Schertler Magnetico AG6 Black

The best magnetic acoustic guitar pickup... … and I’ve tried many: Baggs M80 (2nd best I’ve found, but still magnetic-sounding), Baggs M1, Sunrise, Seymour Duncan, various Fishman, etc. All of these are starkly “electric guitar sounding" in the treble end (OK in the bass). Some allow pole adjustments and burying the treble string-poles deep in the pickup helps, but still does not get rid of the electronic sound. The Schertler Magnetico is the exception. Even though there’s no pole adjustment, the pickup (without the add-on mic) is the most natural-sounding of the lot. With the add-on mic, either direct to DAW, or on stage, what I hear, sounds like my Martin D-41. And there’s no annoying piezo quack. Is feedback a problem on stage? Could be. So far, after a few gigs in small clubs, I have not had a problem, though I suspect in a big room with a lot of volume or in a concert venue, feedback, given the position of the mic (see pic), could be a problem. One reviewer at Amazon said the pickup won’t fit in his Martin HD-28. Balderdash. The soundhole on that guitar and my D-41 are identical and the pickup does go in, but you have to completely detach one of the clamps, but that’s true on the Baggs units as well and those clamps are a lot harder to get back on inside the guitar. Not only the Magnetico (with the mic) beats all other magnetics I’ve tried, it beats any piezo I've tried (Baggs, Fishman, K&K), and is less “fussy” than trying to balance dual-source systems like the Baggs Anthem. Any negatives? Yes. There are two thumb wheels on the pickup. One for volume, one to mix the balance between the magnetic and the mic. They are so small and stiff, that working them is hard even with the guitar off your body. I just set them and forget them. I dial in about 70% magnetic and 30% mic. The mic is a condenser mic. Schertler calls it: Schertler S-MIC-M. One other plus: Installation. Assuming you have a jack hole drilled in the butt of your guitar, installation is a snap. You can do it yourself. As my five-star rating indicates, I heartily recommend this pickup. Available in faux wood grain and black.

Submitted by: BT on 04/17/2024 09:48:38 AM