Dean Markley Sweet Spot

Submitted at: 15:11, 11/5/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive Piezo under saddle
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $40
Purchased from: Stringsandbeyond.com

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Yamaha classical solid cedar top
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): folk /celtic
Reason for pickup change: Add electric without a microphone

Sound

Perceived output level: accurately reproduces fingerstyle dynamics
Tone: balanced tone without pre-amp
Sonic evaluation: Have tried a peavey practice amp and a Kustom acoustic guitar amp (looking forward to try with a full board PA).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great for nylon string folk and celtic. I would not recommend for picked nylon strings (but that's an oxymoron!)

Overall Rating

Comments: This pickup would definitely be replaced. It gives me the sound that I want from my classical guitar. For my steel string acoustic (Jean Larivee) I have a B-Band unit which suits that guitar just fine. Although a neophyte with electronics, I would say that the output and impedance from the Sweet Spot is optimal to acfurately reproduce the classical guitar sound. The cedar top guitar has a very warm sound and this (surprisingly) come through with the Sweet Spot. Careful installation is important. I spent considerable time aligning the saddle and ensuring a very exact fit (a micrometer helps). Scott Curfman's instructions were helpful. The 45 degree 3/32 hole did hit a brace but that only helped for the putty adhesive after fitting. It is very unlikely that, with a vary careful installation suing proper equipment, this pickup can be surpassed. I've tried other guitars with passive pickups but not with this quality. Also, the price from Stringsandbeyond.com is quite good. Maybe I'll add ont to my thirty year old Yamaha steel string. A professional would improve on this with only a condenser microphone.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted at: 5:54, 3/29/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive piezo-electric
Impedence or other specs: damifino
Price Paid: Cdn $70
Purchased from: Music Stop

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: 70's-vintage Ovation Balladeer
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Unknown after-market surface-mount passive
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Dunno - check the Dean Markley site?
You musical style(s): Balladic, folk
Reason for pickup change: Old pickup failing

Sound

Perceived output level: Accurate representation of my guitar's sound and timbre
Tone: Needs just a touch of bass boost
Sonic evaluation: Currently mostly recording in studio. Use a Peavey Rage for practice, and an inherited Crate Voodoo (!) if more volume required.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Unsuitable for any position except under the saddle :o)

Overall Rating

Comments: I have been playing guitar, both acoustic and electric, for almost 40 years. I decided to add pickups to two guitars (the Ovation 6-string and Seagull 12-string) and I did quite a bit of research before chosing the Sweet Spot. My decision, to be honest, was strongly influenced by the reviews here, and I decided to 'risk' my Ovation before committing to a pickup for my Seagull.

I have to say that the pickup lives up to the opinions (yeah, even the advertising hyperbole on the Dean Markley website!) It really does work well without a pre-amp, although the volume needs to be set a touch higher, and it gives great balanced sound without any of the dreaded 'quack.' As far as my tin ear is concerned, with just a bit of bass boost, the pickup is reproducing the sound of my guitar quite nicely.

A few notes about installation: Scott Curfman posted a nicely-detailed set of instructions below about installation (thanks Scott!) and he was right on the money. If you can handle a soldering iron and are not too ham-fisted, this is an easy job.

However, I did run into one glitch that he didn't mention. The pickup consists of 6 piezo elements sandwiched in very flexible foil strips, which are passed down through the hole you drill in your bridge. The foil strips are then gathered into a swaged aluminum fitting, which then transitions into the cable that leads to the jack. I think the idea is that the aluminum fitting is supposed to remain partly within the drilled hole, providing support for the foil strips so they can't twist. However, in my case the foil strips extended slightly from the hole, possibly because the bridge of my guitar is very narrow. The end result was that a bit of tension was placed on the foil strips by the slight weight of the cable, which twisted the foil strips and gave me an intermittent connection - a nasty surprise after a couple of days of clean sound! Anyway, the fix was simple: I pulled out the pickup and added a couple of drops of epoxy to reinforce the end of the foil strips next to the metal fitting, and when I reinserted the pickup, I put a small blob of epoxy putty around the metal fitting and foil to keep it straight where it exited the drilled hole. I have had no problem since.

My final answer - this is a great pickup, despite the initial hiccup with installation. I'm happy enough that I have another Sweet Spot on order for my 12-string - and I'm betting that the wider bridge will prevent my installation problem!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted at: 1:31, 5/12/2004

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive under-saddle piezo transducer
Impedence or other specs: Don't know
Price Paid: GBP Ł40
Purchased from: www.stringsdirect.co.uk

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Custom-order Moon 0003 six-string acoustic
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Don't know
You musical style(s): Fingerstyle blues and ragtime, plus some flat-picked pop and pop-rock
Reason for pickup change: I had this beautiful guitar custom made for me by Moon Guitars in Glasgow, Scotland. Originally I was going to have a pickup fitted at the time of manufacture, but they normally fit the Fishman Matrix - I already own a couple of Gibsons with the Matrix pickup, and have never been happy with the amplified sound. So, I asked them to pre-drill the guitar ready for fitting an under-saddle pickup, and just fit a Taylor removable end-pin for the time being - that way I could take my time researching pickups and fit one myself easily later on. Since then I've listened to lots of electro-acoustic guitars with different pickups, and read lots and lots of reviews - as a result, I decided to try the Sweet Spot - mainly because of its reputation for natural tone and high output without the need for a pre-amp.

