Anyone switch from the Amulet M to the Dazzo?

[Petty1818]

I think this week I am going to try the placement method of moving the transducers around to find the sweet spot. I will report back with my findings. I am hoping that I will find an area that really adds more bottom end and warmth.

As for clamping, I will still do it just because there's no real harm in not doing it. I might try leaning a string or two on while the clamp is in place and compare the volume/tone with the clamp applying pressure and then with the clamp loosened. I am sure there will be a drop but it will be interesting to see how much.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by stevecuss

This is fascinating, Doug. I thought Trance didn't fit into a Lowden - seems like I spoke to Gary about it and he discouraged us from trying the Trance on a Lowden. We ended up with a Dazzo, but the feedback and resonance makes it unusable. Did you have success with a trance in the Lowden you were using? Newer, black tuner Lowden or older amber tuner era?

Yes, Gary had discouraged me from trying Trance with a Lowden as well, tho when I called him to say I was trying it anyway, he was very helpful, and seemed more encouraging :-) This is a brand new F. I don't know much about the historical changes with Lowdens, but Pierre Bensusan used to have a Trance (stereo) system in his old Lowden, so I'm not sure there's an issue with literally fitting.

The issues I anticipated were the lack of bridge pins to use as guides, the closeness of the braces to the top and bottom strings (I wondered if the top would vibrate enough), apparently a somewhat thicker bridgeplate, and possibly the split saddle. My first install failed, very thin, no bass, even with clamping for 2 days. After talking to Gary and positioning the pickups while listening, I'm very happy with the results. My current install seems to benefit from a very slight rollback with the tone control, tho I could do that on a preamp/PA, too. That may have more to do with the relatively aggressive sound of the Lowden than the pickup. Anyway, it's taken some fussing, for sure, and I haven't tried my latest install live yet, but it seems as if it's going to work out well.

BTW, the biggest issue in this case may have been the lack of bridge pins to use as a guide, so I was totally just guessing as to where to place the lens initially. I clearly was way off the optimum spot, and and may have been far off what the standard position might be. I was surprised when I did the placement while listening, tho, how big a difference there was with even a small movement. So placement is critical, it seems, as I think it also is with the Dazzos.

[stevecuss]

Thanks Doug, this is very helpful. It seems the Trance and Dazzo offer great results, but for those who wonder if a micro adjustment could improve tone, also many restless nights

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Yes, Gary had discouraged me from trying Trance with a Lowden as well, tho when I called him to say I was trying it anyway, he was very helpful, and seemed more encouraging :-) This is a brand new F. I don't know much about the historical changes with Lowdens, but Pierre Bensusan used to have a Trance (stereo) system in his old Lowden, so I'm not sure there's an issue with literally fitting.

The issues I anticipated were the lack of bridge pins to use as guides, the closeness of the braces to the top and bottom strings (I wondered if the top would vibrate enough), apparently a somewhat thicker bridgeplate, and possibly the split saddle. My first install failed, very thin, no bass, even with clamping for 2 days. After talking to Gary and positioning the pickups while listening, I'm very happy with the results. My current install seems to benefit from a very slight rollback with the tone control, tho I could do that on a preamp/PA, too. That may have more to do with the relatively aggressive sound of the Lowden than the pickup. Anyway, it's taken some fussing, for sure, and I haven't tried my latest install live yet, but it seems as if it's going to work out well.

BTW, the biggest issue in this case may have been the lack of bridge pins to use as a guide, so I was totally just guessing as to where to place the lens initially. I clearly was way off the optimum spot, and and may have been far off what the standard position might be. I was surprised when I did the placement while listening, tho, how big a difference there was with even a small movement. So placement is critical, it seems, as I think it also is with the Dazzos.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by stevecuss

Thanks Doug, this is very helpful. It seems the Trance and Dazzo offer great results, but for those who wonder if a micro adjustment could improve tone, also many restless nights

I suspect this is true with almost any SBT. That's kind of the interesting thing with K&Ks. Might they sound better if you moved them 1/64th of an inch? We'll never know because you can't really move them once the superglue touches.

[stevecuss]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

I suspect this is true with almost any SBT. That's kind of the interesting thing with K&Ks. Might they sound better if you moved them 1/64th of an inch? We'll never know because you can't really move them once the superglue touches.

Yes sir. If K&K offered double sided tape, they'd increase market share. The superglue is what kept me from pursuing that option. All things being equal,. the Trance is my favorite of the pickup options.

[Bluesdale]

Originally Posted by aaronmarkson

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the differences between the Trance Amulet M and Dazzo pickups.

I've got the Amulet M in a Gibson and I'm deciding on a pickup for another guitar. I really like the Trance, so I am temped to just put another one of those in, but I'm also considering Dazzo and the Baggs Anthem.

My Trance experience is a little mixed between the three I have so I hope this is helpful. My first Trance was factory installed at Gibson in my Jackson Browne model. It sounds fantastic with no complaints at all other than I'm not convinced I need stereo with low strings on the right and high strings on the left, etc. nor do I love the proprietary cable (I'm on my third one). The sound quality is on par with the Dazzo and is top notch.

Loving that sound so much I bought another one and put it in my old 1970 D-28 myself. After a couple of attempts at positioning the sensors and tweaking of the preamp pots I finally got it acceptable, but not fantastic.

My third Trance is the mono Amulet so no more proprietary cables or outboard preamps. It is very bright unless I dial back my tone about halfway or adjust the EQ at the mixer. Maybe I installed it poorly but the tone wheel pretty much fixes it.

Now the Dazzo, simple to install. Follow the directions on his YouTube video. I love the sound. It's as good as anything I ever heard and better than most. Any 1/4" cable works and you need a $200+ preamp to drive it properly. You can get an internal preamp but I chose not to go that way and bought the external one. I also like using that SunnAudio preamp for my KnK's and will likely get more Dazzo's someday.

The Dazzo system is not cheap but if you want the best sound and a simple install, it's the best option IMHO.