Handywired wrote:

I've always been amazed that most single coil magnetic sound hole pickups
sound
much more natural to me than most internal piezo transducers.

Well, piezo's suck as transducers... they handle dynamics and transients in an
ugly way and have a plastic-y, coarse, sound. Plus they affect the acoustic
tone of the instrument; under the saddle is the worst possible place to put
something soft like that, acoustically.

I can tell you that Lance McCollum, using his own guitars, can install
many different under-saddle pickups with sufficient excellence that even
he can't be sure he hears a difference in the acoustic tone, and the guy
has silly good ears for the sounds of acoustic string instruments.

I like the LR Baggs I-Beam. NOT a piezo. Roll off a little low end and they
sound very natural.

And they are massive enough that they, too, must impose upon the
response of the instrument. But yes, they're more natural sounding,
sometimes.

So far the best piezo antidote I've found, regardless of pickup maker or
alleged quality of the pickup itself, is an Evil Twin DI.

--
ha