Sound

Perceived output level: Very loud indeed! Difficult to believe this is a passive pickup!
Tone: Well balanced, with only a very slight tendency to brightness
Sonic evaluation: I'm running the guitar into a Kustom KAA-30 acoustic guitar amplifier. It has Low, Lo-Mid, Hi-Mid and High EQ controls, a spring reverb, and a 10" Celestion speaker. It's an OK amp - not brilliant, but OK. The results I'm getting with this Sweet Spot pickup are excellent, though - frankly, I've never heard this little amp sound so good! Most of the time I run with the EQ controls set equal, or perhaps with a tiny bit of the High rolled off, and with just a hint of reverb - no chorus, no compression, nothing else. The reproduced sound is full, well balanced and very, VERY faithful to the acoustic tone of the guitar. There's little, if any, piezo "quack" unless I play very close to the bridge. I'm amazed at just how natural this pickup sounds - it puts the pickups in my other guitars to shame!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play all sorts: blues, ragtime, pop, pop-rock - this pickup works superbly for all of that.

Overall Rating

Comments: If this pickup were destroyed somehow, I'd replace it with exactly the same model, no question. I've been playing for 23 years, I own several other acoustic guitars (mostly Gibsons, some fitted with pickups) and have owned many other acoustics in the past. This is the best acoustic pickup I've heard - period. It was easy to install, and I love the fact that it doesn't need a pre-amp - no batteries to worry about, ever. Why anybody would two, three or four times as much for any other pickup is really beyond me. There might be better models out there, I guess, but I'm so satisfied with the performance of this Sweet Spot that I won't bother searching. The next guitar I buy will be retro-fitted - very quickly - with another Sweet Spot.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Mike Swift

Submitted at: 12:07, 10/14/2003

Product Info

Pickup features: Pasive
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: Pounds 40
Purchased from: Sutherland Trading

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Various
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Various
Other pickups on guitar: Various
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock - World
Reason for pickup change: Unsatisfied with most previous under Saddle designs

Sound

Perceived output level: The amplified sound was so close to the Acoustic sound
Tone: Balanced
Sonic evaluation: Various Solid bodied/Acoustic Guitars mostly Crafter. Into Old Roland GP 16 and Makie or Allanen & Heath Mixer.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: From fairly Bizarre Rock to Anglo/Japanese

Overall Rating

Comments: Perfect sound, when you change picking/plucking postions the sound varies as on a 'real' acoustic instrument, unlike many of the other types. ALMOST UP TO THE SOUND QUALITY OF THEIR NOW SADLY DISCONTINUED SST SADDLE REPLACEMENT MODEL! Good strong CLEAN output with no hiss or batteries.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Jim Meaton <soundhutch@blueyonder.co.uk>

Submitted at: 12:02, 8/10/2003

Product Info

Pickup features: passive
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $30
Purchased from: eBay

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Candelas custom made classical cutaway
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Classical - nylon string
Reason for pickup change:

Sound

Perceived output level: Hot
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: acoustic amp - Ibanez Troubadour, Crate Limo TX-50DBE, Yamaha AA5 mini

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Overall Rating

Comments: I have a new Martin 0 cutaway with a factory Fishman Blender. On the Fishman I much prefer the saddle pickup to the mic. I actually play the classical much more, have played for 25 yrs mostly un-amped, and wanted to experiment with amping it. No need for a battery and high output and natural sound attracted me to the Sweet Spot, also it is cheap. My classical has a super thin saddle and this was also a consideration. I mostly want to add some fairly subtle ambience at home and project a fuller sound in gigs and weddings without the hassle and feedback of a mic. So I use a hall reverb mostly and modest volume. Pure natural classical sound is a must for me. My saddle slot had to be widened slightly, and then I glued a thin bit of plastic to the saddle to get it to be very snug again in the slot. I love that it is completely invisible and stone simple. Installation instructions were horrible though. Getting the hole in the saddle slot positioned exactly right is important (no mention of this.) However it sounded fine right away, as I did take pains to make sure the saddle and the slot were flat and even. One thing I noticed about the sound is that there is an excess of pick noise (astually fingernails in my case) that I find annoying. I finally realized that it was much worse when picking close to the bridge. The noise is much reduced if you shift your plucking farther up toward the neck, and it actually depends on how high on the neck you are fretting. Basically I need to pluck at the sound hole or above it, about the halfway from the fret to the bridge (wherever that may be) to minimize the clack sound and get a good round tone. This requires some adjustment/re-learning but the clacking sound is a good reminder! With this technique I am pretty happy with the sound. It spoils me to play at home with the amp on for some reverb ambience. I sound like a better player! Would definitely recommend as I'm aware of no better saddle pickup. I would love to have a volume control like on the Martin but of course that would probably mean yet another hole in my beautiful guitar. If somehow they could cure the clacking pluck noise it would be nice as there are occasions for the tone you get when plucking very close to the bridge in classical music a la Christopher Parkening.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Eric <guit@peltzer.net>

