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Harley Benton TrueTone T-20

306 Customer ratings

4.1 / 5

sound

quality

66 Reviews

Harley Benton TrueTone T-20
£12.90
All prices incl. VAT
In stock
1
S
Used It with Ukulele - Does the Job, Great Value
StoningRolls 09.09.2021
I needed something to connect my soprano ukulele to the computer (for recording), and I realized this might be the cheapest way to do it, if I didn't want to use any external microphones.

The pickup is very easy to place (using the accompanying sticky blue-tac-like paste), and does the job as you'd expect. For the ukulele, I realize the optimal placement is NOT under the bridge, as acoustic guitar users suggest, but right below the sound hole.

Two IMPORTANT things to consider:
1) You'll need some sort of preamp. I plugged it to my Zoom G1X, and it works flawlessly (plus, I got some cool effects).
2) Be VERY careful with feedback. I stupidly turned my guitar amp toward myself while trying to play. The pickup... picks up sound, which above a certain volume can cause some massive feedback. Turn the speaker the other way around, lower the volume, or use headphones.

Other than that, not much to add. It's not professional-grade, but it definitely does the job.
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V
Decent build, tricky to set up
Vespazian 25.04.2025
I bought this this thing to capture the acoustic sound of a semi hollow bass guitar. It requires a preamp to get a decent signal.

The build feels solid: the cable is thick, the jack socket seems sturdy and holds the guitar cable very well, no fears of the cable unplugging.
The sound is very thin and detailed which is to be expected from a piezo pickup, especially on bass. The only downside is that it's difficult to set up correctly and requires some experimentation to get a nice tone. This may be due to my specific use, but you'll get a lot of unwanted noise and clicks when touching the wooden casing or the cable even slightly. I'd still like to try this thing out on a drum shell.

Either way, for the price and build quality, I recommend this item. It does its job, but requires a little bit of experimenting and patience to get a decent result.
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D
Not bad - worth a look
D.T.F. 24.08.2025
I bought this just to see what it was like - it's so cheap I couldn't resist. I use it on an acoustic mandolin.

Postitives - it is very robust, easy to install and easy to use. If you experiment with placement it will give good even coverage to all the strings - this is important on mandolins on which the top 'e' string is notoriously tricky to amplify.

Negatives / Queries - not completely convinced by the sound. For me it's a bit thin, tinny, hollow - although it is unmistakably the sound of a mandolin. Maybe that could be fixable or at least improved with a pre-amp, modelling amp or pedal - but those kind of moves seem to be "putting the cart before the horse". I mean if you want to play amplified it would probably be more effective to start with a well recommended electric or electro acoustic instrument. Also watch out for feedback - it can really boom!

Having said that I haven't played out or gigged with this - it might sound better in say a noisy pub along with other instruments.
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S
Always in my bag in case I need to record an acoustic instrument
SergioKE 08.12.2022
Needed some time to find the sweet spot for the resonance, but I even got to amplify and use effects with my standard piano :) Nice sound, good price. Thinking of getting a spare, in case I accidentally brake it or loose it.
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FT
Great drum trigger
Father Ted 21.08.2024
I feed 4 of these into a Roland TM-2 to trigger 4 different drum sounds using my foot. Works great but I do have to replace them every few months.
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D
Ok
Derfel 02.07.2024
Not badly made, externally.

Has a high noise level. So, use on loud sounding items.
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SL
Ugly, but does the job
Silvester Lynx 20.01.2023
It sounds as good as any piezo that just sticks to the top. The Sound is not superb, but it does the job. I have had multiple gigs with this on my mandoline and it works fine. Just the engraving on the top that is visible looks outdated and ugly, whatever it is meant to be.
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b
Good product for the price
backwardsguitarist 26.03.2020
Good product for the price. I use this with my Taylor BT and works fine although depending on the position it can give some nasty feedback.
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G
Not bad at all
GlebPortugal 31.08.2020
Great pickup! But very sensitive, even the movement of the hand on the top of the guitar is noticeably reflected in the final recording.
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Harley Benton TrueTone T-20