Tell me about the DTar Wave length system
- Thread starter Ascension
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Ascension
Well-known member
Re: Tell me about the D-Tar Wave length system
Re: Tell me about the D-Tar Wave length system
Nobody here has any insight on how the D-Tar stuff stacks up against say Fishman and Baggs??
Surprising in that it is a Seymour Duncan product and this is the DUNCAN board so???
Re: Tell me about the D-Tar Wave length system
Nobody here has any insight on how the D-Tar stuff stacks up against say Fishman and Baggs??
Surprising in that it is a Seymour Duncan product and this is the DUNCAN board so???
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Re: Tell me about the DTar Wave length system
never tried em other than in a guild guitar i borrowed for a show. it sounded great but cant really give any insight into it.
i use a magmic for my acoustic stuff and have thought about putting an undersaddle pup in but never done it. ill be doing a decent amount of solo acoustic shows this summer so maybe ill give it a whirl
never tried em other than in a guild guitar i borrowed for a show. it sounded great but cant really give any insight into it.
i use a magmic for my acoustic stuff and have thought about putting an undersaddle pup in but never done it. ill be doing a decent amount of solo acoustic shows this summer so maybe ill give it a whirl
Re: Tell me about the DTar Wave length system
The Wavelength dual source is not worth the money. I recommend the plain version of the Wavelength -- it is great. All the add-ons suck . . . away the value. Specifically: (1) the Lock 'n Load requires a you to drill giant hole in your guitar to make the already easy task of replacing the batteries a bit quicker; (2) the volume module, while discrete, prevents you from using a sound hole feedback buster, which is absolutely indispensable and unparalleled in certain situations; and (3) the Dual-Source presents the same problem as the volume module and, from what I can tell, only detracts from the tone and adds unwanted right hand noise . . . I hear no ambient airiness as advertised.
Amplified Acoustic Bipartisanism dictates that D-Tar users cannot use Fishman or LR Baggs equipment in forming their opinions. This is similar to the requirement that Republicans must form their opinions solely from Fox, and Democrats must form theirs from CNN. That said, acoustic politics have not prevented me from checking out some other pickups including Highlander and K&K. Highlander is the best, but it is a ***** to install correctly and maintain. For example, if you string your guitar wrong, you can lose the pickup's response to an entire string -- that happened to me yesterday. The K&K Pure Mini is cheap and good for the price, but it needs EQ adjustment prior to reaching the board to scoop its mediocre mids and to adjust the output impedance so it can play well with other piezo systems. The K&K has the best response to percussives.
I'm thinking about trying a magnetic . . .
The Wavelength dual source is not worth the money. I recommend the plain version of the Wavelength -- it is great. All the add-ons suck . . . away the value. Specifically: (1) the Lock 'n Load requires a you to drill giant hole in your guitar to make the already easy task of replacing the batteries a bit quicker; (2) the volume module, while discrete, prevents you from using a sound hole feedback buster, which is absolutely indispensable and unparalleled in certain situations; and (3) the Dual-Source presents the same problem as the volume module and, from what I can tell, only detracts from the tone and adds unwanted right hand noise . . . I hear no ambient airiness as advertised.
Amplified Acoustic Bipartisanism dictates that D-Tar users cannot use Fishman or LR Baggs equipment in forming their opinions. This is similar to the requirement that Republicans must form their opinions solely from Fox, and Democrats must form theirs from CNN. That said, acoustic politics have not prevented me from checking out some other pickups including Highlander and K&K. Highlander is the best, but it is a ***** to install correctly and maintain. For example, if you string your guitar wrong, you can lose the pickup's response to an entire string -- that happened to me yesterday. The K&K Pure Mini is cheap and good for the price, but it needs EQ adjustment prior to reaching the board to scoop its mediocre mids and to adjust the output impedance so it can play well with other piezo systems. The K&K has the best response to percussives.
I'm thinking about trying a magnetic . . .
Evan Skopp
SDUGF Founder
Re: Tell me about the DTar Wave length system
Welcome to the UGF, Acuestick. By way of disclosure, I am a co-founder and one of the original owners of D-TAR, so my comments reflect my bias.
