Rediscovering The DTAR Wavelength

[guitaniac]

Recent circumstances obliged me to immediately replace the pickup in my main gigging guitar. Of the two pickup systems which I had on hand, I decided to go for the "adventure" of installing the system (Shadow NanoFlex) which was unfamiliar to me.

I tried the NanoFlex through three gigs and much experimentation at home, but I could never find a satisfying (for my taste) EQ that would work for both strumming and picking. The trebles always sounded thin with picking (bare-fingered or with picks), and a sufficient amount of bass for a pleasing strumming sound would tend to obscure the thin trebles during picking.

When I swapped out the NanoFlex system for the Wavelength system, I was expecting some improvement (due to my years of experience with the Wavelength). I was a little surprised, though, at how much MORE I like the Wavelength. While the Wavelength isn't as top-responsive as an SBT or the PUTW I/O UST, it does indeed have a nice "woody" tone and the trebles are sufficiently substantial sounding. Moreover, it was very easy to EQ for a balanced tone which works equally well for strumming or picking. Lastly, it has a "zippy" response to the touch which I like. In other words, it responds well to a change in dynamics.

Even if the basic model Wavelength didn't have bass and treble tone controls on the strap-jack preamp, it would still be an excellent value for the low price. Considering that it dates all the way back to 2006 or earlier, Rick Turner and his associates deserve a lot of credit for an excellent UST that's stood the test of time. I'm very glad that I didn't choose to sell my Wavelength system after I swapped it out for an Anthem SL four or five years ago. It'll be an excellent substitute pickup while the terrific Baggs support folks are checking out that long-serving (and eventually malfunctioning) Anthem system.

If it turns out the Anthem can't be saved, I may well try matching up the Wavelength system with an internal mic or one of Dave Wendler's hybrid MagPi systems. That would be fun.

[Shoreline Music]

I was visiting a good friend in Melbourne a few years back. He asked me to bring a replacement pickup for his Taylor 610—he was a worship leader who used it onstage 3 hours a week, and the Australian shops didn't have much pickup selection. I had spent well over 500 hours onstage with him myself, and I knew exactly what would do the trick for his playing style and instrument.

After I borrowed his drill and installed a Wavelength, we plugged it into his PA, and his wife actually wept. The sound was that much better than his previous pickup.

No pickup solves every onstage problem, but I, too, am a huge fan of the Wavelength. There's a good reason that as Seymour Duncan looks to revamp and rebrand the DTAR product lineup, they're not touching the Wavelength—it's great just the way it is.

[Petty1818]

The Wavelength sounds like a fantastic undersaddle. For quite some time I was going to pair it with the K&K pure mini but decided against it. I am just not a huge fan of the Lr Baggs Element, which I believe is the UST used with the Wavelength.

On a side note, is Seymour Duncan ever going to update their website or give the general public an idea of what new products will be released? DTAR is one company that does not market itself well.

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by Shoreline Music

No pickup solves every onstage problem, but I, too, am a huge fan of the Wavelength. There's a good reason that as Seymour Duncan looks to revamp and rebrand the DTAR product lineup, they're not touching the Wavelength—it's great just the way it is.

I totally agree, John. Perhaps DTAR's only mistake with the Wavelength was overselling the idea that it would cure the piezo quack problem. There's still some quack with the Wavelength, by my understanding of the word "quack". It took the Anthem SL to cure that problem for me, but the Wavelength is certainly easier (in my experience) to EQ for a good balanced tone.

[Shoreline Music]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

On a side note, is Seymour Duncan ever going to update their website or give the general public an idea of what new products will be released? DTAR is one company that does not market itself well.

I would not expect that website to get any more updates—Seymour Duncan is looking to re-brand DTAR as Seymour Duncan (since they've been making all DTAR products from the beginning). The pickups are remaining unchanged (Load n Lock, Wavelength, Multi Source), and at least the Solstice is up for a redesign.

I'd expect to see updated web info once those updates are complete. There's currently no ETA.

John

[janmulder]

I am also a fan of the Wavelength ... on its own it's hard to imagine it is just a humble UST ... for fingerpicking it is one of the most natural sound pickups out there ... quack only rearing its head when you pick very hard with a thick pick ... and then it's hardly there.

It irritates me a bit that every time it is mentioned someone will inevitably compare it with the Baggs Element. It sounds NOTHING like the Element ... even if it uses the same undersaddle element. However, I'm not even convinced of that because the saddle height changes quite a bit between the two pickups.

I also have the Anthem in one of my guitars ... IMO the UST part of this is much inferior to the Wavelength. The great thing about the Wavelength is that it works well with other sources so is an ideal starting point for a home built UST dual source setup.

