Never Will I Ever...

[Mbroady]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

have a very hard time believing that someone could hear a huge difference after a Fishman Matrix has been removed. The Lr Baggs Element does impact the tone, but the Matrix; I have literally never noticed a change.

Is the Matrix compatible with the LR baggs pre?
Would love to put the Anthem into my D-35 but I have also experienced the loss of quality with the Element.

[Rudy4]

Nobody ever mentions the change in the acoustic sound of a guitar which has a soundhole pickup installed. Many times you see them mounted semi-permanantly and players leave them in more or less all the time.

Guitar manufacturers use the area of the sound hole to tune the free resonance of the body chamber and the magnetic effectively changes that design perimeter.

If you aren't using a soundhole pickup or using active electronics with controls mounted under the soundhole edge then it's usually simple to install something like a D'Addario Screeching Halt soundhole plug if you need to use an acoustic guitar in high stage volume situations.

I've used a Sunrise and a Fishman magnetic in the past with "meh" reaction to amplified sound. I've also experimented with a few different undersaddles, all of which were underwhelming. The Element active was the worst of the bunch for me.

[fazool]

Bob.......I felt the same way. I use a Fishman rare earth blend but I got tired of the cord coming out so I installed the jack pin and it totally reversible

[tbirdman]

I've installed Dazzo pickups in an OM28 and HD28 with an external preamp and have noticed no difference.

[Jinder]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

What's wrong with Tusq? Honestly, some guitars sound best with Tusq or Micarta. I have tried Bone in guitars and literally hated the results. Bone definitely doesn't work in all guitars.

As for removing UST's, it's all subjective but I would have a very hard time believing that someone could hear a huge difference after a Fishman Matrix has been removed. The Lr Baggs Element does impact the tone, but the Matrix; I have literally never noticed a change.

From my experience (just one perspective of course) Tusq is okay if it’s the only thing that works for a specific guitar/pickup, but I find it too soft, it diminishes attack transient and wears horribly at the break point of the strings. When I was working as a touring tech, I looked after a couple of artists who insisted on using Tusq saddles (both with Baggs Element USTs), and unless I flatted back the crown of the saddle to virgin smooth every few shows, the strings would wear grooves in the saddle which created a work-hardening flex point in the strings, causing them to break with irritating regularity. Of course, flatting back saddles more than once or twice throws the action out, so I used to have to carry a bag of spares of the wretched things and cut them to spec every so often to replace the damaged ones. Hardly the end of the world, but irritating to deal with as a tech.

The woven Element UST is, as you mentioned, quite the tone robber-the Matrix less so, but both my 1990 Hummingbird, 2015 SJ200 and 1996 Dove all came on after losing the Matrix units and having bone saddles cut and installed.

I think it’s all down to personal preference-I used Tusq and Matrix Infinity pickups for some years to great success, but my tastes changed over time towards bone and soundhole pickups.

[calvanesebob]

Originally Posted by fazool

Bob.......I felt the same way. I use a Fishman rare earth blend but I got tired of the cord coming out so I installed the jack pin and it totally reversible

Not totally reversible. You had to drill a hole in the guitar to put the jack in right?

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by calvanesebob

Not totally reversible. You had to drill a hole in the guitar to put the jack in right?

Even that can be mostly (admittedly never completely) reversed. You can remove the jack, plug the hole, redrill for a tapered endpin or screw in button (or just leave the plug).

About as reversible as installing a strap button at the heel or replacing the original tuning machines, adding/removing/replacing the pickguard, normal play wear, etc.