Artec MSP50

Single coil passive no volume control. Check the jack option that suits you. "MSP 50 features adjusted pole pieces and unique design of magnetic bar inside for precise string to string balance"

Useing it on my new Washburn Rosewood. This was a new guitar purchase and my old Seymour Duncan will not fit this new Washburn.

Playing it thru my Fender Super Champ on the acoustic voice or just straight tube. It has a nice bright sound when picked and a smooth clear acoustic sound when strummed. Depending on your playing style and the guitar you use, this could be what you are looking for. I play folk and classic rock so it suits me fine.

If something happened I would replace it. In fact thinking about useing this one on my old Guild and buying one to fit permanently on my Washburn D10DL. I have been playing for many years and I can say this is a steal.Only downside it is basic no features but makes up for it in sound.

Like everyone has observed, this is your basic single-coil soundhole pickup. I bought it as a kit with the Artec EPP passive pre-amp, but I did not use the EPP.

I started with a cheap, Squier DG-6 acoustic dreadnaught. Laminate top, not a great sounding acoustic, but with nice action and easy to play. Then, I installed a Samick soundhole pick-up which had passive volume and tone controls. It wasn't bad, turning my acoustic in a passable electric guitar.

But I wasn't done. I then bought an Artec CLE-3 Preamp and piezo pickup kit intending to convert the Squier to an true acoustic/electric. I installed the preamp, and for the heck of it before installing the piezo, I hooked the Samick through the CLE-3. The result was outstanding! The CLE-3 made the Samick sound twice as good.

The thing was, the Samick looked too funky, and the Artec MSP50 looked much more professional. Besides, I didn't need the passive tone and volume controls on the Samick with the CLE-3. So I bought an Artec kit with the MSP-50 and the EPP. I replaced the Samick with the MSP-50 through the CLE-3. The EPP, Samick, and piezo pickups are all sitting in a box, waiting for another project.

The combination of the MSP-50 and the CLE-3 makes for a very nice single-coil sound. It has a sound reminiscent of the acoustic guitars with a single coil pickup often seen in the early to mid-60's. It tends to have a pleasantly "jangly" vibe when strummed. And, I tend to mostly be a strummer playing acoustic guitar to accompany myself singing or as part of a church witness band.

If This one bit the dust, I'd dig out the Samick from my box of old junk. It doesn't really sound any better, but it looks better. Besides, I find myself playing my new Alvarez 12 string most of the time now.

I'm totally satisfied with it. It is what it is, and it does what it does. I've heard thousands of guitars that sound different, but few that sounded better. Since most evaluations of tone are totally subjective, all I can say is that I like the way it sounds.

A single coil passive acoustic guitar soundhole pickup.

I put this on an Applause AA-35 12-string acoustic jumbo

I use it through my korg ax-10 processor and it sounds great. but straight through my 60 watt chorus amp the sound is very natural and well balanced. I did not even need to adjust the individual pots on the pick-up, it sounded great right from the box.

I would replace it in a heart beat if were stolen. I have several guitars with built in pickups, and they don't sound as natural as this one. I have trued a fishman rare earth, and the sound is comparable, and at a fraction of the cost you can't go wrong. I would recommend this to anyone on a budget, you won't be disappointed. I play out everyother week and use this setup in conjuction with my es35 and my 6 string elec/acc, having the 12=string gives great versatility.

Pickup features: single coil passive soundhole pickup.
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Tanglewood TW15fpp
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: Fishman prefix-plus system
Artists using this pickup: none I know of.
You musical style(s): Acoustic,all sorts of stuff, jazzy, rocky, ballady,spanishy country stuff..allsorts!
Reason for pickup change: Just adding another sound to guitar to take the edge of the piezo attack off a little.

