Keep in mind that, as I understand it, Doc Watson was an electric guitarist full-time, as a young adult. He developed all that great fiddle tune flatpicking on electric. When Ralph Rinzler "discovered" him, he convinced him to borrow an acoustic - he didn't own one at that time - to avoid causing folkie purists of the time to flee in panic and revulsion. This was before Dylan emerged at Newport with a Strat, and folkies all decided that electrics were cool.

The Gallagher "Doc Watson" model was developed in response to Doc's request for them to build an acoustic with a neck that had as close as possible to the feel of his old Gibson acoustic.

I suspect Doc prefers the more metallic pickup sound 'cause it's more like what he heard in the old days. Matter of taste.

Peter.