The Rare Earth Humbucking pickup uses a dual-coil design that eliminates electromagnetic hum that could be caused by nearby electronics and lighting, delivering a full-sounding, low-noise signal. The Single Coil version sounds brighter and more “open”, but can be susceptible to potential interference from nearby electromagnetic fields.

The Rare Earth Humbucking pickup can fit into soundholes as small as 3.625″, which makes it suitable for the majority of steel-string guitars on the market. To be sure, measure the diameter of your guitar’s soundhole.

Magnetic pickups like the Rare Earth Humbucker do sound “less acoustic” than a microphone or an undersaddle piezo pickup. Magnetic soundhole pickups are designed to serve as sound reinforcement to help your guitar sit in the mix, and are not intended to give you an accurate sonic snapshot of your acoustic tone.

No, the magnetic pickup element only captures vibrations from the strings. If you are an active player and want to avoid amplifying bumps and thuds, the Rare Earth Humbucker is a smart choice. If you’re a percussive player that needs to capture taps and finger noise, a hybrid pickup/mic system like the Rare Earth Mic Blend system would be a better choice.

Yes. The Rare Earth Humbucker has a thumbwheel volume control that you can easily access without removing the pickup.

The Rare Earth Mic Blend and Rare Earth Humbucker use the same magnetic pickup. The Rare Earth Blend system adds a separate microphone element with blend control. The microphone captures the warmth and resonance of your guitar, and the magnetic pickup captures presence, attack and detail.

You could technically use the Rare Earth Humbucking pickup to record your acoustic guitar, but it will sound more “electric” and one dimensional than if you used a microphone-based system like the Rare Earth Mic Blend. The Rare Earth Humbucking pickup excels at high-volume sound reinforcement while resisting feedback on stage.