Submitted at: 8:36, 6/13/2003

Product Info

Pickup features: Under saddle Piezo transducer pickup
Impedence or other specs: no idea
Price Paid: UK Ł40
Purchased from: www.highlystrung.net

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Sigma dreadnought acoustic guitar
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None - new
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): Fingerpicking folk-hop, indie, strumming
Reason for pickup change:

Sound

Perceived output level: Hot
Tone: Bright
Sonic evaluation: Straight into a desk which has a built-in preamp. Never used with an amp, so not sure how it sounds. Totally enhanced the sound of my guitar. Ł40 pickup sounds better than a Ł70 mic and it's portable and dead quiet.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good match for strumming. bright

Overall Rating

Comments: I have been playing for 10 years and used to winge about my big boomy dreadnought. When I bought this pickup I put on lighter strings and got a bone saddle to replace the plastic one. To my surprise it was almost two bright, but I think this will settler down with the strings. My old trusty guitar now sounds like a bright, loud new guitar. It does sounds a little tinny, so I balance it with a mic and run two inputs into the desk which gives a big sound which makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I like equipment that makes makes me a better musician AND makes me sound good. It makes me want to record myself and listen back, like you would with a real musician. Soldering instructions could have been better - I got it wrong once, but I guess that's my own fault. Tip - keep your string wound long on the pegs in case you have to loosen them to adjust the pickup. I never had to though - sounded great straight away. And for the value, it's fantastic. I was all set to buy a guitar with a built in pickup before I discovered this thing.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Cliff <cliffjonesuk@aol.com>

Submitted at: 5:44, 4/26/2003

Product Info

Pickup features: passive transducer
Impedence or other specs: god knows but i luv it
Price Paid: Ł 85
Purchased from: Wizard Guitar (Doncaster, UK)

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Hohner siberian willow series
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: dunno but they shud
You musical style(s): acouctic rock, small band work
Reason for pickup change: didnt have one

Sound

Perceived output level: the output is maybe the same as my pure electric guitar dunno but its high output for piezo
Tone: alot of treble but turn it back an the mid an bass up an its 'sweet'
Sonic evaluation: ive played it through my avt50 an it sounds really cool. i even tried it on overdrive an it seems to have replaced my electric guitar.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this is very good for strumming chord work.

Overall Rating

Comments: this pickup is very good for the money. i even got it done by a pro for Ł80 with a pro setup so its action is low as a dog. this kicks ass an so do wizard. even if it did takes a while for em to do it it was worth the wait. it sounds like it did in my dreams ;)

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Twiggy

Submitted at: 10:22, 2/21/2003

Product Info

Pickup features: piezo under saddle
Impedence or other specs: unknown
Price Paid: N/A
Purchased from: eBay

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone EJ-200 jumbo acoustic
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: n/a
Other pickups on guitar: n/a
Artists using this pickup: ???
You musical style(s): praise & worship
Reason for pickup change: needed a pickup on my acoustic

Sound

Perceived output level: very hot especially for not having a preamp
Tone: very bright
Sonic evaluation: This is a follow-up to my earlier post. After a couple months work, I've finally got this pickup sorted out.

On my Epiphone EJ-200 jumbo acoustic this pickup is extremely bright. Without good EQ capabilities on your amp, it will probably be too bright for most guitars except classicals with nylon strings - on which it should sound awesome.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Probably best for crisp finger picking such as Chet Atkins or classical styles

Overall Rating

Comments: Great value if installed correctly. NOTE: This pickup must, I repeat MUST be seated on a smooth FLAT surface with a smooth FLAT bridge base. If you have trouble with this pickup, especially with a wide/thick bridge, it is most likely because your bridge is tilting (due to string tension) off of the parallel plane with the pickup. I ended up having to route a small channel in my bridge pocket, allowing the sweet spot to sit a fraction of an inch below the pocket surface. This keeps the bridge in solid, flush conact with the pickup. If you do this, be careful! Route too deep a groove and the pickup will sit below the pocket surface and will not make good contact with the bridge. Read the installation instructions on one of the reviews below and do it just like he says.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 7

Submitted by: HLYRLR <klynam1@attbi.com>

Submitted at: 8:00, 1/7/2003

Product Info

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $60
Purchased from: Ace Music Dayton Oh

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Takamine
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Pop, Soft Rock, Country
Reason for pickup change: Didn't have one before

Sound

Perceived output level: Normal
Tone: Pretty balanced when it works right
Sonic evaluation: I usually plug directly into a PA system, however I've used a some friends amps a few times. I installed it myself about two months ago. When I first plugged it I got nothing, but after fooling around and tapping on it for a few minutes got it to work. Since then whenever I plug it in I get lots of static, especially in the bass. Since I can sometimes get it to work by tapping on the bridge, I think the bridge isn't making a tight conection with the pickup, but if it hasn't settled in in two month how long is it gonna take?