Perceived output level: pretty hot, like the prefix on three quarters or slightly more!
Tone: very balanced once B string polepiece was lowered. Very clear and warm!
Sonic evaluation: I put this into my Tanglewood "working" guitar, with a second jack, so I run the fishman into one channel then this one into another(of whatever P.A., either the house one or my own johnson), and occasionally if I'm in a band situation I'll just run this pickup and not plug in the piezo at all.
This was so cheap I expected it to be awful....but it is the best sounding pup I ever heard in an acoustic. I had to lower the B string pole, because at first it overpowered everything else, but now it really is nice and even, much more than the factory fitted fishman undersaddle in my guitar.
When used in tadem with my piezo it realy brings out the country style bends and hammer-ons I love so much.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It is an excellent pick-up,despite the low price, get one!! It totally surprised me!

Comments: I bought another one today for my other acoustic, a no-name one I found at a car boot sale and sounds lovely.
If it was stolen I would be mad,but buy another straight away.
I play out 4 nights a week, usually 2 paying gigs, one church group and I run an open mic night.
I like this pick-up and I LOVE the price.
I'd like to try a rare earth from fishman, but it's literally ten times the price!!

Pickup features: Single coil, passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Alvarez AF60CK
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Sunrise
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Not sure, but I'm certain more would if they tried it.
You musical style(s): Fingerstyle jazz/fusion/latin/funk/blues.
Reason for pickup change: Couldn't afford another Sunrise.

Perceived output level: Not as hot as a Sunrise, but more output than most of the rest.
Tone: Clear and balanced throughout the frequency range of the guitar.
Sonic evaluation: The guitar is an Alvarez AF60CK (concert size koa with cutaway). I took out the under-saddle piezo system because I never liked the way it sounded no matter what I tried. I replaced it with the Artec MSP50 soundhole pickup and volume and tone pots. I don't use typical bronze acoustic guitar strings; I use GHS Semi-Flat Nickel Wrap (a.k.a., Rollerwound) True Mediums. I use this setup through a Fender Princeton 65 in which I replaced the stock speaker with a Jensen C12Q (i.e., my style is more about the guitar playing rather than getting an amp speaker to break up nicely). I mike the amp wherever I go using a Shure SM57. It's a very simple rig, but that's all I need to get the job done.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: The Artec MSP50 captures all my articulation and amplifies it beautifully.

Comments: I've been playing for over thirty years and have owned a lot of different guitars, pickups, amps, mikes, etc., and have spent literally thousands of hours at home and in studios experimenting with various setups. A few years ago I injured a hand in an accident and was unable to play and support myself for a living. During that time I had to let go of a Taylor acoustic (among other things) that was rigged with a Sunrise pickup system in order to help pay the bills. After I was able to play again, I wasn't in good financial shape, so I had to be very economic about purchasing musical equipment. That's how I gave the Artec MSP50 a try, as well as the other gear I previously mentioned. Now I'm kicking myself for having spent all that money in the past on high end guitars, big name pickups, boutique amps, etc., because I've learned that their added value is minimal. Even the sound engineers I work with say it all sounds as good if not better than the old setup.
If you think about it, even the budget stuff for sale today is higher quality than the pricey stuff we had just twenty years ago. For the most part, everything is engineered better, and the Artec MSP50 is a perfect example of that. And that's right, it's made in Korea like just about everything else nowadays. Who would've thought, huh?

Pickup features: Single coil passive soundhole mounted pickup
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Newporter
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Shadow
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Jon Fletcher
You musical style(s): folk, jazz, soul, all points between
Reason for pickup change: see review of the Shadow Triple Play sound System...

Perceived output level: pretty high
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: Simplicity itself! I use this on my Fender acoustic either DI'd or into a Laney amp, and usually take the signal from the pickup when recording as well as mic'ing. Either way it sounds fine, nicely balanced, plenty of bottom end, but not boomy. Clear in the mid and high range. Smooth. A good all-round sound.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: Build quality is fine, fits securely in place, hardly blocks any of the soundhole, it's passive (so no messing about with batteries) and has pole-pieces so you can get a perfect string balance (in fact the balance was perfect straight out of the box). Only criticism is the supplied endpin jack has to be tightened up occasionally (this is easily replaced)
You'd pay twice the price for a Fishman Rare Earth, (to which this pickup bears a resemblance) for no obvious advantage.
Highly recommended.