Tried a '90's D-4.

[davidbeinct]

A D4 was my Guild initiation. All the sound with none of the bling. There are plenty out there in the $400-$600 range, no need to spend more. And, as a bare bones tone monster, no need to baby it or worry about it; just enjoy it. Most of them are the non-gloss hand rubbed satin.

I don’t have it anymore. I sold it to a student when I came to the conclusion that, ergonomically, dreads were not for me. But I could never fault the sound.

Pretty much my story except traded it at a shop. I’m posting a FB Marketplace link in that subforum. It’s in Warwick, RI for $450 with HSC.

 

[plaidseason]

Pretty much. To me, folk guitars through a pickup all sound the same.

Don't get me wrong. I love K&Ks and JJBs. But if you want people to hear your guitar, use a good mic.

I think a solid top matters. But I doubt you'd hear much difference between the same pickup installed in a Martin HD28 vs say a Seagull S6 dreadnought.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I think a solid top matters. But I doubt you'd hear much difference between the same pickup installed in a Martin HD28 vs say a Seagull S6 dreadnought.

Could be! I always forget that plywood-top acoustics exist.

The only plywood-top guitars I've ever had were electrics — and I know that carved-top electric jazz boxes are a lot more resonant.

I've had one plywood-top mando (my first) and three solid-top mandos, and the solids belt out a lot more sound.

So you could well be onto something there.

 

[wileypickett]

Pretty much. To me, folk guitars through a pickup all sound the same.

Don't get me wrong. I love K&Ks and JJBs. But if you want people to hear your guitar, use a good mic.

Couldn't agree more. Using the same internal pickup inside an acoustic guitar will yield a very similar results, whether you're playing a Guild or a Harmony, a Martin or a Kay.

You can "mod" (shape) the output sound according to your taste, but you're modding the sound of the pickup, often in an attempt to make it sound more like your guitar. That should tell you something.

I understand why people use pickups in acoustic guitars in a live setting -- it's easier and you have a bit more control, especially if you don't have the luxury of having a good soundperson.

I prefer to go through mics. What I've found is that soundpeople generally LIKE working with acoustic instruments and enjoy trying to make them sound as good as possible. Many times I've had soundpeople say to me after a show that it's a pleasure to work with a good sounding acoustic guitar.