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Overall Rating

Comments: I've been playing a classical for about three years and wanted an acoustic, but still needed to plug it in occasionally. I love how you can't tell it's there unless you need it, but I don't know when it'll start working right.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 7

Submitted at: 12:56, 10/9/2002

Product Info

Pickup features: passive acoustic
Impedence or other specs: who knows
Price Paid: US $25 (?)
Purchased from: eBay

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone EJ-200 Jumbo Acoustic
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: smart ones
You musical style(s): vintage country, western swing, bluegrass, gospel
Reason for pickup change: Guitar didn't have a pickup.

Sound

Perceived output level: I would call this pickup HOT, at least hotter than the active EQ'd pickup in my Takamine
Tone: A bit too much mid range, very bright, lacks real bass punch.
Sonic evaluation: I've only played through a little homemade amp (I pirated the chassis out of a 10W crate amp and stuck it in an old walnut floor speaker. It aint much but it does have pretty true tone.) This pickup sounds amazingly like a VERY good vocal microphone. It hears everything including just enough finger squeek to pick slap to sound completley authentic. Yes, to get the big booming (bassy) sound out of my jumbo acoustic requries a low-EQ boost. But I aint complaining!

The only curiousity was the initial plug in. I've instslled the pickup over two months ago. (Fairly painless operation. Read the great post about installation below. It really helps.) Anyway, for a number of reasons, I never plugged it into an amp until last night. And when I did - no sound. I jiggled cables, jacks, wiring inside, still nothing. It was like that for about 2 minutes and then it started working - as if it had to 'warm up' or something. It was wierd, but seems to work fine now and I can't find any shorts in my wiring.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Haven't played out live yet...

Overall Rating

Comments: Why wait for this to be stolen.? I'm ordering one for both my other acoustics, as well as a spare! I've been a casual player for nearly 25 years, the last five of which more seriously with our Church praise band. This is a killer pickup for the price. It sounds as good as my $1000 Takamine a/e. (But the Tak's active pickup and onboard EQ make it much more flexible.) Still, for a passive pickup, I can't imagine what more one could want.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: HLYRLR <kevin.lynam@ps.net>

Submitted at: 8:28, 9/19/2002

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive Piezo
Impedence or other specs: High Z
Price Paid: US $27
Purchased from: Ebay

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Ovation Celebrity (22 years old), probably early Koren made version.
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: factory pickup
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Country and Contemporary Christian music
Reason for pickup change: The factory pickup sounds terrible.

Sound

Perceived output level: Output level is high. I have not tested to run it without a preamp. My preamp is a self built 3db FET onboard preamp.
Tone: Balanced, warm acoustic sound that is 1000 times better than the factory pickup.
Sonic evaluation: I use it with a PA system in my church. At home, I plug into my home high end stereo for practice.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, Country and Contemporary Christian music. This pickup definitely gives me the sweet acoustic sound I want..

Overall Rating

Comments: I installed this pickup myself and didn't get the sweet sound at first. I used heavy EQ to boost bass and trim mid range but still wasn't getting the sound I want. I sent my questions to them through Dean Markley web site and I received an answer from Dean Markley himself (yes, it's him, not typo) the next day !!!! He gave me tips as to what to do and where to check. I then found out that my new saddle base was not straight (and could not tell by naked eyes). After a careful slight sanding of the saddle base on a flat surface, the problem is fixed. I like the sound very much. Dean Markley's service is great !!!!! They care about their customers !!!!

I would definitely buy it again and recommend to my friends if they want to install a pickup. I have been playing for 25 years and I also own an Ovation Adamas SMT. I did compare to other products and found the Sweet Spot gives me the best value.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Alex Chau

Submitted at: 16:24, 9/10/2002

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive piezo
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $27.95
Purchased from: eBay

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Martin D-35, Baby Taylor
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: LR Baggs iBeam Active
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Folk, Country, etc
Reason for pickup change: Never could get a good sound from the iBeam

Sound

Perceived output level: Hot output. You don't need a pre-amp even though it is passive. Much more signal than the iBeam.
Tone: Balanced, slight piezo edge
Sonic evaluation: I use it through a Baggs Para DI and straight to a small PA. This thing sounds great. No batteries to worry about. The iBeam required too much tweaking to get it to sound just OK. This pickup sounds wonderful, just roll out some mid and a little high and it sounds quite natural.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I strum and sing and it is great for that

Overall Rating

Comments: What a steal. You can eBay these all day long for less than $30.00 new. Installation is a breeze and they sound better than just about anything I've heard.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Mark <markrhofman@yahoo.com>

Submitted at: 11:19, 11/22/2001

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive Piezo Under-Saddle Pickup
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: UK Pounds 40
Purchased from: Strings Direct (UK) - www.stringsdirect.co.uk

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Yamaha FG340
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Headway Snake under-saddle transducer coil
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Folk, Blues
Reason for pickup change: Previous 'Headway Snake' pickup died on me (it was a bad installation anyway and used to eat batteries, even when working)

