Just bought a Martin DC16 RGTE w/ Aura

[Golden Smoghead]

Anybody have any experience with these suckers?

 

I bought it mostly because it has a really bright sound, and is also very light and comfortable in terms of wear (I'm a stand-up player). I have some carpal tunnel in my left wrist, so I was consciously trading-off some of that loud bluegrassy sound I like, in exchange for the easier action. So basically, trying to trade ballsy-for-bright and hoping it works out OK. Which is just to explain, part of my problem is a pretty dramatic shift in sound.

 

At the guitar shop, I didn't bother plugging it in, because I have always played with shitty pickups but managed to get them to work well enough. I figured this system should be at least as good as my other, much-cheaper pickups. Martin / Fishman certainly make a big enough deal about the Aura thing. ("We custom designed these Aura settings for this guitar body and materials," etc.)

 

However, I can't figure out a way to get these pickups to sound like anything other than crap. Just very "clippy" if that makes sense. Like I'm playing through a noise-suppression filter or compressor, almost. I've tried funking around with all the settings, but nothing seems to work quite right. In particular, if I let a note ring, it sounds normal -- but then suddenly, almost erratically, dives off in volume. Also if I do any "chunk" at all (like a half-strum), then that sound is extremely muted through the pickup, which also seems a little weird.

 

Does anybody else have experience with these built-in Aura things? What settings do you use? Does this sound like an actual problem? Because for now I'm assuming there's a way to make it right, I just haven't figured that out yet...

 

Thanks if you can help, no worries if not. I realize this is kind of an electric-heavy subforum.

[In a little rowboat]

Martin / Fishman certainly make a big enough deal about the Aura thing. ("We custom designed these Aura settings for this guitar body and materials," etc.)

 

That claim is a load of crap...the onboard aura is the natural evolution of fishman's matrix systems...the electronics are the same in every aura installed guitar...

 

I assume we are talking about the aura ellipse vt system? First thing Id try is adjusting the voicing switch---its inside, check the manual for more details---if its on nat 2 it might be part of your problem

 

Piezo undersaddle pickups can be helped to some degree, but bottom .line is that USTs sound like USTs (although there is a tonal difference between ceramic and film pickups)..

 

one thing they dont tell you, on the aura ellipse, the tone slider is misleading, as the adjustment only scoops the mids, and doesnt act like a normal bass-treble pot would...the preamp circuit is 'tuned' to add a certain texture to the sound, and the compression you have experienced is likely due to this, as well as the 'voicing' circuit

 

One thing im thinking with your system in particular is that it sounds like it wasnt installed properly...and that your saddle isnt seated properly on the pickup element...this is common as the routing in the saddle slot isnt always flat and the pickup must have the proper pressure and angle on it from the saddle (which i assume is tusq, since we are talking about a martin---- if you have a plastic saddle please get rid of it and get a tusq, micarta or bone one made)...you might need a shim....so in your case id say take it back to the store and have their tech look at it...

 

in my experience, onboard preamps are inconsistant and seldom add much to a UST's sound...the best USTs ive had/set up go directly to a proper PA or board via DI, or go to some external device like a Baggs ParaDI (highly recommended) or a D_TAR momma bear or solstace, and then to the board

 

The fishman matrix 1 is pretty good, but i dont like much else in their product line...

 

FWIW the best pickup systems ive found for acoustics are the K&K Pure Western, closely followed by the Baggs M1a and several by Sunrise

[Golden Smoghead]

Thanks rowboat. Just to let you know what's going on, I found a switch labeled "phase" and turned it to the other setting and that seems to have helped a lot.

 

I think it would've been helpful if they gave a handbook for that thing, but I can't find one even online.

 

Edit: actually here is a handbook: http://www.americanmusical.com/ItemFiles/M...nauramanual.pdf

[Golden Smoghead]

One thing im thinking with your system in particular is that it sounds like it wasnt installed properly...and that your saddle isnt seated properly on the pickup element...this is common as the routing in the saddle slot isnt always flat and the pickup must have the proper pressure and angle on it from the saddle (which i assume is tusq, since we are talking about a martin---- if you have a plastic saddle please get rid of it and get a tusq, micarta or bone one made)...you might need a shim....so in your case id say take it back to the store and have their tech look at it...

After much phase shifting, setting the potentiometer every possible way, and heavily editing all of the settings... I basically think you are exactly right. I think the pickup isn't installed properly.

 

If I play loud enough, yes it can pick up the sound. But then the note dies away much quicker through the pickup than in real life (with everything turned very sensitive). Also the tone kinda crackles at places, makes weird dips... I am just thinking you're exactly right and it's not installed correctly. Le sigh, that store is pretty far from where I live, and boo hiss for having my main guitar (which sounds great acoustic) gone for a week.