Installed a Set of Dazzos, and then Reinstalled Them.
 

If you have seen my other thread on comparing 3 different SBT pickups; K&K, Dazzos and Trance, this is the result to that thread. I chose to install Dazzos in one of my guitars. No batteries no fuss. I heard the clips and all three are legit, this was just simpler.

I talked with Teddy Randazzo, the owner and designer and he guided me through the "new" installation process which is different than some of the videos on You Tube. The pics on his website are correct. Even then, I installed them incorrectly. On the first install I positioned them to far away from the bridge pins. The install otherwise was rather easy. I used the 6 minute resin which gives ample time to re position the pickups as needed. A small mirror helps to see where they end up. After the resin set for about 20 minutes I strung it up and cranked my amp and It was rather dull, and muddy. After a High Pass Filter some drastic mid cut and a small treble boost it sounded really good.

The next day I talked with Teddy and after exchanging some install pics, he informed me that I needed to remove them and set them closer to the bridge pins. He told me to use a razor blade to pry off the pickups and Brake cleaner to soften the resin. I had a very easy time removing the pickups. They came off without a problem and they are in perfect condition. The resin was a different story. I applied the brake cleaner but after letting it set and reapplying for 30 minutes I did a little of my ow research and found a product that was a resin remover. It was a gel like substance. I dabbed it on for 15 minutes and started scraping with my razor blade and it scraped right off which took another 15 minutes. I was very pleased on that process. I reinstalled the pickups again which was in a more prescribed location and bada bing bada bang, the change made all of the difference in the world. It sounded pretty good flat. Small mid cut, no HPF, and a small boost in the treble since I have dead strings.

String balance, good. Signal, good. Tone woody and natural. It worked well in tonight's Worship Team practice.

When you get the right pickup. In thr right location, Dazzos take very little EQ.

Hey Vancebo, how about a sound sample? Pretty please :)

I wonder how feedback resistant these pickups are? I don't know why but I would feel very comfortable using the Trance Amulet M on a noisy stage, but I don't feel the same about the pure mini or dazzo.

I used it for the very first time at a church rehearsal last night. It was perfect. Once things got going I was on a high pass filter set at 125hz. That would eliminate a lot of feedback. I got home and stood in front of an amp full on and nothing.

My other guitars have Anthems. I can't say that I like one over the other. They are different. Both pleasing in different ways. If I decide to outfit one of my other guitars I might use a Trance just to see what it does differently. But if you want simple Dazzos are it and easily removable without any damage. Can't beat that.

This is probably the first time where I have wished for one or two more acoustics just so that I could test new pickups out. I have the Anthem SL and know what it's all about but I would love to try the Dazzo and Amulet.

Hey Vancebo, could you link me to the resin you used? Was it recommended by Teddy?
Anything I can do to get away from that foul plastic welder stuff...

http://http://m.loctiteproducts.com/...t-Mix-5-Minute
Loctite 5 minute Epoxy.

Removal was easy with:
http://http://m.homedepot.com/p/Jasc...0202/202247418

I should add that I dabbed the stuff on 3-4 times in a 15 minute period then took my razor blade light and mirror and went to town on it. When I was done with removal there was a slight stain wear the epoxy had been but the bridge plate was undamaged.

I had to do the same thing when I installed my Dazzos. Teddy was awesome with the support - even contacting me a week or 2 later to make sure I was happy with them.

I actually had to move them twice to find the sweet spot...but I found it and they are just awesome pickups.

Okay, so today I finally got a chance to plug it into my Bose L1 Model 2. Signal chain was: Dazzos to Baggs Session DI (small amount of Saturation and large amount of Compression EQ with a High Pass Filter set at 125hz) to Baggs Venue with some cut in the mids between 200hz and 600hz. Into the T1 unit with everything set flat except for a bit of Reverb. The result was a really outstanding solo guitar tone. The bass was rumbly in all the right ways and the notes popped easily. I was in guitar heaven and you know that when you can't stop playing but I had to because my kids were wanting Daddy's attention.

