Magnetic pickup for 10-string long-scale

[groveland]

I have been using electric guitar pickups and piezos combined on my Moon 25.5" scale 10-string, usually in stereo. I would like to find some magnetic pickup options designed specifically for this application (5-pole?), and I can combine with piezos or condenser mics. The soundhole is about 3.25" (guitar pickup minimum is 3.5"), and I am drilled out for a 1/4" endpin jack.

Is there anything out there like that? Ideas?

[EdSherry]

Seymour Duncan will custom-make you a 5-pole pickup. #Otherwise, I'd suggest looking at the "blade" pickups which are not sensitive to string spacing. #

It sounds from your post like one problem you're experiencing is mounting the pickup in the soundhole, given that your soundhole is smaller than a standard guitar soundhole. #That can be a pain to deal with. #I've had to jury-rig some mounts in the past to handle the problem.

Have you tried the Seymour Duncan AcoustiTube? #I don't have one in front of me to measure, but it might do the trick. #(Update -- the Duncan Website says it's for acoustic guitars with a soundhole from 3.85" to 4.1", so maybe not.)

Mixing an electric pickup with a piezo or mike can be difficult, given the different levels of output associated with the different types of pickups. #You might want to use a stereo endpin jack (the EMG Ultrajack or the Fishman Switchjack) to give you two separate outputs which you can then blend together using outboard gear.

[zoukboy]

I have been using electric guitar pickups and piezos combined on my Moon 25.5" scale 10-string, usually in stereo. I would like to find some magnetic pickup options designed specifically for this application (5-pole?), and I can combine with piezos or condenser mics. The soundhole is about 3.25" (guitar pickup minimum is 3.5"), and I am drilled out for a 1/4" endpin jack.

Is there anything out there like that? Ideas?

I've had really good results with the Lace Acoustic Bronze Sensor: http://www.guitarcenter.com/Lace-Ac....7991.gc

I'm not crazy about the mounting and have always found an alternative way to mount it, but they sound pretty darn good.

And some people really like the EMG active bouzouki pickup. I've never tried one but I have heard good things about them:
http://www.emginc.com/display....ogid=66

[groveland]

Roger - What size soundhole did you get that Lace into?

I looked into the lace pickups - The Acoustic Bronze: "Adjusts to hole sizes 3.60" (91.4 mm) to 4.25" (107.9 mm)" according to the Lace website. #They have a Bajo Quinto pickup that is said to adjust to small soundholes, but I don't know how that's voiced. #Do you?

[zoukboy]

Roger - What size soundhole did you get that Lace into?

I looked into the lace pickups - The Acoustic Bronze: "Adjusts to hole sizes 3.60" (91.4 mm) to 4.25" (107.9 mm)" according to the Lace website.

I don't have the instrument any more so I can't measure the soundhole, but the pickup itself is only 2 3/4" when removed from the plastic mounting ring. I would think it would fit. The trick is how to mount it without the factory ring. SOS used a thin piece of sheet metal that he attached to each edge of the end of the fretboard, and to which he stuck the pickup with some of the black gunk used to stick piezo transducers to soundboards. Here's a photo...

[GD Armstrong]

Lace also makes a soundhole pickup called the "California". About the same footprint as the Acoustic Bronze without the pickup ring. I've put these in several zouks with smallish soundholes. They will fit in a Trinity College soundhole near the fretboard. The clamps at the end of the pickups fit ovet the edges of the soundhole.

[groveland]

The Trinity Colleges have very, very small soundholes, so the Lace publishes very conservative specs regarding the sizes they work with. It looks like I may have more options than I knew. Thanks.

(I am really intrigued by the bajo quinto pickup. These experiments can get expensive.)

[groveland]

Hate to reply to my own thread, but I ran across the Lace/PUTW NT System. Anybody use one of these? There's a tiny Lace 'humbucker' that snaps on the end of the neck in the soundhole, and it interfaces with a PUTW #27 through a small module in the body of the instrument using mini plugs. Parts are interchangeable. Not much info out there about the system. I have not heard back from Lace yet with specifics, but there is a page of info on the PUTW site.

What's up with this NT System? It seems at first take to be the best setup to date.

[mandroid]

mounting ears can be sawed off most strat format pickups, It seems. my Fender Lace Sensor has steel ones, the EMG select has a metal threaded insert in plastic ears.

and steve ryder can wind you a 5 pole,to order in pole spacing perhaps, and maybe make a soundhole filling disc to fit it in, and cut feedback potential, [if you are not mixing in a mic of the hole Sound of course]

[GD Armstrong]

It seems that the NT/PUTW system is still under development. I've been trying to get Lace to send me one for about a year now. Most systems that combine a piezo & magnetic signal into a single output have balance problems in my experience. Sending the signal from each pickup to seperate amps designed for each, then blending them is cumbersome but works well. I'd love to have an amp with one channel a magnetic amp & the other designed for piezo where both channels could be blended.

[mandroid]

True , Stereo TRS output can be split,
one 1/4" jack in the instrument, that way.

my AC 60 [roland] as an example, one is a microphone channel ,
and the other one is an instrument channel.

on this one there is a magnetic/piezo a/b switch.

microphonic AKG-C411 or Schertler pickup in one channel ,
and magnetic in the other, is possible,
and with dual-XLR/1/4"jack on the 2nd channel will accept a line level input from a separate preamp, though.

I have one on each of 2 different instruments,
and can leave them both plugged in.
or mute button, to swap plug from one to the other

more power?, Roland added 15 w per channel on recent AC 90..
Neither are a tube amp though, ..

[groveland]

mandroid -

Ditto. That's the plan, as I have the AC60 (and subwoofer) - Also, I run stereo through the Lexicon and into the AC60 aux inputs in the back, piezo left, EMG right. Mix to taste. The piezo/mag rig I have is a little too DIY for me, and the Lace/PUTW seems to be what I'm really trying to do, only maybe done right!

[zoukboy]

It seems that the NT/PUTW system is still under development. I've been trying to get Lace to send me one for about a year now. Most systems that combine a piezo & magnetic signal into a single output have balance problems in my experience. Sending the signal from each pickup to seperate amps designed for each, then blending them is cumbersome but works well. I'd love to have an amp with one channel a magnetic amp & the other designed for piezo where both channels could be blended.

There are several preamps that will blend magnetic, piezo and mic signals. I use a B-Band Entity that has internal dip switches on each channel that you can set for different signal types.

EMG makes a small internal preamp that buffers and blends magnetic and piezo signals into a single mono output and has a balance control.

As far are amps are concerned, I think there are lots that are configured for acoustic instruments using piezo pickups and some even have mic channels.