[doublescale1]

I put a Wavelength in a Taylor re-voiced Dred and I was very pleased with it - I even got a Mama Bear DTar Pre Amp and between the two of them even with hard strumming you can make the quack go away. I traded the Taylor for a Gibson Advanced Jumbo and of all things, it came with a Wavelength installed - but one with the Vol/tone on the inside of the sound hole, an upgrade from my old bare-bones Wavelength - still have and use the Mama Bear. I hope that Duncan continues to support these older DTar products.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by Shoreline Music

I would not expect that website to get any more updates—Seymour Duncan is looking to re-brand DTAR as Seymour Duncan (since they've been making all DTAR products from the beginning). The pickups are remaining unchanged (Load n Lock, Wavelength, Multi Source), and at least the Solstice is up for a redesign.

I'd expect to see updated web info once those updates are complete. There's currently no ETA.

John

Thanks John! Fingers crossed that the new Solstice is in a foot pedal format with a mute and boost switch!

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

Thanks John! Fingers crossed that the new Solstice is in a foot pedal format with a mute and boost switch!

Andy Mckee uses a Solstice in his live performances and his tone is fantastic. Like you, I hope to see it designed more along the lines of Radial PZ Pre- but I think if Seymour Duncan has their hands in the R&D we will see something that is a direct competitor rather than just a clone. Just my thoughts.

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by Dakedi

I am also a fan of the Wavelength ... on its own it's hard to imagine it is just a humble UST ... for fingerpicking it is one of the most natural sound pickups out there ... quack only rearing its head when you pick very hard with a thick pick ... and then it's hardly there.

It irritates me a bit that every time it is mentioned someone will inevitably compare it with the Baggs Element. It sounds NOTHING like the Element ... even if it uses the same undersaddle element. However, I'm not even convinced of that because the saddle height changes quite a bit between the two pickups.

I also have the Anthem in one of my guitars ... IMO the UST part of this is much inferior to the Wavelength. The great thing about the Wavelength is that it works well with other sources so is an ideal starting point for a home built UST dual source setup.

My Wavelength is in a guitar which already has two holes (for strap-jacks) through the tail block. I'm seriously considering adding a mic, since I've (finally) had some good success with EQing the MiniFlex2Mic in another guitar.

Another dual source option would be adding one of Dave Wendler's MagPi systems. I've used MagPi-equipped guitars in the past and am still intrigued by the system. I like the MagPi's touch response and unique (albeit somewhat "electric") tone.

[Petty1818]

It looks like the Dtar website is gone now so hopefully that's a good sign for some new products. You can still see their pickups on the Seymour Duncan site but the solstice and Equinox are gone.

[guitaniac]

Yep, a DTAR search takes me to the Seymour Duncan site now. That's a recent development.

Its interesting to note that the Seymour Duncan site has the basic Wavelength system listed as being for nylon string guitars. That seems strange, since one would think that the great majority of Wavelength systems currently in use are in steel-stringers. Also, the Wavelength Multi-Source is listed as being for steel-stringers.

[Beagle1]

+1 on everything in this thread!

I found the DTAR Wavelength to be an excellent all-around pickup. In the end, I found I like the Anthem SL slightly more but I do agree that the Element UST is a bit of weak-link in the Anthem in terms of the tone and dynamic response. As mentioned, the Wavelength and Element share the same pickup material, but the Wavelength sounds so much better. I'm guessing it's down to whatever voltage multiplier circuitry DTAR designed into the 18v preamp. But in any case, it would be cool if the Baggs folks could do something similar to improve the tone and dynamic response of the Element. It would make the Anthem pretty hard to beat!

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Another new and very satisfied Wavelength user here.

For other Wavelength users: What preamp/DI are you using?

I have a Fishman Aura Spectrum, but I find the Wavelength actually sounds better directly into my Carvin AG200!(?) I've never experienced this before. Even my K&K equipped guitars get a slight tone enhancement going through the Aura Spectrum (with either no or very little image blend).

There are beautiful, subtle right hand nuances that I get using the Wavelength that seem to be somewhat lost when going through the Aura Spectrum.

This Wavelength is the best acoustic pickup I've ever used by a mile.

(and on a side note John and AGF Forum sponsor Shoreline Music are wonderful vendors and great folks to deal with - Highly recommended...no financial interest on my part.)

[guitaniac]

Ed-In-Ohio,

I'm using an old Fishman Platinum Pro EQ with my basic (no volume control) Wavelength system. It doesn't really require much EQ, but the Platinum's tunable midrange allows me to find the sweet spot for a modest mid cut. (I should mention that I have the Wavelength's onboard bass and treble controls set flat.)

Other Platinum features which help with the Wavelength are the Platinum's high headroom (it has a voltage doubler), a full range trim/gain control (as opposed to the Baggs PADI which has a minimum gain of +3db), a smooth and fine-tunable volume control and a "smooth" control which helps with quack (though I use it very conservatively - too much can dull the high end).

The Platinum also has other nice features (phase inversion, supports phantom power, has a separate output to take to a tuner) which are more general in nature (as opposed to being specifically helpful with the Wavelength).


Although my Wavelength system has served me well (once again), a Baggs Anthem SL system will soon be going back in the guitar. The terrific LR Baggs support team has found the problem with my long-serving Anthem SL system and replaced the Tru mic which had gone bad. From my perspective, the Baggs support team deserves every bit of the high praise which they get on this forum. They've been very good to me over the years.