💾 Archived View for blitter.com › OLGA › MUSIC › RESOURCES › CONSTRUCTION_DOCS › PICKUPS › ACOUSTIC.… captured on 2022-06-12 at 08:09:54.
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DeArmond
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Manufacturer: DeArmond Model: 260
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Your name : Ivans Chou
email : ichou@acs2.bu.edu
Date of review : 8/30/93
Your musical style(s) : blues/jazz/classic rock
Guitar or Bass : acoustic guitar
Pickup features : piezo-magnetic sensor, balanced output, easy install
Cost : $65
Purchased from : Cambridge Music Center, Cambridge, MA
Pickup being replaced : Dean Markley Artist Model
Neck/Mid/Bridge position: Sound hole
Other pickups on guitar :
Artists using this pickup:
Reason for pickup change: The Markley (which was already the second one)
died.
Tone : balanced if you use
phosphor bronze strings, extra-"bright" if steel strings are used.
Candid sonic evaluation: Among pickups for acoustic guitars, I've
found this one to be one of the best (for the money). The piezo-
magnetic "sensor" basically combines the sounds of the string vibration
that a single coil humbucking pickup would give with the vibrations
from the guitar's body that a piezo-electric transducer would pick up.
Some people have complained that earlier versions of this model had
problems including: The wire would become frayed where the wire met
the transducer, and also the spring clamp did not hold the transducer
tightly in the sound hole causing an annoying buzz. I've not found
either of these problems in the 2 years I've been using it. I have
found that this pickup may produce some hiss when in an electrically
noisy room.
On a scale of 1 to 11, I give this pickup a: 10
Are you satisfied with this pickup or still searching for *that* sound?: As far
as acoustics go, I'm satisfied with this one.
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Dean Markley
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Manufacturer: Dean Markley Model: Artist
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Your name : Ivans Chou
email : ichou@acs2.bu.edu
Date of review : 8/30/93
Your musical style(s) : blues/jazz/classical
Guitar or Bass : acoustic / classical guitar
Cost : $25
Neck/Mid/Bridge position: sound board
Tone : depends on where you
put it. can be: high bass response, high treble response, very bright
Candid sonic evaluation: This piezo-electric pickup picks up the
body vibrations of your guitar, so it produces a warm sound, but does
not have that "punch" that a humbucking coil would produce. But since
I had a classical guitar (nylon strings) a humbucking pickup would've
been useless (except for the 3 steel wound bass strings, maybe). When
I used this pickup on an acoustic steel string, I was very disappointed
at how poor the output was. It was very "muddy", but a chorus pedal
improved the sound. The one major problem I've had with this pickup
was it's life span. It lasted about 3-6 months and then died for no
apparent reason. After going through two of them, I decided to switch.
Another thing I dislike is the little flecks of putty this transducer
left behind on my guitar (it mounts by a wad of putty on the face of
the transducer).
On a scale of 1 to 11, I give this pickup a: 3
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MARTIN GOLD Plus
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Manufacturer: MARTIN (Fishman) Model: Gold Plus (Natural)
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Your name : Ed Gebauer
email : tgebauer@tyrell.net
Date of review : 2-4-95
Your musical style(s) : Folk, Contra-dance music
Guitar or Bass : Guitar Martin 0021
Pickup features : Out of sight, HI Output
Cost : $150 (Installed)
Purchased from : Harmonic Arts Music (Lawrence KS)
Impedance or other specs: HI-Z
Pickup being replaced : External Microphone
Neck/Mid/Bridge position: Under the Saddle
Other pickups on guitar : None
Artists using this pickup:
Reason for pickup change:
Got tired of dragging around a mike and stand on very small jobs
Perceived output level :
Has preamp built into the end-pin jack, battery mounted inside the
guitar. Is very hot, needs no preamp or matching amp. Thought I
would need my GE-7 to balance it but I run it flat.
Tone: Fairly well balanced
Candid sonic evaluation:
Have only used it a couple of times so far. I wouldn't want to record
off it but it sure seems to produce a pleasing guitar like sound.
Styles and positions for which this pickup is (un)suitable:
On a scale of 1 to 11, I give this pickup a: 9.5
Are you satisfied with this pickup or still searching for *that* sound?:
I'm very satified. I'm told by the luthier that installed it that the
sound is more a function of the pickup as opposed to the guitar. It
wouldn't have mattered if I had installed in a Collins or a Sears &
Roebuck, the sound would have been nearly the same. Which is OK with
me. Ed Gebauer
"Why do people who dance always look 10 years younger?"
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Sunrise
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Manufacturer: Sunrise Model: ??? (do they make more than one?
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Your name : Dave O'Heare
email : doheare@jetform.com
Date of review : 94-03-31
Your musical style(s) : folky/country/eclectic (on guitar, anyway)
Guitar or Bass : acoustic guitar
Pickup features : soundhole mount
Cost : $150 a couple years ago
Purchased from : manufacturer
Impedance or other specs: ???
Pickup being replaced : just about everything
Neck/Mid/Bridge position:
Other pickups on guitar : none
Artists using this pickup: Leo Kottke, Richard Thompson, etc., etc., etc.
Reason for pickup change:
Because... I wanted a pickup that sounded more like my guitar.
Perceived output level :
much like a Gibson late-60s humbucker (I use their solid-state
pre-amp too)
Tone:
Excellent. It sounds like my guitar. Very clear, uncoloured sound.
Candid sonic evaluation:
I've still got it. It's terrific.
Styles and positions for which this pickup is (un)suitable:
On a scale of 1 to 11, I give this pickup a: 11, no question.
Are you satisfied with this pickup or still searching for *that* sound?:
I'm satisfied. I've tried just about everything I could get my
hands on (Barcus-Berry, FRAP, DeArmond, Dean Markley, etc., etc., etc.)
and it wasn't until I got this one that I installed an end-pin jack in
the guitar.
The piezos, with or without preamps, various kinds of pre-amps, into
various kinds of amps, mixers, speakers, all sounded kind of plasticky.
They weren't necessarily *bad*, but they weren't *right*.
Other soundhole pickups sounded too electric for my taste. Again, not
bad, just not what I wanted.
For the record -- the Fender-Lace Sensor didn't exist at the time. A
couple of soundhole pickups (DiMarzio?) wouldn't fit my guitar. My
guitar is a Marc Beneteau standard -- spruce top, Indian rosewood
back and sides.