Which mandolin to electrify?

[Pittsburgh Bill]

I have little (no) experience with amplified mandolins. A thread here a couple of weeks ago got me thinking which is often dangerous. I have three mandolins, a Collings MT, Eastman 305, and Kentucky KM-630. Of the 3 I am least enamored with the tone of the Kentucky.
Now to the thread that got me thinking. A person asked why professionals often used inexpensive mandolins. A couple of people pointed out that excellent tone of good mandolins often goes unnoticed when amplified. Therefore, this leads me to think that I should be amplifying my Kentucky since it is my least favorite. I have no desire to alter my Collings in any way, so that leaves out the Collings.
So based on this information should I install a pickup on my Eastman or on the Kentucky?

[almeriastrings]

You do not have to alter a Collings to install a transducer.

You can use a Vintage Jack. 100% reversible.

[roysboy]

I would use a non- intrusive pickup on the mandolin I most enjoyed playing . Life's too short .

[Jim]

Though I agree with those who have stated you will not harm your Collings ( or your other instruments) by installing a p/u, Sometimes the situations that require a Mandolin to be plugged in are situations where I would not want my more valuable instrument to be. So, Because tone ( as mentioned by OP) is often negated by the pickup and by the noisy environment where you need a pickup, and because these noisy environments are often a bit more risky to your instrument. I would put the pickup in the Kentucky. All this assumes the Kentucky doesn't have any playabillity issues.

[UsuallyPickin]

Playability is an issue as Jim wrote. almeira strings mentioned a Vintage jack and that is 100% workable with no permanent impact on the Collings. An extra 1/8" phone jack is a viable precaution if you go that route. But as roysboy wrote life is too short to spend time playing a mandolin you don't really love to play. And are you playing in venues with chicken wire in front of the stage? Don't forget to get a good preamp to go with your pickup.... R/

[Pittsburgh Bill]

Playability is an issue as Jim wrote. almeira strings mentioned a Vintage jack and that is 100% workable with no permanent impact on the Collings. An extra 1/8" phone jack is a viable precaution if you go that route. But as roysboy wrote life is too short to spend time playing a mandolin you don't really love to play. And are you playing in venues with chicken wire in front of the stage? Don't forget to get a good preamp to go with your pickup.... R/

No playability issues with the Kentucky or I would not keep it, though it's tone is not optimum to my ear.
I play my Collings at home and nearly every day I am home. My exposure to harsh elements while traveling in an RV (especially winter) and conditions I cannot control when amongst others will continue to keep my Collings at home.

[Mandobart]

If you're like me, you'll add pu's to you're "beaterest" mando, then soon after you'll add them to the rest. I only have one instrument that I won't alter (my Grandpa's 1880's violin). All the rest I have taken a drill to for adding internal twin head pickups and a 1/4" output jack.

[mandroid]

Schertler 's Dyn M is a easy to fit external contact microphone. you put on the soundboard , Its not installed ,

so you can try it on any and all mandolins you own ..
it is easy to transfer too.

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

I have found mandolins with big bottom end and lots of overtones don't always sound great plugged in compared to more tame mandolins. Take that for what its worth.

[Treblemaker]

I have several Mandolins all of which have pickups.
I own a Schertler Dyn-M (which I'd be happy to sell at a very reasonable price - to a cafe goer. Just ask.)

I don't dislike the Schertler but I find it less easy to work with than another alternative I have found:
The Schatten M-05 Pro. It mounts to a carpenter jack and attaches to the south side of the mandolin bridge with putty.
It's totally reversible and can be transferred easily to any mandolin. It also has an onboard volume control which to me is essential!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Schatten-M-0...item27ef29cc5b

Personally I think a pre-amp is also essential for mandolins because guitar amps are biased tonally toward the midrange of a guitar and while PA's are more tweakable, I prefer to leave whatever channel I use with a flat eq and use the preamp for tone shaping.

I like the LR Baggs PADI. It's great for mandolin, guitar and double bass - all of which I play.
There are of course better solutions - but this is reliable, portable, doesn't require a power supply and is very flexible.
You can route to both an Amp and PA simultaneously with it and more.....

