Dean Markley Pro Mag Grand

Humbucking, in-sound hole, foam mounting system.

Carvin c350 Acoustic

I played this pickup in the store for a good half hour yesterday plugged into a roland and a crate amp. I love the sound of my acoustic unplugged but I've realized that I won't get that sound amplified unless I spend a lot more than most of these in sound hole magnetic humbuckers cost. That aside, it sounded good. A little bit electric but good.

Now the downfall...the guy in the store told me that the pickup did not respond well to the low E string and that he had owned this pickup and then upgraded to another Dean Markley pickup b/c of this problem and had the same issue with the new one. I thought he was being picky and that I'd plug in and it wouldn't be a big deal.

So I plug in and strum away a few chords and it sounds fine, then I go to do some single note runs and when I reach the low E....nothing. It was just barely picking it up, and a stronger attack on the E string didn't make a difference. An even attack on the E and A strings produced a sound that was around four or five times as loud on the a string.

A bad product is one thing but one that simply does not function is a whole different story. It could have been a coincidence that this problem occurred with two dean markley products that the sam ash worker owned and the one i played in the store but I doubt it. Seeing as there weren't other reviews with this problem stated, I would look into it and let this review serve as a word of warning.

Humbucking

I tried this pickup with a Guild 12 String and an Epiphone 6 String. It was a struggle to fit it into the Epi soundhole, it was a VERY tight fit.

The output level was louder than the Seymore Duncan Maverick that I had been using. I am running directly into a Behringer PA. The tone was okay I guess, I really didn't get that far into playing with it.

I am going to return this and get something else. I wasn't really satisfied with the foam mounting system to begin with but the biggest problem is that my strumming and picking style are not a match for this thing. I tend to play a lot directly over the sound hole and every time my pick touches the surface of the pickup it pops and clicks like nobody's business. I've been playing for 30+ years and am not going to try and change the way I play for a pickup. I don't have that problem with the other pickups that I use. Sorry, but back it goes.

Humbucking pickup in a black wooden housing. Balanced for acoustic strings.

I am submitting a further review as I feel I did the pickup an injustice on my first review.

As in my previous review of this pickup, installed on my Simon&Patrick SP6 Cedar.
Easy to install, just a little tricky to get the height perfect, as this is done by foam inserts, but once its right it stays there.

The output level is low and in my first review I stated that this was the thing which I found disappointing. Since then I have fitted the guitar with Dean Markley Alchemy Gold Phos strings and the pickup has suddenly come to life. The pickup now is giving me a really nice rich acoustic sound. Obviously the box means its balanced to Dean Markley acoustic strings..lol
I play fingerstyle, country flatpick and jazz and it sounds right for all of them.

I would now definately buy one of these again now that I have obviously found the right string to get the best out of it.

Humbucking pickup in a wooden housing which states on the box is balanced for acoustic strings.

I have installed this on my Simon & Patrick SP6 Cedar to replace a Schaller bug type pickup. I have had the bug on for years and although gives a good sound it picks up too much surface noise from the guitar soundboard. I have fancied the Dean Markley pickup for quite a while but never been able to afford one. This one came up second hand for a low price.
Very quick and easy to fit.

The output level is very low but I play through a Joe Meek pre amp which brings it up to an acceptable level. I generally play straight to a mixing desk, so the sound can be adjusted. It produces a very good acoustic tone on my guitar and is well balanced on all the strings. I flatpick and fingerpick and it suits my style of playing.

Having longed for one of these for a while, I must admit that I was quite disappointed. I expected much more from what is a ??60 pickup and it is only marginally better than the Artec MSP50 I have on one of my other guitars, which are less than ??20 new.
I am happy that I only paid a low price for this pickup and had I bought one new I think I would have sent it back.
Soundwise I am happy with it but am saving now for a Fishman Rare Earth to replace it.

Just like the other descriptions. Very simple, no controls, stick it in the soundhole, plug in and play.

I installed it in a Martin 00C-15AE that already has a Fishman pickup in it. I plug it into an Ernie Ball volume pedal to control the volume without getting up and tweaking the amp.

Medium output, tweaked by a Ernie Ball volume pedal, as a "blend" control. So I run both pickups at the same time usually. I can adjust the volume of either an mix the tones to suit my ears. The Fishman has too much of a piezo sound and this pickup seems to round it out. Piezos to my ears, sound too "pingy" and too artificial. I still think the best amplification is a great microphone and sound system. THis sound of both is more satisfying for me totally than either by themselves, especially if you can't do a microphone/pa system. I use a Fender Acoustisonic Jr. and get a good acceptable tone.

I don't have that much money to blow, so I try to borrow or demo a particular product on a gig so I can have a real experience of how it will perform. On any product, it's been my experience that it always sounds very different on a job than in the music store. I would try to check our alternatives before I bought another one.

Pickup features: Passive- Humbucking- Magnetic
Impedence or other specs: High

Model of guitar or bass: Seagull M12, Ovation Applause AE 32
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: On the Ovation using the pro-mag instread of the installed piezo
Other pickups on guitar: Peizo on the Ovation- nothing on the Gull
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock- country Rock- Christian Contempory
Reason for pickup change: Needed a pick-up for the Seagull. The Ovation piezo (well
it sounds like an Ovation piezo)

Perceived output level: Some colour of course, but a close and interesting sound to an acoustic. The Ovation sound is vastly improved. The Seagull obviously still sounds better unplugged.
Tone: To get acceptable tone requires some tinkering. Can be both trebly or bassy unless the right setting is found on the amp and pre-amp.
Sonic evaluation: I use a Yorkville Am 100 Acoustic Amp and plug the Pro Mag
into a Fishman G11 pre-amp first. The sound is acceptably acoustic but
leans a little too far to the electric side on occasion. However I do need to "plug in" and this a acceptable way of doing this. A mic'ed
guitar always sounds best, but not always possible in live situations.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pick-up is suitable for pretty much any music style that i can think of.

