Seymour Duncan Woody XL- Unsung "sleeper"?

[vindibona1]

I recently got the idea that I should go ahead and put a pickup system in my '72 D35. The only acoustics I have with pickups are my two Taylors. My D35, '81 Epiphone nor Alvarez Yairis were electrified so I chose to get a Seymour Duncan Woody XL. It was a cheap way to have a pickup that I could switch between multiple guitars.

So I've been looking at different systems, K&K, JJB, Baggs, JME, Fishman trying to establish what I thought (through demo recordings) captured what I was going after. The K&K as some pointed out seems kind of bass heavy. the Baggs/Fishman pickups (and a host of piezos) just haven't made me want to run out and buy one of them. So my head is telling me... "Do any of these pickups really sound better (while admittedly different) than my trusty SD Woody XL"??? As I cerebrally contemplate it, I really haven't been dissatisfied with the SDWXL.

The Woody XL features adjustable pole pieces. These were important. When I first got the pickup all the poles were set at the same height. But the sound balance was way off. But 10 minutes of fiddling got the string-to-string balance down pretty well. I've heard a lot of demos of the some of the other brands and often one string or another sticks out like a stray hair on a newly cut head of hair.

I have to admit there are some things that SD could have done better : make the pickup with a shorter cable (the one that comes with the Woodys are 14' hard-wired). I did shorten the cable to about 2.5 feet with a 1/4" jack on the end. The shorter cable allows me to plug into a pre-amp or pedals. A volume control would have been nice. But again, that preamp or a volume pedal can take care of that shortcoming.

But sound-wise? I don't hear a magnetic pickup. I hear the guitar. Being one of SD's humbucker models (I recommend this model with the adjustable poles) it is silent other than picking up the guitar. This pickup doesn't seem to take the guitar very far out of it's natural sound. Obviously it will sound different than others. But hey- they all sound different from one another.

I'd still like to have an on-board pickup system on my D35... but the Woody XL is sure making it hard on me. $69 before discounts isn't a bad deal. As I said above... perhaps a sleeper that nobody talks about?

Anyone one else have similar experiences with a Woody?

Here's a clip... Whadday think?

[BigSkyGuy]

I prefer the sound to piezo pickups. However, I don’t like using the Woody in a somewhat chaotic stage situation (open mike) where a trip over the cord could impact the guitar’s top. So I switched one of my guitars to a Baggs soundhole pickup with an end piece jack.

I keep the Woody in a gear bag for others to use. It’s a great bargain, though, and I do like the sound.

[reeve21]

Yes, I have one and like it, too!

I know squat about pickups, as I've only had an amp for a month or so. My Voyage Air OM came with a Baggs Element VTC. I would call the tone acceptable, but not great. (I tweak it with the preamp in my loudbox mini).

Running the Woody in my Martin and Ibenez Dreads the tone is much more natural, warmer, less harsh.I should stick it in the VA and do a side by side comparison.

The cord is kind of in the way, but I'm getting used to it.

[Daniel Grenier]

Cheap or inexpensive does not always equate to bad. I bought a sweet small sized acoustic for a mere $100 new, put one of these woodys in, plugged it in my Play Acoustic w/bodyrez and I thoroughly enjoy what comes out near as much as my Martin which cost 30x more. Don’t knock it till you try it.

[roylor4]

I have guitars with JJB 330 and a mag DeArmond tone Boss.

The woody is as good as the others but has it's own cons, although I feel the pros far outweigh the few negatives it has.

The Dearmond is much louder but not quite as natural sounding. I have it mounted with a end pin jack.

The JJB sounds more natural but not as balanced (probably due to my user error installing) and is woofy on the low end and far more susceptible to feedback.

The SD is fairly natural sounding for a mag pickup. Installation takes seconds, literally, so no drilling and fussing with being a clean/balanced install. The cord length doesn't bother me, most of my cords or 15-20ft already., The main con for me is that in a tight fitting case there is no where to put the cable, thus necessitating it's removal after each performance. This can easily be solved by using a gig bag though.

The ability to use it on multiple guitars is a huge plus. For the $ and it's versatility I consider it one of the best bang for buck pickups on the market.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by BigSkyGuy

I prefer the sound to piezo pickups. However, I don’t like using the Woody in a somewhat chaotic stage situation (open mike) where a trip over the cord could impact the guitar’s top. So I switched one of my guitars to a Baggs soundhole pickup with an end piece jack.

I keep the Woody in a gear bag for others to use. It’s a great bargain, though, and I do like the sound.

Piezo???? To me the sound is as if somone is sticking an ice pick in my ear. I have a friend with a D35 and piezo and sometimes it sounds like he's playing a banjo when he strums or picks near the bridge. Anything but piezo IMO. JMO

Originally Posted by reeve21

Yes, I have one and like it, too!
The cord is kind of in the way, but I'm getting used to it.

I modified the cord because I hated it too. It gives me the ability to run it into other devices. At first I just wanted a volume control so I made one myself (photo below). But then I decided I wanted more control. I got the Baggs GigPro pre-amp for $100...

...As I said, I hate piezo... so that GigPro preamp goes a long way to curing the ills of the ES2 system in my Taylor.

P.S.... Guitar in photo is 1990 Alvarez Yairi DY71. Love that graphite bridge.