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Good Acoustic Guitar Pickup??

low_lightlow_light Posts: 251
edited November 2003 in Musicians and Gearheads
anyone have a favorite Lay in or Clip on pickup that can ctach the deep tone of a widebody acoustic? My pickups suck ass and died on me so I need an external lay in that will give me a rich sound. I ordered a cheap 80 dollar clip on from musiciansfriend to get me by. its for live shows and practices.

any help greatly appreciated.

-david
www.myspace.com/eotoband
Post edited by Unknown User on

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    Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    sure, Fishman makes one called the "rare earth" after the magnets they use. I like it very much. Personally no pickup is going to give you the tone that you would have with a microphone but it does provide you with mobility. A good condenser mike will capture the depth and breath of your tone much better than a pickup, but the fishmans are excellent pickups much more natural than the pop in Seymour Duncan variety.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
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    parchyparchy Posts: 205
    I was just about to say Fishman as well... very good pickups
    Make Movies. Don't make Videos. Videos are evil.
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    who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    Fishman again!
    I'm looking at getting the rare earth blend. It's got a mike that goes into the body, and a soundhole pickup and you blend between the 2.
    The mike should give you a bit more depth and bass. It might need a little more depth to you wallet though, too.
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
    __________________________________
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    low_lightlow_light Posts: 251
    okay very cool Im going to check out the Fishman.

    if you were going to buy just a mic to sit in front of your guitar for live shows what would it be? if Musician's friend has it let me know too. I'm weighing both options.

    -dm
    www.myspace.com/eotoband
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    who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    Hi Low Light
    I'm jet lagged, maybe not thinking to clearly, but,,

    Cost effective is the old shure 57 to mike with, but it's tough on stage if there's a band behind you because of feed back no matter what the mike. I haven't done that for a long time. I could never hold still enough to stay on the mike anyway. Mcready will probably know the answer to that one.

    I bet the tech dudes will have a lot of advice when they sober up! : )

    I have a fishman soundhole that's good, but the blender sounds even better. I'll definitely use it if I go out and play again.
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
    __________________________________
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    Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by low_light
    okay very cool Im going to check out the Fishman.

    if you were going to buy just a mic to sit in front of your guitar for live shows what would it be? if Musician's friend has it let me know too. I'm weighing both options.

    -dm

    McCreadyisGod is the engineer here so he has his favorites and he's probably the man to talk too. you can't go wrong with an SM 57 it will do an excellent job. However now that Condenser mics have come down substantially in price look for one with a tight pattern preferebly supercardioid vocal/instrument mic with high feedback rejection and potentially some sort of shockmount to keep it isolated on stage. There are plenty of condensers in the 99-1 50 dollar range that should suit your needs although they certainly aren't the best. Definately look into the fishman too.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
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    who's_pearljam?who's_pearljam? Posts: 2,104
    Hi Paco

    You wouldn't believe the fuzzy head I have now!

    See ya
    Be kind, man
    Don't be mankind. ~Captain Beefheart
    __________________________________
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    Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by who's_pearljam?
    Hi Paco

    You wouldn't believe the fuzzy head I have now!

    See ya


    see ya. Hope you're doing ok.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
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    low_lightlow_light Posts: 251
    hehe thanks guys. i got this little clip on one :

    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=031116145522012075000082271682/g=rec/s=mics/search/detail/base_pid/270413/

    i got this before anyone replied. and it's really just a quick fix. no big deal for 80 bucks. this is gonna sound like shit right? i can always return it and get the Fishman.

    thanks again guys

    -david
    www.myspace.com/eotoband
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    Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Ideally you want the signal to noise ratio to be in excess of 100 db from a condenser mic.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
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    mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Bumfuq, MT Posts: 6,395
    Originally posted by low_light
    if you were going to buy just a mic to sit in front of your guitar for live shows what would it be? if Musician's friend has it let me know too. I'm weighing both options.

    It's pricey, but it sounds great:
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=031116220805150131025216457502/g=home/search/detail/base_id/38599

    The SM81 is probably the go-to mic for acoustic string instruments. If you watch country shows or Austin City Limits, you'll see 81's on banjos, guitars, violas, violins, fiddles, resonators, etc. They have a good cardiod pattern, fairly transparent sound, and fabulous transient response. The big thing about acoustic strings is transient response... that ability to get the nuances of strings... a 57 works for ANYTHING in a pinch, but a condenser will be much better than a dynamic.

    Here's an econo version of the same mic:
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=031116220805150131025216457502/g=live/search/detail/base_id/58541

    Another good Shure:
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=031116220805150131025216457502/g=live/search/detail/base_id/101571

    A Nady for a good price:
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=031116220805150131025216457502/g=live/search/detail/base_id/54340

    You're probably better off with a small-diaphram, but if you want full body, a large diaphram (.7 inch is best) will work, too.

    A good Shure large-diaphram:
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=031116220805150131025216457502/g=live/search/detail/base_id/55338

    A cheap Nady large-diaphram:
    http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=031116220805150131025216457502/g=live/search/detail/base_id/75855

    I typically give better advice if I know a price range... PM me if you need more answers...
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
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