Newer Martins with Fishman Aura pickups...

[rawchuck]

Hi all!

Had a chance to try two new D18’s today....

The first was a D18 Retro with the Fishman Aura pickup system. It was the one where the controls are mounted in the sound hole, not on the side of the guitar.

The other guitar was a standard D18


I have to say, the D18 Retro sounded better. However, I have major concerns about the Fishman pickup. Mainly, the battery compartment/jack at the end pin is a large cutout with a plastic piece installed. Having been through multiple pickups over the past 20 years with my other Martin, I am concerned that when the Fishman fails and needs to be replaced, that I will have a problem due to the plastic jack cutout at the endpin. That’s a lot of wood missing. It looks like there is no way to ever install a different pickup.

Anybody else interested in this issue?

[stevecuss]

Yeah, I am with you - all else being equal, I prefer to buy a guitar sans pickup. It seems that Pickup companies are in major innovation phase and technology can get redundant quick.

The caveat being, if I LOVED the unplugged D18 above others, I'd buy it and be happy with a killer guitar with what is currently a great pickup solution.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by rawchuck

Hi all!

Had a chance to try two new D18’s today....

The first was a D18 Retro with the Fishman Aura pickup system. It was the one where the controls are mounted in the sound hole, not on the side of the guitar.

The other guitar was a standard D18


I have to say, the D18 Retro sounded better. However, I have major concerns about the Fishman pickup. Mainly, the battery compartment/jack at the end pin is a large cutout with a plastic piece installed. Having been through multiple pickups over the past 20 years with my other Martin, I am concerned that when the Fishman fails and needs to be replaced, that I will have a problem due to the plastic jack cutout at the endpin. That’s a lot of wood missing. It looks like there is no way to ever install a different pickup.

Anybody else interested in this issue?

If both guitars were the latest Martin D-18 models, I'd likely choose the Standard model and install a Trance system or the Audio Sprockets UltraTonic system. If you choose the D-18 Retro, Fishman will likely be around for a long time to come and have parts available if replacement of a part of the Aura system is necessary BUT you could also rewire the battery compartment to power another onboard pickup/preamp system and play on!

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

If both guitars were the latest Martin D-18 models, I'd likely choose the Standard model and install a Trance system or the Audio Sprockets UltaTonic system. If you choose the D-18 Retro, Fishman will likely be around for a long time to come and have parts available if replacement of a part of the Aura system is necessary BUT you could also rewire the battery compartment to power another onboard pickup/preamp system and play on!

Is the UltraTonic pickup really that much better than the standard K&K? I still wish the Amulet M had worked for me but it's proven to be a very finicky pickup. Even the input jack won't securely hold my guitar cables. If I use a planet waves american stage cable, it will stay in place somewhat well but any other cable and I am constantly having it come out.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

Is the UltraTonic pickup really that much better than the standard K&K? I still wish the Amulet M had worked for me but it's proven to be a very finicky pickup. Even the input jack won't securely hold my guitar cables. If I use a planet waves american stage cable, it will stay in place somewhat well but any other cable and I am constantly having it come out.

Scott,

I've never had a problem with the Trance endpin-jack holding a guitar cable in place--it's a Switchcraft connector if I'm not mistaken. I'm not sure the Trance is that finicky to install when using my method--which no one but me seems to use--when installing the system. I've never used the Trance "selective-area-pressure-method" of installation so maybe I could achieve even better results than using my overall clamp-pressure method? I still contend that installing the Amulets with super-glue would enable a better bond with the bridgeplate than the .009" thick "permanent tape" that Trance supplies with their systems. Someday, I may go ahead and try mounting the Amulets with *superglue to see what happens but that will be after I contact Gary Hull to make sure I can purchase replacement Amulets if necessary.

*The way I installed my Shadow disk transducers years ago was to place a moderate-sized drop of superglue in the center of the transducer and spread it evenly on the surface of the transducer before reaching inside the guitar and pressing it against the bridgeplate or the top of the guitar. This always resulted in a strong bond with excellent vibrational transmission without slathering up the works with excessive usage of superglue per the K&K method.

Here's Doug Young with his Trance-equipped guitar in a ToneDexter Demo that shows that even when just using the Trance system alone, without the ToneDexter applied, the Trance still sounds very good. How can it get much better than what Doug is achieving in this video with his fingerstyle playing, especially when using the ToneDexter in the mix?

Ken

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

Is the UltraTonic pickup really that much better than the standard K&K? I still wish the Amulet M had worked for me but it's proven to be a very finicky pickup. Even the input jack won't securely hold my guitar cables. If I use a planet waves american stage cable, it will stay in place somewhat well but any other cable and I am constantly having it come out.

Scott,

As for the UltraTonic system, it seems those who've used it are saying it sounds good. How about the Dazzo system, have you tried one yet? It's gotten good reviews too. I wonder if Paul Simon or Jackson Browne will eventually replace their Trance systems with one of these systems?

Ken