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  #1  
Old 08-04-2020, 11:23 AM
Birdbrain Birdbrain is offline
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Default Godin Qll pickup: your impressions/experiences?

Last week I picked up another guitar, primarily for the pickup. Godin's Qll hasn't been sold for some years, but it was on this '07 Seagull Maritime MJ. It's dual source, with microphone and undersaddle inputs, and that's about all I know.

The Qll is praised and missed by Seagull fans, and I see why. It combines the clarity of a mike with the robust bass of an UST. Out of my three pickups, including a lyric and an HFN, this is probably the best.

One problem, though- it's terribly sensitive to string squeaks. It's like some secret Squeak Enhancer (TM) is switched on! I've rolled back the treble, but still I find myself struggling to avoid squeaks and thinking about that more than the notes I'm playing. And I enjoy playing leggato, sliding up and down.

The first strings I've tried are D'Addario EXP coated phosphor bronze. You could have fooled me about that coating, because my fingers can't feel it. What acoustic strings would give me a smoother feel? And if you've owned a Qll-equipped guitar, how did it sound for you?
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- Tacoma EK36C (ancient cedar Little Jumbo, '01, #145/150)
- Seagull SWS Maritime Mini Jumbo ('16)
- Simon & Patrick Pro Folk Rosewood ('01)
- Godin Montreal Premiere Supreme
- Ibanez Mikro Bass

Last edited by Birdbrain; 08-04-2020 at 11:38 AM. Reason: mispelling
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  #2  
Old 08-04-2020, 11:27 PM
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dogdog49 dogdog49 is offline
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I like the QII as well. The Daddario EXP's last longer than their uncoated strings, but they weren't designed to reduce string squeaks. If you really want to get as squeak free as possible and stay with round wounds get Elixer Polywebs.
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Old 08-05-2020, 09:23 AM
Petty1818 Petty1818 is offline
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I once had to borrow a friend's Seagull to use at a gig as my Taylor was needing some work. The pickup in that guitar was the QII so I got a good sense of how it sounds. I actually also recorded that show so I can listen back (just not sure where that file is!). Anyway, the UST portion is about as quacky as it gets, nothing special there. The mic however is far more usable than the Fishman Matrix Ellipse Blend that I used to own. It did really help keep things a bit more natural. The pickup is nice enough and definitely very easy to dial in.
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Old 08-06-2020, 09:04 AM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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Elixirs! Polyweb coating version helps the most, but has the most different feel. Nanoweb still helps.
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Old 08-12-2020, 05:05 PM
Birdbrain Birdbrain is offline
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Default Good advice...

A set of Polywebs really tamed the beast here. if I keep at less than half treble and back off the mike volume somewhat, I can play pretty cleanly. But if I take it to the limits, the whole guitar transforms into a live mike. Even brushing my skin softly along the side gives a loud response. I didn't get that hypersensitvity with a previous mike/UST combination pickup I had in another guitar.

The payoff is an extremely clear and present sound that probably surpasses my other pickups. If I slowly raise the volume, I can increase make the guitar sound louder, but still pretty much the same. It's a pleasing but stimulating sound... or set of sounds, considering the variables. It's easy to see why other Godinites miss this pickup. Certainly it's sold me on the merits of dual-source pickups. The physical design is attractive, too. The rounded, asymmetrical control panel in pewter blends nicely, the placement on the side leaves the upper bout that you tend to look at free of the black plastic "barn doors" that we learned to hate. The controls are well laid out, too. I'd prefer this to the Baggs Anthem, which seems to be the modern equivalent, with its big bright soundhole control panel.
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- Tacoma ER22C
- Tacoma CiC Chief
- Tacoma EK36C (ancient cedar Little Jumbo, '01, #145/150)
- Seagull SWS Maritime Mini Jumbo ('16)
- Simon & Patrick Pro Folk Rosewood ('01)
- Godin Montreal Premiere Supreme
- Ibanez Mikro Bass
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  #6  
Old 08-16-2020, 11:10 AM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Birdbrain View Post
Last week I picked up another guitar, primarily for the pickup. Godin's Qll hasn't been sold for some years, but it was on this '07 Seagull Maritime MJ. It's dual source, with microphone and undersaddle inputs, and that's about all I know.

The Qll is praised and missed by Seagull fans, and I see why. It combines the clarity of a mike with the robust bass of an UST. Out of my three pickups, including a lyric and an HFN, this is probably the best.

One problem, though- it's terribly sensitive to string squeaks. It's like some secret Squeak Enhancer (TM) is switched on! I've rolled back the treble, but still I find myself struggling to avoid squeaks and thinking about that more than the notes I'm playing. And I enjoy playing leggato, sliding up and down.

The first strings I've tried are D'Addario EXP coated phosphor bronze. You could have fooled me about that coating, because my fingers can't feel it. What acoustic strings would give me a smoother feel? And if you've owned a Qll-equipped guitar, how did it sound for you?
Try Elixir Nanoweb strings and these will noticeably diminish the string-squeak issue. The reason is that Elixir strings are actually coated with a Teflon-like substance whereas D-Addario coated strings are chemically treated which isn't very slippery compared to the Elixir Nanowebs.
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Taylor 717e
Taylor 618e
Taylor 614ce
Larrivee D-50M/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Sunburst
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  #7  
Old 08-16-2020, 11:11 AM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Birdbrain View Post
A set of Polywebs really tamed the beast here. if I keep at less than half treble and back off the mike volume somewhat, I can play pretty cleanly. But if I take it to the limits, the whole guitar transforms into a live mike. Even brushing my skin softly along the side gives a loud response. I didn't get that hypersensitvity with a previous mike/UST combination pickup I had in another guitar.

The payoff is an extremely clear and present sound that probably surpasses my other pickups. If I slowly raise the volume, I can increase make the guitar sound louder, but still pretty much the same. It's a pleasing but stimulating sound... or set of sounds, considering the variables. It's easy to see why other Godinites miss this pickup. Certainly it's sold me on the merits of dual-source pickups. The physical design is attractive, too. The rounded, asymmetrical control panel in pewter blends nicely, the placement on the side leaves the upper bout that you tend to look at free of the black plastic "barn doors" that we learned to hate. The controls are well laid out, too. I'd prefer this to the Baggs Anthem, which seems to be the modern equivalent, with its big bright soundhole control panel.
Oops, I hadn't read your latest post, and I'm glad to read you're now using Elixir strings!
__________________
Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom
Martin D-18/UltraTonic
Adamas I 2087GT-8
Ovation Custom Legend LX
Guild F-212XL STD
Huss & Dalton TD-R
Taylor 717e
Taylor 618e
Taylor 614ce
Larrivee D-50M/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Sunburst
Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom
RainSong BI-DR1000N2
Emerald X20
Yamaha FGX5
Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2
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