Schertler BlueStick Marine

Pickup features: under saddle microphone
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Breedlove Classic XII 12-string
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): finger-picking, strumming
Reason for pickup change: new pickup

Perceived output level: Sound level was good. Comparable to many other pickups that I've had like Baggs I-Beam, Fishman Matrix Natural, Baggs Dual Source, K & K Trinity
Tone: As has been noted, the pickup seemed to accentuate the middle strings
Sonic evaluation: Fender Accoustasonic. Occasionally run through a Baggs ParaDI prior to the amp

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: A little finger picking, a little struming with heavy bass emphasis.

Comments: I tend to be a technoyuppie, always looking for the latest and greatest technology. I'm not a professional musician and play and collect guitars for my own enjoyment, and my wife's frustration. When I saw the Schertler, I was intrigued. I am also a big advocate of altering the guitar as little as possible. I read the reviews on Harmony Central and noted the differences of opinion. Talked to a few guitarists, most of whom raved about the sound. I decided to give it a shot. I tried my local luthier, who said that he wouldn't touch another Schertler if his life depended on it. This is a man that has installed approximately 400 pickups. Did I listen? Of course not. He also said that if that if you could get it installed correctly, they sounded great. I decided to contact Breedlove, who said they would install it for me. This is a guitar that is 1-month old so I was happy to send it back to Oregon for the install. It was sent back and, indeed, the sound was very nice. A little strong on the mid-level, but workable with a little electronic tweaking. The only problem was that about 20% of the time I would hear a pop when I picked the A strings. As near as I could determine, it was probably the pickup amplifying the sound of the pick hitting the second (larger) A string. This problem consistent with what my local luthier has told me that often times some strings are way too hot and it is difficult to bring them into balance. This pop was not a problem for finger picking, but quite vexing when doing bass picking. I tried everything I knew, changed strings, different picks, tried different amplifier, etc. In the end the pop was still there. I called Schertler U.S.A. and they made a few lame suggestions and then more of less passed the buck and bowed out. Read my lips; they did not stand behind their pickup. This is in contrast to other pickup manufacturers, such as AST, that will buy back the pickup if you are not satisfied. This was extremely frustrating. I contacted Breedlove, and they basically said. Send it back, we'll put any other pickup in that you want and absorb the shipping and labor costs. "We will make it right". They put in a Fishman Matrix with Crown condenser and the guitar sounds wonderful. My conclusions from this semi-ordeal 1) Breedlove is a wonderful guitar company that makes wonderful guitars and stands behind their product. 2) Schertler is a company that does not stand behind their product. 3) I have heard much said that if there is a problem, it is the fault of the guitar (cheap), or the installation (luthier). Breedlove is not a cheap guitar and the luthier that installed the pickup is one of the best. Furthermore, my local luthier confirmed what a pain the pickup could be. My conclusions is that maybe you'll get lucky and the installation will go as it supposed to, but I think you're gambling. 4) The sound from the pickup is nice, but not worth the gamble. I love the Fishman Matrix Natural with mic. Wish I had put it in in the first place. I have a K&K Trinity on a Collings DS2H (bluegrass picking) and a Baggs I-Beam on a Martin OM-42 (fingerstyle), and I would take either of these before the Schertler. They are less invasive (a hole in the middle of the saddle for the Schertler) and sound just as good, if not better (the K&K). In hindsight, I probably should have paid more attention to the lack of support by professional musicians for this pickup. To my knowledge, Emmy Lou Harris is the only well-known musician that uses this pickup. Try taking a look at who uses Fishman, Baggs, AST, K&K, etc. If this pickup were that good I would think that it would have a larger market share than it does.