Dazzo or Barbera Soloist?

[JimAltendahl]

I'm thinking of replacing the ES2 pickup system in my Taylor 914ce. I just can't get used to it's overly sensitive string noises and believe me, I've tried everything to make it better.

I'm looking at the Dazzo or Barbera Soloist pickups and wondering which way to go? I would welcome any input (pros and cons) from actual users of these pickups.

I perform mostly as a solo singer/guitarist, mostly fingerpicking along with strumming.

[Doug Young]

I use both, and both are very good, but quite different. The Dazzo, if properly dialed in for your guitar sounds extremely natural. Like any SBT, it is more prone to feedback, since it's sensing the whole top's motion. The install won't compromise your acoustic sound in any way.

The Barbera is a very clean, articulate sound, with a bit of the typical UST quack if driven hard. but it's the best sounding UST I've come across, and in my guitars actually improved the acoustic sound as well (tho highly subjective). It uses alternating phase on the strings, which makes it even less feedback prone than most USTs. The Barbera has to be fitted properly as well, and has some limitations as far as saddle thickness, width and height. Check with Rich on the best size to get for your guitar. You will probably need to shim the saddle to get it to the correct height, since you can't modify the saddle/pickup.

I use both with ToneDexter, which helps greatly. I like them both, but at the moment have 1 Dazzo install (Martin OM) and 4 Barbera's (various guitars).

[JimAltendahl]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

I use both, and both are very good, but quite different. The Dazzo, if properly dialed in for your guitar sounds extremely natural. Like any SBT, it is more prone to feedback, since it's sensing the whole top's motion. The install won't compromise your acoustic sound in any way.

The Barbera is a very clean, articulate sound, with a bit of the typical UST quack if driven hard. but it's the best sounding UST I've come across, and in my guitars actually improved the acoustic sound as well (tho highly subjective). It uses alternating phase on the strings, which makes it even less feedback prone than most USTs. The Barbera has to be fitted properly as well, and has some limitations as far as saddle thickness, width and height. Check with Rich on the best size to get for your guitar. You will probably need to shim the saddle to get it to the correct height, since you can't modify the saddle/pickup.

I use both with ToneDexter, which helps greatly. I like them both, but at the moment have 1 Dazzo install (Martin OM) and 4 Barbera's (various guitars).

Thank you Doug Young! Your response was exactly the kind of information I was looking for.

[Vancebo]

If you also paired any piezo pickup with a Tonedexter it wouldn't matter what pickup you used.

I use the Dazzo installed passively through a Sunnaudio Stage DI-2. The Dazzo can really sound pretty balanced to begin with as long as you pair it with the right set of Dazzos (60's, 70's and 80's are the most common for acoustic guitar). The Stage DI can then craft the sound anyway you need it even on a loud stage situation. This set-up is not cheap, but like the saying, "You get what you pay for" applies in this case. In my opinion, this set-up doesn't need the help of a Tonedexter. It is already quite natural.