The Black Angel is a new passive soundhole-mounted magnetic pickup for acoustic guitars from DiMarzio.
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This new pickup is designed in response to requests for an easy to install passive magnetic pickup that does not sound electric guitar like, and they did this by utilizing a special humbucking magnetic circuit tuned for acoustic guitars.
The Black Angel follows up on the DiMarzio Angel, which features the same soundhole pickup design but with a different color scheme. This new pickup is designed to be as quiet as a piezo pickup, without any noticeable hum and other unwanted noise.
As the name implies, the Black Angel pickup comes in matte black color, so as not to distract from the look of acoustic guitars. It installs as discretely as it looks, able to attach to regular shaped soundholes without any need for modifications to your instrument. It has an adjustable design that allows it to fit into soundholes that is 3.5″ and larger. It has a 2-1/16″ string spacing that should allow it to accommodate guitars with nut widths ranging from 1-11/16″ to 1-3/4″.
The Black Angel is essentially a passive humbucker pickup tweaked to work with acoustic guitars. It is built to be quiet and has none of the unwanted hum sounds from regular magnetic pickups. Since its passive it will also not have any of the battery noise and you won’t have to worry about the pickup failing due to low battery life when performing. The two coils of this pickup are on a parallel axis to the strings, having a special magnetic circuit that is acoustically isolated to reduce excessive finger and pick noises.
To give the amplified sound a genuine acoustic feel, DiMarzio designed this pickup to capture both the sound and the feel of your playing. Here is what the company says, “The Black Angel “hears” the entire range of the acoustic guitar from top to bottom, with no gaps anywhere. Its “feel” is just as important. The Black Angel tracks right- and left-hand dynamics and responds immediately to the sound coming off the string“.
Since it is easy to install and it comes with a built-in phase switch, you can use this pickup together with acoustic-electric guitars, or you can even mix it with a mic. When blended properly, this pickup will add more depth and warmth to the usual tinny sound of piezo equipped acoustics.
DiMarzio bundles the Black Angel with a 1/8″ to 1/4″ Switchcraft endpin jack, and a quick mount 10-foot standard cable. The New DiMarzio Black Angel acoustic pickups are made in their U.S.A. facility, and is now available with a suggested list price of $229.99. Visit DiMarzio for further details.
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Click here for our list of the best acoustic guitar pickups