Dean Markley La Jolla (Active Model 3106)

The La Jolla is a two pickup system comprising a magnetic pickup at the sound hole and a saddle piezo pickup which feeds into a preamp built into the strap pin jack they call an accelerator jack. The combination permits true stereo output when using a Y cable.

I installed this system in my 1954 Guild D 25 guitar. The biggest pain was getting the old strap end pin out of the guitar. I finally used a pair of diagonal cutters and some scrap wood and pried it out. I wasn't too crazy about drilling out the hole to fit the new "strap Jack" either but what's a few shavings from an old guitar....right. Drilling a hole under the saddle to allow the piezo transducer cord to go thru didn't thrill me to pieces either but at least it's hidden under the saddle. If I ever restore the guitar it won't matter.
I had used a Barcus Berry contact piezo pickup before this but it was all midrange. I never got a good sound wherever I stuck it with the mounting tape. I researched Dean Markley's lineup as well as other brands and settled on the La Jolla because of the true stereo capability. I really wanted to run stereo.

The two pickups are pretty well matched for volume. I run both pickups into separate channels of a Yamaha mx12-4 mixer feeding JBL house speakers. Each pickup is panned fully left and right. I have a slew of stomp boxes for my electric setup to choose from but I like the sound of this system as it is thru the JBL's with no house fx either. Neither pickup alone matches a properly miked guitar but mikes have their own problems such as feedback and having to keep a constant mike distance. I hate that. Being able to mix the two pickups and run stereo makes up for the lack of a mike. Markley also makes a system with an installed mike but it is not stereo, and as I said before I love the width a stereo setup allows. If I was a die-hard folky I probably would go with a mike but since I use my acoustic as a complement in an otherwise electric rock band setting this system fits our setup quite well.

If this was lost or stolen I'd either cry or kill the muh fuh because my '54 Guild would be gone with it. If my replacement guitar had a good pickup in it I might not replace it, but it would have to be damn good. If it wasn't, I would buy this system in a moment. Running stereo, the sound is so big. I've been playing 35 years and my guild/Markley is one of 17 guitars including several Jackson electrics, tele, Strat, Les Paul and a Gurian acoustic. If Markley made a stereo system with a mike and either the piezo or magnetic pickup with the mike, I would try it, but I won't give up stereo for a mono even if it has a mike. I have to give this category a 10 because as well as stereo separation, each pickup has comparable sound to other transducers of similar kind I tried, but the price for these two is not much different than for one of other brands. This is good value for the dollar.

The Dean Markley West Coast La Jolla Acoustic Guitar pickup system consists of 2 separate pickups (Magnetic and Piezo)that is wired for stereo, and is an active pickup.

The installation booklet pretty much sums up the features:

24-K gold-plated transducer pickup w/ mini plug connector
Tahoe magnetic soundhole pickup with gold adjustable pole pieces
24-k gold plated "River" accelerator jack with built in discrete class A pre-amp solderless mini jack connector.

Put this pickup in an old Guild D-44, first time that I have ever installed a pickup in a guitar...the modifications to the guitar (sanding down the saddle, drilling the endpin hole for the jack, while easy, was nerve racking for a first timer on an old guitar.

I chose this pickup set because I liked the idea of a combination of the 2 pickups. Installation was easy.

Output is very good, I use this pickup with my Carvin AG100D amp. With the 2 channels on the amp, I can put a stereo jack into the guitar and plug each pickup into a separate channel on the amp and and the tones/effects that I can get with this pickup combination is unbelieveable. My guitar sounds great and have gotten alot of compliments on the sound of the guitar.

If it were stolen, I'd definitely replace it with the same product.

The area's of concern that I had are with the manufacturer and the packaging. The parts listing in the installation booklet says that I should have had screws that came with the battery holder. Those were not in the package. Also, in the installation booklet, there is absolutely nothing that explains how to install the battery clip. I had to go to the (West Coast Series Trilogy system) and download that installation booklet to figure out how to make the installation. I had sent a question to Dean Markley's customer service area on their website, but never got an answer. The rating for this section is directly related to the lack of response and incomplete packaging.