| | Removeable soundhole pickups are popular because their use does not require any modifcations to the guitar - you simply fit and go. Sam Wise, an experienced studio and recording engineer, tests four on the market today, that all retail for less than £100.
Magnetic pickups were originally used to amplify F-hole guitars, and in time, solid body guitars were developed especially to work well with their characteristics. A magnetic pickup picks up specifically the vibration of the strings, and nothing else, which is why the electric guitar construction has evolved in ways which affect how much, and for how long, the strings resonate. An acoustic guitar, however, produces its natural sound from the wood of the top and the air inside vibrating in sympathy with the strings, making it tricky to capture the full sound from the strings alone. Magnetic soundhole pickups, however, were at one time the only alternative to using a microphone on stage. Bearing in mind how hard it is to get a decent signal from a microphone on a crowded and noisy stage, it’s not surprising that they gained something of a following, despite significantly changing the look of your guitar, and sounding little like an acoustic when amplified. These days, however, there are many approaches to amplifying an acoustic, most of them producing very true acoustic sounds, and many of them all but invisible from the outside.
So why is it that the magnetic soundhole pickup continues to flourish today?
Cost is certainly part of the equation; Fishman’s Neo-D, for instance, undercuts any of their undersaddle transducers, although not by much in some cases. Another factor is ease, and non-intrusiveness, of installation; after all, there’s no need to cut any holes in your priceless vintage Martin, or for that matter in a cheap old guitar that’s not good enough to warrant doing the work! Finally, these days advances in pickup technology mean that you can get a much more acoustic sound. Of course, it won’t be the sound of your guitar’s top, these are still only capturing the vibration of the strings, but for all that, it’s a lot more convincing than in the days of yore.
For this article, we’ve taken a look at four pickups from leading manufacturers. As well as the sound (as heard through a DI Box), we’ve also taken into consideration ease of installation and use, and of course appearance. Let’s not forget that this pickup is going to be a major feature of your soundhole! Three of the four pickups we tested had a design feature in common; they are of a “humbucking” design. Single magnetic coils tend to produce hum, whereas a humbucker uses two coils of opposite polarity, thereby cancelling out a large part of the hum. The other side of a humbucking design, however, is a loss of top end in the signal. In an electric guitar, this is simply a feature of the sound, and is a large component in the difference between a trebly, ringing Fender sound, and a rich, creamy, middly Gibson sound. 
Looks 5/5
The SH145 looks like quality right out of the box. Its silver anodised aluminium chassis seems strong, and while the bright colour won’t melt away into the guitar, at least you’re adding something that looks classy. The Shadow logo is elegant, even if in red on a silver background, it’s not quite understated.
Ease of Installation and Use 2/5
I found the Shadow to be the hardest to install of all those tested. It’s relatively deep, meaning that you have to slide it under the strings in the wrong orientation, and then rotate it into the soundhole. Then you position it at the top of the soundhole, and rotate the tiny clamps into place, (not easy with big fingers) and screw them down with a Phillips driver. Where the clamps and pickup meet the soundboard on both sides, they’re protected by rubber pads, so there should be no damage to the guitar from this. Finally, it’s near impossible to fit the pickup with either of the supplied cables fitted, so you’ll need to reach between the strings, right to the bottom of the pickup, and plug in a mini-jack. The SH-145 is supplied with a long cable and jack plug, which can be trailed from the soundhole to your amplification, or a shorter cable with an endpin jack socket, for permanent installation. My guess is that if you’re using this type of pickup, it’s partly to avoid a permanent installation, but it’s a thoughtful addition. The Shadow is alone in this group in having a control on the pickup; a tiny knurled volume control which, I suspect, would be a fiddle on a dark stage. Finally, the Shadow has a button cell battery, on the bottom, meaning that to change it, you’ll have to remove the pickup altogether.
Sounds 4/5
The Shadow does a decent job of overcoming the naturally somewhat muddy sound of a humbucker, producing a fairly balanced response across the frequency range. There is something of a “hollowed out” edge to the sound, particularly when strumming, leading me to wonder whether there is a deliberate cut in the mid-range frequencies designed in. Overall though, it’s a pleasing sound, with enough punch to cut through in a band situation, and enough sweetness to carry the day when fingerpicking. The SH145 may not have the most sparkling top end, but it’s certainly a good all round sound which will do the job in most situations.
Looks 4/5
In the packet, the Dean Markley looks absolutely fantastic; its casing is lightly figured maple, which has been stained a beautiful honey brown, and the effect is stunning. How well that translates when it’s on the guitar, however, depends rather on the way your soundboard is finished. On my dark stained, mahogany topped Washburn, it looked rather garish, but on other guitars it may ‘match’ in a more aesthetically pleasing way. I suspect that it’d look fantastic with a cedar topped guitar.
