New Pick Up The World Installed: Wow!

[SpruceTop]

Martingitdave went through the PUTW #54 Boogey (with add-on onboard preamp) a couple of months ago. Likely, he'll weigh-in with his impressions of this system.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

A
Also, does anyone know the name of the new company using this same technology. The founder of PUTW broke off in the last year or so to form a new company, but I can't remember the name of it.

David Enke's new company is Open to Source Sensors:

https://opentosourcesensors.com/

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

Yes, really. All passive transducers should have a buffer and first gain stage as close to the pickup as possible - Signal Hygiene 101.

True, but a lot of SBT passive pickups have a fairly strong signal. The K&K for example puts out a fairly hot signal without a preamp. I hope some current users weigh in about the PUTW systems. I would definitely like to hear more about the adhesive.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

David Enke's new company is Open to Source Sensors:

https://opentosourcesensors.com/

Doug. Howdy. I might have known you'd be the one to know. Thanks for the link. Doug, I'm using the endpin preamp they recommend. Have you discovered any practical application to work with this rig other than that?

Also, to your knowledge, do these folks own any patents to their design? Just curious. I have ZERO interest in getting into the pickup business.

Thanks Much,
Scott Memmer

[VinceM]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

True, but a lot of SBT passive pickups have a fairly strong signal. The K&K for example puts out a fairly hot signal without a preamp. I hope some current users weigh in about the PUTW systems. I would definitely like to hear more about the adhesive.

Just as a point of clarification, the PUTW tape issues here are in regards to how the wire is secured that comes out of the pickup. Not how the pickup is stuck to the bridge plate. The pickup is really thin and light and has adhesive on one side of it that sticks it to the bridge plate. That has never come loose for me. The heavier wire needs to be secured with some additional tape so it doesn't pull off the pickup due to its own weight.

In my case sometimes this additional tape gives a bit and I get humming. Not sure if the wire is pulling off the pickup, but so far I've been able to push on the tape to fix it. However it is a worry - I never know when the pickup is going to get weird on me.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

Doug. Howdy. I might have known you'd be the one to know. Thanks for the link. Doug, I'm using the endpin preamp they recommend. Have you discovered any practical application to work with this rig other than that?

Also, to your knowledge, do these folks own any patents to their design? Just curious. I have ZERO interest in getting into the pickup business.

Thanks Much,
Scott Memmer

I don't know about a patent, but I suspect not. I recall way back when David first popped up with these, there was lots of discussion about the technology on the old RMMGA group. I seem to recall the buzz was that it was claimed to be some military or NASA material that had just become available, and David started experimenting. There were lots of versions at first, as you might guess from the numbers. I assume #27 was his 27th variation! With a #54 being a pair of 27s :-) Somewhere I probably still have some of the older revs, 10s, 20s, whatever they were. In the early days, people were taping them all over the place, including on the outside of the guitar - which I actually had better luck with sound-wise than when I tried inside the guitar - just not very practical. In any case, I'm pretty sure he didn't invent the actual material, he just applied it to a guitar pickup. There's lots of these sort of piezo-electric materials out there, used in non-musical manufacturing sensor applications. Someone could just start collecting these and trying them on guitar, which I think is basically what David did.

I've use the PUTWs with lots of preamps, from the PUTW Power Plug, to the Pendulum SPS-1, Raven Labs PMB-1, etc. It's better, I think, to have the preamp as close to the pickup as possible, but it's not 100% required. It's a pretty weak output, but almost any preamp can work. I haven't used a PUTW in a long time, but did just get a latest version with the Mi-Si preamp - doesn't actually appear to me to have changed over the years - waiting for me to get around to installing it somewhere and check it out.

[Groberts]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

As the OP here, just wanted to thank everyone for their posts. I played the pickup in church tonight (it's a crappy sounding room) and initial impressions are extremely promising. I'll be monitoring this thread, as I'm too slammed to participate, but want to pose a couple questions to other users of this rig.

Also, does anyone know the name of the new company using this same technology. The founder of PUTW broke off in the last year or so to form a new company, but I can't remember the name of it. I believe they might eventually be able to solve the preamp issue, from what I was able to gather.

