New Love, Again, For The Trance Amulet M-VT System
 

After about three weeks of not doing so, I played my Martin D-18/Schatten HFN Artist Plus 2 and Martin HD-28/Trance Amulet M-VT, back-to-back, through my LR Baggs Synapse PA. First, using Schattern's phantom-power option, I plugged-in the Martin D-18 with Schatten HFN Artist 2 system and it needed a good +6 dB boost in the Bass band of my LR Baggs Synapse just to get a good tone from the 6th-string, and I also cut the Mid- and Treble-range bands by about -3 dB to take some of the brittleness away to get an overall decent amplified tone. Next, I played the Martin HD-28/Trance Audio M-VT system through the Synapse with all Synapse EQ set flat and the Trance M-VT's Tone control on the middle of its range. The amplified tone was smooth and full with plenty of Bass in the tone.

My conclusion is that even with the different tonal characteristics of the guitars, and given my good system installations in both guitars, the Trance would easily be the system I would choose to install in another guitar before anything else. Let me state that a Dazzo system is something I've never had experience with but, given the good reports from several AGFers, it would be the only other system I'd consider buying to install and audition in another guitar. Your Mileage Can Vary!

New Love, Again, For The Trance Amulet M-VT System
 

Ken,

Good report. I would agree with everything you wrote. I am working with Dazzo for the first time and I think it has a lot of the benefits of Trance with less fuss with the installation. The bass response is a function of Dazzo size, not “perfect” placement, or clamping time, etc. In other words, it’s more predicable, like the K&K.

I marvel at the Trance I installed on my previous Mcilroy - it sent flat eq and needed no tweaks at the board. amazing!

I just did a 3 service weekend at church with a large house PA and monitor. The Trance mvt phantom was stellar and full. Around middle for me too. In fact, the new leader capoed his Martin dread aura pu cutaway because my rig was full and rich he said. We had a full band and I was pleased. Great pickups!

I have the CS Martin 000-14 spruce over mahogany.

David, you're using a Dazzo 70/70 transducer combination, correct?

That’s right, I’m using 70s. I am using the Sunnaudio internal “Line Driver” (buffer/unity gain) preamp as well. They have a ToneDriver preamp, but I found the fit a bit difficult in my guitar. They say 5M Ohm is the sweet spot for Dazzo. I tried it with 10M Ohm preamps and thought that sounded good too. But, 5M is cleaner sounding in the bass. I wouldn’t take a working Trance out and put a Dazzo in, but it might be a nice lightweight choice for a pickup-less guitar in your collection. Truthfully, if you’re willing to go passive and use an external preamp, you’d probably get the most flexible Dazzo option.

Thanks, Dave! I wouldn't remove a Trance system to install another system but would consider a Dazzo 70/70 for my new Larrivee D-40M Legacy. If I do decide to go Dazzo, I might even try installing the transducers with Trance tape first, and if it sounds good, I'd likely leave the Dazzos installed with that tape. I'd probably go with the Dazzo passive option and use a short instrument cord to my ToneDexter or Aura preamp.

Very good! How does the new Larrivee compare to the Martins and Huss? I loved my Larrivee D09. It was my only guitar for 20 years.

My new Larrivee D-40M Legacy is an exceptionally good-sounding guitar and ranks in the top 10 of all the guitars that I've ever owned. It's a keeper as are the Huss & Dalton T-DR and my two Martins. I'm pretty much a dreadnought fan as I like the dynamic, powerful and smooth tone they produce.

I have probably asked before but what is it about the D-40M that impresses you the most? I really like Larrivee guitars and own one (OM-03). My buddy's dad also has a D-40M but from about ten years ago when Larrivee did a short run of them. I am pretty sure it's the exact same bracing as the new legacy series.

Anyway, the thing I love about Larrivee is the balance but that's also an aspect that I at times dislike. I find that sometimes the bracing, which balances the tone, hurts the projection a bit. It's odd because Larrivee guitars have amazing sustain but the resonance is a bit softer than other guitars. This might be due to the fact that certain frequencies are not popping out but it's something I notice. I just find I have to dig in a bit more for projection.

The two guitars I have been using have a Baggs M1 passive and a k&k. Primarily, this is because I have watched my partner several times have to scramble mid gig to change batteries in his guitar.

That being said, I had a Gibson Advanced Jumbo with a Trance MVT, which stayed for a cup of coffee. I giggled with it one time. Into a Bose Tonematch and an L1. It likely was the best live guitar sound I had.

Grain of salt though... we play mostly Sherry Darling and rock sing along stuff. We ain’t exactly Doug Young...

May I ask why you don't have the Gibson Advanced Jumbo/Trance combo anymore? Both the Gibson AJ and Trance system are top-notch gear.

My new Larrivee D-40M Legacy combines the best tonal features of a Martin mahogany dread with the tonal clarity and playability of a Taylor dread with whatever mojo Jean Larrivee brings to the guitar.

By the way fellow guitar fans, this just in from my local favorite guitar shop: Look for Martins to go the way of Taylors in your favorite small guitar shops as Martin, like Taylor, is really getting aggressive in "pushing" their products on stores. This means that small stores will have increased problems in ordering and selling what they feel their customers really want to buy without having to carry much more expensive models. My dealer says he'll be increasing his ordering of Larrivee, RainSong, and Blueridge models while phasing-out Martins. He already stopped selling Taylors about five years ago. His store, opened by his father, started carrying Martins in 1952 and Taylors in the late-1980s. Apparently, Jean Larrivee hasn't forgotten the small dealers who have been with him from the start!

Amulet
 

Honeymoon’s not over here, either. Not by a long shot. Here’s a clip from last night. Amulet M direct into Bose L1 channel 2. No preamp. EQ treble flat, mid flat, bass 1:00. Recorded with an iPhone & Saramonic Smartmic approx 10’ away. Not a mistake-free performance but that’s not the pickup’s fault. 🙂

Dazzos with tape
 

We've been experimenting with more tape options with the Dazzo pickups. Our goal was to have an easier placement before applying pressure, even tonal qualities, no clamping needed, no mess, no residue after removal. We tried the VHB tapes and i was reminded why I didn't like those. Every pickup is different, so the way the different tapes attenuate affect the response and sound.
All that said, i do not recommend the Trance tape or the VHB Schatten uses for their pickups on the Dazzos. We will have more info soon when we have tested more samples, but so far we have some better ideas on how to mount Dazzos with tape. The tape and epoxy are a different responses all together, but both retain the desired tonal qualities.