this mini mic is cheap !!

**kkmm** · Mar-15-2012, 12:24am

http://www.janetdavismusic.com/w-romp.html
The Janet Davis mini-mic at the link above looks quite attractive, at 25$.
Have any of you use it and how do you rate it ?
One drawback I see is the battery is part of the "end pin", it appears that replacing the battery require removing this mic/endpin out, put in new battery and re-install it.
For a oval sound hole, it may not be an issue (just cumbersome) but with F-hole, I have no idea to work this out except mounting it outside.

**almeriastrings** · Mar-15-2012, 12:52am

The 'goosneck' also looks incredibly short, which would result in the mic being not easily adjustable and positioned pretty far back inside the instrument body? That is not usually the ideal sweet spot for these things.

**allenhopkins** · Mar-15-2012, 10:57am

Apparently designed (according to JDavis's writeup) for the Washburn Rover travel guitar.

I would gather that you'd unscrew the assembly from your instrument when the battery needed replacing. Possibly the Rover has a threaded end-pin (?), which would make the process easier.

**foldedpath** · Mar-15-2012, 11:08am

An internal mic usually sounds "boxy" and weird. It's not at all like what your mandolin sounds like from the outside. It might be useful as a secondary transducer along with something else like a contact or bridge pickup (guitar players have done that for years). But used by itself, I don't think you'll like the sound.

A far better solution is one of the external clip-on mini condenser mics like an Audio Technica Pro 35, K&K Silver Bullet, or (my favorite) the DPA 4099. It's a little more hassle to attach and remove the mic every time you use it, but it's a setup that doesn't involve any modification to the instrument.

**Tim2723** · Mar-15-2012, 11:52am

I too have noticed that internal mics tend to work best on larger instruments like guitars. At any rate it doesn't look like that model is intended for a mandolin. I don't want to sound snobbish or anything, but my experience has left me very cautious about 'bargain priced' electronics.

**almeriastrings** · Mar-15-2012, 1:42pm

Yes...I would not expect great things from this...

**mandroid** · Mar-15-2012, 3:15pm

Depends on the audience having consumed sufficient potable ethanol,
as to whether it matters.

yes you must thread the end block of your mandolin to get it in there.

Stew Mac has the thread cutting Tap.

**onassis** · Mar-15-2012, 3:18pm

Originally Posted by mandroid

Depends on the audience having consumed sufficient potable ethanol, as to whether it matters.

Or the musician.

**kkmm** · Mar-18-2012, 9:46pm

At one time, I have mounted a microphone (the normal size for singing) inside a classical guitar, I solder the wires to a 1/4" jack that is mounted on the back side of the guitar. It works amazingly well, and sounds quite good as it would if I play guitar with the sound hole near a normal mic on the stand.
So the bottom line is no one has tried this internal mic. I may try this mini-mic on my guitar someday. This is a beat-up guitar, given to me for free, and I did quite a lot of experiments with it.

**mandopixie** · Mar-20-2012, 9:38pm

Dawg experimented with an internal mic on a KM-Dawg in 1989. Never heard anything about it after the St. Paddy's Day Fillmore double bill DGQ + NGR..

**Tim2723** · Mar-21-2012, 5:19pm

Well, since it's cheap and not a big deal, please let us know what you find. Sometimes all of us 'experts' get surprised!

**Terry Allan Hall** · Mar-25-2012, 10:26am

It's an interesting idea, but only if it sounds natural enough and you can get sufficient volume before feedback happens...the price is certainly attractive.

**allenhopkins** · Mar-25-2012, 11:54am

Originally Posted by Tim2723

Well, since it's cheap and not a big deal, please let us know what you find. Sometimes all of us 'experts' get surprised!

Second Tim on this. Last month I was doing an African-American history presentation at an inner-city school, with my friend Shirlyn Washington. We were both using headset mics (we were in costume, doing some re-enacting), and I needed a "quick and dirty" way to amplify guitar and banjo through my Fishman SolAmp, which has only two mic inputs. I pulled a cheapo Radio Shack clip-on lavalliere mic out of my bag of old stuff, plugged it into the "Aux" input of the Fishman (mini-plug to quarter-inch adapter), and alternatively dropped it into the guitar soundhole, or hung it over the banjo's dowel stick. Worked -- not great sound, but good for what we needed at the assembly.

Improvisation, and utilizing what you have or can find, sometimes has decent results. I would be interested in how this li'l guy works.