Sound

Perceived output level: Much to my surprise, the output level is if anything higher than the Headway Snake it replaced, even though the Snake had a built-in pre-amp and this one doesn't.
Tone: Slightly toppy and mid-toppy, but easily compensated for with touches of tone controls on amp. Gives that Ovation-like electro sound (which some people refer to as quacky, and some like it) unless you lower the gain at the amp or whatever you are using. The gain is PHENOMENAL, especially considering there are NO BATTERIES or pre-amping of any kind!
Sonic evaluation: I use my Yamaha FG340 (which is precious to me, I have had it about 23 years and it KNOWS me!) through a Carlsbro Sherwood Acoustic amp. I sometimes use a Korg AG1000G multi-effects pedal when I need something a bit different, but usually just for a touch of compression, chorus and reverb.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I Play a lot of styles ranging from heavy strumming to intricate picking and fairly heavy slap-style picking, and was surprised to find the output and tone of this pickup to be almost perfect for everything I've tried with it. It doesn't pick up extraneous noises from the sound-board when I'm slap-picking (the old pickup did).

Overall Rating

Comments: I would definately buy this pickup again, especially at the price (it just can't be beaten). It sounds better than a lot of on-board pickup/pre-amp/eq setups I've heard, and I really can't fault it at all. I've been playing about 25 years, and also own a Les Paul and a Telecaster (for those times when you've just got to go with the blues!). I loved the ease of installation, and I love the sound of the thing.

Reason for buying - there are 3. 1. My old pickup had given up on me and I needed a new one fast. 2. I happened to be buying strings from Strings Direct and saw they had this in at 34.00 UKP +VAT 3. I looked it up in this database (gawd bless ya!), and saw the raves about it (didn't believe half of it, but thought I'd give it a try anyway).

I ordered it online from StringsDirect and it arrived NEXT DAY!

Yhe only complaint, if it can be called one, is that it doesn't come with the endpin jack already soldered, and I'm a bit useless at soldering, but managed without too much trouble (and it WOULD have made the installation a bit trickier if I hadn't been able to thread it cable-first through the drilled hole).

Overall I am about as satisfied with this pickup as I think I possibly could be.

One thing worth noting is that it has a 5 YEAR GUARANTEE!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Mark Cooper <mark@markcooper.fsbusiness.co.uk>

Submitted at: 17:12, 11/11/2001

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $40
Purchased from: http://www.micropublishing.com/guitarstuffmusicstore/

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Martin HD-28
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: No previous pickup
Other pickups on guitar: No other pickups
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Folk, country
Reason for pickup change: I wanted to get a pickup to avoid micing the guitar

Sound

Perceived output level: Good output - they say you don't need a preamp, and I found this true. A pre-amp does boost the signal some, and if you have a good preamp, you should have some eq. I would say if you -->need<-- a preamp with this, you have a weak amp.
Tone: The tone is a strong on the treble side, however that is not all bad. It does not take much adjustment to tone down the treble.
Sonic evaluation: I am playing this first through SignalFlex preamp (SF1000)to a Boss CE-2 Chorus pedal to a Fender Passport 250. I have also played it straight to the PA, and results are just fine. I like a little chorus, and the preamp provides some eq and volume control at the guitar.

The first pickup came dead on arrival, and I was a little dissapointed after drilling holes in my guitar. I contacted Dean Markley direct, and they sent a new pickup out right away that works just fine.

DRILLING THE HOLE THROUGH THE TOP

The installation instructions are a bit sketchy if you don't know anything about electronics. The MOST IMPORTANT thing they don't mention is the hole you drill through the bridge and guitar top. To avoid causing a short in the wire, drill the hole at an angle away from the pickup. A hole straight down will require too sharp of a bend in the wire. On my Martin, this meant coming through a brace, which was a little uncomfortable, but I think will be okay.

BORING THE END PIN HOLE

Second, when you bore the end pin hole, work up to the bore size(15/16" will work perfectly. 1/2" will leave slop) In other words, use progressively larger bits. I would recommend getting brand new drills that are very sharp. Turn the drill bit by hand, cutting away the binding. If you have plastic or inlay binding, going after it with a power drill may rip out the binding. Once you have cut through the binding, you can put the power to it.

SOLDERING THE LEADS

The instructions tell you to solder the wire to the end pin. In case you have not dealt with electronics, a few things you need to know. First of all, the wire coming out of the pickup looks like a little cable. What you first see is the outer mesh (ground wire). If you pull the mesh back, you will find an inside wire (hot) that is inside a plastic coating.

1. Take a sewing needle or a straight pin, and "unweave" some of the outer mesh about 1/2" back. 2. Roll the mesh between your fingers and twist it into one wire. 3. Strip back the inside wire (hot) about 1/8" 4. Solder the inside wire (hot) to the shortest connector coming out of the jack. 5. Solder the mesh (ground) to the next longer connector coming out of the jack. Make sure the ground wire does not come into contact with the hot wire.

(The longest piece coming out of the connector is just to hold the wire in place. You can crimp the wire inside this once you are done.)

It took a little while for my pickup to "settle in", just as the instructions explain it may.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup provides a very nice acoustic reproduction. It will not match the sound of a mic, but your listening audience probably won't notice it.

