D-TAR Timbreline
Submitted at: 16:07, 7/25/2003
Product Info
Pickup features: under saddle peizo w/ active 18 volt preamp
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $170
Purchased from: Union Grove Music, Santa Cruz Ca
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: installed in a custom Jeff Traugott acoustic flatop guitar
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: B-band under saddle
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: David Crosby
You musical style(s): fingerstyle eclectic
Reason for pickup change: Was not happy with the response of my previous system on my custom guitar. I also play a Renaissance RS-6 that has an 18 volt preamp, that just sounded warmer, cleaner and bigger than my 9 volt b-band system.
Sound
Perceived output level: Tis is an under saddle piezo pickup coupled with a very clean 18 volt preamp
Tone: A very clear focused balanced sound with more dynamic range and headroom than a typical active piezo system
Sonic evaluation: I have a very fine custom made acoustic guitar made by Jeff Traugott. This is a very responsive flat top guitar, designed for the fingerstylist and soloist, from the finest woods available. I wanted a pickup worthy of the guitar's acoustic sound, and had been pretty dissapointed my the piezo systems I had used. What sets this system apart is that it has a much better, higher voltage preamp, which gives the pickup better dynamic range, less coloration and distortion in the high frequencies, and an overall cleaner, more natural tone. This system also seems to hols up better to very aggressive playing such as percussive slapping or hard strumming.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: When I play as a soloist, I play an eclectic blend of fingerstyle and flat picking techniques and use digital loop recorders to layer parts. I needed a good sounding pickup with a natural sound that could hold up well when layering a number of parts. The
Overall Rating
Comments: I have been a journeyman professional guitarist for 25 years. I have played many different pickup systems fom many different manufacturers over the years, and I think the timbreline is the first acoustic pickup to come along that realy addresses the issue of beefing up the voltage on the preamp to improve performance. I use this system running into another DTAR product, the fabulous Solstice Preamp/blender, which I have also just reviewed. These cool new products, indeed the company itself debuted at the NAMM show in January, and are quitely being discovered by pros and tone afficianados alike. My ideal set up would be to eventually add a Duncan Magmic pickup to create a multi-source pickup system for my guitar. So far, I'm digging the sound of just the Timbreline through the Solstice just fine. I have already bought another system for my partner's Martin D35, to replace the B-Band she had in that guitar. I think the Timbreline pickup is the state of the art piezo pickup system currently available. 18 volts really do make a difference in sound and performance.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: Bill Walker <chillyb@cruzio.com>