The new dual-preamp design promises to bring studio-grade tone to the stage.
Gibson and acoustic amplification specialists Baggs have teamed up to launch the HiFi DNA pickup system, a next-generation design aimed at closing the long-standing gap between how an acoustic guitar sounds in the studio and how it sounds through a PA. The system is now rolling out across Gibson’s Modern and Original acoustic collections worldwide via Gibson.com and Baggs.co, with a standalone version for retrofitting existing guitars to follow.
At the core of HiFi DNA is a dual Class A preamp architecture, where each sensor is treated as its own studio channel and run through a dedicated, custom-voiced all-discrete preamp before the two signals are blended. Gibson and Baggs say this avoids the muddying interactions common when pickup signals are summed together early, instead preserving the purity of each one for a more balanced, high-resolution result. The system is paired with a newly developed sensor platform that’s lighter, larger and more responsive, designed to capture both string detail and body resonance for a fuller, more lifelike amplified tone.
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Baggs founder Lloyd R. Baggs said the dual-preamp approach had been on his mind for years before it became viable. “We’ve known for years how powerful that architecture is, but it was never before feasible at scale,” he explained, comparing the two sensors to a pair of choir mics that capture different parts of the instrument.
Gibson Acoustic’s Robi Johns, who has worked on the challenge of live acoustic tone since the 1970s, said the new system finally delivered on that pursuit. “It felt like I wasn’t listening from a point in space anymore,” he said of hearing an early prototype, “I was inside the guitar.”
The system also targets one of live acoustic performance’s most persistent headaches: feedback. Gibson and Baggs say HiFi DNA offers gain before feedback comparable to an under-saddle pickup, giving players room to perform confidently across a range of stage volumes. Old 97’s frontman Rhett Miller, who moves between solo shows and full-band gigs, said the built-in feedback resistance let him retain his usual tone even in louder settings. Guitar educator Marty Schwartz praised its accuracy to the source instrument, while The Black Crowes’ Nico Bereciartua pointed to the intimacy of the sound compared with other pickups he’s used.
Those behind the launch frame HiFi DNA as more than an incremental upgrade, a system built to preserve each guitar’s individual tonal character, from delicate fingerstyle passages through to full-strength strumming, and translate it faithfully through a PA.
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