Overall Rating

Comments: If this were lost or stolen, I would buy it again. I am ordering another one for my Martin D25-K2. I have been playing for 30 years. The installation instructions need help. A do-it-yourselfer could be in trouble without more instructional detail. I also have a DeArmond sound hole pickup, and it has it's own sound. The Sweet Spot definatley gives a more true acoustic reproduction. I did a fair amount of reading on this pickup and was convinced that for anything in the $25-$175 range, this was the pickup to buy.

I felt that Markley's customer support was excellent. No questions asked. They reviewed installation a little bit to make sure I understood what needed to be done.

My rating of the pickup would be 10. Markley loses 1 point for sketchy installation instructions.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Scott Curfman <scottcurfman@yahoo.com>

Submitted at: 1:42, 10/19/2001

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: Canadian $89.95
Purchased from: Payne Music of Hamilton, Ontario.

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez concord E-767 (
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Don't know.
You musical style(s): Various (not really folk or new age)
Reason for pickup change: I just really needed to amplify my acoustic and I didn't want a soundhole mounted pick-up! I dispise that stupid little cord hanging there and dangling in the front.(Ahhh!)

Sound

Perceived output level: Almost true sound of your acoustic comes through the speakers you're playing through
Tone: Tone is kinda' flat, but you can warm it up with a wee bit of bass.
Sonic evaluation: I didn't like this product at first because I felt that I was getting a bit of a tinny sound through the amp. Then I picked my guitar up after two days and I guess that the pick-up settled more and I was happy that I didn't have to shell out for a fishman! now I want to try playing with foot pedals and other sorts because I am that satisfied with the sound of the sweet spot.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I take a little from Neil Young, a little from today and I mix it with my own sound! (does that make any sense?)

Overall Rating

Comments: I would buy this pickup again, but I will go with a Fishman on my next project just because I'm curious and I like to experiment. I've been playing acoustic for a about 8 years now and I wanted to amplify. I find electric to be completely foreign to me and I thought that this would be a better way of getting comfortable with the electric world. I think the Sweet Spot is definatly worth getting. It's very inexpensive and there isn't much alteration to your acoustic. And that was an important factor for me. I find that if you combine this with a little warmth added on the amp or through the monitors any buyer will be happy with it. So I give this item a very respectable 8.5 (not quite an actual 9; 10 is actually not acheivable in my mind!)

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Keith <kmbawdry@hotmail.com>

Submitted at: 20:03, 8/31/2001

Product Info

Pickup features: Under Saddle Acoustic Pickup (Passive)
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $65
Purchased from: Bass & Treble Music St. Joseph, MO

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Dean Tradition S12
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Folk/Rock
Reason for pickup change:

Sound

Perceived output level: Normal
Tone: Balanced
Sonic evaluation: I installed this post purchase in a Dean Tradition S12 acoustic guitar. For practice, I play through a DOD AcousticOne FX into a Dean M16 practice amp. In live situations, the signal goes through the multi-FX into one of the stereo channels of a Fender Passport PA.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Overall Rating

Comments: If I ever had to buy another acoustic guitar, this would definitely be the pickup of choice for post-purchase installation. I do not purchase acoustic-electrics from the factory simply because all the production models I have seen have a cutaway which I believe diminishes the acoustic properties of the instrument. I have had other acoustic guitars with piezo-transducers for pickups over the past 25 years. This is the first one that did not sound "clicky" when played straight into an amplifier and does not require a lot of EQ-ing to cut the high end and make the guitar sound more natural. This has a more natural sound than Barcus-Berry, Fishman or any other piezo crystal transducer can offer and at a price the others can't beat.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Dave <A12stringer@prodigy.net>

Submitted at: 7:53, 2/22/2001

Product Info

Pickup features: Under-saddle piezo
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $$60
Purchased from:

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Jasmine S38S
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Markley transducer
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): anything I can hack
Reason for pickup change: The transducer had feedback problems and low volume

Sound

Perceived output level: Pretty high output level.
Tone: I think it has a good sound on it's own and a better sound with a preamp. There is a bit of the quacky sound I expected, but I've heard worse.
Sonic evaluation: Jasmine S38S, Fishman Pro EQII, Crate CA30 amp. Like the packaging says, you don't need a preamp, but I think it doesn't hurt to use one to help the tone. This pickup does put out gobs of sound and can be played very loud without feedback. I can finally hear myself when I'm playing with my band. With the transducer it was anyone's guess if what I was doing made sense.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is a good match for strummers I think, but if I were doing fingerstyle only, I might be more picky about the clucky-ness of it. Overall, though, I think it's good for most any situation.

