This pick-up is really really quit. I have an L.R. Baggs para-acoustic D.I. to go with it, and its still too quiet. I have played on p.a.'s were the natural sound of my Martin was louder than the amplified sound. It IS installed correctly. Dont expect to play with any accompanyment or mic'd vocals. When I kick on my tuner, there is a loud pop due to the amount of gain needed for me to be heard. Most sound men give up and just mic me. Im shopping for a replacement right now. Sounds really good if you can hear it though.

After much research, one of the main reasons I decided on the iBeam was because the product description indicated that LRBaggs included an installation jig with the pickup, and I wanted to do the installation myself. I was disappointed to discover that there was no installation jig included in the box I received. Fortunately, I have access to a shop and tools, so I was able to build an installation jig (using the photos of the installation jig supplied in the instructions) in a few hours and get the pickup installed in my Taylor LKSM 6-string. I plug the pickup into an LRBaggs Para Acoustic DI and then to a Crate acoustic amp (or PA system) and I'm pleased with the flexibility this setup offers. I'm able to dial in a great sound in any situation. If you do decide on this pickup, be sure to use a good preamp (such as the Para Acoustic DI or equivalent) because the signal from the iBeam is weak and needs a good boost to achieve the optimum sound.

I am not a fan at all of active systems unless they come equipped. This pickup is a great choice. Not only does it carry the L.R. Baggs name, but it carries the tone as well. It perfectly represents my guitars tone. Because there are no batteries or an extensive amount of wires, installation is not a hassle. The only con to this pickup is that it is very weak without a preamp...obviously...but this is minor. This is hands down, one of the best guitar purchases of my career.

I purchased the iBeam for my Gretsch Rancher (6012). Coupled to a Baggs preamp is sounds very nice, very acoustic. It's certainly fine in smaller, not so loud applications, and for recording, however, it tends to feedback at higher volume levels. Installation required some extra effort as it won't fit in front of the bridge pins. The bracing is too close. I set it behind. Sound is a bit brassy, but certainly fixable with a preamp.

I had this pickup fitted in my friend's Epiphone/Gibson acoustic and everytime we go to a new venue the sound engineers are amazed at the quality of the sound it's kicking out. They are so used to rubbishy old bridge pickups that this one finally makes them do some work but between us we always get an excellent sound whether in a small club or a larger theatre. I'm going to have one fitted to my classical, I'm that impressed. It is a bit pricey, though I guess you get what you pay for.