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Since I do occasionally play out live, I like to have a PU in my acoustics so I can plug into a sound system at need. I prefer passive pickups because I don't have to worry about batteries failing in the middle of a set (which I've had happen with my bass, which has active pickups). In the past, I've always put K&K Pure Minis in my Eastmans, though because the installation seems rather 'fiddly' and difficult, I've always let my luthier do the install.
Having just acquired TomC's lovely E8D-TC (Alpine), I wanted a pickup in that one as well, but this time around and with some research, I figured I could handle the installation of a Schatten HFN passive PU, since it doesn't require three separate placements using Superglue like the K&Ks.
I now have the Schatten HFN installed and I thought I'd give everyone my impressions of the Schatten PU vs the K&Ks.
On the plus side:
1) It's less expensive since I didn't have to have my luthier do the install. I did the tape install since most of the reviews said that the sound was preferable that way, and yes, it's easy enough (though my forearms don't quite fit easily into the soundhole of the guitar—call me Popeye  ).
2) The sound of the Schatten is very good (but I would say the same of the K&Ks, by and large). Still, I find the Schatten slightly closer to the sound of the guitar alone than the K&K.
On the minus side of the equation:
1) The output level of the Schatten is decidedly less than that of the K&K, even though I'm going through a pre-amp. I had to increase the gain on my mixer to match the volume of the K&Ks. Yes, there are some slight volume differences even with the K&Ks going from guitar to guitar, but those are very minor. This isn't. If I were just using the E8D on a gig, that wouldn't be an issue, but on normal solo gigs I use two other guitars in alternate tunings. Given that I have no soundhole volume controls, I'd have to adjust the volume on my mixer every time I switched guitars. The mixer is usually right alongside me, but not always.
That fact alone is making me consider taking out the Schatten, buying another K&K Pure Mini and having my luthier install that, but I'm going to sit on that decision for awhile. Right now my E10D is the main guitar I use in standard tuning for playing out, so I don't see that I'll have any immediate need to play the E8D live for the time being, and I can make the volume adjustment in my basement studio when I play it here at home (or just play it acoustically up in my office.)
Anyway, those are my impressions comparing those two PU options. Anyone else had the same experience?
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