Email May 2008 - from Eran Bein:
I got the AJ221T and installed it with hardly any pain..
Its great, very good quality, I love it and it does exactly what I needed.
Thank you very much for your help !
Eran Bein
Email April 2008 - from Steve Humphries:
just to say it (AJ112) sounds wonderful on the Moon mandolin played through a Fishman preamp and into an AER 60.
Fitting didnt take long -had to shave a couple of mm off to open the gap between the 2 bridge parts
thanks a lot-great product steve humphries
Email Feb 2008 - from musician/luthier Chris Lownds:
"Hello there, It has been many years since I last contacted you when I had a small stringed instrument making/repairs business in Wiltshire.
At that time I bought a couple of things from you including an early version of the microstrip. I used that on my own guitar and some 15 odd years later it is still working perfectly well producing superb acoustic sounds.
The reason I have contacted you now is that I recently bought an AJ221 which I have fitted to my latest guitar which is a J-200. Fitting it was really easy and plugging in for the first time, direct into a Marshall AVT100 amp produced amazing results.
The amp is obviously designed for electric guitars but the AJ221 really does drive the amp sufficiently without pre-amping and sounds truly wonderful. A bit of fiddling with the eq produces beautiful clear/natural tones with even volume from all strings. As I don't like the idea of having batteries and pre-amp/eq modules clattering around inside my acoustics (not forgetting the the surgery that is needed) your latest design is an absolute winner.
I have already decided to upgrade my other guitar by ordering another AJ221 from Eagle Music in Yorkshire, which is where i got the other one. All the best and congratulations on designing such a great product.
Chris Lownds"
Cris Tolley, jazz guitarist:
Just wanted to say how impressed I am with your Budget Bug. I bought it from my local shop after struggling with mics on my gypsy jazz acoustic guitar. I have a fantastic sound into my Marshall AS100 amp and great feedback resistance.
You should mention this type of guitar on your site as they are notoriously difficult to amplify successfully. The bug and output jack are hardly noticable visually, as well.
Thanks for a great product.
Peter Brookes /The Reel Thing Barn Dance Band:
..the sound from our violin (with AJ11 direct through Carlsboro Marlin 6 mixer amp) was amazingly good
..we have two violins, the other uses a Shure SM11 - a more expensive alternative obviously. One cannot honestly tell the two apart..
Ben Spender /Music Teacher:
I am using these (AJ51) extensively in my teaching now. Whenever we do a school concert.. ..the whole school can hear him or her perform!
I even use them on my charango - a small guitar like instrument from Peru!
The amplified sound is great.
Bob Greenwood on his AJ301 double bass transducer:
..When I was in the States, people were asking how I got my sound.
One guy said he'd spent $1,000 on pick-ups and refused to believe I'd got
exactly what he wanted for just £50!
GUITARIST Review of Grummit Acoustic valued at £10,000
..Under the very carefully placed intonation - compensated split saddle
is a single Ashworth under-saddle transducer. Even though there
is no pre-amp (which would spoil the ethos of the guitar) and even though
the pick-up is mounted in less than ideal circumstances under a non-aligned
split saddle, the resulting amplified sound is breathtakingly close to
the natural acoustic sound.
ACOUSTIC GUITARIST/Amplifying solo acoustic guitar by Adrian Legg
..with the exception of the Ashworth and some of the Shadows, the tonal
dryness and balance flaws of the undersaddle pickups tend to be too exposed
for comfort on a solo guitar.
MUSIKER MAGASINET - SWEDEN
Survey of Yamaha, Baggs, Fishman, Ashworth piezo systems.
..The Ashworth system was my personal favourite..very easy to work
with and gives a very good acoustic sound whether one runs it through a
combo amp or a PA.
MUSIC UK Review on AJ21
..We tried comparing it to a miked sound, using a top quality electret
condenser mike and, frankly the sound from the transducer was better..
GUITAR MAGAZINE Vol. 8 No. 4
..At last, at last, an Ashworth transducer.. and what a remarkable
little thing it is. More power than anything I've ever tried without a
pre-amp (this one genuinely doesn't need it), a nice mid-mid-range dip,
pure and cleartone.. I can't recommend it highly enough.."
BASSIST MAGAZINE
Ashworth pickups make the skeletal Orca sound as if it has a huge belly...