Customer Reviews

Dean Markely Strings ProMag Grand Pickup

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I admit...I had real reservations about a humbucking, in-the-soundhole pickup being able to reproduce acoustic sounds. But the Dean Markley ProMag Grand does exactly that.

It accurately reproduces your acoustic guitar's own sound, without coloring or changing it. The lows are low, the highs are shimmering and even under flourescent lighting...no buzz!! With it's black and gold lacquer finish, it even looks great.

The ProMag Grand has made me a believer. I give it four stars, only because I prefer a full size plug and some stress relief on the cord.
Otherwise...its a five!

Pros: The sound is very good to excellent, I noticed no holes in the range of the fretboard. I like the subdued dark color of it (the pickup not the sound), and the installation is easy enough. I noticed no problem with volume, it has as good an output as any of my passive electric guitar pickups. It is not a valid comparison to compare this to a powered acoustic pickup system. I did not have to change gain or volume levels past halfway for a good room-filling sound. The room I play in is a standard to small size parlor, and my amp of choice for this arena is a Bugera Vintage 5.

The price I got for this pickup was very good, less than thirty dollars, and that was the deciding factor on this purchase versus a different brand. I notice the price fluctuates wildly on Amazon, so watch for a good deal.

Cons: As mentioned by another reviewer, there is a small area of resonance in the body of this thing, whereby if you tap it with your pick while strumming or picking, it will produce a very loud tapping sound. This doesn't happen across the entire length, it's mostly under the G and B strings, perhaps not coincidentally where the cord enters the body. I alleviated that to my satisfaction by making sure I seated it as deep into the soundhole as possible, and pushing it back toward the bridge, as my playing is usually to the front of the soundhole.

This thing comes with a 1/4" all-metal plug, of a type I have never seen before. When I first plugged it in, the connection was intermittent, and it took some wiggling to get consistent sound. I wanted to investigate this initial intermittent connection, so I loosened the set screw on the metal housing and gave the cord a very slight tug. The cord completely disconnected itself from the housing, and I saw that the end of the cord appeared to be cut off clean at the attachment point of tip and ring. So it looks like another reviewer's note that the cord is stiff and lacking stress relief is very valid. I intend to modify this cord anyway, shortening it and attaching a female jack, so no big deal for me. I was able to make a quick and dirty repair so the pickup is useful until I gather the parts I need to make the mod.

Too late to make a long story short, but be aware that the plug is cheesy and apparently less than adequate care is taken on assembly.

This is a probably the best inexpensive pickup you can buy! The sound is not only good, but there is no hum like I have experienced from other brands I have tried. You can't go wrong with this one. The only con, is the cord. It is too stiff! It could be made a little softer and more flexible. Having said that, I would still recommend it!

Using it on my Takamine f349, with Elixir Phosphor Bronze extra lights. This pickup amplifies the tone beautifully! Very flat response, no need to worry about mid or treble boosts. There is no equalization.

The drawback is that it doesn't get very loud. Plugged into a P/A system, my buddy's undersaddle pickup drowns my sound out, the sound man has to crank the gain very high to get mine to a matching level, which isn't good. His Gain is at 10 oclock, Volume about 2/3, my Gain is at about 3 oclock, Volume maxxed. I don't want to keep causing a strain on the system.

This is a great sounding pickup, it is just too quiet! An active soundhole pickup is the way to go. Someone told me the difference between my buddy's and my pickups is obvious. My guitar sounds good, straight acoustic with no power. The sound and the strings are great, but the pickup is a level below.

Just wanted to warn anyone that is considering buying this pickup, or any other pickup.
First, Check that your guitar will support the pickup. This pickup, for example, is a magnetic pickup. That means that you must have all metal strings in order to use it. It will only work with Acoustic guitars with all metal strings. It will not work with a classical, or nylon string guitar. That would be a different type of pickup. They are available for nylon string guitars, but this is not one of them.

Second, Check the opening of your guitar. The sound hole in the guitar should be large enough to support this pickup from being inserted. If you sound hole is a little smaller than the width of this product. You may be okay. I would not risk more than a quarter, 1/4, of an inch shorter on each side. Otherwise you will be required to modify the length of the pickup by shaving down the housing. This is a destructive process and can damage the pickup. So be sure that it will fit.

Have other equipment. You have decided to buy this pickup, that is fine. Do you have an amp? This pickup will help to hear the guitar, but an amp is still required. This pickup will also NOT work with a recording device, or computer. You must have a preamp for that functionality, or mixing board that performs amplification.

I cannot state if this pickup is any good. I got mine and it did not work. I tried it on my Honer acoustic guitar, and on my classical. That is how I found out that there were different types of pickups. I thought that if it did not work on one guitar I might use it on another. It still did not work. I tried it out on an amp and on the computer. Neither worked.

Then when I contacted Amazon about a return they said it was my fault and said I may not get all my refund back. What a load of garbage. I am still waiting to find out if they will give me back the whole amount.

I also had problems fitting it in another guitar I own. The sound hole was a little small and Dean Markely stated that I had to cut the ends off of one side of the pickup. That was the only way to get it to fit. They also informed me to be careful doing it because I could damage it. That is when I said No way and returned it. I don't perform surgery on my equipment. I spend too much money on equipment to rig something. I want something that works right when I buy it. I have been a long time buyer on Amazon. Since the 90's. I have had some really bad purchases in the last couple months. I hope that Amazon is not going the way of the Ebay, or Craigslist. Those sites are scam central.