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  #1  
Old 02-05-2023, 12:01 PM
guitaniac guitaniac is offline
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Default Any Observations On Shadow SH 141 Soundhole Mag?

I’m looking for a magnetic pickup which A) Doesn’t talk back to me when I strike it with a pic or fingernail, and B) doesn’t have pole pieces to tear up my fingernails with (like the DiMarzio Black Angel which I just sold.) I’m thinking that the Shadow SH-141 might fit that bill, and I’ve noticed that it will be on sale soon. That’s why I’m hoping to get some user feedback.

With regard to soundhole pickups which respond poorly to being struck, I recently purchased a Mojotone NC-Passive soundhole pickup. It’s truly a great sounding pickup, but the darn thing clicks loudly when struck with a pic or fingernail. (It’s apparently similar to the Baggs M80 in that it’s as much of a soundboard sensor as a string sensor. I verified this by removing it from the guitar, plugging it into my SoloAmp and tapping on it with the gain cranked a bit.) I don’t want to change my playing style to accommodate a pickup, and I don’t want to turn down the treble so much (to soften the clicking) that it’s no longer a great sounding pickup. The NC-Passive will be a great pickup for some players, but not for me.
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Old 02-05-2023, 02:02 PM
Nick84 Nick84 is offline
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It’s nothing special having owned one previously, it won’t click when you hit it though! It’s just a typical Mag pickup.

I’ve also had the black angel and much preferred it to the Shadow.
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  #3  
Old 02-05-2023, 04:55 PM
meb meb is offline
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I have no experience with the Shadow, but I do not recall any clicking problems
with the Schertler AG-6. The AG6/s-mic combo is pretty nice. I mostly use the
Sunrise now and have had no issues with the pole pieces. But i did not have
problems with the pole pieces on the Black Angel or BlackStack either.
...and I am pretty heavy handed with my finger picking.

The Rare Earth Blend may work, also, but I like the Scherler sound better.

I like you, quit using the Baggs and MojoTone because of the click.

Good Luck.
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Old 02-06-2023, 01:23 AM
guitaniac guitaniac is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick84 View Post
It’s nothing special having owned one previously, it won’t click when you hit it though! It’s just a typical Mag pickup.

I’ve also had the black angel and much preferred it to the Shadow.
Nick,

I just never got past what David Wilcox calls that “plunky” sound with the Black Angel. If I’d been using something like the Session DI, or a Sarno Steel Guitar Black Box tube preamplifier, I suspect the high end sound would have been more to my liking.

Here’s a gig recording where I’m periodically plucking hard on the high ‘e’ and just not getting the high-end sound that I’m trying for. You can also see how I manage to beat up my fingernails as they lose “territorial disputes” with the Black Angel’s pole pieces.

https://youtu.be/ye_EoYmdiU8
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Old 02-06-2023, 01:47 AM
guitaniac guitaniac is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by meb View Post
I have no experience with the Shadow, but I do not recall any clicking problems
with the Schertler AG-6. The AG6/s-mic combo is pretty nice. I mostly use the
Sunrise now and have had no issues with the pole pieces. But i did not have
problems with the pole pieces on the Black Angel or BlackStack either.
...and I am pretty heavy handed with my finger picking.

The Rare Earth Blend may work, also, but I like the Scherler sound better.

I like you, quit using the Baggs and MojoTone because of the click.

Good Luck.
Mel,

The only soundhole pickups that have clicked at me when directly struck with a pic or fingernail have been the Baggs M1, the MojoTone NC-Passive and the Mi-Si Magpie Air (only when the onboard mic is turned on). I tend to play over the neck side of the sound hole. (See the gig video in the previous post.) With the Black Angel my nails were getting beat up when picking bare-fingered AND when strumming and picking with a flatpick. Go figure. It’s quite possible that your nails are a lot stronger than mine.
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Old 02-06-2023, 01:59 PM
Nick84 Nick84 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guitaniac View Post
Nick,

I just never got past what David Wilcox calls that “plunky” sound with the Black Angel. If I’d been using something like the Session DI, or a Sarno Steel Guitar Black Box tube preamplifier, I suspect the high end sound would have been more to my liking.

Here’s a gig recording where I’m periodically plucking hard on the high ‘e’ and just not getting the high-end sound that I’m trying for. You can also see how I manage to beat up my fingernails as they lose “territorial disputes” with the Black Angel’s pole pieces.

