Non-Destructive Acoustic Guitar Pickup Option

Alright, I want a top-notch, absolutely cream of the crop acoustic pickup, but I do not want to make any modifications to the guitar, outside possibly endpin replacement. No drilling out under the saddle, no removal of wood, etc., though if there's a very strong case to be made for something like the LR Baggs Anthem, for instance, like, why it's superior in every way to every other offering on the market that justifies me taking a drillbit to my guitar, I will take that under advisement, but that does not mean I'll pull the trigger on it.

What are my options? I'm looking at the LR Baggs iBeam, the ToneWood Amp system, and the DiMarzio Super Natural, to name a handful.

The guitar in question is a 1970s-era Kay KDG70. I love this guitar, and I want the pickup to be able to capture the sound it puts out and do it well. It's the middle guitar in the three pictures on the side there.

While we're on the subject, a decent acoustic preamp, and acoustic amplifier would also be good suggestions. I know little and less of the acoustic world outside of "I have an acoustic guitar, I know how to play it pretty damn well, but it's always been mic'd through a PA heretofore, so the tech side baffles me."

Anyroad, yeah. There we go. Pickup, preamp, amp.

I used to use a L.R. Baggs M1 during my short adult contemporary/country sideman phase. I really am not into acoustic pickups but needs must when you're hired to play for someone else. It wasn't EXACTLY non-destructive. If your guitar isn't electrimified already odds are to fit the jack you will have to expand the strap button hole. I went with a used guitar that already had a piezo. I hate piezos. It had the strap button jack already so I just removed that, put in the baggs one, removed the saddle and piezo and put in a regular saddle. I also sold the guitar in question with the LR baggs pickup for more than I paid if I recall correctly. The pickup just clamped onto the soundhole. It sounds VERY VERY good. tried it because Keef uses it live.

Abigail: Right, so, my own experimentation is why. Sound textures I can't otherwise achieve, layering I'd not be able to do, things like that. Looping, delay, percussive things. Tone is kind of a big deal (it's why I use the guitar I use), but it's looking more like I'm going to have to take a hit on that and probably adjust via preamps and via the effects themselves to clean up any added bass/treble.

So the Dimarzio Super Natural Plus, that's one of the ones I was looking at, recommendation for it.

Jim: Strap Button is the one bit of destruction I am semi OK with. Not super crazy about shaving out parts of the bridge (required on the LR Baggs Anthem series). Will have to look into this M1 pickup, see what it sounds like vs the DiMarzio.

Whatever I end up going with, I know I'll be upgrading my tube preamp situation from the ART Tube MP I'm using now.

Thanks to you both for taking the time to reply, sorry it took me a bit to get back to it, been under the weather, health is kindly shot these days.

Thanks to you both for taking the time to reply, sorry it took me a bit to get back to it, been under the weather, health is kindly shot these days.

anyluck?

I'll be going with the DiMarzio. Again, sorry for the long delay in replies, it's not the COVID, but I have been in and out of the Hospital (broken ribs, inexplicable chest pain, and a solid week of migraine at one point).

I'll also be getting a Boss Acoustic Live wotsits amp for whenever life gets back to normal for the coffee shop gigging.

I'll be going with the DiMarzio. Again, sorry for the long delay in replies, it's not the COVID, but I have been in and out of the Hospital (broken ribs, inexplicable chest pain, and a solid week of migraine at one point).

feel better, my friend