I just checked all the dealers on their 'Find-A-Dealer' page and could not find any info regarding the new pickup. Many of those web sites also have no search function nor offer online sales. (except Elderly.com)
Also checked several other places that I've bought the Mi-Si Acoustic Trio for Uke, and oddly none of them even show ANY Mi-Si products.
One upon a time Pohaku Ukulele and Mainland Ukes were selling the Acoustic Trio, but I have not checked their sites yet.
We might still be waiting a while for any dealers to get them, but I am hopeful that they reply to DownUpDave's email with some info for us...I have one uke and one guitar that are ready to have the new Air model installed immediately (by me) once I can get the funds together.
One uke will be a tenor Flea, and the guitar is an Art & Lutherie Ami Nylon parlor guitar with a cedar top/cherry back and sides.
On Fluke and Flea ukes, unless you buy direct and opt for the B-Band pickup system to be installed, there's too much risk of drilling into one of the internal braces, or the screws that hold the bridge on...
(the bridge on these ukes is screwed in to the soundboard by screws from the UNDERSIDE, and there's no way to get to them without removing the top, or cutting a hole in the polycarbonate back of the instrument, neither of which is something I'm willing to do)
On these ukes, I've tried a dozen different pre-made soundboard surface transducers, as well as built a few of my own and simply not happy with the sound, regardless if I used a $25 or $500 impedance-matching external preamp.
On the Ami parlor guitar, the setup/string geometry/intonation is absolutely perfect, and I do not want to upset or mess with the saddle or saddle slot, nor suffer the problems with a surface transducer....
So in either case, the Acoustic Air (or whatever it's called when we can actually buy it) would be just perfect for me to try on both instruments. I've already got the hole drilled for the endpin jack, so installation should take no more than like 10 mins if I go real slow....
Waiting with baited breath is an understatement.
I just hope the cost is closer to $100 than $200.
MEMS mic elements can be bought in single qty from electronics parts distributors like BG Micro, Digikey and Mouser for like $2 each, and the Mi-Si Crystal preamp can be had from Elderly for $118 as opposed to the Mi-Si Acoustic Trio with the pickup ribbon for $135 (which is the highest price I've seen it advertised, and I never paid more than $119 for it sans shipping).