https://youtu.be/ye_EoYmdiU8
I think you get that with any mag pickup to an extent. Using outboard gear such as the session helps. I certainly wouldn’t put that Shadow pickup above a Black Angel though. Don’t get me wrong it’s fine as a gig bag pickup if your main pickup should fail but I wouldn’t be happy using it as my main pickup. Despite Rob Chapmans best efforts in the below review it doesn’t convince me:

https://youtu.be/-PETfPiNo7o
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  #7  
Old 02-06-2023, 05:13 PM
guitaniac guitaniac is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick84 View Post
I think you get that with any mag pickup to an extent. Using outboard gear such as the session helps. I certainly wouldn’t put that Shadow pickup above a Black Angel though. Don’t get me wrong it’s fine as a gig bag pickup if your main pickup should fail but I wouldn’t be happy using it as my main pickup. Despite Rob Chapmans best efforts in the below review it doesn’t convince me:

https://youtu.be/-PETfPiNo7o
Thanks for the observations and the link, Nick. I had the NanoMag in one of my guitars, so I’m somewhat familiar with what I’m dealing with. Same goes for Shadow’s SH-145. For my taste, none of them gets close to sounding as good as the MojoTone NC-Passive that I’ve been experimenting with. I may keep the darn thing DESPITE the fact that it clicks loudly every time I accidentally strike it with a pic or fingernail. It’s like the Baggs M1 and M80 in that it senses the soundboard and anything else that connects with it.

In any event, I’m hoping that there’s some way to process a more conventional soundhole pickup to get a rounder and more pleasing high end. I have plenty of better sounding pickups, but a Baggs LB6 is the only one of them that’s especially useful for bare-fingered picking in a loud setting.

On the subject of the LB6, that’s another reason that I’m contemplating a Session DI.
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Old 06-04-2023, 11:13 PM
kk_berlin kk_berlin is offline
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Default Recently bought it

I recently bought it. Was in Italy with my Dreadnought Guitar where I was asked to play a gig. I went to the local music store, small but good choice and got the SH 141. My intention was to find something affordable and easy to install. Did not have big expectations in a magnetic pickup.
It sounds surprisingly well, accoustically, naturally. Played on a small PA system it has a good attack, strong bass and vivid treble. It sounded "expensive".
I mainly used it for strumming, I cannot tell how it sounds with finger picking, but I guess not too bad. I would especially recommend it in a band setting.
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Old 06-05-2023, 07:34 AM
jricc jricc is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guitaniac View Post
Mel,

The only soundhole pickups that have clicked at me when directly struck with a pic or fingernail have been the Baggs M1, the MojoTone NC-Passive and the Mi-Si Magpie Air (only when the onboard mic is turned on). I tend to play over the neck side of the sound hole. (See the gig video in the previous post.) With the Black Angel my nails were getting beat up when picking bare-fingered AND when strumming and picking with a flatpick. Go figure. It’s quite possible that your nails are a lot stronger than mine.
Hi Gary, being that you like the Mojotone, (I do too) can you maybe move the pickup towards the center of the sound hole, or slant it so it's not in your way? It may very well change the tone of the pickup, but just a thought...
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Last edited by jricc; 06-05-2023 at 10:21 AM.
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Old 06-05-2023, 05:14 PM
guitaniac guitaniac is offline
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Originally Posted by jricc View Post
Hi Gary, being that you like the Mojotone, (I do too) can you maybe move the pickup towards the center of the sound hole, or slant it so it's not in your way? It may very well change the tone of the pickup, but just a thought...
Thanks for the suggestion, Joe. I appreciate the intention, but don’t think that would work in my specific case. I’m pretty much all over the neck side two-thirds of the soundhole. I can see how a finger stylist who anchors at the bridge would have no problem with the Mojotone pickups, but I’d rather not alter my strumming style or free-floating fingerstyle to accommodate a pickup.
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Old 06-05-2023, 05:38 PM
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David Eastwood David Eastwood is online now
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Here’s one for you to consider, Gary - a Krivo humbucker. Super-slim - you could easily mount this on the top between the soundhole and the bridge, and never hit it at all.

https://www.krivopickups.com/store/p..._Guitars..html
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Old 06-05-2023, 07:33 PM
Marshall Marshall is offline
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Quote:
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Nice confetti guitar.
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Old 06-07-2023, 08:43 AM
guitaniac guitaniac is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David Eastwood View Post
Here’s one for you to consider, Gary - a Krivo humbucker. Super-slim - you could easily mount this on the top between the soundhole and the bridge, and never hit it at all.

https://www.krivopickups.com/store/p..._Guitars..html
Thanks, David. That does look like a viable option. It reminds me a bit of Lace's super slim humbucker.

PS, I checked out the website, David, and found two things that bother me somewhat. 1) I couldn't find the actual thickness of the pickup, and 2) none of the many users presented showed the pickup installed close to the bridge. It would be a fairly pricey experiment to see if that position yields a pleasing mag tone. I've currently gone back to experimenting with a California Lace, a magnetic pickup which I've used in the past in a dual setup with an internal mic. It has a pretty slim profile and doesn't get in My way too much. I'll likely end up installing it in my D28 (to compliment the iBeam) if the MiSi Magpie in that guitar loses its ability to hold a charge. I'll probably just sell the Shadow pickup (which I've also been experimenting with) as I don't like it any more than the Lace and it requires more EQ.

Last edited by guitaniac; 06-07-2023 at 10:08 AM.
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