NEED PICKUP!

**potatoe** · Mar-22-2004, 5:03pm

im looking for an extremely cheap mandolin pickup for my 150 dollar kentucky. it doesent need to be anything special, ill duct tape an instrument mic to thing if i have to!

**mandofiddle** · Mar-22-2004, 5:43pm

For cheap, you're best bet is to probably mic it. If you buy a cheap pickup such as a Barcus Berry (or most any pickup for that matter), you'll also need a preamp...

**ira** · Mar-22-2004, 7:25pm

i got a woodpicker for my ky150s and loved it. as the stick on piezo goes, it gave a really nice and relatively true sound.

**Gail Hester** · Mar-22-2004, 8:42pm

The Shadow model SH2000 is a really neat pickup for around $60. It sticks on with putty and has tiny volume and tone controls. It comes with a special chord with a small pin jack on one end a phone plug on the other. I’ve used one and it had amazing sound for the money. Very simple to use, here's a picture.

Not Gail, Chuck

**John Flynn** · Mar-23-2004, 6:53am

I got a $50 Radio Shack headset vocal mike, removed the headband and attached the mike/gooseneck to the tailpeice with velcro. Then I curve the gooseneck so that the mike "peeks" into the lower F hole. The sound is much better than a $300 Rigel/Boss pizeo/preamp rig I used to use.

**potatoe** · Mar-23-2004, 5:22pm

hey johnny, any way you can post a picture of this rig?

**Bill Snyder** · Mar-27-2004, 11:31pm

I don't know if they are any good or not but International Luthiers Supply has a stick on pick-up for $35.95 or $42.95 with volume control. Click here.and scroll down about 2/3 of the way down on the page.

**madog99** · Mar-28-2004, 9:01am

might want to check out www.schattendesign.com , stick on transducer , they get very good reviews for guitars and the guitar one sells for $50 , money back if you're not happy .They now have them for mando's also .

**John Flynn** · Mar-28-2004, 9:23am

Originally Posted by

hey johnny, any way you can post a picture of this rig?

I tried, but my !@#$%^& camera seems to be having a problem. I am sending it back to where I got it. The rig looks very much like the rig shown at the link below, but I am using velcro to attach it, rather than a mounting plate.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/akg.html

**potatoe** · Mar-31-2004, 5:24pm

these cabels seem rather short. part of playing mando in my current band would have to involve be jumping onto my band mates upright bass and busting out a solo. any way to conect one of the cabels with an ainstrument cabel i already have? an adaptor or something?

**mando-in-kingwood** · Mar-31-2004, 7:55pm

Has anyone tried the K&K mando twin ? It is also a stick transducer (2 transducers).

**Stillpicking** · Apr-01-2004, 8:25pm

I got a "Shadow" about a year ago and it works real nice. The only down side is the putty that you use to stick it on with leaves a little residue but that is easily removed with a little polishing.

**mandroid** · Apr-25-2004, 2:40am

Musix.com has piezo 'coin' : "cub";(the piezo crystal on a brass disc) I soldered on my own lead wire and fitted with radioshack 1/4" plug-in. [added: epoxy and a bit of hotmelt glue].
paid $5 bucks for the piezo bit.

Maybe $20 total.

make good loaners for boosting friends, too !

**Billy** · Apr-26-2004, 3:25am

I have a Dean Markley piezo that is new,that I will sell for 20.00 plus shipping,or will swap it for mandolin instructional books or dvd.

**dixiecreek** · Apr-29-2004, 12:08am

Originally Posted by (potatoe @ Mar. 22 2004, 15:03)

ill duct tape an instrument mic to thing if i have to!

Hey, don't knock it til ya try it!!

**Django Fret** · May-01-2004, 10:49pm

Originally Posted by (potatoe @ Mar. 23 2004, 18:22)

hey johnny, any way you can post a picture of this rig?

After reading about this, I decided to try it. #Here is a picture of how I rigged it. #The microphone just fits into the treble F hole and I bent the headset so it fits over the endpin and then around the armrest. #I am not sure if I am going to do anything else to secure it, since it seems to hold fine the way it is and can be removed easily.

The mandolin sounds exactly the same except now it can be amplified. Thanks MandoJohnny!

**John Flynn** · May-02-2004, 5:16am

Django Fret:

Very interesting approach to mounting that. How is the sound?

Just FYI, the way I mount mine, I removed the whole headband (all the stuff to the left of the end pin in your photo) put velcro on the tailpiece and on the base of the gooseneck (the part that has "Radio Shack printed on it. Then I adjust the gooseneck so the mike is outside the soundhole. The mike is about 1/2" to 3/4" above the top and it is only "peeking" into the sound hole, not directly "looking" in full-on. What I found is that if the whole mike is directly looking in the sound hole, the result is an overly bassy, boomy sound. If the mike is just slightly out of the "line of fire" of the sound hole, the tone is much more balanced.

**Django Fret** · May-09-2004, 9:04pm

Originally Posted by (jflynnstl @ May 02 2004, 06:16)

Django Fret:

Very interesting approach to mounting that. How is the sound?

Well, that all depends on a few variables, I guess. #I tried it through out though out Bose PA, another band members Marshall amp, and my Pignose but couldn't get enough volume. #But, plugged into my Fender Concert it was loud and clear. #It looks like some experimentation will be needed, but I think that with the right amp, it is a killer amplified acoustic solution.