Dear Prudence

“Dear Prudence, won’t you come out to play
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It’s beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence won’t you come out to play”

These words played in my head as I pulled her off her case. Now she can plug in to an amp! Once I played my first song I got so excited with the brilliance of the sound. I appreciate the melody even more now as the amp just boosts every detail.

Unfortunately, there’s a slight feedback on the E string when idle. I still have to get a feedback buster from the music store and scout for a good pre-amp or a graphic or parametric equalizer.

What was installed? The Duncan|Turner Acoustice Research (D TAR) SADDUCER.

The Sadducer™ is an under-saddle-transducer for acoustic guitar that uses six discrete piezo crystals, one for each string. The result is a high-output pickup designed for even frequency response. It’s exceptional for melody players, especially those who play over the entire fingerboard. But perhaps the biggest benefit is that, unlike other piezo pickups, the Sadducer does not require a built-in or off-board preamp to boost and smooth the signal. That means no batteries required!

A normal guitar jack plugs into the Sadducer and any guitar amp. I recommend an acoustic guitar amp for the best acoustic sound.

It doubles as a guitar strap nut. So I also had the old strap nut moved on the neck. Not she can be played standing up. Excellent for gigs!

If you want to be more technical about it here are the features:

Feature	Benefit
Uses discrete piezo crystals	Better string to string balance. Increased responsiveness to the guitar top’s vibrations for great tone
High output response	No need for expensive on-board electronics to boost signal
Lower output impedance than film type transducers	No buffering preamp required, no battery required, simpler installation
Thin height profile	Allows for optimal saddle placement in bridge slot, generally without need to modify slot
Thin width profile	Accommodates both 1/8″ and 3/32″ saddles
Available in steel string and nylon string versions	Optimized for type of guitar

The men responsible: Ramon and Jenner of Audiophile Greenhills.