Dean Markley Pro Mag Gold
Submitted at: 20:06, 8/20/2005
Product Info
Pickup features: Humbucking Passive
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $$65
Purchased from: YourEQ.com
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Seagull S6
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: First pickup on guitar
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: I think I saw Sheryl Crowe using one once
You musical style(s): Fingerstyle, altered tunings
Reason for pickup change:
Sound
Perceived output level: OK for first and second strings, progressively worse on the others
Tone: As I mentioned above, the only way I was able to achieve any sort of balance was to use nickel-wound strings and this resulted in an alarmingly electric-sounding tone.
Sonic evaluation: I currently use a Peavey Ecoustic 112. I've seen this pick-up used faithfully by a guitarist in a local band with good effect for a number of years. For that reason, as well as relative cost, I decided to give it a try. I am sad to say that, try as I might I was unable to duplicate similar results. Positives were its' ease of installation and remarkable resistance to feedback. Unfortunately, it was remarkably resistant to other things like output (I had to Fully Crank my amp to get small-room volume.)and string balance. I tried the usual fixes like adjusting its' position in the soundhole, different pre-amp/EQ configurations even changing to nickle-wound strings. Nothing really worked.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It is likely best suited to strummers with a tendency to lay into the bass strings.
Overall Rating
Comments: I'm currently hanging on to this for use as a back-up, but I have my doubts regarding its' viability for even that purpose. If it were lost or stolen I would buy something different. I was surprised that this pick-up didn't work out for me as I've seen so many good reviews and heard it being used by a player who has it hard wired into his Taylor x10! I have been playing for longer than I care to admit to. I have four acoustic guitars, one with a piezo system, one with a Baggs M1, one with a Fishman Rare Earth. I was prepared to do a little tweaking with this pick-up, but I was optimistic that it would satisfy my needs for my remaining guitar. I'm sad to report it did not. The good thing about it is that it caused me to continue my search which led me to the discovery of the DiMarzio DP139; a smokin' pick-up
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 2
Submitted by: <jerome460@hotmail.com>
Submitted at: 9:46, 2/28/2003
Product Info
Pickup features: Passive humbucking, soundhole-mounted, gold 1/4" connector
Impedence or other specs: Don't know
Price Paid: US $91
Purchased from: Steve's Music Supply, Rock Hill, NY
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Taylor 414
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Don't know
You musical style(s): Contemporary fingerstyle
Reason for pickup change: No existing pick-up
Sound
Perceived output level: Much louder than I expected from a passive device. Actually a little louder than my Fender acoustic with factory-installed Fishman electronics.
Tone: Pretty much a pure (acoustic) tone. No mud, absolutely no noise or hum, surprisingly clean.
Sonic evaluation: Bought it for a Taylor 414. My old guitar is a Fender GA45SCE with factory-installed Fishman preamp/transducer. I wanted a better guitar but at the same time I despise having that beautiful wood cut up to install those cheap electronics. I convinced myself that if I just bought the guitar that way I wanted it (untampered with!), I'd find a reasonable, temporary, and inexpensive way to get the sound I needed the few times a year I plugged in (church, talent show at work, etc.). Actually, I had doubts that this was possible, but I really wanted that 414 in its virgin state. So an exhaustive search and review narrowed my choice down to the Pro Mag Gold and Seymour-Duncan's Woody XL. I chose the PMG based on reviews of others. I couldn't find one locally or online for a while, so I figured for 90 bucks I'd take a chance. Well, I was prety much blown away by the volume, tone, and "shapability" of this device. Way exceeded my expectations. Sounds like the guitar amplified, as if through a mic, but you'd need a $500 mic to get this kind of volume. It actually makes the Fender sound better than with the original Fishman setup, which just blew me away. Folks, don't let the factory ruin your guitar with cheap junk -- try one of these babies in a "virgin" instrument.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Contemporary fingerstyle, which has roots in blues, rag, folk, jazz. Mostly Travis picking, but chord melody as well. This pickup may not be as clean with heavy strumming, but I'm not a strummer so it doesn't matter to me. I need it to reproduce the distinct tonal clarity of individual bass and treble notes that my Taylor brings to the show, and it does a very good job of this. It fits snugly right in the center of the soundhole, and I don't move it around looking for different sounds because it sounds so good just sticking it in there. The EQ and reverb on my acoustic amp are more than enough to shape the sound coming from the PMG.
Overall Rating
Comments: If it broke down tomorrow, I'd buy a new one. The device is so good I'd assume I just got a lemon and try again. I've been playing 25 years and have the Fender and an old Ovation, my first guitar. I wonder how it would sound with the PMG? hmmmmm .... As for my Taylor, my search is over. I'm not even going to sink $200 into a Boss acoustic signal processor now. No need. It might improve the tone, but not $200 worth! The reverb didn't even seem to work on my amp until I plugged the PMG into it! Definitely try this product before buying an aftermarket pick-up for your acoustic guitar.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: No Opinion
Submitted by: Barry Moore
Submitted at: 7:21, 10/7/2002
Product Info
Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Jeez. . .dunno, man
Price Paid: US $$80 + tax
Purchased from: MARS Music
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Alvarez AD-60K
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Hm. . .good question
You musical style(s): I'm hardly an experienced player; just enjoy fooling around with it.
Reason for pickup change: I've noodled around with my guitar for a good while without making [ahem] tremendous progress, and I've been looking for something to re-spark the initial interest I had in learning to play well. This may be it.
Sound
Perceived output level: As a passive pickup, it doesn't have overwhelming output; however, it's quiet. I'm not sure I could make it feed back if I wanted to.
Tone: Very accurate, non-colored reproduction of my guitar's sound.
Sonic evaluation: Okay, you hotshots & purists go ahead & laugh: I don't (yet) own a dedicated guitar amp. I play this (somewhat gingerly) through the microphone jack on an old (circa 1976) Pioneer SX-950 receiver set to mono, with JBL 2800 speakers. But it sounds pretty good (even some of my friends who are accomplished musicians agree), so I look forward to getting a real guitar amp. . .but tubes or solid-state? That is the question. I'm leaning toward tubes.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is strictly a soundhole pickup. I couldn't stand to drill any holes in my Alvy. It's gonna be an adjustment to finger-pick with this (as opposed to strumming).
Overall Rating
Comments: In truth I bought this thing from MARS (where many people are jerks, so I don't feel bad about playing hardball) with the intention of getting a slicker pickup via mail-order and returning the Pro-Mag. But I think I may actually keep it. I'm really a novice player (people say I'm better than I think I am, but perhaps they're just being nice); I'm shy about playing around anybody, because I cannot do many of the things I want to--yet. For my first pickup, this is decent; I'm not emotionally wedded to it, but for 80 bucks I'm relatively satisfied. As far as *that* sound--I may never achieve it.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 7
Submitted by: Tom Horn <<tomhorn@mail.utexas.edu>>