Under saddle pickups. Do they affect the sound..

Rocker

Wondering if the fitting of under saddle pickups change or alter the sound of a guitar. Compared to the same model without under saddle pickups.

I a travelling with a friend to look at (and try out/buy one) acoustic guitars tomorrow, this is something I would like to know. My friend prefers to strum chords with his thumb rather than with a plectrum if that info helps. Me, I don't like the feel of flesh against guitar strings. Bass is the opposite for me.

DulcetJones

I don't think it affects the sound when unplugged.  I've got 3 guitars right now that have them and often play them unplugged with no noticeable degradation.  They sound great plugged in for live situations but not so much for recording, using a mic still works best for recording.  I go between using a pick and fingerpicking, two of these are nylon string and one is steel.

Funkfingers

Rocker said:

Wondering if the fitting of under saddle pickups change or alter the sound of a guitar. Compared to the same model without under saddle pickups.

I would argue that it can. The density of the bridge and transducer materials are different. There is another boundary between the vibrating strings and the soundboard. An opportunity for losses to creep in.

In the fifteen years since I acquired a pre-owned Martin DM, I have installed a succession of soundhole pickups (with or without condenser mic), undersaddle transducers and a combined UST and PZM system. Last year, I ditched the UST, went fully PZM and fitted a new saddle. I prefer the sound of this guitar this way. I wish that I had never messed with the bridge.

Rocker said:

look at, try out and buy acoustic guitars 

If you need a UST, only try guitars that already have one fitted. This way, there will be no modifications and, hence, no possibility of the sound of the guitar changing.

mgaw

not sure it makes a HUGE difference but UST are generally a quite artificial sounding pickup so I would avoid them at all costs on that basis alone...I wpould always buy a guitar I loved the acoustic sound of then retro fit something like a K & K mini 

Funkfingers

mgaw said:

I would always buy a guitar I loved the acoustic sound of then retro fit something like a K & K mini 

This is what I have done, except that I chose a different brand.

ICBM

My experience when fitting a lot of them is that I think it can - but it’s not consistent. That’s when re-using the same strings - which I usually do if I can, although often I’m asked to do a full set-up, with new strings - but even then it’s hard to be certain, since there’s always about half an hour between before and after.

Whether it’s actually the presence of a piece of different material under the saddle or just that the fit between the saddle and the slot has been disturbed, I don’t know.

An internal contact transducer like the K&K definitely doesn’t as far as I’ve ever been able to tell - they don’t weigh enough to matter.