Highlander IP-2
Submitted at: 11:34, 2/2/2004
Product Info
Pickup features: Under saddle piezo and microphone inside guitar
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: N/A
Purchased from: Podium Music in Minneapolis
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: taylor 414 Grand Auditrium
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): I play similar to the band Violent femmes and Mary Lou Lord
Reason for pickup change:
Sound
Perceived output level: Very Good output. plenty loud enough.
Tone: The piezo might sound a little better than other piezos but it still sounds like a piezo - Too bright. The microphone sounded too middy.
Sonic evaluation: The combined sound of the pick up and microphone sounded better than either of them alone. But I was really never happy with the sound. I tried running it through an LR Baggs Mix Pro/Gig Pro (whatever they call it) and then I ended up liking the Boss AD 5 Blender DI better.The signal would then plug into the PA.
Then I bought a different guitar Tayor 612 and put a cheap Fishman NeoD magnetic soundhole pickup in it and I loved it much better than the Highlander mega-expensive pickup/mic combo. Now I run the Neo D through a Tech 21 acoustic DI and an Aphex guitar exciter pedal and I like the sound.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:
Overall Rating
Comments: I sold my taylor 414 along with the highlander set up. This set up was not the holy grail set up I thought it would be.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 5
Submitted at: 15:29, 1/10/2004
Product Info
Pickup features: under bridge w/ a microphone input jack
Impedence or other specs: ?
Price Paid: N/A
Purchased from: The Podium
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Taylor 714 CED (Brazilian Rosewood back & sides w/ a cedar top)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: N/A
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Rock, blues and ballads
Reason for pickup change: This is the first and last pickup that will be installed on this guitar.
Sound
Perceived output level: Perfect!
Tone: Perfect!
Sonic evaluation: I run this guitar through a Fender Acoustasonic Jr.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play rock, blues and some ballads like Wonderful Tonight, Story in your Eyes, etc.
Overall Rating
Comments: I've been playing for 30 years. I own a Taylor 412CE and about a dozen electrics. This guitar, unamplified, sounded better than the other thirty (including Martin, Collings, Santa Cruz, Larrivee, etc.) that I played the day I bought it. The Podium strongly recommended a Highlander and I figured they'd know what was best. Not only am I thrilled with the result, I am continually told by both non-playing listeners and other guitar players that this is the best sounding guitar they've ever heard. I asked about buying the microphone at the time of purchase and The Podium said to play it without one for a while. I never bothered to try that because I am so satisfied with it as is. They did say that adding the mic would be a mind altering experience. I had plenty of those in the 60s. I don't think that this pickup will make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but it will make your guitar sound as good as it can, run through an amp. I would also recommend the Acoustasonic Jr. It's a tough amp to beat for the price.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: Greg Gottsacker <cigarro@yahoo.com>
Submitted at: 0:58, 11/16/2001
Product Info
Pickup features: Piezo, under sadle
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: NK 1800
Purchased from: Mr.Falck at Three45 i Norway
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Dean Acc. W/cutaway
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Plenty, like Greg Lake
You musical style(s): Folksong/ gospel W/fingerpicking
Reason for pickup change:
Sound
Perceived output level: High output
Tone: Neutral and balanced
Sonic evaluation: I use the clean ch on a HH VS100 and a 2 way speaker
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: The Highlander is uesful for anything that requires a good sounding acoustic guitar
Overall Rating
Comments: I bougth it a couple og years ago along with my new Dean guitar. I tried acouple of others guitars too with Fishman PUs, but when I plugged in the Highlander: WOW, I was gone. It made the midpriced Dean sound realy expensive. No need for EQs and other gizmos that muds up the sound. Just plug it into. . .anything, and it sounds GRRRRREAT. Highly recomended
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: Thomas <falckbok@online.no>
Submitted at: 10:52, 5/22/2000
Product Info
Pickup features: Under saddle
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $$170
Purchased from: Osprey Guitars
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Hummingbird
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Stephen Stills
Reason for pickup change:
Sound
Perceived output level: Fine
Tone: Okay
Sonic evaluation: The sound was fine for most of the strings.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:
Overall Rating
Comments: I was stupid. I asked the store owner if placing what in reality is a sponge under my bridge would effect the sound. he said it wouldn't I should have used common sense. It did. The Hummingbird is warm to begin with and it doesn't have as much sustain as non-gibsons, but the pickup lowered the sustain to an unacceptable level.
Then I come to find out after the pickup is in that bone pickups don't work well with this device, so the guy tried different materials, but could never get all of the strings to have balanced volume.
I took the guitar to Jon Eaton at Woodsongs in Boulder Colorado and he said, of course you are having problems, you are putting a sponge underneath your saddle. I had him remove it and decided to forget the whole idea.
My advice: Ask around before getting a Highlander. Ask these questions, will it lower the sustain of my guitar? can I keep my bone saddle and make this work, or do I have to use an inferior material?
