B-Band Pickups • Shoreline Music

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B-Band Pickups come to us from Finland boasting a worldwide reputation for great tone and easy installation. They're used by pros worldwide, including Pierre Bensusan, Al DiMeola, Justin King, Larry Carlton, Tim Sparks and the California Guitar Trio. B-Band is the built-in pickup of choice in many major European guitars, as well as a growing number of North American guitars.

One of the most attractive features of B-Band pickups is the easy setup: There's no soldering or wire stripping of any kind. B-Band's under-saddle and soundboard transducers all use the same proprietary connector to plug easily into any B-Band preamp. This does mean that every B-Band pickup requires a B-Band preamp, but given how inexpensive these combos are, this ends up being a very attractive solution.

In the past, B-Band sold their pickups and preamps cafeteria style, but they now offer everything in ready-made packages, combining pickups and preamps all in the same box. That said, if you're looking for an individual pickup or preamp to complete or upgrade your existing system, give us a call, as we keep a nice supply of individual parts around, too.

B-Band Pickups:

AST - This is one of our best-selling pickups, and with good reason. We have found it to produce a remarkably natural tone, surpassing some of the most popular soundboard transducers in the business. And, like the best soundboard pickups, it is totally simple to install. It can stand on its own, or be paired with a UST or microphone in one of B-Band's dual-source systems. You can hear this pickup on our MP3 Page. You can also see a picture of an installed AST here.

UST - The B-Band UST regularly gets rave reviews for its remarkably warm, natural tone. Its very acoustic tone minimizes the typical undersaddle quack. You can hear this pickup on our MP3 Page. Also, as with all other undersaddles we sell, B-Band USTs are available in wide or narrow varieties. For help determining the width of your saddle groove, visit our FAQ. This choice of wide or narrow pickup is reflected in the wide or narrow versions of most of the packages listed below. Available in packages with every B-Band preamp.

B-Band Internal Preamps:

A1.2 - The A1 is a standalone, single-input endpin preamp. The ".2" designation means that it's the newer model with the soundhole volume control.

A1.2N - The A1N is similar to the standard A1, but it's tailored specifically to the AST instead of the UST, with a built-in EQ curve that allows for much higher gain before feedback. The ".2" means that it includes the soundhole volume control.

A2 - The A2 is a stereo preamp, for use with two separate B-Band pickups. While you can technically use this with any two B-Band pickups, most folks use this to blend the UST+mic or the AST+mic (for blending the AST and UST, I recommend the A2.2, listed below). The A2 takes a stereo plug for offboard blending through a preamp like the DTAR Solstice. Some of the best onstage sound I've ever heard was a B-Band A2 rig blended through an old Raven Labs PMB-II. With the bass rolled out of the mic to prevent woofiness, and the highs tamed on the undersaddle, this setup can be dynamic, punchy and airy all at once.

A2.2 - The A2.2 preamp is virtually identical to the A2 preamp, but it uses a crossover circuit (the "XOM" design) to blend the best features of the AST and the UST. It adds soundhole-mounted blend and volume controls for easy, unobtrusive control over your onstage tone. I personally think these crossover mixes are some of B-Band's best pickup systems. When I've played with the A2.2, even when dialed completely toward the AST side of the blend, the tone is fattened up enough by the crossover that it sounds fantastic, noticeably better than the AST all by itself. It's also worth noting that while the A2's stereo output needs to be blended offboard, the A2.2 has a mono output so you can plug straight into a board or DI. The entire package includes both the AST and UST (this is the only possible combo with the A2.2; you can't use B-Band's mic with this preamp). (high-res pic)

B-Band Sidemount Preamps:

A3T - Not too long ago, some savvy pickup builder realized that if you can build a tuner into your sidemount preamp, that's one less piece of gear we need to carry around with us. Well, B-Band has jumped on this bandwagon, to good effect. The A3T takes the original A3 preamp—this includes a 4-band EQ and volume control—and throws in the onboard tuner for good measure. For use with the AST or UST. (high-res pic)

A5T - The A5 is a single-source sidemount preamp, with more features than the A3T (it also requires a full cutout of the side of the guitar). It features 4 bands of sliding EQ control and a master volume, plus the all-important phase switch, and—rare among onboard preamps—a parametric notch filter (you can control frequency and depth). Available in packages with the AST or UST. (high-res pic)

A6T - The A6T is essentially a dual-source A5T: it uses the same XOM crossover circuit as the A2.2 systems, but with the more robust control set and tuner of the A5T. Available in packages with the AST and UST (not the mic). (high-res pic)

B-Band Pickup Systems

Description

Price*

B-Band A1.2 Package

Combines A1.2 preamp with UST. Includes soundhole volume control.

$119.00

B-Band A1.2N Package

Combines A1.2N preamp with AST. Includes soundhole volume control.

$119.00

B-Band A2.2 XOM Package

Combines A2.2 XOM blending preamp with UST. Includes soundhole volume and blend control.

$189.00

B-Band A2 Package

Combines internal A2 preamp with two pickups. For use with external blender.

$189.00

B-Band A3T Package

Combines sidemount A3T preamp with UST or AST.

$129.00

B-Band A5T Package

Combines sidemount A5T preamp and tuner with UST or AST.

$159.00

B-Band A6T XOM Package

Combines sidemount A6T XOM blending preamp with UST and AST.

$199.00

*All B-Band pickup prices include free shipping anywhere in the US and Canada. CO residents add 2.9% sales tax. Please see our Shipping page for additional shipping information.

B-Band pickups