install a Soundhole Pickup ›
The Babies
Each lightweight, studio grade 100W, twin channel, Class A/B, solid state amp weighs only 3kg and is compact, reliable and tour ready. Watch the launch video here.
The 2-channel, Tour Baby guitar amp is incredibly versatile in a variety of playing situations. The onboard studio grade VCA compressor of Tour Baby’s refined clean channel, offers pristine clean tones with active or passive pickups. It provides a consistent dynamic range and low noise in extreme settings without the need for separate pedals. It includes precise bass and treble EQ controls.
The naturally voiced dirty channel of this tone machine allows players to easily get that sought after ‘point of breakup’ sound . A custom voiced presence control and powerful 3-band EQ control means the Tour Baby’s tone can be shaped to cut-through the mix. Add to that a footswitchable volume control, that provides a stage-friendly volume boost option for live applications. Watch the Tour Baby video here.
The Gain Baby clean channel is the same as that of the Tour Baby with its integrated VCA Compressor to alleviate the need for an additional stomp box and incorporates bass and treble EQ controls to dial in a desired frequency. The compressor provides smooth, transparent compression for dynamic control without compromising tone.
Four distinct stages are available on the high gain channel allowing players to dial in their preferred level of crunch and saturation. Like the Dual Baby, Gain Baby’s Tight Switch operates as a bright switch, boosting the upper mid at lower gain levels, to give shredding solos a little something extra. Volume control is footswitchable, the buffered FX allows effects from pedals to be patched in and the onboard 3-band EQ allows tone to be tweaked even further.
With multiple output options such as a balanced XLR output with no Cab Sim, as well as dual speaker outputs, the Gain Baby is equally comfortable on stage or in the studio. Watch the Gain Baby video here.
The Dual Baby is a powerhouse in a pint-sized package. It’s simple A and B channel design offers duelling tones and alternating rhythm opportunities. Channel A mimics the rich responsive tones of the Orange flagship Rockerverb amps in a reliable solid-state design. From clean to classic crunch to full-on saturation, there is no shortage of Orange mojo. The brand-new Tubby Switch, which boosts the bottom end early in the signal path, offers a much ‘rounder’ tone when playing clean or when searching for just the right ‘dirty-clean’ sound.
Channel B allows players to dial in the desired level of grit, with ample saturation and a valve-like high-gain tone, unheard of in any other solid-state unit. The ‘bright boost’ of the Tight Switch gives the amp spring and bounce and raises the top end at lower gain levels for players who want to tighten up, shred and play blistering solos with plenty of cut. The 3-band sweepable EQ presence control allows frequencies to be tweaked, shimmer added and mids that sit perfectly in the mix to be dialled in. Watch the Dual Baby video here.
Pack or rack any of the three Baby amps with included gig bag or an available rack ear kit. Each Baby is a mighty unit that delivers100-Watts into 8 ohms or 70-Watts into 16 ohms, to power any full-sized guitar amp with ease!
Check out the triplets, Dual Baby, Tour Baby and Gain Baby and all the other Orange products at
https://orangeamps.com/
The O Tone 40 Combo Amp
Watch the launch video here.
The single channel, 40-Watt Class A/B solid state combo has onboard tremolo and reverb controls, a buffered effects loop and plenty of punchy volume. With a distinctive clean tone, it is an ideal amp for any pedal set-up or a small venue workhorse for guitarists who are fond of warm, vintage tones.
The amp’s bias-wobbled, single-ended JFET tremolo circuit offers huge depth and breadth, delivering everything from grand sweeps to a staccato sonic character via insistent, whirling helicopter patterns. The effect is footswitchable, allowing for even more adaptability during performances.
Modelling a classic spring reverb, the O Tone 40 incorporates a digital reverb module to add a warm spaciousness to sounds, ranging from subtle shimmer to ethereal trails.
The combo’s fully buffered, low-impedance FX Loop allows for any number of effects and cables to be patched between the amp’s input and output sections without sacrificing tone, making it an excellent pedal platform.
The powerful volume of the 12” Voice of the World speaker, combined with the amazingly sweet tones and harmonic chimes of the new O Tone 40, makes it ideal for rock, country, blues and so many more music genres. A direct output is included to facilitate studio and live non-miked situations.
The amp is finished in trademark Orange Tolex with Orange’s signature basket- weave grill and Crest badge. Check out the O Tone 40 and all the other Orange products at https://orangeamps.com/
Xotic XW-2 Wah Pedal
The Xotic XW-2 Wah Pedal is a high-quality, versatile stomp that creates a ’70s-style “throaty” wah sound.
xotic.us
Sonicake FlipWah
The FlipWah combo pedal combines a classic wah and active volume pedal in one, with a footswitch to select between the two modes. A Q knob adds even more versatility.
sonicake.com
$79 street
McCon-O-Wah McWah
The McWah-2B delivers classic tone with modern upgrades. Handwired, adjustable, and durable, it features a custom pot and true bypass for optimal sound. Inspired by the original, legendary wah pedal.
mcconowah.com
$428 street
Dunlop Jerry Cantrell Rainier Fog Cry Baby Wah
This Cry Baby signature model complements Jerry Cantrell’s sound with a dark, punchy voice, a wide sweep, and a control on the side for fine-tuning the toe-down frequency.
jimdunlop.com
Dunlop CBJ95 Cry Baby Junior Wah Pedal
The Cry Baby Junior Wah features front-mounted jacks and an 8" housing for clean configurations on the world’s most popular boards.
jimdunlop.com
Dunlop Cry Baby Daredevil Fuzz Wah Pedal
A collaboration with Daredevil Pedals, this Cry Baby Wah combines the bright, aggressive vocality of a modded Cry Baby Wah with a custom fuzz circuit that’s downright gnarly.
jimdunlop.com
The shift to 3D printing allows for intricate detailing and tighter tolerances, ensuring each nut meets exact specifications.
The process begins with powdered metal, which is precisely 3D printed into the desired shape using advanced metal printing technology. After printing, the parts are depowdered and cleaned before undergoing a sintering process—an advanced heat treatment—during which the parts achieve full density and hardness. Lastly, the nuts are CNC “kiss-cut” to exacting specifications for consistency and control of the fit before receiving a premium electroplating finish.
“Floyd Rose has always been synonymous with innovation, and by embracing this incredible new technology we are able to continue that legacy,” said Andrew Papiccio, president of AP International Music Supply of which Floyd Rose is a division. “The accuracy and flexibility of the new 3D printing method will allow us to make a more consistent piece while also giving us full control of the manufacturing right here in the USA.”
Initially, the 3D-printed locking nuts will be available in ten classic sizes with a 10” radius, with plans to expand the range to accommodate various fretboard radii in Spring 2025. This augmentation will offer players more options for customizing their setups to match a wide variety of fretboard curvatures.
To get a sneak peek at the new Floyd Rose USA Series, come visit us at NAMM in booth 5734 in Hall D.
