Fishman SBT-E

Pickup features: Soundboard Pickup
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Guild D-25
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Country, Alternative, R&B, Blues
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: Output level seems low but the sound is distorted when all strings are played.
Tone: Tone is fairly well balanced between bass and treble but the sound isn't clean.
Sonic evaluation: Guitar is a Guild D-25. I also installed a Fishman POWERJACK preamp in the guitar. Amplifier(s) I have used with this pickup are a Fender Deluxe Reverb and an SWR California Blonde. The sound is okay for single string notes but distorted when playing chords.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I consider the over-all performance of this pickup/preamp well below what my expectations were.

Comments: I would not buy this type of pickup again, but to be fair to Fishman, a lot of my friends say that the under saddle pickups that Fishman makes are very good.
I am considering the purchase of a Seymour Duncan 'Acoustic Tube' pickup to replace this setup.
I have been playing guitar for about 20 years and was looking for a good sound (amplified) for my acoustic guitar. I considered some under saddle models but I found that they needed to be installed by a pro and I wasn't able to find someone in this area that could do it.
After installation, I wrote to Fishman about the sound problem. Their answer was that I should try another amplifier!!! Then I wrote to Stewart MacDonald and was told to try re-positioning the pickup, which I did several times but it did not help. The sound is still distorted. I was very pleased with the reply I received from the people at Stewart MacDonald. They really gave me some good ideas and pointed out some limitations with this type of pickup. I have no one to blame but myself. Oh well, it's just a little time and money wasted...
My recommendation to anyone considering this particular soundboard pickup is Don't Do It!!!

Pickup features: Soundboard Pickup
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Guild D-25
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation:
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: