As warned by others, this pickup will definitely emit an annoying hum in particular situations. I bought it because of the sale price, but I find now that I probably will not be able to use it. However, I am not by any means putting down this pickup. I have played it through an amp in a situation where there was minimal hum, and it sounds great. It has a very "true" sound to it, accurately portraying the guitar's natural sound.

Unfortunately, one of the places where I need to use this has their lights on dimmer switches, and that sets off the hum like crazy. I EQ'd a bit of it out, but it's still enough to make it sound crappy. Not to mention, EQ-ing the bulk of the noise out ends up taking away from the pickup's (and the guitar's) natural sound. Obviously, it's a fix that does not really work out 100%.

Installation is definitely easy, but if you're a newbie and want it permanently installed (so that the jack is going through the end pin), get a pro to do it. I had a great guy install mine for only $20. The most work he did was take a drill to the hole to make it a bit larger, allowing the jack to slide through.

I plan on purchasing the humbucking model, now that I know how good a product the Rare Earth pickups are. But as I've mentioned, and others as well, if you're going to be in a situation where you suspect it'll hum (computer monitors will set it off, too), it might be best to go for the humbucking model instead of the single coil.

Excellent pick-up. It makes my POS Applause sound like a prince. Yes, there were 60 Hz noise problems with my dimmer lights and when I got too close to my KORG multi-track, but I turned off the lights and stayed 4 feet away from the KORG. Problem solved!

Outstanding acoustic sound, particularly when I added a touch of reverb. I guess the reverb helped with my fat fingers...I was in the dark!

Great piece of work, Fishman!

Alright, I have tried everything from : The M1(lrbaggs);iMIX w/blend mic(lrbaggs);Seymour Duncan Woody;ect... I have reasearched for 6 months to find an semi-perminant(unless you have to deface/cut the side of the guitar it's not permanently installed) pickup for my TAYLOR 514. I am a musician/songwriter and this guitar was a product of 8 years labor and searching for the right wood combination and scale instrument. I was afraid I would never find anything affordable that wouldn't require modification to my 514. This active single coil not only delivers, but is the warmest, loudest, with the most clarity I have heard from a "soundhole mountable" pickup. The other perk is it doesn't feedback. I haven't ran the batteries down yet, but batt. life is a small qwerk when you think about how difficult it is to find something to reproduce the sound of this grade instrument accurately. The quality is good very well made, and installation ..well breeze doesn't quite say it. You get the point. I am very happy with this product. The cork of course was an added bonus. For those of you wondering Taylors are made with a pre-drilled 1/4 hole that has a special strap peg that screws into a bushin w/ a set nut in it. Remove the peg the bushing falls out into your hand and presto you have a pre drilled hole ready for installation. Back on subject, one last thing before I go. Check out fishman's web sight before you pass by there line of rare earth pickups. You'd be surprised at what they have that just might fit your budget.

Alright, I have tried everything from : The M1(lrbaggs);iMIX w/blend mic(lrbaggs);Seymour Duncan Woody;ect... I have reasearched for 6 months to find an semi-perminant(unless you have to deface/cut the side of the guitar it's not permanently installed) pickup for my TAYLOR 514. I am a musician/songwriter and this guitar was a product of 8 years labor and searching for the right wood combination and scale instrument. I was afraid I would never find anything affordable that wouldn't require modification to my 514. This active single coil not only delivers, but is the warmest, loudest, with the most clarity I have heard from a "soundhole mountable" pickup. The other perk is it doesn't feedback. I haven't ran the batteries down yet, but batt. life is a small qwerk when you think about how difficult it is to find something to reproduce the sound of this grade instrument accurately. The quality is good very well made, and installation ..well breeze doesn't quite say it. You get the point. I am very happy with this product. The cork of course was an added bonus. For those of you wondering Taylors are made with a pre-drilled 1/4 hole that has a special strap peg that screws into a bushin w/ a set nut in it. Remove the peg the bushing falls out into your hand and presto you have a pre drilled hole ready for installation. Back on subject, one last thing before I go. Check out fishman's web sight before you pass by there line of rare earth pickups. You'd be surprised at what they have that just might fit your budget.

As a song leader for a church, the sound was fantastic. It was clear and held the natural sound of my Martin DM. Unfortunately the battery is a watch battery and I had to change it once a month. I am going to buy a passive pickup and external preamp/box