The 7/8" hole is only slightly wider diameter than the normal end-pin hole. And it's drilled in the end-pin block which is nearly tonally inert. There is a big aluminum collar that's removed for battery access. But the size of that collar isn't reflective of the diameter of the battery access hole. Second, the Load 'n Lock (note the product name) is not available in the Multi-Source version. Just the standard, single-source WaveLength, and it's primarily an OEM product that was used semi-exclusvely in mid-2000s USA-made Guilds.
If you're hearing right-hand noise (which I have not experienced myself), it's likely because of the microphone, not the control module which is mounted to the underside of the soundboard. As for not hearing airiness from the microphone, that is completely odd to me. Perhaps you're not using the controls correctly. One of the thumbwheels is for mic volume. You can dial it in from 0% to 100%. (The UST is on 100% all the time). When you bring in the mic anywhere over 50%, you should definitely hear the airiness.
By the way, there's an easy mod wherein you can switch the Multi-Source to stereo output, so with a stereo cable, the UST and mic are split on-board. Then, with a device like a Solstice, you can put separate gain, EQ, or effects on each signal.
The Multi-Source is a top notch, totally pro, piezo-mic system. It's used as standard equipment by Martin and Guild. In fact, Martin's decision to use it was based on blind sound testing of nearly all the available piezo pickup systems. Lots of artists use them. James Taylor played one in my Martin OOO-15 (with the stereo mod) and bought one on the spot for his latest Olson. Laurence Juber switched from the (amazing) Mag Mic to the Multi-Source. If you're familiar with him as an artist and as one of the most respected ears in the acoustic world, that's quite a thing.
Anyway, I think Fishman and Baggs made great products. In fact, the undersaddle element in the Multi-Source is the same one used in some Baggs systems (but everything else is D-TAR exclusive). I just think D-TAR's high-voltage, high-headroom preamp is a "better mousetrap." YMMV.
Welcome to the UGF, Acuestick. By way of disclosure, I am a co-founder and one of the original owners of D-TAR, so my comments reflect my bias.
The 7/8" hole is only slightly wider diameter than the normal end-pin hole. And it's drilled in the end-pin block which is nearly tonally inert. There is a big aluminum collar that's removed for battery access. But the size of that collar isn't reflective of the diameter of the battery access hole. Second, the Load 'n Lock (note the product name) is not available in the Multi-Source version. Just the standard, single-source WaveLength, and it's primarily an OEM product that was used semi-exclusvely in mid-2000s USA-made Guilds.
If you're hearing right-hand noise (which I have not experienced myself), it's likely because of the microphone, not the control module which is mounted to the underside of the soundboard. As for not hearing airiness from the microphone, that is completely odd to me. Perhaps you're not using the controls correctly. One of the thumbwheels is for mic volume. You can dial it in from 0% to 100%. (The UST is on 100% all the time). When you bring in the mic anywhere over 50%, you should definitely hear the airiness.
By the way, there's an easy mod wherein you can switch the Multi-Source to stereo output, so with a stereo cable, the UST and mic are split on-board. Then, with a device like a Solstice, you can put separate gain, EQ, or effects on each signal.
The Multi-Source is a top notch, totally pro, piezo-mic system. It's used as standard equipment by Martin and Guild. In fact, Martin's decision to use it was based on blind sound testing of nearly all the available piezo pickup systems. Lots of artists use them. James Taylor played one in my Martin OOO-15 (with the stereo mod) and bought one on the spot for his latest Olson. Laurence Juber switched from the (amazing) Mag Mic to the Multi-Source. If you're familiar with him as an artist and as one of the most respected ears in the acoustic world, that's quite a thing.
Anyway, I think Fishman and Baggs made great products. In fact, the undersaddle element in the Multi-Source is the same one used in some Baggs systems (but everything else is D-TAR exclusive). I just think D-TAR's high-voltage, high-headroom preamp is a "better mousetrap." YMMV.
