Looking for recommendations for a good acoustic pickup that works well on a mandolin. Thanks in advance!
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Looking for recommendations for a good acoustic pickup that works well on a mandolin. Thanks in advance!
Me too, I want one for looping so I've been looking at alot of pickups and mics lately. I've pretty much decided on the Myers Feather clip on mic.
I have used the LR Baggs Radius along with their preamp and it is fine. One of my other mandolins has the K&K internal pickup. It also sounds very good. For what it is worth, I prefer the internal pickups. I have them on both my mountain dulcimers. It just seems like the sound is more natural. I have noticed that some of the new mics really have improved over the years as well, so perhaps a pickup isn't really necessary. I don't use amplification on my two mandolins because they are both very robust in their own right--I usually worry about being too loud. On my mandola and my mountain dulcimers, the pickups are very nice to have.
I've installed the JJB PPS-200 in over 20 instruments from fiddle to mando, guitar, banjo and upright bass. Works great through an acoustic amp or HI-Z PA input. If plugging into a standard PA channel you need an impedance matching preamp or DI.
Not sure why you posted this in the Song and Tune Projects section, but there are dozens of topics about mandolin pickups elsewhere on the cafe. I would suggest you read many of those first and then ask more specific questions in the equipment section. Some factors are how much you have to spend, what sort of equipment you will be plugging into, what sort of music, and what sort of venue. That said, the K&K or the less expensive and nearly identical JJB that Mandobart suggested are good choices.
Thanks everyone. I appreciate the advice
I had a McIntyre feather internally installed in a mando and the output was pretty low. When I asked my luthier he said that compared to a KandK the McIntyre generally had lower output, so I replaced it with a K&K. I didn’t notice it too much at home but in the noisy bar I have much happier since then. YMMVQuote:
Originally Posted by bigskygirl
I tried many PUs over the past 30 years: Barcus Berry, Shadow, Fishman, Schertler, Schatten, Baggs, JJB, K&K, Dazzo. IMHO only one of them comes close to a miked mandolin: Dazzo ! When trying it for the first time on stage, I (and my bandmates) could not believe there is no mic involved.
These days I returned to the old real mic on a stand approach, but whenever needed I'd use a Dazzo.
I have a K&K in my Silverangel and really like it. When I got the SA, both the instrument and the PU sounded like a good step up from the surface-mount JJB I originally had on my Eastman. I thought it sounded so good that I bought a surface mount K&K Mandolin twin for my Jacobson. But I must say, I was impressed by a quick YT search of the Dazzo!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwyRwXb90dw
Glad you like the vid - I did that comparison a while ago and produced the vid.
Look at the comments on youtube, and you will find Teddy Randazzo himself, the creative mind behind Dazzo pickups. He states that my placement of the Dazzo in the vid is not perfect. So you can expect a even better performance when placed properly.
I have one installed in my H5 mandola, installation done by an experienced luthier. Sounds incredibly natural. Tried the Dazzo on my mandocello, temporarily installed with beeswax - sounded perfect. Loaned the pickup to a cello playing friend for on stage amplification (again beeswax installed on top) - he loved it. Have it in several guitars - best amplified sound I had in thirty years.
Can you just use beeswax for the long haul? Preferring not to put glue on my instrument.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mando-bob
I haven't used bees wax, but I've installed quite a few internal piezo pickups with blue hobby putty. Some of these have been in for over 15 years with no problems. On one of my fiddles I had to remove the pickup to pull the tailblock output jack and it was quite simple to remove then reinstall later with fresh putty.Quote:
Originally Posted by cassetteland
I have two custom instruments where the builder installed JJB SBT pickups with superglue (which is the normal recommended method). I don't hear any difference between the glued-in or putty-mounted pickups.
K&K is IMO a great economical solution I use in one mandolin and one guitar. No fuss, easy peasy, get your luthier or tech to install one.
K&K is IMO a great economical solution I use in one mandolin and one guitar. No fuss, easy peasy, get your luthier or tech to install one (they go inside, and use a strap button guitar jack).