soundhole pickup replacement question

[Random53]

Hi, any advice is appreciated. I’ve got a DiMarzio Reference Acoustic single-wound soundhole pick-up. Based on everything I know so far, I’m pretty sure that the p/u has gone microphonic on me, or the cable hardwired into it has gone microphonic or is shorting out. My plan is to replace this pickup which I use on a parlor guitar.

My question is whether I’m nuts to go with the same one. (And I understand I may be nuts either way.) Until a few weeks ago when the p/u went south, the Reference Acoustic has given me 2 years of the best sounding, most balanced soundhole pick-up I’ve had. The top of DiMarzio’s acoustic line, it’s great for slide, and small enough to fit into a parlor. I've tried and hated a half dozen other makes and models over the last few years. Is there any reason to assume I won’t get another 2 good years out of a new Reference Acoustic pickup?

Thanks.

[Chuck H]

Your whole post reads like a thought process trying to justify spending money on the same product that just failed. So my take is that you want a supporting opinion. Well...

That's not my style...But your logic seems reasonable. If that is the one product of it's type that gives you the performance and tone that you want and the expense balanced against the product life seems reasonable then you should absolutely buy another one. In fact, sometimes MFGs will make model changes to a product that you may not like. So if the current model is still to your liking you might even want to buy two. That way you'll have one as a backup if reliability becomes an issue as well as not having to fear finding an alternative product you like too soon.

Hows that for reason? I just sold an extra pickup

Chuck

[Random53]

Thanks for that response. That’s a fair comment about my one-way thought process. I admit I really liked that pickup. So maybe it’s worth thinking through other options. I could:

~ replace the parlor guitar with one that has onboard electronics and skip the whole soundhole thing. Expensive, plus everything else about the current guitar in terms of playability, intonation, tone, is great.
~ install onboard, active electronics in the guitar. I would have a tech do this. Again, pricey, and I’m wary of cutting a hole in the side of an instrument I like.
~ hit the market for soundhole pickups again. For sure, there will be ones available that weren’t around a couple of years ago, maybe ones with smarter technology. This is my go-to guitar in open tunings for gigs, so I’d need to do this quickly, but I guess worth doing. Maybe I'll need to take a day off from work. ;-} I can always fall back and order my old standby if nothing turns up. I'm interested in others' ideas about soundhole pickups they like.
~ install an undersaddle pickup. This is a possibility. Same price range as a good soundhole p/u from cheap to expensive. I’ve tried a few of these and am not as fond of the undersaddle sound dynamics, even with extensive off-board EQ and power.
~ play into a mic. I have used mics for live sound and just find that the sound dynamics in bars, cafes, festivals, etc. pushes the limits of my technical competence, and raises my stress level when I need to relax, play, sing.
~ install other amplifying device. There are other technologies around. I’ve tried a few and could look at more.

[Chuck H]

I was presenting at winter NAMM this year for an acoustic guitar amp company. IMHO there is no better portable acoustic combo out there. The strength of these amps is that they reproduce the complex midrange that defines acoustic instruments. Of course they have all the top and bottom too. But most other acoustic amps only focus on the top and bottom. They all seem to produce a V notch mid scoop sound that is too boomy and spikey. Everything you play sounds like a frigging 80's rock ballad and every guitar you plug in sounds the same. Not these amps. Every guitar sounds like itself. And they sport two inputs. One for a transducer type pickup and one for magnetic types. Some guitars have both and being able to blend them through these amps gave the most natural tone.

Not selling amps here. I was getting to the point that having both pickup types in an acoustic guitar seems to be state of the art right now. It's not a real stretch to do that. A good preamp is the best way to blend them for a single input amp.

So do what your heart and budget allow. Especially if your lucky enough to have paying gigs to justify a little expense.

You CAN install both pickup types yourself. Most transducer types need to be placed in a "sweet spot" near the bridge on the underside of the soundboard. It doesn't take much experimenting to find it. Your just looking for the the tonal balance you like with the lowest amount of feedback. Who better to pick that spot than you playing through your gear. The under saddle type transducers are even easier. You just have to mill down the bottom of the bridge saddle to restore your playing action and drill a small hole. Both types usually use a strap peg jack so there shouldn't be a new hole in your guitar. But you will have to drill a hole through the peg block to install the jack. Not as hard as all that really. You already know about magnetic pickups.

So, if you did the work yourself your expense would be two pickups instead of one and a simple preamp. Some are very affordable. After that you could be sure you were doing all you could for your tone.

Chuck

[dynsdale]

Option 1) Send the pick up back to Dimarzio with a nice letter, their stuff normally last longer than 2 years, so with a little luck they'll send you a replacement. They Should.
Option 2) If you liked the sound and set-up you had buy the same pickup again.

Option 3) If you consider transducers etc. stick with Chucks advice and get 1 under saddle and one for the body (or small on board mike). Mix them outboard either in the amp as Chuck suggests or small belt preamp ala Mixpro by LR Baggs. I put B.Bands in my Larrivee and they have worked great for me, but I'm I sure there are other good brands. Good luck.

[Random53]

Thanks for that response!