Will be back....

thanks, everyone,

scott memmer

Was it Dazzo? I don’t know, but someone invited me to check out their PU’s recently.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Groberts

Was it Dazzo? I don’t know, but someone invited me to check out their PU’s recently.

No, PUTW was David Enke (now Annie Enke), and David's new company is Open to Source Sensors. Dazzo is Teddy Randazzo (wonder where he got the Dazzo name from... :-) Two completely different people, but equally wild experimenters.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

No, PUTW was David Enke (now Annie Enke), and David's new company is Open to Source Sensors. Dazzo is Teddy Randazzo (wonder where he got the Dazzo name from... :-) Two completely different people, but equally wild experimenters.

As I understand it, Doug, the Dazzo is very similar to the Trance Audio, isn't it? And I believe both of these have roots in the FRAP, from way back when. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

thanks,
scott

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

As I understand it, Doug, the Dazzo is very similar to the Trance Audio, isn't it? And I believe both of these have roots in the FRAP, from way back when. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

thanks,
scott

Dazzo and Trance are certainly in the same general camp as the Frap (SBTs, and small plastic boxes with some type of multi-dimensional sensing element inside). Teddy worked with Arnie Lazarus (inventor of the Frap) for a while and the Trance Amulet visually looks identical to the Frap pickup. Both Teddy and Gary Hull at Trance are quick to say that their designs are nothing like the Frap. So.... who knows?

PUTW on the other hand is quite different, while still being an SBT - basically a small flexible piece of braided-looking material similar to a strip of tape. PUTW seems most similar to the McIntyre, at least as far as basic appearance and, even, to some extent, sound.

At some level, there are only 3 types of pickups, USTs, SBTs, and Mags, but the devil's in the details.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Dazzo and Trance are certainly in the same general camp as the Frap (SBTs, and small plastic boxes with some type of multi-dimensional sensing element inside). Teddy worked with Arnie Lazarus (inventor of the Frap) for a while and the Trance Amulet visually looks identical to the Frap pickup. Both Teddy and Gary Hull at Trance are quick to say that their designs are nothing like the Frap. So.... who knows?

PUTW on the other hand is quite different, while still being an SBT - basically a small flexible piece of braided-looking material similar to a strip of tape. PUTW seems most similar to the McIntyre, at least as far as basic appearance and, even, to some extent, sound.

At some level, there are only 3 types of pickups, USTs, SBTs, and Mags, but the devil's in the details.

Doug, any idea what that tape material is that they use for the sensor on the soundboard? Would love to fiddle around and make my own.

thanks,
scott

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

Doug, any idea what that tape material is that they use for the sensor on the soundboard? Would love to fiddle around and make my own.

thanks,
scott

No idea myself, most of these guys keep that info to themselves. I do recall some speculation about it, you might search rec.music.makers.accoustic on google. Not sure it will go back that far, we're talking 15-20 years ago now, but maybe.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

No idea myself, most of these guys keep that info to themselves. I do recall some speculation about it, you might search rec.music.makers.accoustic on google. Not sure it will go back that far, we're talking 15-20 years ago now, but maybe.

Doug, thanks for being so knowledgeable and responsive. You are a great asset to the members of AGF, and to me as a Sponsor.

I believe on the PUTW webpage they say it's an aerospace material. Do you happen to know if they own any patents on their design or manufacturing process? Again, I have zero desire to get into the crazy world of pickups, but I backed into the pick business by making stuff for myself, so I'm a bit of a electronics nerd and like to know what makes things work.

See Ya & Thanks Again,
Scott Memmer

[martingitdave]

Glad you're enjoying the pickup! I was happy to sell it you because I figured you would appreciate it. :-)

[Charmed Life Picks]

Had, Dave, thanks. I had forgotten who had sold it to me, and had so many PMs I accidentally erased our back-and-forth.

The real test, I suppose, will be to play it with electric bass and drums in a full band and see if there are any feedback issues. I've heard these can be a little testy.

Take Care & Thanks again so much,

scott