Fishman Neo-D SingleCoil

This pick up is very good in it’s class and I don’t have too much to add to the comments which are already done here.
I’ll try to find the solutions for the ‘contras’ mentioned and get some ways to overcome them.
1. Some people complains about the cable which seems not of very good quality to them. Some folks complains about the fact that the cable can’t be detached, or ‘unplugged’ from the pickup itself.
The reasons are very simple and explainable I think.
First of all, any guitar cable of good quality is comparable in price with the price if this recent pickup. Isn’t it?
Suggestions could be the following. You can cut the cable leaving some 0-30 cm ‘tail’ which could be equipped by female 3.5 mm (cable type) jack socket.
Please don’t buy the cheap ones – any jacks by Sennheiser, Swithcraft, Neutric are fine. Preferably with the screws so you never lose the electric connection…
Then you can choose any guitar cable you like and replace one of the 6 5 mm standard jacks with a small one, 3.5 mm jack which fits the socket you’ve installed.
Then you don’t need to wrap your guitar with cables – just unplug the long part and leave the short one inside your guitar.
2. Some buyers complains about the situation when the height of pick up gets to high after it’s installation, so the strings lays down right on a pickup making the playing impossible.
Suggestion: The pickup’ holders are equipped with gaskets made of cork, to exclude damage of coating of the guitar top or the upper deck, if you wish. Thickness of cork is about 4 millimeters. You can replace the cork’s upper parts of the gaskets with a softer material - polyurethane foam or something similar. You can even put pieces of thin velvet or corduroy instead. Then we can decrease the height and opportunity to lower the pickup by 2-3 millimeters down. The screws shouldn’t be tighten too strong – just to keep pick up on its place and make no mechanical noises. That’s it. Have fun!

Summary: For the cheap price, this is a perfect entry into acoustic pickups for those who have none. High build quality and clean sound, though lacking in separation and dynamic range from only having a single coil.


I bought this pickup for an old concertina acoustic guitar bought in America sometime in the late 80's. The fitment of the pickup into the soundhole was very good, and the cork cushions protected the guitar from the pressure. I would prefer for there to be some way of taking the cable back out of the sound hole more easily, perhaps a weighted, formed upside down V shape would keep it in place (or a way to fix it to the side of the pickup). I frequently found that I was hitting the cable with my plectrum while playing, or having to play closer to the bridge (and further from the pickup) than I normally would just to avoid the wire. This is a potential area of improvement, but for the cheap price its acceptable. However, if you're buying a pickup for the first time and getting a more expensive one, pay attention to how the cable sits/is fixed coming out of the soundhole. As I didn't want to drill a hole anywhere in my guitar for this and its a temporary device, this perhaps will not be a concern for everyone. The build quality is excellent.

Sound: The sound of the pickup is very decent for an entry level pickup. Considering that I had no way of in-line recording before buying this, if you want the cheapest way to get in-line recording from an acoustic guitar you really can't go wrong here. However, an extra €50 on a pickup with more coils is a worthy consideration if you're going to do a lot of recording. I find the sound warm, and well-centred over all, but lacking separation between bass and treble. Other reviewers may offer better expertise, but to my amateur ear I put this down to the single coil. Of course, the result is there are no dials for bass/treble/volume and it is not an active pickup, requiring amplification. I use plug the pickup into the back of my Samson G track pro and record in audacity.

Very happy with this purchase as a first pickup and its given me a lot to think about before dropping money on more expensive pickups.

I use it with my takamine acoustic guitar. I do not perform in the gigs or something, but i can tell that it is really good product that can make your acoustic guitar sound so good. I plug my guitar to my amp and adding reverb and delay on it it is so good together.

pros and cons

pros, it is simple to put in your soundhole you just need a screwdriver to make it tight on your soundhole and thats it ! sounds good and clear very clear !

cons - the only thing is cable lenght is short but if you have your amp next to you if you perform in a gig or smthn thats not a problem .. if you will walk with your guitar on the stage you may need to make extension to your cable.

This pickup sounds how you would imagine a single-coil pickup to sound on an acoustic guitar. The sound is clear, has a nice bottom end and warm mids. The signal is healthy, not too low or too hot.
Acoustic guitar playing isn't something that I do regularly but I needed something cheap that will do the job for the gig that I had. I pair it with Behringer ADI21 and I was surprised by the sound a got for 50€!
The only downside of it is the jack plug. It is low quality molded jack. That's why I rated it with 2 stars for the quality.
I think that I will probably drill a hole in my guitar and put a female jack and then just connect it with a regular jack cable to the amp/pedal that I'm using. That way I can get rid of the cheap molded plug it comes with.

I've had this soundhole pickup for many years now and found it to be a useful tool for acoustic recording. I've never used it live.

The Neo D doesn't need a battery (big plus) and has a nicely designed mounting method - two padded grips slot onto the edge of the sound-hole, which you then tighten with a couple of screws. No damage to the guitar, the mount is secure and it's quick to fit and remove.

The sound is clear and accurate, a wee bit brittle at the top end , but the low end is captured really well. This is an honest, dry and detailed capture of your guitar sound and it can appear harsh to those used to a more flattering way of recording.

Judicious use of EQ and compression post recording can tailor the sound from anywhere between tight focused finger-picking and washy strumming. The point is, if you get a good source recording, you're 90% of the way there and the Neo-D is a great and affordable way to get that.