Barbera Soloist Acoustic Steel String Guitar Pickup

Barbera Soloist Series guitar pickups are an innovative new acoustic guitar pickup technology based on concepts evolved out of our more than twenty five years of experience producing high end multi transducer bridges for violin family instruments. Soloist acoustic guitar pickups represent a genuine step forward in guitar pickup technology. The focused tonal clarity, string to string balance and incredible power of projection they provide sets a new standard for sound quality and tonal projection that is truly a game changer for live performance with an acoustic guitar.

Iconic country music artist Clint Black commented after having all 12 of his touring guitars outfitted with Soloist pickups that the Soloist pickups "changed his life on stage." The Gipsy Kings upon trying a Soloist pickup on one guitar proceeded with outfitting their frontline instruments with Soloist pickups. The Eagles guitarists Bernie Leadon and Steuart Smith both had Soloist pickups installed in their acoustic guitars for the Eagles reunion tour.

Soloist guitar pickups are very different from under saddle pickup designs, the Soloist saddle itself is the pickup, it is not an under saddle transducer. It is an engineered saddle which contains micro electro acoustic structures within the saddle. This allows for a directionally focused and refined sensitivity, and a fidelity of sound reproduction that does not amplify microphonic noise from the instruments surface. (An under saddle pickup turns an acoustic guitar top into an amplified drum head and indiscriminately amplifies all kinds of unwanted and unmusical noise.)

Clear as a bell tonal reproduction.
A guitar strings' vibrational response to an instruments top is shaped by the resonant characteristics of the instrument. The tonal personality of a guitar is reflected in the vibrating strings. Soloist pickups are designed to efficiently harvest these tonally rich string vibrations and generate a strong and clear reproduction of the guitars' voice for amplification. Soloist pickups reject microphonic body noise, (finger noise squeaks, bumps, thumps, extreme low end boominess etc.) the elimination of this non musical noise in the amplified signal provides an extremely high level of clarity and tonal purity in the amplified sound. It also greatly decreases feedback sensitivity. This enhances and extends the possibilities for the use of an amplified acoustic guitar in a wide range of musical settings.

The micro structures within the saddle are highly responsive to each string's vibrational energies independently. This selective sensitivity yields a focused clarity and accuracy of tone, reproducing the guitars' sound clearly and transparently. String outputs are individually voiced for a well balanced string to string output. This allows for very effective amplification and tonal projection when playing with other instruments.

Unlike under-saddle pickups, string balances do not depend on the flatness of the saddle slot or the compression of a transducer beneath the saddle. Because the sensors within the Soloist saddle are not being compressed between the saddle and the bridge as in an under saddle pickup, the amplified tone is very open and natural sounding. Soloist pickups are highly responsive to playing dynamics, enabling the effective use of a wide range of expressive playing techniques.

The saddles do not alter or detract from the guitar's acoustic sound. The pickups function passively and installation is simple and non-invasive to the guitar. A passive installation allows for a wide range of external preamps to also be used or for preamp free usage when plugging into a guitar amplifier.

Some noted artists using Soloist pickups include -Pierre Bensusan, Ray Benson - Asleep At The Wheel, Doyle Dykes, Howard Alden, Clint Black, Bernie Leadon-The Eagles, Stewart Smith -The Eagles, blugrass performers Daily and Vincent, John Knowles, Romero Lubambo, Gene Bertoncini, The Gipsy Kings, Muriel Anderson, Richard Smith, Giuseppe Contienza. We are also proud to have made Soloist Pickups for noted guitar makers like Guild Guitars, ( Doyle Dykes signature series guitars - 6 string steel, 12 string and nylon string) Cordoba Guitars, Buscarino Guitars, Kirk Sand-Sand Guitars, Benedetto Guitars, Sadowsky Guitars, Knutson Luthiery, Prenkert Guitars, DiCarlo Guitars, Collings Guitars, Hill Guitar Co, Cervantes Guitars, Thorell guitars, Comins Guitars...