Headway HE4/BZ.FEQ (Octave Mandolin) Review
Quite a while ago now I started a thread on here looking for input on the Headway HE4/BZ.FEQ for my Trinity College Octave Mandolin. Anyway, I finally have it installed and I wanted to give my impressions on it. First off, it was somewhat of a pain trying to buy it since Headway isn't extremely popular in Canada, especially their folk instrument pickups. However, I knew I wanted it since it's the same pickup that Alan Doyle uses on his Trinity College octave in Great Big sea. The really nice thing about the pickup was the surprise with the price. I had heard that these pickups would cost upwards of $300.00 but when it was all said and done I was just under $200.00.
As for the installation, it was definitely more involved than most UST or SBT style pickups. The TC octave has a one piece saddle so the luthier that I brought it to installed the pickup in the bottom of the saddle, which is something I am glad I left for a skilled luthier. We thought at first that the saddle would need to be replaced but you wouldn't even know it was in there now.
As for the sound, it's incredible! I have never plugged an instrument in with a new pickup and had immediate gratification. It honestly sounds like the octave mandolin unplugged. What's better is that because it's in the saddle, there's no feedback. The string balance is great as well and each string has a fullness that's hard to explain. When it's plugged in the octave sounds much bigger than it is which I really like. I find that some pickups can diminish the size of an instrument and make the strings sound thin or they can reproduce the size of the instrument accurately which also makes the instrument sound thin.
Anyway, if any of you are looking into Headway pickups then I strongly urge you to get one installed!
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