Overall Rating

Comments: I would buy another if I had too because I think it's a good value for the money. I'd buy a better guitar first, then worry about getting a better pickup. There's not much I dislike about it at all. What I love about the Sweet Spot is that I can play loud and finally compete on stage with the other guy's sound, without feeding back. I'd say I'm pretty satisfied with this pickup. For the level of player I am with the quality of guitar I have and the amount of live guitar plating I do, it's a good match. I'd like to add a comment about one of the previous submissions, the person who had a Sweet Spot that didn't work. I have installed four Sweet Spots for myself and others in the past year. Of the four, one of them was defective. I was installing the pickup and I noticed that there was no signal, so I called Markley and told them what was going on. We checked to make sure I had wired the thing up properly, so on, so forth. The unit had a defective jack (which Markley doesn't even make), so they sent me a complete unit and an apology. That's good customer service. No company wants someone to have a bad experience with their product, so if you have a defective one, call them. They'll probably send you a new one.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: ra'tian

Submitted at: 22:28, 12/28/2000

Product Info

Pickup features: Single coil I believe, passive. It's nothing dazzlingly fancy.
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $60
Purchased from: Make 'N Music, Frederick, Maryland

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Seagull S6+ Folk
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: No pickup stock, though you can get 'Gulls with Baggs stuff on them, but that requires having a hole in the upper bout of your acoustic.
Other pickups on guitar: Sure, a big PAF in the soundhole, duh..........no
Artists using this pickup: Me damnit! Oh, famous? Ummmm, nevermind.
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues, Folk, Funk, some Jazz, and everything else under the sun.
Reason for pickup change: I have a Tacoma DM-18, which sounds great, but I don't want to do anything except keep it stock, it might be valuable one day. So I bought a Seagull S6+ Folk because I dug the sound and I thought it looked much cooler, and sounded better than a dred. I wanted a pickup in it to use on stage since it's a cheap box I won't lose too much sleep over if it get's hurt. So I wasn't going to spend $200 for a pickup on it. And I wanted something with no damn battery to clunk around. It's an acoustic, batteries in an acoustic are...un-natural.

Sound

Perceived output level: I don't have to cut the volume on my amp up much at all to compensate, so it's got some power.
Tone: Balanced, but kind of harsh, maybe a bit much on the high end. But, that said, Baggs, Fishman, and pretty much everything else sound kind of harsh to me too. So the Sweet Spot is pretty normal, it has that piezo quack/cluck too, but not as noticable as some Fishman's.
Sonic evaluation: The first time I tried it through my guitar teacher's (he installed the pickup, he's a repairman/luthier) old solid state amp, and it didn't sound bad at all. It doesn't sound bad through my little solid state practice amp at home either, and it sounds pretty good through my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe considering it's in electric guitar amplifier. I can't wait to put it through a PA.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This sounds good for my style of playing. By no way is this pickup totally natural sounding, but it's about as natural sounding as anything else out there, plus no batteries, and it doesn't need an onboard EQ.

Overall Rating

Comments: I'd buy this again, it's a pretty good value, though the jack that came with it I think there's a little bit of a bad connection with a wire somewhere in the jack, it needs a little tweaking. I've been playing 7 years, and I own a bunch of electrics (2 strats, a '72 Tele thinline, a Peavey Wolfgang Special, my Tacoma, a Jasmine classical, and I'm boring you with my gear, so I won't list the rest). I like the overall sound, it sounds alright to me, like it should cost more. Make no mistake though, no pick up can ever possibly capture all the magic of an acoustic. I don't wish the Sweet Spot had anything more...I didn't want to rout a damn hole in my upper bout and have to reach in the sound hole to change a battery. It has a good sound even with electric guitar amps. Oh, and to the reviewer below, hey, deal with it, sometimes things get damaged, maybe you had a dead jack. It happends with electric guitar pick-ups too, like one in a hundred. Anyways, since the thing does sound a little harsh, I'll mark it down a little, but I do really like the the sound...especially for $60, a good value for a good sounding under the saddle pickup.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Mike <md1300@ship.edu>

Submitted at: 17:08, 12/20/99

Product Info

Pickup features: Under the saddle
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $55
Purchased from: Big Apple Music

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: LarrivŽe Parlour
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Folk, blues, ragtime
Reason for pickup change: No pickup in this guitar previously, read good reports on this forum so bought one.

Sound

Perceived output level: None... It doesn't work. Installed by a professional luthier!
Tone: None... It doesn't work. Installed by a professional luthier!
Sonic evaluation: Sucks... It doesn't work. Installed by a professional luthier!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Folk, ragtime, acoustic blues

Overall Rating

Comments: I would NEVER but another. My luthier waster an hour and a half trying to get the thing to work. This is not the first time he's had serious problems with the MArkley Swwet Spot.

I've been playing for 30+ years. I own Martin, Talor and LarrivŽe acoustics and acoustic electrics. The Fishman ALWAYS work and work well. That's what's going into this little LarrivŽe as soon as I get to the store to return this piece of garbage.

There's nothing to love. It doesn't work, so I hate it... period.

Avoid the Sweet Spot at all costs! They are unreliable!!!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 1 - What a hunk of Junk!

Submitted at: 6:45, 12/4/98

Product Info

Pickup features: Under-the-bridge acoustic P/U
Impedence or other specs: Pretty high,I'd guess
Price Paid: US $60
Purchased from: Player Music - Hurst ,TX

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Guild JF-4, Taylor 655
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Lawrence FT-145,DiMarzio "Elemental",Don Lace "Bronze Sensor"
Other pickups on guitar: None at present
Artists using this pickup: Don't Know
You musical style(s): Contemporary Acoustic
Reason for pickup change: Many of the places I perform have poor wiring,thus magnetic P/Us pick up the hum from neon lights.This P/U doesn't.

