Fishman Pickup For Mandola

[journeybear]

I don't see a Fishman pickup designed specifically for a mandola. Does anyone know if the M-100 mandolin pickup will work? I'm thinking in terms of string spacing and frequency response, mostly, though I suppose intonation is also an issue, for the C string most likely. I'd like to know before I plunk down my 120 bucks. ;)

This is for a 1917 H-2 that already has an endpin jack. I'm looking to upgrade the pickup.

Thanks! :mandosmiley:

[Tim2723]

The M-100 will work, but it's going to be a mandolin bridge on a mandola. Not exactly the right stuff. I don't recall ever seeing a bridge pickup of that sort for the mandola. The couple of amped mandolas I've seen used things along the Radius line. There are flat top zouks that I've seen with piezo bridges (like the Fender model), but they use flat film transducers in a guitar-ish bridge.

Obviously the H-2 wasn't built that way, so what was the endpin jack attached to when you got it?

[journeybear]

I mentioned the endpin jack mostly just because I am able to connect whatever bridge or pickup I get to the already existing wiring. I had the same setup installed on the mandola that I had on the F-12 - two Barcus-Berry Hot Dots laid into a groove cut into each foot of the bridge, then into the soundhole and out through a 1/4" endpin jack, for easy connection to ... essentially guitar stuff. This was the early 80s, and this was more or less state of the art then. Things have gotten better. ;) The Fishman works so well on my A model that I don't need the EQ/gain pedal any more. I would like to be able to do the same with the mandola. Right now it sounds just awful - thin and brittle, a shame for this instrument that sounds so full and rich unplugged - and I have to use not only the above but also my Yamaha REX50 sound effector to get it to sound decent through a PA. I really want the simplest arrangement so I don't need the gizmos. I've found that less is more when it comes to amplifying an acoustic instrument - unless you want to play rock. I've got a MandoBird for that! :mandosmiley:

[Tim2723]

Your certainly right when you say things have gotten better, but I'm not sure that applies to mandolas. Mandolin technology has progressed a bit because the instrument is at least a little more popular, but the mandola? I have a feeling that one's going to remain pretty obscure for our lifetimes, at least in terms of the availability of high end, instrument-specific technologies.

I think you're up against either having a custom bridge made or going with the Radius, K&K, Hot Dot, etc. routine. You might be able to retrofit the Fishman System One (supplied with the MK AEs), but frankly, they're just OK. Probably not what you're after at all.

Putting a Schertler inside with a TRS jack (ala the Mix mandos) would probably give the best sound with the least outboard equipment. You could go straight to the board with that and get the most natural sound.

[mandroid]

Yea offsets for intonation are different for different scales and string gage choices ,
so in knee jerk analysis i too would say, a mandolin bridge, will not go well on a mandola ,
separate the 2 .. and put a PU inside , and get a bridge that helps the notes come out sounding OK.

[journeybear]

Hold on a sec - I may have figured this out after all. I believe I can put the top of the mandola bridge - with its correct intonation - on the bottom of the Fishman - with the pickup and wire. http://www.thescubasite.com/smile/party/party0040.gif (http://www.thescubasite.com)

BTW, I also measured both bridges, and they are exactly the same distance from string 1 to string 8. :disbelief: I thought the mandola strings would be set just a bit wider. So the only question left unanswered (unless I'm missing something) is frequency response, particularly for that fifth lower. Anyone know? This may be one of those times I just have to roll the dice and see what happens. Hopefully the worst would be having to use the EQ/gain pedal, not such a terrible thing.

[mandroid]

you may be able to angle the 'wrong' bridge to make it work if its a PU in the top type , + there is some wood thickness over the piezo strip, too so filing down to move offsets a bit may work , and re notch for wider spread if you want.
when I have a really fat .049 string on my 14 inch scale electric dola the C string offset needs to be longer, the G next to it almost as long, then the D with its much smaller core wire needs be shorter. and the thicker A a bit longer again, ..

Schertler , either installed or the portable version have a nice warm sound, I stick mine on my mandola and it sounds good.
Mix A5 I got used off the classifieds has the installed version , it sounds good too.