DTAR Preamps and Pickups • Shoreline Music

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Muriel Anderson
Pierre Bensusan
Howard Emerson
Jaquie Gipson
Dougie MacLean
Franco Morone
The Waybacks

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D-TAR (Duncan-Turner Acoustic Research) has brought together two of the biggest names in the pickup business to produce player-oriented acoustic guitar gear that performs better than most gear in its class. Seymour Duncan is the world's largest pickup manufacturer, and Rick Turner has spent decades designing and building pickups and instruments—he founded Alembic basses, Highlander pickups, and his own Turner-branded line of guitars. Certainly, with this kind of pedigree, it's no surprise that the DTAR gear is as feature-packed and great-sounding as it is. DTAR gear focuses primarily on preamps and pickups for acoustic guitars, as follows:

D-TAR Preamps:

Mama Bear - The DTAR Mama Bear is a marvel of electronic engineering, turning even the lousiest undersaddle pickups into studio microphones. Well, perhaps it's not quite that amazing, but I like this preamp a lot. And it's worth understanding what it does and doesn't do. First, it's important to get one thing straight—while the preamp is designed to model several classic guitars, this is not its greatest strength. Let me explain: The DTAR Mama Bear was built to be a "priceless guitar collection in a single box". When you plug into it, you set the input choice (there are 16) to the guitar/pickup configuration that most closely matches yours. In my case, this is the Renaissance RS6 setting (in my early tests of the Mama Bear, I found the RS6 to be the best source instrument of all those I tried). You then select what guitar you want it to sound like coming through the PA speakers. It's that simple. All the greats are right there in the box—Martin D18 and 19th-century parlor, Taylor x14, Gibson L5 and J200, National Tricone, and many others. As you begin to fiddle with the options, sure enough, you start getting sounds out of your amp that are surprisingly similar to the aforementioned instruments. My personal favorite among the modeled guitars was the resonator—it was the least like my source instruments, and left me digging around for cool songs to play on a National. But while the modeling abilities built into this are fascinating, they're frankly rather subtle, and almost always sound best in a blend with your source instrument.

Moreover, as a stage musician, what I find far more useful is the Mama Bear's ability to tame that pickup-y sound. If you've tried lots of different pickups in your guitar(s), you know what I'm talking about. Even the best pickup still sounds like, well, a pickup. But when I plug a guitar with an undersaddle pickup into the "piezo" channel on the Mama Bear, and set it to the "boutique fingerstyle" output setting (modeled after a Traugott), what comes out is something that sounds a lot more like an acoustic guitar than what went in. The Mama Bear comes—very shrewdly, I think—with a little bypass switch to let you hear how much more acoustic your guitar sounds with the modeling engaged. That's just the polite way of saying that once you hit the bypass switch, you realize how much less acoustic your guitar sounded without the modeling engaged. We have shipped many thousands of guitar pickups and preamps to folks who are just trying to make their guitars sound more acoustic. While the Mama Bear isn't a panacea, it is uncommonly good at doing just that: simply making guitars sound more acoustic. And virtually all of our customer reports agree. I highly recommend this preamp. (high-res pic)

Solstice - The word "solstice" comes from the Latin for "sun stands still", referring to the sun's apparent pause at the peak of the its northern and southern marches every summer and winter. Well, if anything we carry could inspire the sun to stand still, it just might be the feature/price combo of this little unit. Like the Highlander PAMDI and the late Raven Labs PMB, the DTAR Solstice is a blending preamp designed to meet the needs of demanding stage musicians. Like many blending preamps, it has the standard 3 bands of EQ, phase switches on each channel, TRS inserts to handle stereo cables, an effects loop, and a tuner send. But what sets the DTAR unit apart is that it takes up to four simultaneous inputs, including two XLR ins (each with phantom power), and it even features individual channel outs. I also appreciate its little overload light—this is a huge help when determining gain settings. (high-res pic)

Equinox - The word "equinox" means "equal night", but etymology is not what makes this gear interesting—it's the fact that it's the first worthy fully parametric EQ we've found for under $300. A fully parametric EQ is one that gives you control over frequency, bandwidth, and volume levels—the three parameters associated with equalization. Many affordable EQs are semi-parametric or fixed, meaning that you only get to control volume, or volume and frequency, but rarely all three as you do with this device. The Equinox's precision EQ control is just part of the picture, though. It also features a 2-band semi-parametric notch filter. If you've ever tried to use your mid control to notch out feedback, only to find that you wish you had another mid control for tone shaping, you'll appreciate the fact that these notch filters free up the three fully parametric EQs to do the heavy lifting. (high-res pic)

