ASK A GROUP of acoustic guitar players to name a company renowned for making high-quality pickups for their instruments, and Shadow Electronics will be one of the most common names you'll get in reply. Yet although such devices remain arguably the company's main field of interest, they've been branching out into other areas for some time now.

For instance, a couple of years ago they developed an electric magnetic pickup that combined an ordinary "humbucking" option with a MIDI converter. It could be fitted to virtually any electric guitar, and gave players control over sounds from the whole range of MIDI instruments - synthesizers, samplers, drum machines - direct from their favourite axe, with a standard guitar sound available at the flick of a switch.

A similar research programme has now resulted in the EQ5 pickup, a humbucker that discards the MIDI element of earlier Shadow designs, but adds another fascinating set of options.

The pickup itself is the heart of Shadow's SH1 guitar (as well as being available as a separate accessory, by the way) so before checking out the rest of the instrument, a detailed look at the EQ5 is called for. It's the same size as a regular humbucker, but that's just about where the similarity stops. It's claimed the EQ5 has the ability to reproduce the tone of any commercially available pickup - without losing high or midrange frequencies when used with a long guitar lead.

The key to the EQ5's chameleon character is a five-band equalisation section. If you're having difficulty visualising this, imagine a system of tone controls that covers five frequencies instead of the usual two (bass and treble) or three (bass, mid, and treble). Obviously, the more frequencies an equalisation (or "EQ") system has, the more precise your control over the tone of a sound is. The other thing EQ controls need to do is be able to boost or cut the level of each frequency by a big amount: 10 or 12dB is common on a hi-fi amplifier, but on something like a guitar, you need a bit more. Needless to say, the EQ5 excels in both areas, with its five individual frequency controls all capable of cutting or boosting their level by a maximum of 18dB. In addition to the EQ controls, there's a master volume control and a pot that governs the output of the pickup before "pre-amplification and frequency adjustments" - to you and me, the original pickup signal.

Adjustments for all these options are implemented by turning the pole piece on the face of the pickup through 180 degrees. This requires a very small screwdriver and a degree of care. Plus or minus indicators - and all the other information needed for adjustments - are printed on the face of the pickup. Setting the various parameters for a given sound is easy, though not quite easy enough to attempt while playing: "sorry everybody, the guitarist's just looking for his screwdriver" is not the thing to say to an audience whose hearts are just warming to your music and whose feet are itching for more.

To activate the EQ5, the single tone pot has to be pulled out; this also cancels its tone adjustment function. Left in the "in" position, it functions as a normal tone pot and leaves the guitar in "passive" mode - in other words, without the detailed EQ section playing any part in the proceedings. The difference in output level between the active and passive modes can be adjusted so that they either complement each other, or are a complete contrast. You'll probably find you want the balance somewhere in between.

Another important point is that all the facilities offered in the EQ5 work on the SH1's two single-coil pickups as well, so a good tonal balance and range can be achieved for the whole guitar.

The SH1 can certainly put out an interesting array of tones, and Shadow themselves recommend a number of different configurations for classic electric guitar sounds, just to get you going. The recommended settings for a Strat lead pickup and a '58 Gibson PAF aren't as convincing as they could be, but the Telecaster lead pickup setting is quite authentic. For my money, though, the SH1's overdrive setting is its strongest point. Even through an average tranny amp, the sustain - with harmonics ringing out of every note - is utterly brilliant. With an overdriven amp the effect is simply startling: I found myself digging into my limited repertoire of Gary Moore riffs, with the guitar sounding not too far from the original - even if you couldn't quite say the same about the playing... The single-coil pickups on this setting produce a character and sound all their own - again with bags of colour and sustain.

With the guitar plugged into an amp's clean channel and the humbucker in active mode, the pickup produces a solid, warm sound with yet more sustain, although the guitar itself should take some of the credit for that. The single coils are punchy but smooth-sounding - like a beefed-up Strat.

Frankly, the SH1's passive mode is quite boring in comparison with the active, although the sounds are still pretty good. The humbucker is a bit lacking in depth but nicely complements the middle position single-coil, with the five-way selector set at the "in-between" position.

That just about takes care of the electrics and the sound they make - except to mention the single volume control governing the whole setup. Personally, I'd have liked it positioned a little nearer the strings, to be more accessible for the little finger.

The SH1 is simple in design, the basswood body being square-edged with the minimum of contouring. Some extra meat has been removed from the heel area - where the four bolts attach the neck to the body - and this makes access to the top of the neck easier.

A Floyd Rose II tremolo system has been chosen to give the necessary "wang" to the guitar, and the two seem well suited. There's a lot of acoustic sustain and volume in the SH1, and the Floyd Rose doesn't seem to have robbed it of any sound.

Twenty-two 2.9mm frets have been set into the rosewood fingerboard - the rest of the neck being made from maple. Shadow have opted for the thin, speed-type setup, with the neck depth only 17.25mm at the first fret. The neck felt comfortable to play and is reasonably fast, but the action on the review model was set a mite too high.

The locking nut is the bolted-through-the-neck type and is the weakest point in the Shadow's otherwise robust design. Schaller machineheads - black to match the rest of the SH1's hardware - sit along the top of the small, neat headstock, and the scale of the assembly suits the overall styling of the guitar well.

Ignoring its pickups, the Shadow SH1 doesn't grab me as one of today's great guitars. The whole instrument is solid and functional, comfortable to play and, from what I can tell in the short time I've had it, reliable.

But what makes the guitar really special is the pickup system. Armed with this combination of technology and versatility, the SH1 is simply in a league of its own. It should also do wonders to the sound of any average amp - and not just in the overdrive department!

Investing in Shadow's new guitar could save a fair few hours, not to mention a fair few quid, on customising. If you don't like a particular sound, no problem! Twist the screwdriver and you've got another. Just don't do it in the middle of a gig, that's all.

SHADOW SH1 GUITAR: £399 including VAT

INFO: Barnes & Mullins, (Contact Details)