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Thread: got a live one here folks, and he is coming in hot

  1. #26
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    Default Re: got a live one here folks, and he is coming in hot

    If you have a piezo and not a preamp in your mandolin the added pickup, as Ray says, is the same technology as it was decades ago. Some sizing and thickness differences, but the same technology. I have them in my expensive mandolins and guitars, and my banjo. No preamps tho, I prefer a separate preamp outside the instrument, they are ALWAYS better quality. If you have a preamp in your mandolin and it goes bad or doesn't sound good simply wire the piezo to the jack and eliminate the pre, leave it in or put a patch in the hole. For $300 it won't make any difference, nor will it change the acoustic sound.

    I see in the pic you have a preamp, not a biggie, use it until it doesn't work then eliminate it.
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

  2. #27
    Resident Hack
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    Default Re: got a live one here folks, and he is coming in hot

    Quote Originally Posted by ol trashfire joe View Post
    well i suppose 300 is cheap considering it is an active Fishman system. it is an old Legacy Deluxe Michael Kelly model that was made in Korea. when they released these things back in the 90s they were like 1200 bucks. so 300 is about 25% of the original cost, but until I learn more about seam separation, i am content to let it continue to sit in that shop.

    why is a pre-installed electric option a bad thing though? (honestly want to know) i read about artists like tony rice and grisman, other purists, who have been quoted saying they would never sully their instruments by putting any type of pickup or even a contact mic on their instrument. i suppose that makes sense to me for artists of that time, or even into the 90's a bit, but with the type of tech these days, it seems like a good thing to me. I appreciate any experience of knowledge shared.
    My Morgan Monroe has what is likely the same active Fishmann system. Sure looks like it. I suspect that having this honking big box intruding into the inside of that mando is part of why I was fighting it for tone every time. I know it makes the thing way heavier. I had some electronics issues and took it to a tech I trust. He told me it's not a "real" Fishmann system but a cheaper Chinese line that they only sold to lower tier manufacturers like Morgan Monroe. If it goes bad, there's no fixing it, simply replacing it.
    What I play
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  3. #28
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: got a live one here folks, and he is coming in hot

    Ovation MM68 and Godin A8 mandolins both have built-in preamps and I'd be more than happy to defend them as quality instruments.

    $1200 was always an insane price to pay for a Michael Kelly mandolin. $300 now doesn't seem out of line, if you can find a knowledgeable tech to take care of the seam separation.

    I don't believe the Kelly Legacy Deluxe came with a strap button at the heel. That must have been added later by some genius who wanted to use a guitar strap and couldn't spare a bootlace to make a loop for the scroll.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

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  4. #29
    Worlds ok-ist mando playr Zach Wilson's Avatar
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    Default Re: got a live one here folks, and he is coming in hot

    Quote Originally Posted by mrmando View Post
    Ovation MM68 and Godin A8 mandolins both have built-in preamps and I'd be more than happy to defend them as quality instruments.
    True, you got me there, Sir

    I guess the same could be said about the Seagull S8 if thats your thing.
    Worlds okay-ist mandolin player

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  5. #30

    Default Re: got a live one here folks, and he is coming in hot

    Guilt by association. The eq-preamp panel is so common on low-end instruments that, like a too glossy plastic finish or a bit of bling, becomes a negative signifier regardless of anything functional. On top of that, we’re so used to rapid obsolescence in all our electronics that we expect anything bolted in, battery-powered,
    to be less useful or unrepairable in short order. Just a conflict between a perception of transitory versus enduring.
    All-electric though, is a different expectation. Curious, no?

  6. #31
    Confused... or?
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    Default Re: got a live one here folks, and he is coming in hot

    Quote Originally Posted by Richard500 View Post
    ... All-electric though, is a different expectation. Curious, no?
    When your expectation, acoustically, is for it to sound hardly at all, an extra hole or two can't mess that up too much.

    Yes, a solid-body can be great for noodling without messing up the family's TV-watching!
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