Sound

Perceived output level: Pretty Loud....used to set volume on my PA equal for vocal mike and P/U channels,now P/U's channel volume can be set slightly more than 1/2 of vocal's.channel
Tone: Very bright (harsh) without EQ,etc. Vastly improved by first plugging into my MXR EQ-6,then my Counrtyman DI.
Sonic evaluation: Prefer plugging directly into my Ross and Carvin PAs....sounds pretty good thru Crate CA-60,too.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Folky rock,blues,jazz,etc.

Overall Rating

Comments: Only complaint is that Dean Markley is somewhat misleading about this P/U not needing pre-amp...volume is great,but a pre-amp(or an active direct box-I use a Countryman DI) makes it much less harsh,tonewise.In fact,through a DI,this is every bit as "natural-sounding" as a good guitar microphone,with a lot less feed-back hassles!

I plan to put these in all my other acoustic guitars ASAP,because in 25 years of making a living as a "troubador",this is the first P/U I've been totally happy with,other than the impedence problem I mentioned.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Terry Allan Hall <tahall@flash.net>

Submitted at: 20:32, 8/25/98

Product Info

Pickup features: Under-The-Saddle Piezo Transducer
Impedence or other specs: N/A
Price Paid: US $60.00
Purchased from: Guitar Center - San Diego, CA

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Guild J-40 Jumbo Acoustic (Maple)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Soundboard Transducer (which replaced a Dean Markley ProMag)
Other pickups on guitar: None now
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Acoustic-based Rock (Eagles/Jackson Browne/etc.)
Reason for pickup change: I initially changed from the ProMag soundhole p/u to obtain more volume. Playing in a band withg drums and solid body electric guitars, I was unable to obtain sufficient volume. Due to a horrible experience with a Martin Thinline (which was so harsh that it was unlistenable), I was reluctant to even try another passive saddle transducer. So I decided to try a soundboard transducer, and I attached it to the underside of the top. The tone and volume were great, but feedback was a really serious and frequent problem. This is pretty common with a solid top guitar, whose attractive feature (a resonant top) is unfortunately also what virtually assures you of getting feedback from this type of pick-up. After spending money on a Feedback Buster (a rubber soundhole plug), I found that it had minimal effect on reducing feedback, but removed most of the bottom end of the tone. I then spent more money (nobody said I was brilliant) on a pre-amp pedal, which didn't do anything for the problem except give me a way to cut the volume when feedback occurred.

At this point, I was out 150% of what the Sweet Spot costs, and still unsatisfied. So I did what I should have done initially: I bought a Sweet Spot.

Sound

Perceived output level: Plenty of output for playing with a full electric rock band (with drums). Absolutely no need for a pre-amp.
Tone: A LITTLE brighter than I'd prefer, but perfectly acceptable "flat". By making VERY minor tone control adjustments on the amp, I obtained exactly the tone I was looking for. Keep in mind that my guitar is a jumbo maple body -- not the FAR more common rosewood or maple dreadnaught. So my guitar has a built-in tendency toward brightness, caused by the maple body.
Sonic evaluation: I'm playing my Guild F-40 Jumbo w/maple body (it's like a Gibson J-200) plugged directly into the PA. The PA has a 9-band EQ, which is set to the preference of the vocals (the typical "V" setting: boosted lows and highs, slightly cut mids). Individual channels have only two tone controls (high and low), which is plenty to obtain desired tone.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock/Acoustic-based Rock (Eagles/Jackson Browne/etc.) I can't imagine any style for which this pick-up is unsuitable, other than heavy metal (for which you wouldn't use an acoustic anyway!)

Overall Rating

Comments: If it were destroyed or stolen, would you buy it again? ABSOLUTELY How long have you been playing? 30+ Years What other gear do you own? Bass Guitars What do you love about it? Very Good-Excellent Tone/Excellent Value What do you hate? That I didn't buy it first!!! Did you compare it to other products? Yes (see above) Which ones? (See above - but most direct comparison would be a Martin Thinline, which it BLOWS AWAY!) Why did you choose this one? (See above) Anything you wish it had? Hey, it's an Under-The-Saddle pick-up! It has everything it's supposed to have -- nothing more/nothing less! Are you satisfied with this pickup? EXTREMELY SATISFIED Anything else you'd like to share? Don't waste your money on a soundboard transducer! The installation is very easy, and if you can file straight and flat, the saddle height reduction is easy. Just go slow, taking a little off, restring, test action, and then take more off. It's not hard -- don't scare yourself into thinking that it is. The absolute WORST that you can do is take too much off the saddle, and then you spend $5-10 on a new one. If you do it yourself, you'll be able to take pride in your accomplishment. At most, it'll take 2 hours TOTAL (much less if you already have an end- pin jack).

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Carey Driscoll <Carey Driscoll <carey@funtv.com>>