Schertler-G vs Schertler-M

**Jim Nollman** · Mar-29-2009, 6:54pm

I own a Schertler-G, which I got as a gift. I never play the guitar any more. I was going to post a trade in the classifieds, mine for a Schertler-G. But someone mentioned to me that the only difference is the cable length. Is that true?

I do recall that the very inaccurate specs they sent with the unit, seemed identical for both pickups.

**Tim2723** · Mar-29-2009, 7:55pm

Do you mean you wanted to trade for an 'M'? I think you'd be better off evaluating it on your mandolin first hand before jumping to any conclusions. It's a pickup, after all.

**mandroid** · Mar-29-2009, 8:30pm

The length of the cable as I also understand is the only difference .. M is for Marketing. too.

didn't you get a blem Dyn M too?

FWIW, measuring cable length, I get 2200mm for the 'M' I got, here, ..

**Jim Nollman** · Mar-29-2009, 9:51pm

yes it is a pickup after all. i agree. but without having tried the "M" I was feeling it ought to sound better than the "g" on my mandolin. Maybe not

**Jim Nollman** · Mar-29-2009, 10:01pm

not a blem. a new "G". I've been using it for 6 months, but just realized it ws "G" recently

**mandroid** · Mar-29-2009, 11:46pm

Given the importing agency is there in Seattle you can drop in on them ask them,and bypass our less informed guessing..
if there are any scratch N dent deals on the preamp let me know..

**Chunky But Funky** · Mar-30-2009, 7:45am

I had a few e-mail correspondences with Schertler not that long ago, as I had the same question. While some view it as marketing (I am undecided, I guess), Schertlers response was that the cable length difference affected the impedance & used that to their advantage to tune it for each specific application. Essentially, the final answer we arrived at was to buy for the primary application "G" or "M" and then use it for both. It was not imperative to purchase two, one for each specific application. You could effectively use the Dyn G on mandolin or the Dyn M on guitar. It may just require a little more tweaking to get the desired result, was the impression I got. If you have to get the Dyn M, I may be interested in the Dyn G. Let me know!

Pending approval of the CFO, of course.

Doug

**Jim Nollman** · Mar-31-2009, 1:38pm

I guess I'll stick with my Dyn-G. I have found so much tone variation, depending on precisely where I attach the Schertler to the instrument. That has to be a more relevant issue to creating good tone, than adding or subtracting a few extra feet of XLR cable.

When I position it just right, sometimes with a tolerance of less than 1/2 inch in any direction, my oval hole sounds clearer than any other electronic solution I have yet tried to direct-amplify an acoustic mandolin.

The Schertler also seems more accurate at amplifying my oval hole than it ever did on my Eastman F5. Correct me if I'm wrong, but i tend to think the tone of an oval hole gets resolved right at the body. By contrast, F holes push the sound outward, so tone doesn't really resolve at the body. People are constantly chiming in here to say that the best way to amplify an F5 is by microphone. That has to be a function of the f hole's projection.

I am verycurious if the Schertler would sound better or worse, if it was installed inside the body. I know Mix mandolin sells them that way. Anyone try it both ways?

**mandroid** · Mar-31-2009, 2:22pm

Got a Mix A5 with one installed , and had bought one in the box in years past,
haven't tried an A/B on the Mix .
would be difficult to put the outside one directly over the inside one , as
Peter places them under the treble bridge foot , outside of the tone bar , which is quite a bit closer to the centerline.
certainly easier to mount it there - reach thru the F hole ..

My Lebeda (which was made with a piezo strip in the bridge), For the portable one ,
It gets placed near the bridge, under the strings.. combine sound and pragmatisim.
[currently have a bit of bluetack on the wire to stick the cable between armrest and tailpiece]

my Tonitis overlays everything so .. YMMV.

**Michael Wolf** · Apr-01-2009, 3:53am

One more note to the cable question: I once phoned Schertler in Switzerland and asked them, because all the dealers I asked told me that there has to be some mysterious difference, though the specs are the same. So it would be safer to by both for guitar and mando

.
The technician of Schertler told me the only difference is indeed the cable legth. He said that the only idea behind the mando-model was that they thought a smaller instrument could use a longer cable, especially when played standing up. And voilá: A new model. I found this a very cheap marketing trick for such a expensive product, sorry. What I found amazing was the fact that they have no problem to talk about this on the phone, but they don´t inform their dealers about this little detail.

**mtucker** · Apr-01-2009, 9:25am

Originally Posted by Michael Wolf

I found this a very cheap marketing trick for such a expensive product, sorry. What I found amazing was the fact that they have no problem to talk about this on the phone, but they don´t inform their dealers about this little detail.

I must be missing some of the logic ...

If Schertler markets the 'M' because they believe the cable length better accomodates mandolin and the price is the same as the 'G' guitar model ... why is that considered a 'cheap marketing trick'?

**Mike Bunting** · Apr-01-2009, 12:12pm

Originally Posted by mtucker

I must be missing some of the logic ...

If Schertler markets the 'M' because they believe the cable length better accomodates mandolin and the price is the same as the 'G' guitar model ... why is that considered a 'cheap marketing trick'?

Maybe to get people to unnecessarily buy one for the mando and one for the guitar?

**mandroid** · Apr-01-2009, 1:36pm

Given, I either put the pickup and a mic cable it's plugged into, ends, [to keep from stepping on the thin cable attached to the pickup] in my pocket, or ...

I'm sitting next to my 'amp-as-hearing-aide', in a neighboring chair,
impedance of length of cable aside, the length is secondary ..

FWIW, the Swiss company has an Ethnic instruments Dyn version .. also .. to amplify, perhaps, your Kora, Kalimba. [or Saw?]

**mtucker** · Apr-01-2009, 3:33pm

Originally Posted by Mike Bunting

Maybe to get people to unnecessarily buy one for the mando and one for the guitar?

okay, got it. never thought of that. perhaps, i'm too trusting in fellow mankind. if that's true, they bad.

**Jim Nollman** · Apr-01-2009, 4:16pm

The logic for building a mando version of the Schertler, with a longer cable is interesting to me. I play standing up, and I always like to keep a distance from my Loudbox amp just to avoid any possibility of feedback. Yet the shortened cable on my Dyn_G is way to short to ever reach an amp, and way too long to practically attach to an extension cable. I don't like having a cable connection on the floor. So I wind up all that extra Dyn_G cable and, following Mandroid's same good advice from a few months ago, I make the connection with the XLR extension cable right inside my pocket. Nothing is left hanging. Nothing to step on and bend out of shape. My XLR extension cable is 12 feet long which gives me lots of room to move around. As far as i can tell, that length does not introduce any signal degradation. I don't see how it ever could, since it's a standard XLR length for even the most expensive condenser microphones. Mine came from a Rode K2 kit.

One more reason not to trade my Dyn-G for a Dyn-M.

**Michael Wolf** · Apr-04-2009, 1:18pm

Originally Posted by mtucker

okay, got it. never thought of that. perhaps, i'm too trusting in fellow mankind. if that's true, they bad.

Yes, I found it fairly bad that they, effectively, wanted to sell me the same PU twice, 480,-Euro each.
Maybe they should also think about a "specially designed" PU for parlor guitars.

Other than that the cable length of the PU is of minor relevance for me too, as the PU or mic I´m using is connected to a mic cable anyway and the connector plus the thin cable stays in my pocket.