Live sound is an ongoing problem for most acoustic performers. Playing directly into an external microphone is my favorite option, and works well if the room is quiet (i.e. concert settings) and the sound people are competent. I've always enjoyed the live sound of the David Grisman Quintet, which has always played without pickups. They have their own mics, sound person, and controlled environments.

Because I sometimes play in less optimal performance situations (i.e. rock clubs and bars), I've found that relying on the house P.A. and sound crew and "hoping for the best" is more often frustrating than fun.

The dilemma lies between wanting to deliver a great tone from a great instrument, in my case a J.R Zeidler dreadnought, and the inability to do so because of ambient noise and sound techs inexperienced in dealing with acoustic instruments.

I decided I'd rather be heard with a slighty compromised tone than to be inaudible and struggle fruitlessly to be heard by overplaying and tensing up. I've found that using a pickup in these situations allows me to relax and play better.

There are a few choices:

• Microphone mounted inside sound chamber, usually with piezo
• Piezo under the saddle
• Magnetic pickup

Next, I used a variety of Fishman piezo pickups, with several different preamps from Fishman, Passac etc. Piezos have a characteristically crackly attack that cannot be EQ'ed away. They are inherently quacky to my ears. I could hear myself, but it didn't make me feel much better.

Then I tried a DeArmond humbucker, which went in the opposite direction- it was so smooth and dark that the guitar sounded like an archtop jazz guitar- a nice sound, but just wrong for certain flattop sounds.

I am now using the Fishman Rare Earth Humbucking soundhole mounted pickup, and have found it to deliver a pretty decent sound-still not a true acoustic sound of course, but a good compromise. This pickup doesn't require an external preamp or EQ, just a battery change once a year. The unit is quite thin, so it doesn't obscure much of the soundhole. It is wired to an endpin jack, and the battery is activated when you plug in. I use a volume pedal with a pot that I can set so when the pedal is in the full up position, the volume is at about 90% for rhythm guitar. When I solo, I just step on it and get the extra 10% volume needed.

The tone of the Rare Earth is 'natural' enough that I can play relaxed, without straining and overplaying to make myself heard. As any electric guitarist knows, hearing a good sound while you are playing is critical to feeling comfortable and being able to play your best. Tone is the "form" that allows one to create "content" comfortably. I have been experimenting with various preamps like the Baggs DI and even the Klon Centaur, which is designed for electric guitar but adds great presence to the Rare Earth.

On my Aylward Selmer (Django) type guitar, I use a Stimer s51 reissue pickup (magnetic) made by Maurice DuPont, run into a 1969 Fender Deluxe Reverb.

As far as microphones go, I try to carry an AKG C1000S with me. As a condensor mic, it beats the hell out of the ubitquitous dynamic Shure SM57 for power and sensitivity. It carries it's own phantom power via an internal 9 voly battery. At around $200, it's a great deal.

I still agree with David Grisman, who said that pickups deliver an acoustically "stillborn" sound, because you aren't really hearing the tone produced by the vibration of the wood and the complex combination of fingerboard/frets/soundboard/bracing/choice of woods/bridge/saddle etc. However, until I perform exclusively in an 'acoustically controlled' climate, I've found the pickup to be a way to live with the frustrations of live sound in a real world, non-controlled (read: noisy bar) environment.