D-TAR Pickups:

Wavelength - The Wavelength is our best-selling DTAR pickup, and for good reason. It features the same balanced, dynamic tone originally heard in the Timberline described below, but with a much lower profile that makes it a lot easier to install. The Wavelength uses an 18-volt preamp (powered by two AA batteries), rather than the usual 9-volt preamps you find with pretty much every other active pickup. This does mean that you have two batteries instead of one clipped inside the guitar, but it also means that the Wavelength has a significantly greater dynamic range. It includes a tone pot (inside the guitar, on the preamp) for improved EQ control, but if you really need onboard tone and volume control for this pickup, you're better off getting the VT module described below. For what it's worth, this is my favorite undersaddle pickup right now. (high-res pic)

Timberline - The precursor to the Wavelength, the Timberline was DTAR's original contribution to the undersaddle pickup race, and it made some serious waves. The coaxial element is of the same family as the Highlander IP1, sensing not just the pressure of the saddle but also the vibration of the whole bridge. This results in a truly complex tone. DTAR's 18-volt preamp first saw wide acclaim with this pickup, and for what it's worth, the Timberline is also the pickup in the Renaissance RS6, which is my main stage guitar. While most DTAR customers these days opt for the Wavelength, the Timberline is still worth considering if you're looking for rich, dynamic tone. As with most undersaddle pickups we sell, this is available in 3/32" and 1/8" models. For further help determining your saddle width, please visit our FAQ. (high-res pic)

Load n Lock - The Load n Lock is a modification of the standard Wavelength design, available for some time on Guild guitars, and now for sale as an aftermarket pickup. The pickup is the regular DTAR Wavelength, and the preamp has the same guts as the standard Wavelength preamp, but its design is nevertheless quite different. First, the Load n Lock includes the VT Module described below (you'd normally have to pay extra to upgrade to this). Second, and more important, the Load n Lock allows you to insert the batteries through the endpin jack. If you've ever had to de-tune your guitar just to replace your pickup's batteries, you can understand the value of simply unscrewing the endpin and popping in a couple of AAs. However, I would be remiss if I did not warn that this preamp is quite a bit larger than the standard endpin-jack preamp, both in the preamp itself and the barrel that sticks through the tailblock. Even without the batteries installed it weighs 6.5 ounces (compared to 1.7 ounces for the standard Wavelength preamp), and instead of the standard 1/2" hole in the tailblock, the Load n Lock requires a 7/8" hole. In this way, it's kind of like the Highlander IP-1: The unit sounds great and is highly functional, but if you ever want to switch to another pickup, you should be warned that the tailblock will be an issue. (high-res pic) (external view)

D-TAR Extras:

VT Module - This is the long-awaited addition to our top-selling Wavelength pickups. The Volume/Tone module adheres right inside your soundhole (like most other volume controls these days), and gives you a tone pot and a volume pot. The newest Wavelengths come with a mini-jack for the VT module's mini-plug, so it's literally plug and play (or rather, plug and control your volume). Please note that this will still work for older models of Wavelength, but it takes some soldering.

Carrying Case - DTAR makes a nifty padded carrying case so you can sling your Solstice or Mama Bear over your shoulder. We include this free with any DTAR preamp purchase (be sure to select it below when ordering). (high-res pic)

Mic Stand Adapter - All the current DTAR preamps come pre-drilled for a mic stand adapter, which we offer for sale. If you're playing your guitar standing up onstage and you need to adjust your tone a bit, the last thing you want to do is crouch down to the floor with your guitar still in hand. With your Mama Bear mounted on a mic stand right next to you, your controls are right at your fingertips.

DTAR Preamps

Description

Price*

Mama Bear

Revolutionary modeling preamp

Solstice

Full-featured blending preamp

Equinox

Fully parametric EQ. Includes notch filters and preamp.

DTAR Guitar Pickups

Description

Price*

Wavelength

Easy-install version of the Timberline.

Timberline

Undersaddle pickup with 18-volt preamp

$111.30

Load n Lock

Wavelength with battery storage in the endpin jack. Includes VT Module.

DTAR Extras

Description

Price

VT Module

Volume and tone control for Wavelength pickups (requires soldering for older models)

Carrying case

Gigbag for D-TAR preamps.

Mic stand adapter

Fits all current D-TAR preamps.

*All D-TAR preamp and pickup prices include free shipping anywhere in the US. CO residents add 2.9% sales tax (7.4% in La Plata county). Please see our Shipping page for additional shipping information.

D-TAR Equinox