YMMV

[Verne Andru]

One of the reasons pro's amplify inexpensive mando's is for exactly the same reasons they sound bad acoustically; they are usually overbuilt plywood which inhibits soundboard vibrations. In amplified situations, soundboard vibration = feedback, which you usually don't want.

There are 3 main types of electronics for electrification: piezo contact mic [k&k, etc.], free floating mic's [internal or external] and magnetic pickup. The first 2 rely on soundboard vibrations for sound, tend to capture a better acoustic tone but are prone to feedback. The latter choice, magnetic pickups, are the same as electric guitars; they movement of the strings over the pickup creates an alternating magnetic field that becomes the signal. In this case the more solidly the pickup[s] are mounted, the better the sound and feedback qualities.

The mando in my avatar uses a combination of piezo contact mic and magnetic. You can see the floating magnetic pickup, which gives a darker, electric sound. Under the soundboard I have 2 piezo's mounted which are brighter and more acoustic. I can toggle them on/off through a 3-way selector and separate volume controls. It is a fabulous sounding, all solid woods acoustic mandolin that is really my jack-of-all-trades.

[lenf12]

My inclination would be to electrify the Kentucky KM-630 since you say there are no playability issues and you like the sound well enough to not have sold it. I have a Kentucky KM-340S with a jjbelectronics.com twin headed peizo p/u which I plug into a preamp and then into a Fender guitar amp with a line out to the PA. It sounds quite serviceable when I need to play at louder volumes. You may not be any more enamored with the tone of the Kentucky with a p/u, but it will get you up to the volume needed for plugged in situations. Any louder than a certain level however and you'll want to consider a solid bodied electric mandolin. Your Kentucky is not "overbuilt plywood" so it should be quite capable of a realistic acoustic amplified sound. You'll just have to experiment with the equipment to dial in the sound you seek.


Say Verne, not to hijack this tread but can you give some more details of the mandolin in your avatar please? It looks to be very intriquing to this fellow gear head.

Len B. (still seeking my inner amplified mandolin sound)
Clearwater, FL

[Verne Andru]

Say Verne, not to hijack this tread but can you give some more details of the mandolin in your avatar please? It looks to be very intriquing to this fellow gear head.

Len B. (still seeking my inner amplified mandolin sound)
Clearwater, FL

No problem.

Mine is a John Jorgenson signature model, top of the short-lived Paris Swing line designed by Greg Rich after he left Gibson and before he designed The Loar instruments. The mando is all solid woods - spruce top, maple back, sides and neck - and designed with gypsy jazz design accents as found on Selmer GJ guitars as seen in the cut-away and the petite-bouche-D sound hole. Fretboard is ebony.

I removed the stock pickguard [it was strangling the sound] and replaced the tuning machines with 18:1 Grovers. The finger-rest is made from ebony and made to float the electronics over the soundboard. The pickup is a Lace Resonator, which sounds very nice and is really small. I put 2 piezo contact mics under the soundboard.

Pickups run to their own volume controls mounted under the fingerrest. The Les Paul-style 3-way switch goes:

Lace
Piezo/Lace
Piezo

When the switch is set to Lace, neck position, it sends the Piezo out the Ring of the TRS output jack [stereo] so I have separate signals that I split with a stereo to 2 mono cable.

Electronics aside, it's a fabulous sounding acoustic instrument and plays like butter. These are a great value if you ever find one.

[Pittsburgh Bill]

I appreciate all the input I have received. Now considering selling the Kentucky KM-620 and buying an Ovation MCS148 RRB. I have read good things in reviews about their tone when plugged in and minimal feedback issues. The only negative I now see for an Ovation is that I do prefer a radius fret board.
This is my current thought process unless someone provides me with reasons not to pursue this course of action. As stated in my original post I have no experience with anything but acoustic and a few of the posts exceeded my understanding of what I needed to do to satisfactorily electrify my Kentucky or Eastman.