Thanks to:
B-Band
Gryphon Stringed Instruments
K&K Sound
Pickup The World
SC Laboratories
Schatten Design
Shoreline Acoustic Music
for generously providing some of the pickups tested on this site.

This pages has a collection of sound samples that capture and compare the sounds of different acoustic guitar pickups. The approach is to record each pickup, directly into a digital recorder, so that you can hear what the pickup itself sounds like. Although I was originally inspired to create these tests by web posts where people asked about using pickups for home recording, It's important to understand that pickups are best suited for live performance. Most people will agree that pickups cannot compete with a good microphone for serious recording. At the same time, many people would like to use pickups for home recording, both as a convenience, and as a way to avoid the need for a good sounding room, expensive microphones, isolation from noises, and so on.

These recorded tests cannot capture all of the elements that are important for live performance. You may be able to extrapolate some information from these tests about how various pickups will act in a live performance setting, but be very careful about drawing conclusions. Your guitar, your choice of amplification, how loud you play, the type of music, and so on, will all have a major impact, and these aspects often matter far more than the pickup itself.  But perhaps these samples can be helpful when you are starting to choose a pickup.

Note: It probably goes without saying, but computer speakers are probably not the best way to audition these samples. To hear these samples at their best, listen over a good speaker system.

How the Comparisons Were Done (Also see Tech Notes)

Each test has two parts. Each guitar is  recorded using a pair of Neumann TLM103 microphones and simultaneously recorded with a pickup. For each guitar/pickup pair, I recorded three short sound clips. Clip 1 is a fingerstyle example. I play with acrylic nails and a thumbpick. Clip 2 uses some tapping, slapping, hammer-ons and pull-offs, while Clip 3 is some strumming, played with a flatpick. The idea was to uncover any strengths or weaknesses of the pickup for each of these playing styles. The mics act as a control element, and give you an idea what the guitar itself sounds like.

In this test, all pickups were recorded "as-is", flat and dry with no EQ. Dual source pickup systems are recorded with equal volume in stereo, with each pickup panned hard right and left. The sound of any of these pickups can be changed substantially with EQ. With dual sources, you can achieve different sounds by blending the two, or even blending with the mic tracks. Remember that in live performance, you probably won't get the extreme stereo effect some of the stereo dual sources have on these recordings.  If you want to experiment, download the clips and try your own blending, EQ, effects, etc. As an example of what you might do with a little processing, here are some mixes I created, with reverb, EQ, etc.

As with everything, your mileage may vary, depending on your equipment, guitar, playing style, and so on.  I've made every effort to be sure the pickups were installed correctly (when I installed them myself), but it is always possible that some pickup installations will sound different than others (Some pickups are very sensitive to placement, and can sound different with even the smallest change in position).

Suggestions on how to make this site more useful is always welcome. Just send me e-mail. 

Acknowledgments:

The idea for this comparison was inspired by Fran Guidry's Mic Comparison, as well as Ken Totushek's "guitar quiz". Thanks to those who have lent guitars for these tests, as well.

The Tests