Comments: I am note sure of the longevity of these Markley pick-ups as some other reviewers have had them suddenly stop working. I am note sure
if I would buy it again, especially if it breaks next week. With the changes in technology I am sure there will better pick-ups around in the future. However at this time this pick-up gives acceptable acoustic expression to my guitars. This pick-up is very easy to use
and I like the fact that it is made of wood with foam on the inserts
to reduce wear and tear on the sound-hole. I have been playing for 26 years and I own the two previosly stated acoustics as well as a Tele
and a Hashimoto Classical (my first guitar). I chose this pick-up because the fellow at the Arts (a good store) recommended it as a good
value for the price. So far I'm satisfied. As for "that sound", I believe if you have an endless supply of $$ to buy expensive guitars and pick-ups, amps ect, you just might hopefully find it.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Yamaha
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Loud when mounted near the strings.
Tone: Balanced, can be tweeked through external EQ.
Sonic evaluation: Great sound. Connected it directly to the board and trimmed Mids. Same thing when connected to Fender Acoustic Amp (better sound when connected to this amp). Very quiet. No feedback, even when strumming hard.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good match for almost all types of playing ie finger, strum, etc.

Comments: Great Value.
I'm looking for an EQ/Preamp to match this. Read/heard that the Gigpro or Para DI is a good one.
I'd recommend this.

Pickup features: Passive-humbucking-magnetic- soundhole
Impedence or other specs: high impedance

Model of guitar or bass: Applause AE 32, Seagull M12 Gloss
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Ovation under-saddle piezo for the Applause- no pick-up with the Gull
Other pickups on guitar: under saddle piezo for the Applause
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): flatt picking- finger picking- contempory Christian-and Beatles, Eagles ect
Reason for pickup change: needed a pick up for the Seagull-
disliked the sound of the piezo in the Applause

Perceived output level: Output level is much lower than the piezo, but can bring it up with the acoustic amp and fishman G2 preamp
Tone: You can adjust this pick-up to emphasize different sounds and combinations-I'm still experimenting- so i will say balanced
Sonic evaluation: I use the above two guitars with a Yorkville Am 100 acoustic amp
along with a Fishman G11 pre-amp. The sound is respectably acoustic
with this combination- even the Applause sounds better than using its
own piezo.The Seagull 12 string sounds even better. It is difficult to produce true acoustic sound with pick-ups on an acoustic but the Pro Mag does a reasonable job.
You need to tweak it to get it right as with most pick-ups. I would
recommend an acoustic amp as a starting point. At our Church the sound
system is substandard so the pick-up sounds the same as it always does at Church (tinny and too much treble). This is not the fault of the pick-up but the result of a bad sound system.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pick-up suits my style fine- it produces amplified acoustic volume out my acoustic guitars.

Comments: I have not owned it long enough to know if I would buy another. It
depends on how it lasts and what other pick-up= pre-amp combinations i encounter in the future. I know that Fishman's are excellent, but they are expensive. I've been playing 26 years, I chose this pick-up because the guy at the Art's recommended it, (best pick-up for the price). So far I agree with him. It's hard to be sure of what "that sound" is. You can always get the sound if you have infinite dollars
to spend. For the money this is a good value for an acoustic pick-up

Pickup features: passive, magnetic, humbucking.
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Takamine G240
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Bartolini something
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): acoustic rock
Reason for pickup change: The Bartolini pickup was nice, but the plastic braces cracked, from me stepping on the cord and pulling the guitar by accident. I had a gig the next day, so I needed something quick.

Perceived output level: Normal for a magnetic pickup I guess.
Tone: Shitty.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a cheap Takamine G240 Acoustic guitar with a Fender Acoustasonic Junior amp. I couldn't get ANYTHING close to a natural acoustic sound with this pickup no matter what I did. I think this is just a problem with magnetic pickups in general. I simply CANNOT stand the sound. Addmitedly my guitar isn't that great, but it sounds a HELL of a lot better unplugged. The best part is, it BROKE for no reason. I was practicing with it in my living room today, and it just stopped working. I didn't pull on the cord at all. It just stopped working while I was strumming. I'm hoping I can get my money back and spend the money on a REAL pickup. Hopefully a piezo transducer.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play acoustic rock, but I can't see this pickup being suitable for ANY style, unless your style is sounding like shit.

Comments: Normally i'd start this out with "If it was destroyed or stolen..." but it WAS destroyed. It quit for absolutley no reason at all. I would not buy this again. I need something I can rely on, and something that doesn't sound like crap.
I haven't been playing guitar for all that long, but i've been a classically trained musician for 8 years. I know when something doesn't sound good.
Pros: Cheap, easy to install/take out.
Cons: Sounds terrible, very unreliable. Don't count on this one without a backup.
I chose this one because I needed a pickup in a hurry, and I only had $70 on me.
This pickup sucks. Bottom line: Get a fishman.
I give it a 3 only because It's cheap and easy to install.