The original Baldwin Prismatone pickup is near impossible to find. If you find one for sale, it's most of the time attached to a (Baldwin) guitar and will easily sell for $2.000 to $3.000 and in extremes cases between the $8.000 and $10.000. An original Prismatone alone will most of the times go between $2.000 and $3.000. The case is that only the pickup is not enough, since you need the preamp and 22.5 volt battery box to make it sound properly. Without it, you have almost no output; very thin and quiet.
Sam Kennedy from Texas reproduced a perfect replica for several years, the Prismatone II, but stopped making them a few years ago. These replicas are now almost as rare and valuable as the original Baldwin Prismatone pickup. Coincidentally there is now
one for sale on eBay with a starting price of $1.500.
Jerry Reed, Willie Nelson, Chet Atkins (from the late 60's till late 70's) and many more in the Nashville area of that period used the Prismatone pickup. Back then the options of of amplifying a nylon string guitar were of course limited, but it just has a very unique, balanced and distinctive sound. Paul Yandell called it the greatest pickup ever made. Kirk Sand used this pickup - when they were still available - on a lot of his guitars, like the Paul Yandell and Craig Dobbins signature models. The funny thing is that Kirk told me he didn't like the pickup, but everyone wanted them, so he offered them as an option. I believe he now only uses Barbera Soloist and RMC pickups.
If you would like to know more about the Prismatone pickup, you will like the
Baldwin Prismatone Facebook page.