I just installed a new Thinline Gold+Plus Natural II on my Taylor 314-LTD. Since body shape and wood have so much to do with what an acoustic guitar sounds like (especially when adding a pick-up) I thought I'd say that this is a Grand Auditorium guitar, with a Spruce top, and Koa back and sides. Its tone tends to be a little brighter than the bigger-body guitars, but still has a punchy bottom end.

Pick-ups I've owned before (that didn't sound good to my ear): a K&K Pure Western soundboard transducer (I installed one of these on my band mates older Yamaha and it sounds great), and an L. R. Baggs M-1 Active soundhole pick-up. Both are good pick-ups, but to my ear didn't sound good with my particular guitar--way too thin and "woody". In the music store I've also tried a wide variety from Fishman to Seymour-Duncan, and always been disappointed. I like a good microphone, but being the leader of the band I need to move around too much to make it work.

So I decided to try an under-saddle pick-up to see how it compared, and I'm very pleased. Depending on what I'm playing through I'll get the "piezo quack" (which for some songs I actually like) or a surprisingly natural reproduction of my guitar's sound. If I go into the "DYN" input on my Schertler Unico I get quack, but through the "STAT" input I get the most natural sound I've been able to get so far--very nice. Interestingly, I also get a great natural sound going into the reverb channel on my '69 Fender Bandmaster Reverb. The pick-up can be a bit "Bassy", and so I need to dial the bass down a bit and the treble up, but once I got the settings right I was very pleased with the results: good string balance and a nice, natural sound, with the choice to go "quacky" if I want to. String noise could be an issue, too, so it's important to play cleanly to get a crisp, clear sound

The bottom line: this is the best pick-up for my guitar I've tried yet. I've been looking to quell my "amplification frustration" around my acoustic guitar for 6 or 7 years now. I gave it a "3" for Features simply because there are no onboard controls (which can be handy), and because soldering is required to install it. That just comes with the territory.

I bought this pickup for my Epiphone Dove. All I can say about the product is SUPER, SUPER, SUPER. The instructions suggest letting a professional to install it but if you can drill a hole you can install it without any problems. The sound is great with the exception of it is a little too treble for my taste. But turning down the treble and up on the bass on the amp just a little corrected this problem. The main reason I wanted this pickup was to be able to plug straight into my Korg D888 Recorder so I could record the guitar without having to mike it. The same problem with being too treble for my taste is there but is also correctable with the treble and bass buttons on the recorder. For super sound and easy installation you can't go wrong with the Martin Thinline Pickup!

I bought this pickup not knowing what I was getting into, I'm barely learning to do guitar work for myself. Not one for reading installation instructions, I had a little trouble with installation, but once installed and plugged in, it sounded beautiful! Bright, clean, nice lows, balanced mids, very professional sounding. I have a cheap Epiphone that I put this thing on, the sound is unmatched.

What else can you say about a product that works exactly as advertised! I installed in a Washburn dreadnought - it fit perfect and the sound could not be more balanced or clear - plenty of output. Download the manual and check the bridge recommendations. If the bridge slot is large enough and you have a decent amount of angle on the strings from bridge to pin hole then this is the pickup to buy! I am placing another order today to go in a Blueridge.

I had this installed in an Alvarez Jumbo Acoustic about 8yrs ago. I was going to get the cheaper version & the tech wouldn't sell it to me! Made me save for this one and I'm glad he did. Can't really say it sounds good...because it doesn't change a thing to my tone. Just does what it's supposed to and lets me plug in. Great product.