LR Baggs LB6 Acoustic Guitar Pickup

I've used and installed many pickups over the years but only recently the LB6. This is hands down the best I've tried. String balance is not an issue with this pickup. It is very resistant to feedback and It has enough output to be used without a preamp and it will sound like your guitar. If you do want onstage volume and tone control, the LR Baggs Para acoustic DI is one that I can recommend. It is small, simple to use, can be powered by battery or ac adapter and many sound men I have encountered seem to like this one. Also, the customer service guys are great if you need help. It does require an 1/8 inch wide saddle slot and can be a bit tricky to shape the saddle for proper intonation and action/FB radius. So I suggest professional installation. Some other preamps that I've tried and really like are the Boss AD5 and the Tonebone PZ Pre. The AD5 has a nice built in reverb and foot switchable chorus. The Tonebone has a cool boost channel and some othe input and output features that make it very flexible.