Announcing the Ultra Tonic Pickup™

At last, an acoustic guitar pickup that offers the richness of a sound board transducer with the feedback immunity of an under saddle transducer. With patent pending technology James May Engineering is proud to offer the Ultra Tonic Pickup – a unique solution for guitarist who care about their sound and need to play in real-world environments at the elevated levels commonly encountered.

How does it sound?

It sounds similar to the most popular sound board transducer, the K&K Pure Mini—a quite good sounding pickup. However, the Ultra Tonic does not suffer from the same low end mud and boom. It sounds clearer and crisper, with great articulation and perfect string-to-string balance. When compared to typical under saddle transducers, the warmth and natural attack characteristics of this pickup are very compelling.

How well does it work?

It has a lot more feedback immunity—typically at least 10dB more than a K&K at the fundamental chamber resonance around 100Hz. That makes it a lot more usable in real-world situations. Feedback is no longer an issue. Sound-hole plugs and notch filters will usually not be necessary even under quite loud situations.

The pickup and included circuit board are totally passive, and totally noise free. No batteries, minimal intrusion. It has a low output impedance and a high output level which makes it non-fussy about what you plug it into. Inputs with 500KΩ or more are recommended, 1MΩ is ideal. Unlike the K&K, the bass response does not change if higher input impedances are used.

By itself it is highly expressive and highly impressive, offering a much richer sound than any under-saddle transducer can give. When paired with a ToneDexter, it will knock your socks off! If you aren’t yet familiar with ToneDexter, you might want to check it out at www.audiosprockets.com.

It works with 6-string and 12-string flat top acoustic guitars, as well as nylon sting guitars with or without a bridge plate. Use with other instruments like archtops, mandolins, and banjos is under investigation.

What’s not to like?

Nothing. Well, perhaps there is something—it does take a  few extra steps to install this pickup, but it’s easy to get it right once you know how. It is not hit or miss, like some other pickup types. The procedure is straightforward and surefire. And, the results are well worth it, as evidenced by our user base of very happy users. If you are not the do-it-yourself type, we have a growing number of dealers and installers who can help.

If you are looking for the best sounding, hassle-free passive pickup that money can buy, look no further than the Ultra Tonic!