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 3
Submitted by: Eddie <plumper99@hotmail.com>
Submitted at: 15:44, 9/17/98
Product Info
Pickup features: Active piezo undersaddle
Impedence or other specs: Very low output Z
Price Paid: US $190
Purchased from: Twelfth Fret Guitar Shop, Portland, OR
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Martin DC-1 (mahogany dreadnought)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Entire Takamine guitar
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Martin Simpson
You musical style(s): Flatpicking, lead guitar in folk and country styles
Reason for pickup change: Tired of Takamine's lifelessness. Wanted to amplify a
"real" guitar and have it feel/sound/react like a "real'
acoustic. The Takamines are good, but too much like electric
guitars, they don't "fight back" like a real Martin/Taylor/Gibson,
what have you.
Sound
Perceived output level: Moderate - about the same as regular electric guitar, less than Tak.
Tone: Very full, percussive. Retains essential character of the Martin.
Sonic evaluation: LR Baggs Para-Acoustic DI into Trace Elliot Acoustic Cube, DI from
that to board. Trace Elliot serves as additional EQ, notch, reverb,
near field reinforcement and DI. Baggs serves as "Tweaking EQ"
and gain boost (about 10dB for better noise floor)
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Folk, country, flatpicking and fingerpicking styles. A lot of lead.
Overall Rating
Comments: Very good undersaddle pickup. Whereas the Takamine was "set and forget",
and would always deliver a bright clear sound, this setup has taken more
work. On the other hand, the whole rig now plays and sounds so much more
"acoustic". I use a Martin HD-28 for unamplifed work, and was getting
very frustrated with the differences between that and the Takamine at
gigs. A "real" acoustic sound is harder to work with, but much more
satisfying once achieved. The Highlander is remarkable free of "quack"
and sizzle, and really mirrors the sound of the guitar.
It took some tweaking; we had to add some small spruce shims under the
saddle around the high B and E strings to balance things just right.
Most undersaddles I have played suffer badly in the balance department,
but after this treatment the pickup balance is just like the guitar.
I would like to try adding the mini mic, but will wait a bit before
jumping into that. It would require a rethinking of the external
electronics, etc.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 8
Submitted by: Brad Price <bprice@smartstuff.com>
Submitted at: 11:39, 5/25/98
Product Info
Pickup features: Piezo
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: N/A
Purchased from: Highlander
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Tacoma DR-20 Acoustic
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none new guitar
Other pickups on guitar: minimic highlander
Artists using this pickup: Laurence Juber et al.
You musical style(s): combo fingerstyle and flatpick
Reason for pickup change:
Sound
Perceived output level: much less than Fishman models which is a problem----Help!!
Tone: Balanced wonderful tone ------just not getting any output
Sonic evaluation: using Trace-Elliot acoustic TA60R amp w/Y-chord
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play many different styles specifically Contemporary Christian Rock. And folk bluegrass
Overall Rating
Comments: I love the tone and lack of distortion, even at full volume but just can't get enough heat out of it. Can anyone give me some suggestions for making it hotter? The mini mic is very hot but the piezo is not hot at all. Help me please!!
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: No Opinion
Submitted by: Greg <Bondsmangs@AOL.com>
Submitted at: 2:14, 12/23/97
Product Info
Pickup features: Undersaddle piezo --active
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $197
Purchased from: Jamie Kinscherff, 102 W. Annie, Austin, TX 78704
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Kinscherff custom acoustic
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Lawrence Juber, Martin Simpson, David Crosby, Bruce Cockburn,
You musical style(s): fingerstyle acoustic
Reason for pickup change: New guitar--unsatisfied with fishman matrix on other guitar
Sound
Perceived output level: natural
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: The highlander is a very unique souding undersaddle pickup.
It's coaxial design allows it to sense top vibrtion as well as saddle
vibration. My fihsman matrix fed back in the bass redlily. The
highlnder doesn't (or hardly). The matrix highs were tinny and quacky;
the matrix can be EQed to sound natural. I'm considering abandoning
the dual source mic ltogether and just using the piezo. When eqed
it gets as good or better sound than the dual source, as the minimic
feedsback readily (all do) and picks up a lot of finger attack noise.
It is the best sounding pickup I've used. Two cautions--
it requires an eq / direct boz before going into a recording console.
Without such it sounds horrible--way too hot. Alos, the installation
is very critical and you may have to return it for tweaking of
string balance. The end pin hole has to be drilled out and
is overszed so if you abandon the pickup you will need a self-tapping
replacement endpin. Again great sound, low feedback. The best under-
saddle. Check out their web site. The IP-1 does not allow for a
minimic. The IP-2 is the same pickup but allows for a minimic
which you just plug in. The mic uses the battery, so with a stereo
y cable you can avoid a blender and plug into 2 amp channels.
Again, it soundsgreat without a minimic--better. Martin Simpson
uses it w/out a mini mic and he has great tone.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:
Overall Rating
Comments: 9-because nothing sounds like a 10 except an externally miced guitar at
low volume.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9