SD Woody XL Review - Part 3
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- Otway Ross review of the Seymour Duncan Woody XL acoustic guitar pick-up using a Maton CW-80 spruce / maple dreadnought.
Recording system:
Boomerang III Phase Sampler
Radial J48 Active DI Box
Soundcraft EPM6 desk
dB Technologies Opera 208D loudspeaker
Rode NT55 microphone
Motu 8pre FW interface
Logic Pro 9
© Otway Ross - all rights reserved.
Great review, all 3 segments. Your playing was very nice too! Thank you!
Awsome reviews!
Does anybody got a video using overdrive/distortions on this pickups ?
Such good reviews; I feel awkward asking this question. So the first sample just being the acoustic, is that the acoustic with no pickup going through the camera microphone, and then the second sample was using the pickup through an amplifier and then into the camera microphone?
Lots of people have already been saying it, but you are really good doing this. Amazing review, no bullshit with great points noted.
Hey.. it says adjustable pickup on their website. how do you adjust the sound through it?
Thanks for the question, with the XL version you can adjust both the overall pickup position and the individual pole pieces:
- pole piece adjustment is used to get the output level equal from each string (screw the pole piece out towards the string with the included hex key to increase that string output)
- pickup position can be adjusted slightly in the sound hole to bring the whole pickup (or just one side if you want more bass / treble) closer to / further from the strings
Have a look at the instruction manual for more details & some visuals:
www.seymourduncan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Woody_Install_Instructions.pdf
Great useful review and explanation. Looking forward to using the pickup now. Thanks.
Great review, very clear, straight to the point, thank you for helping me make my decision
Does it work on 12 strings guitar?
Thank you for these brilliantly clear and precise reviews. They are a model of how to convey useful information in an engagingly professional manner.
thanks so much ! glad you found it helpful.
Great, objective no-bull review. Really reveals what is good and bad about the product. Nice work.
thanks - that's the best feedback I could hope for !
If this review was anymore thorough you'd just deliver the pick up yourself to my house & stay for a beer. Thank you for a great job! This video sold me on the WoodyXL. It meets my needs. I'm getting it after much searching.
Yes. I just ordered this one too. Jason, diid you buy this pickup in the end and if so - what can you say about it? Thank you!
Nice review. I would like to see you compare the pick up straight out of the box versus fine-tuning the poles to optimal position for your guitar, especially with the frequency charts. Thanks for the video!
Yes good point - however given the difference magnetic metal content of different string weights / configurations, if the poles are level you'll get much higher volumes from certain strings. To compare frequency response accurately (and just to make it sound half decent when amplified) it's necessary to adjust the poles just enough to ensure the strings are approximately equal output level. It's true that the 'equal string output' pole positions will be different for every guitar and string choice - but I wanted to ensure this review was fair (if I didn't set the levels I could have been accused of presenting it poorly). From memory I left it very close to how it was received from the factory (first use was for this review) - the pole pieces weren't level out of the box. For context I've got some unopened SD Mag Mics here and they too come adjusted from the factory also (in fact the G string poles are much shorter than the rest for non-wound strings). Hope this helps !
Incidentally the installation instructions say the following:
"Adjust the pole piece heights if needed (XL only). The setup should be pretty close right out of the bag. Avoid radical setting of the pole pieces for best hum cancellation. The pole piece heights for the B and high E strings should generally be below the surface of the pickup, with the rest of the pole pieces flush or slightly elevated."
Hope this helps !
www.seymourduncan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Woody_Install_Instructions.pdf
Yeah very nice review. Gonna pick on of these up for my Gretsch acoustic. Nice and informative without the wankery that accompanies a lot of guitar review clips. Cheers.
thanks - glad you enjoyed the review !
Interesting. The pickup takes away a lot of attack. Sounds very dull. I wouldn’t be buying it having heard that.
Nice review and very helpful
Hi Andres, the pick-up itself is fine but the attachment mechanism is only from neoprene rubber pressure - which is prone to falling out when travelling. Also the cable is long + thick & you'll have to cut it and resolder it (waste of a cable) - try looking for a stand alone pick-up that doesn't have either of those problems. As far as sound goes, if you can afford it, the active SA-6 mag mic will be higher output - with a mic, so will sound and perform better overall. O
Watched all three Vids. Thanks for posting this third chapter with Live-Speaker-Desk comparisons. Very helpful.
I was looking at the Baggs M80 Sound-hole, and this one. I didn't want to muck with perm installs on a perfect Martin but I did want to plug in on occasion without hassle.
This one looks like a nice buy and sounds pretty decent for the price.
'Great review and very helpful advice.
great question - I choose strings firstly based on the acoustic tone, and current playing style - and then tune the pick-up pole pieces to get even string volumes. I'm currently using 10-47 elixirs which are ok for lead playing - but 11-52s have a little more meat to them on the high end. Apparently some brands have more iron in them ... and i've even heard of some players using electric strings on acoustic guitars to good effect ! The experiment begins - let us know how you go !
other soundhole pick-ups i've used LR Baggs M1 Active and SD Mag Mic SA-6
(search "Otway Ross SA-6" for comparison )
the SA-6 (and possibly the M1) definitely has a better sound than the Woody XL but both:
- are much more expensive
- slower to get in and out of the guitar
- have shorter cables
- are best for semi-permanent install
it really depends what you're using it for:
infrequent use - the Woody is great value
frequent use - invest in an active semi-permanent
recording - use a mic
Hi, i have a friend that´s gonna construct a lap steel guitar for me and i´m thinking that this pickup might work, you said in the 2nd video that it wasn´t a good idea to use this pickup as a semi-permanent one. But what do you think about making it a permanent one for a lap steel guitar?
For a long-time acoustic player like me with no experience at all with electronics, this was an extremely helpful review. Without a lot of technical jargon that I don't really need (or understand), you told me what I need to know about setting up my acoustic guitar for occasional microphone-free amplification. Thanks for the help.
Thanks for the comparison!
I'm looking for a pickup for my Faith Neptune at the moment, however I'm not sure this is for me though.
Do you have experience with any other pickups on the market?
Great reviews, all parts. Duncan should hire you as their demo guy.
This particular pickup is a great value for what it costs. Love to see you do a demo of the mag mic.
Really nice review! Easy to do a comparison between the sounds!
stoked that you found it useful - thanks !
Great Review straight to the point More please...
Thank you, Very helpful!
Subscribed (:
does it pick up the sound from drumming on the guitar? ;D please help
Rocky Luke No. It just pick up sound from strings. If you playing percussive, try Mag Mic
thnx a lot, good review!
Nice review thanks!
Great review. ... is it good for live gig straight. In to a PA ...
Darko Velickovski of course
It doesnt even come close to the brilliance of the acoustic
+Filip Zgorelec
True but for what it costs and the portability it's not bad.
@Jayson Barnden - it's totally possible to cut the cable and solder on a female jack - but you have to remember that it's only neoprene pressure holding the pick-up in the soundhole, so if you're travelling / gigging etc it'll probably fall into the guitar at some point (+ sharpish corners = damage)... so if you want a semi-permanent one, it's probably worth picking one with a more robust method of attachment, and while you're at it, a better sound :-)
does it work with a 12 string as well as a 6 string?