| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 560.1 | Several options | PLDVAX::JACQUES | | Wed Mar 30 1988 14:36 | 73 |
| I know of several ways that you should consider for amplifying
an acoustic. There is the magnetic humbucker pickup (as far as
I know they all fit in the sound hole), the contact pickup
(which is a piezo-electric type pickup ie; Barcus Berry "Insider",
the Martin thinline 335 type II, which is based on some kind
of tape element you place under the bone bridge, a ball mike,
and those new fangled "mini-mics". each type has advantages
and disadvantages. Let me try to summarize them for you. Please
Bear with me if I go astray.
Magnetic Humbucking type-
Advantages include good feedback rejection (probably the best
scenario for hum/feedback immunity), very high output level,which
eliminates the need for any kind of preamp.
Disadvantages include - Natural acoustic sound escapes magnetic
sound hole pickups. Equalizers simply cannot put back into the signal
what is not there to begin. Sound hole pickups block the sound hole,
which takes away volume and tone from the guitar when played
unamplified.
Contact pickup (Piezo-electric).
Advantages - The main advantage is that the sound is more
acoustically authentic then that of a magnetic pickup.
Disadvantages - Contact pickups tend to pick up a lot of string
noise, and the sound of your hand brushing against the top of the
instrument. In general they do not produce a very high signal level,
and many require preamps to operate. Placement is critical, and
if they are not located properly, you will end up losing highs or
lows.
Martin Thinline 335 type II
Anvantages include a very authentic sound and high output.
Disadvantages include difficulty installing, which is why most
people have them professionally installed by a pro. They require
that a hole be drilled through the bridge saddle, and the setup
is very fussy to get even tone out of them.
Ball Mics - Everyone knows ball mics are no good for micing acoustic
guitars on stage.
Mini Mics -
Advantages - small size, and high quality sound. Size allows
for multiple mics to be used to sample the sound from differant
parts of the instrument. There is an array of mini mics out there
ranging in price from $25.oo to $500.oo
Disadvantages - For your application, they are really not made
to plug into a Fender tube amp. They are best used directly into
a PA system. I am not sure if there is any problem using them live,
but I would imagine they would work fine in a live application,
as long as you are using good quality mics. However, if you decide
to use 2 or more mics, this is gonna cost you. A single good quality
mini mic is gonna cost you al least $100, more like $150. Frets
magazine did a special on mini mics a while back. It would be
worth your while to get a copy of the article and read it.
I have a Dimarzio Sound hole humbucker pickup, and a Barcus
Berry Insider contact pickup. I am afraid that I am not totally
satisfied with either. If I were you I would check out a new Martin
with a Thinline 335 installed. If you like the sound, you can
probably get one installed for a total of about $150.
Good luck,
Mark Jacques
|
| 560.2 | Agreement on Thinline | CUJO::MALKOSKI | | Wed Mar 30 1988 16:10 | 10 |
| re: .1
I'd agree with everything Mark said. While I have not found any
method that seems to satisfy all requirements, I believe that the
Martin Thinline is the most satisfactory system for a retrofit around.
Most of the systems I've seen and had experience with have left
me wanting more in the way of "real acoustic sound". The Thinline
is the closest when it is set up properly.
Paul
|
| 560.3 | a satisfied customer | ERLANG::SUDAMA | Living is easy with eyes closed... | Thu Mar 31 1988 10:11 | 16 |
| I've been using a Seymour-Duncan soundhole pickup, which runs about
$80 and has a volume control built in. I modified my Martin so that
I can connect it internally to a strap peg jack, so I can remove
it when I want and don't have wires hanging all over the place.
It sounds great when played through my Seymour-Duncan amp. I've
tried Martins with thinline pickups installed, and I didn't like
them as much as the sound I am getting, but it may not have been
a fair comparison because I was playing them through different amps.
Some people feel that the thinline pickup has some negative effect on
the acoustic sound. I tend to doubt this myself, but if you are
a purist it's something to consider. Personally, I'm quite happy
with the Seymour-Duncan pickup. It may not be the best, but for
the price it is very satisfactory.
- Ram
|
| 560.4 | built-in tuner! | QRYCHE::STARR | Remember your mission! | Wed Jan 05 1994 11:31 | 9 |
| I saw an ad in the latest Guitar Player for the 1994 Ovation Collector's
Edition, and it had a very cool feature. On top of the now-standard features
of 3-band EQ, a parametric EQ (for eliminating feedback), and volume, the
pickup section of the guitar also contains a built-in tuner!!! Cool!!!
(Also, another nice feature is that besides the normal 1/4" output, there
is an XLR out that is phantom-powered, for recording direct in the studio.)
alan
|
| 560.5 | | TECRUS::ROST | If you don't C#, you might Bb | Wed Jan 05 1994 13:04 | 5 |
| How about a coaster to hold my beer? Built-in cigarette lighter?
Sheesh...
Neiman Marcus
|
| 560.6 | rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...... | NAVY5::SDANDREA | If mistakes were dollars.... | Wed Jan 05 1994 13:26 | 7 |
| RE: -1
I just installed one of 'dem vibrating foot massagers on my effects
pedal board......great when yer feet hurt on those loooong sets......
8*}
|
| 560.7 | Possibly Boom will be there, too | POWDML::BUCKLEY | Raptor -- Rules the Skies! | Wed Jan 05 1994 13:38 | 4 |
| Did someone say Coaster??
Dawg, looks like I'll be down in your woods in April to ride the new
HURLER coaster at PKD!
|
| 560.8 | all right! | NAVY5::SDANDREA | If mistakes were dollars.... | Thu Jan 06 1994 07:33 | 8 |
| >> Dawg, looks like I'll be down in your woods in April to ride the new HURLER coaster at PKD!
Buck and Boom,
you guys BETTER call me the week before you leave....I'll meetchya
there!
Garth_dawg
|
| 560.9 | | DABEAN::REAUME | click -- buzz -- whirr | Fri Jan 07 1994 06:20 | 7 |
|
...sounds like a jam at Waynestock!
-B{}{}M-
(finally! A use for my KH M1 stack!!)
|