Ease of Installation and Use 5/5
The Dean Markley is also spectacularly easy to install. It’s thin, and the back of the pickup is covered in felt, so there’s no risk of damaging your guitar top as you slide it in. Once in the soundhole, the pickup uses two pieces of foam in the slots at each end to hold it in position. You simply line the foam cushion up with the edge of the soundhole at the bass end, push to compress the foam, and slot in the treble end. When you let go, the foam expands and holds the pickup firmly in place; it really couldn’t be any easier. The Dean Markley only comes with a trailing cable, but it’s terminated with a gold plated solderless jack, which should give years of trouble-free use. Since the ProMag is entirely passive, there are no batteries to change, so if you plan on using it on the same guitar permanently, you should never have to remove it.
Sounds 2/5
Sound wise, the Dean Markley was a bit of a disappointment. In comparison with the other pickups on test, it lacked clarity and had a rather two dimensional sound. Strummed, it sounds bland and thrummy, and would quickly disappear in the mix with a band. Fingerpicked, the story is similar, as there’s little treble response or sparkle to bring your playing to life. The truth is that as good looking as this pickup is, its sound was overshadowed.
Looks 4/5
I’m a little torn on the looks of the Fishman. On the one hand, there’s no question that it’s the most inexpensive looking of the bunch, and that black plastic is probably not going to top anyone’s wish list. On the other hand, it’s very unobtrusive on the guitar, being almost unnoticeable on my dark topped Washburn, so it may suit those who don’t want to advertise their pickup. Even the logo is plain black, and since the plastic is of excellent quality, it may be a winner on appearance for some.
Ease of Installation and Use 3/5
Like the Shadow, installation is achieved with a screwdriver and clamps; but in the case of the Fishman, the pads which protect the guitar top, which are cork this time rather than rubber, have to be fitted by the owner, and, I found, are rather fiddly. On the plus side, the Neo-D is slimmer than the Shadow, and has its cable hardwired in, so there’s less to aggravate the large fingered guitarist overall, but neither of the clamped models can get close to the slot-in foam systems for ease of installation.
Sounds 3/5
The Fishman is the only single coil pickup we tested, and it shows strongly through in the sound. It has by some way the most trebly sound, and would cut through nicely in a band scenario. When fingerpicked, or for that matter strummed solo, however, the sound has a rather harsh quality, and a lack of middle. This might seem picky but, I feel the Fishman goes too far the other way. It also suffers from hum; not to an extent which would make it objectionable in a band, but it’s very noticeable when recording, and might be a nuisance to a solo player as well. I can’t help but wonder how one of the Rare Earth pickups would’ve fared.
Looks 5/5
The Woody XL is, as the name suggests, wooden cased, but where the richly stained Dean Markley jumps out of the box at you, the Duncan is plain and light coloured. On the guitar, this is a definite benefit, as it looks understated and good on dark or light wood bodies. Personally, the attraction of the wood doesn’t quite win over the almost invisible quality of the Fishman for me, but if I had a lighter wood guitar, I might well feel differently.
Ease of Installation and Use 5/5
The Woody XL uses a foam mounting system, and really, it couldn’t be easier. You slot it in the hole, and you play. There’s nothing to choose between this pickup and the Dean Markley in terms of installation, and it’s hard to understand why all other manufacturers haven’t followed suit.
Sounds 4/5
The Seymour Duncan compares very favourably here with the Shadow as the better sounding pickups in this test. It has a good, well balanced tone, perhaps slightly less sparkling than the Shadow, but also without the slightly scooped quality to the mids. It’s the best sound here for strumming, with richness and projection, but perhaps lags just a little when finger picking, without quite such a detailed, three-dimensional sound. There’s no logical reason for this, but it’s as though the sounds of the two pickups relate to their materials, the Duncan simply sounding woodier, and the Shadow slightly more metallic, or perhaps even electronic. There are two clear leaders here; the Fishman and the Dean Markley simply don’t have the sound quality to compete with the Seymour Duncan and the Shadow, whatever their other appealing features might be. To my mind, the Duncan is the winner; I like the looks a little better, and the installation is so easy, and there’s almost nothing to choose in terms of sound quality. In any mulit-test such as this, it goes without saying that personal taste comes into the equation. Some may prefer both the look and sound of the Shadow, with the only thing really standing in its way being the difficulty of installing and removing the SH145. If I were having to spend my own money, I’d choose the Woody. But it must be said that these are all capable products and serve to prove that magnetic pickups have improved massively over the years and have come a long way towards sounding truly acoustic.
|
