Highlander IP-2

Unknown

Guild D-50
Minimal mods
This is only pup ever in this guitar

Good output level
Tone is fine but UNBALANCED

Because it is unbalanced I do not like it at all. I was going to get the K&K but the front guy at my guitar repair shop recommended this one. It turns out the actual repair guy in back doesn't agree because of the inconsistancies in balance with the Highlander. I wish I had talked to this guy when first going in.

Dual source system (under-saddle piezo type with internal mic on goosenck). Outboard pre/active DI, PAMDI is the name of the unit. two channels each with four band para eq, volume, phase, etc. XLR out and master volume/mute. Basically all the control you could ever want or need over your tone. Tons of felxibility and tonal options.
Its more work having the highlander outbaord pre (on my pedalboard in my case), but its worth it in the long run not having any extra cuts done to the guitar, plus the increased control over your tone!!!

I have a brand new Taylor GS8. One of the best guitars on the market right now. Spruce top, rosewood back and sides. Alot like a 814, just fuller, louder, and smoother sounding. It came without any electronics. I had these installed after market by a guy name Bill Tippin, of Tippin guitars. He did great work. Martin Simpson uses the sytemas well as a handful of other professionals.

I have only had it just under a month, but i play nearly five times a week, and have loved it every time. Great output level. It gets as hot as i will ever need it to. I play in 5000+ member church services 5 times a week and this thing sounds amazing. We use in ear monitors so i haven't had any trouble with feedback yet, although this mic seems much less prone to feedback than others i have tried - namely baggs stuff. The tone blew me away. Before purchasing, I was told that this thing was the most balanced system on the market by a few luthiers, and so I bought it on a whim. I am amazed. The piezo is full, warm, very balanced. No harsh piezo quack like cheaper pickups, it has great output, but it is very smooth still. Just blending a little of the internal mic adds such a fullness also. It has that realistic tone and feel. Its not like cheap pickups that sound so non-acoustic that they completely alter the way you play and sound. This system makes your guitar plugged in sound and feel exactly like it does unplugged, which is no small task. It is a warm, full sound, but with a very bright, percussive string tone also, due to the mic. but mic placement is important, i have found. It has all the strengths of every other sytem i've tried with none of the weaknesses yet. I run the pickup about 70% under-saddle, 30% internal mic. extremely authentic tone. It complements my balanced and smooth guitar perfectly.

I am a semi-proffessional musician and I am a complete tone/feel snob when it comes to amplified acoustic tone. I love this product. If it were lost or stolen, hopefully i could get it again. I did not pay for the system, my insurance covered it. My previous Taylor was stolen (714 with ES system) and my insurance covered the cost for all my new stuff. I love this guitar and sytem so much more than my previous set up. It comlpements my style so much better. I am a rhythm guy in a band that does everything from rock and pop to blugrass, jazz and soft acoustic stuff. The price is definitely a turn off, but if i could afford it, i would definitely get it again. It's the best thing i have tried yet.

Pickup features: Under saddle piezo and microphone inside guitar
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: taylor 414 Grand Auditrium
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): I play similar to the band Violent femmes and Mary Lou Lord
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Very Good output. plenty loud enough.
Tone: The piezo might sound a little better than other piezos but it still sounds like a piezo - Too bright. The microphone sounded too middy.
Sonic evaluation: The combined sound of the pick up and microphone sounded better than either of them alone. But I was really never happy with the sound. I tried running it through an LR Baggs Mix Pro/Gig Pro (whatever they call it) and then I ended up liking the Boss AD 5 Blender DI better.The signal would then plug into the PA.
Then I bought a different guitar Tayor 612 and put a cheap Fishman NeoD magnetic soundhole pickup in it and I loved it much better than the Highlander mega-expensive pickup/mic combo. Now I run the Neo D through a Tech 21 acoustic DI and an Aphex guitar exciter pedal and I like the sound.

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

Comments: I sold my taylor 414 along with the highlander set up. This set up was not the holy grail set up I thought it would be.

Pickup features: under bridge w/ a microphone input jack
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Taylor 714 CED (Brazilian Rosewood back & sides w/ a cedar top)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: N/A
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Rock, blues and ballads
Reason for pickup change: This is the first and last pickup that will be installed on this guitar.

Perceived output level: Perfect!
Tone: Perfect!
Sonic evaluation: I run this guitar through a Fender Acoustasonic Jr.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play rock, blues and some ballads like Wonderful Tonight, Story in your Eyes, etc.

Comments: I've been playing for 30 years. I own a Taylor 412CE and about a dozen electrics. This guitar, unamplified, sounded better than the other thirty (including Martin, Collings, Santa Cruz, Larrivee, etc.) that I played the day I bought it. The Podium strongly recommended a Highlander and I figured they'd know what was best. Not only am I thrilled with the result, I am continually told by both non-playing listeners and other guitar players that this is the best sounding guitar they've ever heard. I asked about buying the microphone at the time of purchase and The Podium said to play it without one for a while. I never bothered to try that because I am so satisfied with it as is. They did say that adding the mic would be a mind altering experience. I had plenty of those in the 60s. I don't think that this pickup will make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but it will make your guitar sound as good as it can, run through an amp. I would also recommend the Acoustasonic Jr. It's a tough amp to beat for the price.

