For years acoustic guitar players have been trying to capture the natural sound of their guitar through various amplification processes. This has been a long journey with many breakthroughs along the way, however many players still struggle with the myriad of options to capture true acoustic tone. The truth of the matter is that when you take a sound wave and convert it to an electrical signal, run it through a machine, and then convert it back to a sound wave, you are going to encounter some kind of electronic residue. While this effect is not a problem (and, in fact may be desirable) for most electric guitar players, it can drive an acoustic guitar player insane because their desire for natural sound.

There are basically three options used in acoustic guitar amplification today. These are "piezo", "magnetic", and "condenser microphones". Each one can give you a different sound from the same guitar because of its own unique properties. If you would like to read more on the advantages and disadvantages of each of these pickup styles, you may want to read my mini lesson on acoustic amplification.

The West Coast Series

Dean Markley broke new ground in 1981 with the introduction of the ProMag™ sound hole pickup. Since then Dean Markley has improved the ProMag™ and brought several updated versions to the market, where it remains the best selling magnetic acoustic guitar pickup today. In 2003 Dean Markley continued on their quest to bring you the best acoustic guitar amplification products with the release of the West Coast Series™. The West Coast Series features four brand new acoustic guitar pickup systems presented in very attractive tin displays. These pickups include the Tahoe™, the Barstow™, the La Jolla™, and the flagship model Trilogy™. Dean Markley was kind enough to send me the Trilogy™ to install on one of my guitars and review for you.

What Makes the Trilogy Different from the Rest?

The Trilogy™ marks a new achievement in acoustic guitar pickup technology. Basically, you realize the benefits of all three of the most used acoustic pickup options in one package. The kit includes an under saddle transducer pickup (piezo), a magnetic soundhole pickup and a small condenser microphone.

Each of these pickup systems features its own volume control, so you are able to use them one at a time, or any combination of the three. This configuration allows for maximum mixing and blending combinations. You also have a master volume, so once you find a desirable blend combination you can adjust the total volume with the turn of a single control.

The main component of the Trilogy™ is the magnetic soundhole pickup. This portion of the kit features the magnetic pole pieces on top and a built in "Class A" preamp, as well as all four volume controls. This is a nice touch since it eliminates the need to cut a hole in the side of your guitar to install a preamp and volume controls. This is also a very big improvement on the original ProMag™ pickup, which had no volume control. This option was an important addition for me, since I am one of the players who prefer to have onboard control of volume that facilitates quick adjustments during a set.

The back of the unit contains the built in condenser microphone. It should be noted that there is some controversy regarding the placement of this kind of microphone. Many believe it should be placed towards the back of the guitar with the microphone facing out toward the sound hole. Others suggest placing the microphone even further inside the body of the guitar. I am far from an expert on sound engineering; however, there are two important reasons that I have come to personally appreciate this placement of the condenser microphone in the Trilogy™. First, feedback is always an issue, especially when trying to mic an acoustic guitar. This placement generally provides much greater isolation from sound emanating from amplifiers, monitors, and PA systems. The pickup unit in front of the microphone effectively blocks or deflects those frequencies that could otherwise create a feedback loop. The second reason is the microphone is going to pick up the sound of the guitar as it is leaving the sound hole without picking up other ambient sounds. Logical thinking leads me to believe that this would be a better representation of the natural sound you hear from the guitar when unamplified.

Next to drilling holes in an acoustic guitar to install end jacks and under saddle transducers, I believe that wiring is the second reason many players never attempt to install a pickup system. Luckily, the wiring portion of the Trilogy™ has been so simplified that even a wiring challenged person like me can do it.

There are only two cables you are going to need to deal with. One goes from the end pin jack to the main pickup housing. The other is from the under saddle transducer pickup to the main pickup housing. Dean Markley's design staff decided to make this very simple by installing mini jacks on these cables. If you can plug a cable into your guitar you can connect these mini jacks. It is just that easy. No soldering is required. I would, however, like to suggest that Dean Markley consider making the end pin jack cable slightly longer. I could just barely get the mini jack out of the sound hole so I could see what I was doing. This, however, is a very minor issue and will pose no serious problems to your ability to hook them up.

The Sound Test

When I finished the installation it was time to try the system out. As I plugged in the guitar cable into the input jack, I noticed that the cable fit snugly. It appeared that there was no way the cable could be yanked out of the guitar by accident, which is an important consideration in gigging situations.

After I was set up and plugged in to my amplifier, it was time for a sound test. I turned up the master volume about halfway. I then turned up each pickup by itself to a comfortable listening level to get a feel for each one's individual sound properties.

Used alone, the under saddle transducer really accentuated the high to mid frequencies. The sound was very good for a piezo pickup, but as with all piezo pickups it was the least "natural" sounding of the three.

The magnetic pickup had a much fuller sound that seemed to focus much more on the mid-range frequencies. I was able to detect a little of the 60 cycle hum typically found in most single coil pickups, but it was very slight and certainly not noticeable when strumming. It was slightly more noticeable when picking out single note lines. (As an aside, I find myself wondering if one of those single coil size stacked humbuckers would take care of this problem.)

My favorite of the three stand-alone options in the Trilogy™ was the condenser microphone. It clearly generated the most natural tone with plenty of low end. The higher I turned the volume, the more bass response I seemed to experience.

However, the real purpose of having three independent options is to blend them together to take advantage of their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. Getting to the heart of the matter, this is where the Trilogy™ shined like no other. This is the most versatile system I have ever used on an acoustic guitar, as it gave me the ability to dial in a seemingly infinite number of combinations. I was amazed at the different tones I was able to achieve. I was able to go from a bright, airy sounding guitar to a lush rich sound full of mids and lows with very little effort. The three pickups definitely compliment each other.

I am a big fan of having some tone controls on my guitars (even better if it's a three band EQ). At first glance, it appears that Trilogy™ does not have any type of separate tone controls. However, I soon realized that manipulating and blending the individual pickups produced the exact same effect. With the condenser picking up more lows, the magnetic highlighting the mids and the transducer accentuation the highs, I found that I could effectively use the volume controls of the individual pickups to equalize the respective frequency ranges. I don't know if that was part of Dean Markley's design plan, but to me it was a pleasant surprise.

Closing Statement

It is clear that the design team at Dean Markley put a lot of thought into the planning of the West Coast Series™. As the flagship model in this series, the Trilogy™ is truly a revolutionary product, and just may mark the dawning of a new era in acoustic amplification. I'm not sure it will take over the use of high dollar external condenser microphones used in professional studios; however, I believe that for the home project studio user, the Trilogy™ is a very versatile and viable option for recording. I lean toward the opinion that the Trilogy™ will find its real home on the stage.

Dean Markley once again shows why they are a leader in acoustic guitar amplification technology with the West Coast Series Trilogy™. It is an excellent product and receives the Guitar Gear Heads™ approval award for 2004.

Gary Allen


Reprinted with permission from Guitar Gear Heads™
Copyright © 2004 Guitar Gear Heads™
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