acoustic guitar percussion tapping

[John Mazzarella <jmazzarella@erols.com>]

"William R. Walker," wrote:

>  What Taylor is doing with their new expression pickup systems, though 
>not
> what I'd consider revolutionary, is addressing the issue of multi-source
> pickups for guitar in a somewhat novel way. The practice of having 
>multiple
> pickups on the guitar to broaden the tonal spectrum ( and to a degree, 
>mask
> the individual pickup's weaknesses) has been around since before the late
> great Michael Hedges started banging on a Martin with a Sunrise and a 
>pair
> of Frap piezo sensors. Taylor is doing it with small disc shaped magnetic
> sensors embedded in the neck and the sound board just below the bridge. 
>The
> first one I tried had single coil hum (florescent light issues), but they
> have corrected that problem, and indeed sound very good. In a similar 
>vein
> Rick Turner has been installing systems for people like David Crosby
> Jackson Browne, and Jeff Pevar that utilize the new D-Tar Timbre-line 18
> volt piezo system coupled with a Duncan Mag mic. This gives a three 
>source
> system of under saddle piezo, magnetc, and condenser mic. With a multi
> source system you simply have a wider pallet of tone colors, however it
> also requires more investment and a need for a mixer blender of some 
>kind.
> I think one reason why people who play very percussively and/or
> aggressively on acoustic don't like under saddle pickups is most systems
> are underpowered. Every 9 volt powered system I've ever owned( Fishman
> matrix, takamine, ovation,b-band, highlander) has suffered the same
> problems when driven hard. They simply crap out in the high frequencies 
>and
> sound tinny and compressed. The timbreline I had installed sounds 
>fantastic
> no matter how hard I drive it. That being said, for those who want more
> body sound for percussive tapping either need to consider a multi-source
> system, or perhaps peizo sensors mounted to the underside of the guitar 
>top
> (like Michael did with his Fraps).  On a related note Rick Turner, Kevin
> Beller, and the design team at D-TAR have finally got a working model of
> The Mama Bear (working title),a very intriguing acoustic guitar processor
> that allows you to take an incoming acoustic pickup signal and apply
> various acoustic models (for lack of a better term) to that signal. In
> other words you can make your small body taylor sound like a dreadnaught,
> a parlor guitar, or archtop jazz, or jango style jazz guitar, etc.. I am 
>on
> the list for beta testing so I may get a crack at one very soon. It will 
>be
> unveiled at the Healdsburg Guitar Festival on Saturday August 16, with
> Lawrence Juber and Rick Turner, at the ungodly hour of 9 a.m. I'm gonna 
>try
> to make it, or as Jimi Hendrix once told Dick Cavet,
>  " every morning, I try to get up"
>
> Bill Walker

On this topic.  I use a Yamaha FPX-300 guitar.  I bought it because it got
great reviews for a gigging steel string acoustic for fingerpickers guitar.
The string spacing is wider like a classical guitar, which is why I got it.
One of the benefits is that it has an under saddle pickup and a in the body
mic.  You can blend the sounds.  For percussive sounds to use in loops, I 
just
raise the internal mics level a bit and it works great.  Although, you do 
have
to watch for feedback.

John
www.johnmazzarella.com