Seymour Duncan SA-3XL Woody XL Acoustic Pickup

Easy and safe to install, the cable is a bit too long and thick, but that is better than being flimsy. I went for the humbucker with adjustable polls as I wanted a mellow rich sound. Unfortunately it is incredibly shrill, even with the bass polls wound up and the 2 treble polls completely wound down. It can really only be used if you have a EQ/DI box to roll the treable off. Then it's OK.

I fitted this to my Ovation Patriot and was easy to fit. As has been said in previous reviews you are likely to need the amp on full gain and volume to hear it! The good thing about that is that the clarity and detail of individual notes comes though nice and crisp with the right tone settings on the amp. No fear of feedback and that is a trade off against the full volume settings. Looks good too and the cable is a good length.

I followed the instructions to my disappointment in that they suggested to cut the foam in half, I had to make new parts from rubber gasket mat to resolve this error. So don't cut, trial fit first.

I have to say I'm very pleased with the quality of this pick up. I'll start by saying I bought this for one reason and that was to electrify my acoustic 12 string. This product does just that. It seemed a little quiet but after putting it through my compressor/sustain pedal it sounded perfect. Its easy to set up. Just simply slip the pickup vertically into the sound hole of the guitar, thanks to the foam edges it sits in nice and tight. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone wanting to convert thier acoustic to an electric. I've had a great experience with this so far. The only issue I can see isn't an issue at the moment but I question the durability of the foam used to attach this pickup to the guitar. I have a feeling that in time it may come loose but only time will tell. I will update this review in a couple of months.

Firstly this is a great looking and well constructed piece of kit, but more importantly sounds about as good as you'd get from a properly tinkered mic setup. My reference is my Martin OM-21 acoustic, directly into a Fender Bassbreaker 15 (which I use to practice). Obviously when you amplify anything you'll get a different tone, but here is how I made it work: The product (basically a humbucker) squeezes into the guitar hole with foam, and I had no issue doing that with an expensive guitar - and it's fine. Fit with bass closest, treble further away. Then be prepared to bring out all EADG, especially G in my setup, and don't be afraid to screw in B&E (a lot). Preamp is nonexistent but works ok for practice if you have a good amp. If you have a pedal board, you'll be delighted. Hope this helps, happy to do Q&A

A lot of people have commented on the 'muddy' sound and I too was disappointed by this. There is a nasty jump in volume too when moving to the B string. The answer is to completely unscrew the B string pole piece and take it out. Make sure the E string pole piece is screwed down below the surface of the pickup and the four wound strings should be a little above the surface level. On your amp dial the mid tones down by 10-12 db and you will have a brilliant clear acoustic tone.I still like to add a mic pointed at the 12th fret for extra realism and quality but can do without that if feedback threatens. Feedback is never a problem with the pickup on its own. Hope someone benefits from this review because it transformed the pickup for me.

The good:Extremely easy to fit without damaging your guitar.Tone is reasonable - although I don't have a dedicated acoustic amplifier so I can't be too fussy.The bad:Despite the product's claims, it can't really be used without a pre-amp. It is simply too quiet.The ugly:The cable is hard-wired into the unit - so unless you are always going to use this through an amplifier, you will be left with 14' of useless cable trailing from your guitar - or you will, as I do, have to remove the pickup in order to use the guitar in 'acoustic' mode.

First impressions are good! Used on a Martin OM21 for home use on a thr30II. It achieves the sounds I'm after! When playing back on garage band it's very nasally but I'm sure it can be tweaked further.