Soundhole pickups

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Digger Dave
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Soundhole pickups

Postby Digger Dave » Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:42 pm

Having seen Gordon at the Derby concert recently (really enjoyed it, Gordon!), I was really impressed by the combination of the different acoustic guitars and effects. This set me to looking at buying a soundhole pickup for my Tanglewood TW15 NSacoustic to try some of this out.

There seems a huge range of pickups available from a few pounds to a few hundred. Does anyone have any recommendations? I don't really know how much I need to spend to get a good pickup, but don't want to spend more than the guitar is worth!

Dave

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GORDON
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Postby GORDON » Wed Apr 25, 2007 4:07 am

Hi Dave.

This is where I would have hoped that my pal Russ would have posted something!

There are indeed MANY pickups to chose from, and my pal Rob Armstrong fitted a pickup system called an ARTEC(hope the spelling is right) it was a really comprehensive system with under saddle pickup, soundhole pickup and internal mike, and it wasn't expensive. Only problem was that it would need to be fitted by an expert and would need a hole cut for the pre amp BUT they do a cheaper one, and my pal Neil stocks those in his shop...01564 773100. Seymoure Duncan do a nice soundhole one also called a WOODY!

Hope this helps,

Warm Regards,

Gordon.

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Bob Wilson
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Postby Bob Wilson » Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:16 am

Hi Dave
I've heard nothing but good about the Seymour Duncan Woody Series. You can buy them from around £40-£50 and there are several different types to choose from. I've heard the Woody HC and it sounds great for the money. It is a hum-cancelling pickup and is very reasonably priced plus you can fit it yourself. Take a look at: www.seymourduncan.com/products/acoustic.shtml for more info. Good luck!
Best wishes
Bob

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Russ Gannicott
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Postby Russ Gannicott » Fri Apr 27, 2007 12:18 am

I think the the first thing you have to ask yourself is why a 'soundhole' pick-up? As Gordon quite rightly said, an Artec blend system is superb, as is a SD Woody, both of which are available for much less than a hundred pounds. Another idea is to block off the soundhole completely and stick a twenty quid Humbucker in there. You would really be surprised at the result. No...it doesn't sound like an electric! How about a couple of bugs? Maybe a glass plate inside the body with a PZM? I guess the bottom line is that there as many variations as there are playing styles......multiplied by the number of guitars available. My easy answer is to fit a decent Piezo under saddle pick-up and then look a little closer at what pre-amp/amp/DI you are using.
Good luck,
Russ

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GORDON
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Welcome back Russ.

Postby GORDON » Fri Apr 27, 2007 9:42 am

What a joy it is to see a posting from our long time friend Russ Gannicott,a good guy and a man with more knowledge of things of a sonic and guitar nature than you can shake a stick at. WELCOME BACK OLD BUDDY.We MUST think about doing that book one of these days pal!

Be Well.

Gordon.

P.S.Love to the family.

Digger Dave
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Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:56 pm
Location: Duffield, Derbyshire

Postby Digger Dave » Fri Apr 27, 2007 10:08 pm

Thanks for the information guys.

I suppose the answer to "why a soudhole pickup" is probably that I thought it would be the easiest option to fit and try out. In addition, hearing the results that Gordon gets (albeit perhaps with a touch more skill than I have!) with what looks like fishman pickups (?), I thought would be a good route.

I presume that fitting an under saddle pickup is a professional job. I am quite handy with all things DIY, but would be a little worried about spoiling my guitar. Any thoughts?

I will continue to look around and deliberate on what is available in the light of your comments.

Cheers

Dave


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