Putw #54, Anyone Have One?

[sgfletch]

Okay, so last night I inquired about the PUTW polymag, but I went to the doug young pickup test page after that and heard the PUTW #54 samples, and they absolutely floored me.......I mean, floored.  The other place to check out is the PUTW website, their sound samples of some guy named "Lumpy" (from leave it to beaver?), anyway, there are some samples of him (allegedly) playing a guitar with the 54 in stereo flat, unprocessed - don't kow if I believe THAT, but either way, if the recording was done without the aid of any external microphone then it's really the best sounding pickup I've ever heard.  And I've heard a few:

my rigs over the years:
standard Fishman piezos (never using an under-saddle piezo again, thank you)
Fishman piezo plus internal mic. (fed into ap13)
Sunrise (good in it's way totally NON-acoustic sounding, sometimes combined it also with K&K)
Seymour Duncan mag mic(not bad)
and currently use a K&K pure mini, which I love - but I'll be darned if the PUTW 54 samples I heard didn't blow my beloved K&K away.

so my questions are:

Anybody have the PUTW #54 in a guitar?
Do you have it in stereo or mono?
How difficult was installation for you?
Are you using PUTW's preamp?

thanks
sgf

[sdelsolray]

In answer to your questions:

1)  Yes.

2)  Mono,  mostly because I've got other pickups in the guitar.  If this is going to be your only pickup (for sure), yu shuld consider stereo for the #54.  Go back to Doug Youngs site and listen to the Trance Amulet samples. That pickup is similar to the #54 in that it has two transducers capable of stereo output (bass side and treble side).  Doug has a couple with stereo output.

3)  Very easy install.  The cable is microphonic, so you need to plan it's route accordingly.

4)  Yes, sorta.  I'm using the PUTW Stealth stereo pre in the guitar (it's the one that mounts under the soundhole) to mix the #54 and a Baggs M-1 to mono, then wired to the tip.  I just use it for the blending function and I keep he volume controls (one for each pickup) low, as I'm primarily using an outboard pre/eq.

[sgfletch]

Thanks,

My concerns are: Installation, so by the cables being microphonic, you mean they have to be secured within the guitar so they don't move around and produce some noise of their own or pick up noise of their own?  It makes sense to me to not have the wires flopping around within the guitar.  

also: PUTW's preamp plugs into the endpin jack, I know that some systems do this-but itseems ungainly, maybe not-I can't tell from photos how physically large it is.  Also the preamp has no eq. so if one is running a stereo signal from the PUTW pre. - then they'd have to go into a stereo eq?

Typical situation, a system that seems to sound so good is so unknown-it's hard to figure out.  I could just get another K&K, and might, but the PUTW sounded somehow more "acoustic" to my ears.

I don't even gig much anymore-but when I do-I like to sound good.

thanks for your previous post.

sgf

[sdelsolray]

PUTW is well known in several circles going back years.  David Enke is quite the inventor.  Check the PUTW site out and you'll see more preamps available than the dealers list.  You don;t need to preamp the #54 in the guitar.  If you're going stereo, go all the way, which means stereo pre, eq, power amp and speakers.  Not to many pres can handle that, Rane and Pendulum is all I think.

I would sugest using the #54 in mono and add a second source for stereo or a mono blend afer preamping and eq.  A UST, mag or internal mic would compliment the PUTW SBT, albiet in different ways.

[AdventureGuide]

... heard the PUTW #54 samples, and they absolutely floored me.......I mean, floored.  The other place to check out is the PUTW website, their sound samples of some guy named "Lumpy" (from leave it to beaver?), anyway, there are some samples of him (allegedly) playing a guitar with the 54 in stereo flat, unprocessed - don't kow if I believe THAT, but either way, if the recording was done without the aid of any external microphone then it's really the best sounding pickup I've ever heard.  

I use a PUTW "Dynamic Duo" in one of my guitars, a #27 in another, and simply a "Stealth UST" in my third.  Each combination is INCREDIBLY quiet and extremely natural sounding.  I have not found a more accurate pick-up source.  Whatever sound goes into the pickup is exactly what comes out of it.  I combine that with my Ultrasound Amp, and I simply get my real guitar sound, only louder.  And for the record, I am NOT a paid endorsee of PUTW.  I am simply a very satisfied customer.  (Also a good friend of David and Annie Enke, but that friendship developed AFTER I started using their pcikups.)

And as for "Lumpy" actually performing those sound bites, it is true.  I have only met him once, but he is an absolutely AMAZING player.  Ask anyone over at RMMGA about him and you will hear the same thing!  And the PUTW pickups really do sound thate good!

Jim