I tried to take out the High Pass Filter and compensate by adding treble EQ and lowering the Bass EQ a bit. Good, but not as good as before. There is something to the high pass filter that when you hit a bass string you get a big bottom end and still hear the trebly overtones of that string. With out it, it is all bass and not much of the overtones. The HPF brings out all the sweet trebles with having to boost them and leaves plenty of Bass to rumble the foundation.

This goes to say that I can fully recommend the Dazzos because they come with helpful advice form Teddy. I know that K&K's come with helpful advice from Dieter too. Here's the big difference. Dazzos, if you put them where he recommends the first time and it sounds great then you're golden. If it's not right, you can easily pop them off without any damage to them and move them until it sounds right or ship them back for another set that has a different bass response as necessary. With K&K you have to place three discs with the aid of a template and if it doesn't sound right you have to pop them off and can easily break the piezo elements. If you ever tried that before you know what I mean.

Sound wise, I can't say that Dazzos sound better than K&K. They do similar things. I am not saying that I am going to go out and replace my Baggs Anthems either. To me, one is not better than the other, just different, and I can enjoy the difference for now.

Sorry for the bump but I wanted to get your options on the Dazzo pickup after using it for so long Vancebo.

I currently have a Dread with a M1 Active that I run through a Session DI and a Fishman Artist. Loving the sound it produces. I recently bought a new 00 Martin (00L-17) and am in the search for a new pickup for it. I'm going to try my M1 in it to see how it sounds, but am also looking at the Anthem SL and from mostly posts I've seen from you the Dazzos.

Do you have any suggestions for this size of guitar and the Dazzo pickups? I mostly play americana, folk, country, and blues. So some finger picking, a lot of flat picking, and some strumming.

I want the cleanest acoustic sound as possible (as does everybody else) but I love the way the body of the 00 sounds, so that's why I'm trying to capture it in it's purest form.

Do you like running these pickups through two DIs? Does it produce excess noise?

Thanks.

You know, Teddy said that his #70 are proving to be the best all around pickup he sells. He prefers folks call him and tell them their needs. His number is On the Dazzo website. He answers his phone. Tell him Vance sent ya. In answer to your question I am happy with them. I have a tendency to change gear as frequent as I change underwear. I am sticking with these.

Well, since this thread has been resurrected already, I'll add to it!

Pleased to say that my local store here in Corvallis, Bullfrog Music, will now be carrying and installing Dazzo pickups! I was in the store a few days ago, just chatting with the owner, Kurt, and a few customers, when a fellow came through the door to speak with Kurt. I just heard a few words in their conversation and asked the man, "Are you Teddy?"...

Turned out that it was, indeed, Teddy Randazzo... he is re-locating to Newburg, OR. from the Bay Area... was great to meet him and I'm glad to see that his pickups are "getting out there" where folks can experience them...

I'm curious, Vance; do you HAVE to use a preamp with yours? Does just plugging in to the Bose T1 suffice? Would you need it with a small amp like an AER Compact?

I was surprised to hear that Teddy recommended using a preamp, as I though the pickups were pretty hot (and high impedance) to begin with?

I don't use a Bose, but my Dazzo's are plenty hot, and I don't see why they wouldn't be ok thru the T1 (tho I never liked the sound of the K&Ks thru the T1/L2 when I had one). I haven't compared them directly, but I'd say they're on par with K&Ks as far as output. A preamp is always nice to have, and since the pickups are passive, you want a high impedance, and a fairly short cable. But they work fine into an AER, as well as anything else I've tried them with. Most of the time when he was developing these, Teddy seemed to use a PADI, tho he has all kinds of preamps and so on. One of the more fun gizmo's I tried the last time I visited Teddy was an old Barcus Berry preamp - he had a few of them. It was a riot to look at, simple hand-wiring, a single FET inside, I believe. Quite crude by today's standards, but it was simple, and it sounded really good.