Pickup features: Piezo, under sadle
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Dean Acc. W/cutaway
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Plenty, like Greg Lake
You musical style(s): Folksong/ gospel W/fingerpicking
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: High output
Tone: Neutral and balanced
Sonic evaluation: I use the clean ch on a HH VS100 and a 2 way speaker

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: The Highlander is uesful for anything that requires a good sounding acoustic guitar

Comments: I bougth it a couple og years ago along with my new Dean guitar. I tried acouple of others guitars too with Fishman PUs, but when I plugged in the Highlander: WOW, I was gone. It made the midpriced Dean sound realy expensive. No need for EQs and other gizmos that muds up the sound. Just plug it into. . .anything, and it sounds GRRRRREAT. Highly recomended

Pickup features: Under saddle
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Hummingbird
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Stephen Stills
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Fine
Tone: Okay
Sonic evaluation: The sound was fine for most of the strings.

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

Comments: I was stupid. I asked the store owner if placing what in reality is a sponge under my bridge would effect the sound. he said it wouldn't I should have used common sense. It did. The Hummingbird is warm to begin with and it doesn't have as much sustain as non-gibsons, but the pickup lowered the sustain to an unacceptable level.
Then I come to find out after the pickup is in that bone pickups don't work well with this device, so the guy tried different materials, but could never get all of the strings to have balanced volume.
I took the guitar to Jon Eaton at Woodsongs in Boulder Colorado and he said, of course you are having problems, you are putting a sponge underneath your saddle. I had him remove it and decided to forget the whole idea.
My advice: Ask around before getting a Highlander. Ask these questions, will it lower the sustain of my guitar? can I keep my bone saddle and make this work, or do I have to use an inferior material?

Pickup features: Active piezo undersaddle
Impedence or other specs: Very low output Z

Model of guitar or bass: Martin DC-1 (mahogany dreadnought)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Entire Takamine guitar
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Martin Simpson
You musical style(s): Flatpicking, lead guitar in folk and country styles
Reason for pickup change: Tired of Takamine's lifelessness. Wanted to amplify a
"real" guitar and have it feel/sound/react like a "real'
acoustic. The Takamines are good, but too much like electric
guitars, they don't "fight back" like a real Martin/Taylor/Gibson,
what have you.

Perceived output level: Moderate - about the same as regular electric guitar, less than Tak.
Tone: Very full, percussive. Retains essential character of the Martin.
Sonic evaluation: LR Baggs Para-Acoustic DI into Trace Elliot Acoustic Cube, DI from
that to board. Trace Elliot serves as additional EQ, notch, reverb,
near field reinforcement and DI. Baggs serves as "Tweaking EQ"
and gain boost (about 10dB for better noise floor)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Folk, country, flatpicking and fingerpicking styles. A lot of lead.

Comments: Very good undersaddle pickup. Whereas the Takamine was "set and forget",
and would always deliver a bright clear sound, this setup has taken more
work. On the other hand, the whole rig now plays and sounds so much more
"acoustic". I use a Martin HD-28 for unamplifed work, and was getting
very frustrated with the differences between that and the Takamine at
gigs. A "real" acoustic sound is harder to work with, but much more
satisfying once achieved. The Highlander is remarkable free of "quack"
and sizzle, and really mirrors the sound of the guitar.
It took some tweaking; we had to add some small spruce shims under the
saddle around the high B and E strings to balance things just right.
Most undersaddles I have played suffer badly in the balance department,
but after this treatment the pickup balance is just like the guitar.
I would like to try adding the mini mic, but will wait a bit before
jumping into that. It would require a rethinking of the external
electronics, etc.

Pickup features: Piezo
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Tacoma DR-20 Acoustic
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none new guitar
Other pickups on guitar: minimic highlander
Artists using this pickup: Laurence Juber et al.
You musical style(s): combo fingerstyle and flatpick
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: much less than Fishman models which is a problem----Help!!
Tone: Balanced wonderful tone ------just not getting any output
Sonic evaluation: using Trace-Elliot acoustic TA60R amp w/Y-chord

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play many different styles specifically Contemporary Christian Rock. And folk bluegrass

Comments: I love the tone and lack of distortion, even at full volume but just can't get enough heat out of it. Can anyone give me some suggestions for making it hotter? The mini mic is very hot but the piezo is not hot at all. Help me please!!

Pickup features: Undersaddle piezo --active
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Kinscherff custom acoustic
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Lawrence Juber, Martin Simpson, David Crosby, Bruce Cockburn,
You musical style(s): fingerstyle acoustic
Reason for pickup change: New guitar--unsatisfied with fishman matrix on other guitar

Perceived output level: natural
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: The highlander is a very unique souding undersaddle pickup.
It's coaxial design allows it to sense top vibrtion as well as saddle
vibration. My fihsman matrix fed back in the bass redlily. The
highlnder doesn't (or hardly). The matrix highs were tinny and quacky;
the matrix can be EQed to sound natural. I'm considering abandoning
the dual source mic ltogether and just using the piezo. When eqed
it gets as good or better sound than the dual source, as the minimic
feedsback readily (all do) and picks up a lot of finger attack noise.
It is the best sounding pickup I've used. Two cautions--
it requires an eq / direct boz before going into a recording console.
Without such it sounds horrible--way too hot. Alos, the installation
is very critical and you may have to return it for tweaking of
string balance. The end pin hole has to be drilled out and
is overszed so if you abandon the pickup you will need a self-tapping
replacement endpin. Again great sound, low feedback. The best under-
saddle. Check out their web site. The IP-1 does not allow for a
minimic. The IP-2 is the same pickup but allows for a minimic
which you just plug in. The mic uses the battery, so with a stereo
y cable you can avoid a blender and plug into 2 amp channels.
Again, it soundsgreat without a minimic--better. Martin Simpson
uses it w/out a mini mic and he has great tone.

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

Comments: 9-because nothing sounds like a 10 except an externally miced guitar at
low volume.