Has anyone tried the David Gage Realist pickup for mandolin?

[mandoross]

Does anyone have any experience with the Realist pickup by David Gage and Ned Steinberger? Wondering how it sounds. I find rave reviews of the version for bass, the original pickup they designed, but nothing about the mandolin version. I like the non-invasive mounting: it's ultra-thin and just slips under the foot of the bridge on the tenor side, with a carpenter jack at the other end. Here's more info: http://tinyurl.com/acggoxt

[mandroid]

A one to read Manuals, for a while..


It was the piezo bridge pickup in particular that caught his interest because of the full, rich tonality,
specially when bowed, that seemed to be missing in other electric instruments.

translating:

brass plaque speak for it being another piezo-electric pickup type
entering the pre existing field, of many others.

that it sits under a bridge foot is the only difference..
Same element can go under violin. bridges and so forth.

not really missing , just made and sold by competing companies,
now they seek a market share of that sector..

there have been many other users of a Piezo-electric strip or wafer
as a signal source in under and around the bridge.
for a long time..

[mandoross]

Thanks, but that's not really helpful. I'm trying to find someone who has actually used this particular pickup and who has an opinion about how it sounds.

[Tim2723]

Hey 'Droid, is he the guy I got in a fight with a couple of months back?

[mandroid]

I'm Hunting Wabbits, Be Vewy vewy qwiet.. ( and Patient )..

(it's the 1st mention of it here, so you may have to break the ice)..


so Tim who got the big champion's Belt Buckle after that Bout?

[mandoross]

Hmm. Well I may just have to try it, then, and report my findings here.

[Mandobart]

I've also not used this pickup. For $199, it is in the ball-park of other piezo systems. Things to bear in mind:
1. Most piezo's need some kind of pre-amp/impedance match in the signal chain, so if you don't have one you'll probably need one.
2. Anything that affects the bridge to soundboard contact can affect the acoustic tone as well.
3. There are other completely non-invasive options that many on this forum have tried with great results and less expense (K&K (http://kksound.com/products/mandolintwin.php#simple2), JJB (http://jjb-electronics.com/EXT-100.html), Mcintyre (http://elderly.com/new_instruments/items/MT100XT.htm), Baggs (http://www.lrbaggs.com/radius.htm), and more).

I personally would not put anything between the bridge and the soundboard. If you do try the Gage it would be helpful to post results here.

[mandoross]

Thanks for those referrals. I've tried the Baggs and found it transmits too much pick noise. The JJB looks interesting. I might try it.

[pops1]

In my opinion any pickup that mounts to the bridge or under the saddle (guitar) sounds like the pickup no matter what instrument you put it on. A pickup that mounts to the top or bridge plate has at least some of the sound of the instrument so if you have a nice instrument the sound comes thru and doesn't just sound like a piezo.

[Papalobo]

I have the Realist Pro V violin and love the pickup , it is the most natural sounding I've tried .

I saw a luthier install of their double bass model copperhead , and he recommended putting the sensor under the bass side foot to reduce the inherent nasal character.. this shown in their ad copy as well.

[thecelloronin]

Chiming in with an oblique product experience:

I've used their realist on my v'cello, and I think it sounded pretty good. Though, at that point, I hadn't much to compare to. One thing that has since turned me off to the Realist solution, however, is that it warped my cello bridge after a year or so! Their literature claims that the piezo element is so thin as to have a negligible impact on the instrument's setup. That just wasn't true. Not only were the two bridge feet stacked at different heights thanks to the piezo, the element itself was also slightly wedge-shaped, angling the bass leg forward and leading to warpage.

TL;DR You'll need a luthier to alter your bridge to properly accommodate the Realist, otherwise you're bound for warpage.

There are so, SO many other serviceable piezo systems on the market for mandolins. K&K, JJB, as well as Schertler and other contact mics are fabulous options that don't touch your bridge. No reason to pay for a liability that doesn't even sound categorically better than more affordable options.

$0.02


In my opinion any pickup that mounts to the bridge or under the saddle (guitar) sounds like the pickup no matter what instrument you put it on. A pickup that mounts to the top or bridge plate has at least some of the sound of the instrument so if you have a nice instrument the sound comes thru and doesn't just sound like a piezo.

That's a good insight. The best of both worlds would seem to be placing the piezos on the underside of the top, underneath the bridge feet.

Edit: haven't tried the AKG C411, but I'd like to.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhMZYz6JqJc

NFI on all products mentioned