a suitable pickup for Gitane?

Jez Tan

Hi, I have a Gitane DG-255 and would like to bring it out on stage. I bought an Audio Technica ATM15a lapel mic but the airsound and feedback is horrible! I am used to the clarity and punchy sound of a Godin guitar (RMC pickup), and would appreciate if anyone can recommend me a nice pickup along that line for the gypsy guitar... I would like to achieve a clarity and punch like Bireli on his dvd. Thank you in advance! :P

Bob Holo

I heard a guy playing w/ a Schertler Basic through a little Taxi amp tonight - it sounded great - really ballsy. I don't know which Birelli DVD you're referring to - I have a couple Birelli DVDs and he sounds a bit different on each. On the Vienna DVD that everyone raves over he is playing w/ a soundhole mic (and probably some kind of soundboard transducer mixed in). But I can tell you that the Basic + Taxi had that modern growly barky gypsy tone - like a Stimer but a touch more acoustic and with more bite.

Jez Tan

In ur opinion, will a Schatten HFN-S2 Artist pickup sound better than e Schetler pickup? Both are of almost e same price, but the schatten seems more secure and less wires to worry about when playing live.

Jez Tan

Ahh...I am really forgetful. I forgot to mention Bigtone pickups that ppl like Stochelo and Jimmy use, I wonder how's the sound as compared to schatler and schatten. About the soundboard transducer and soundhole mic, I found just such a combi in e K&K pickup (www.kksound.com), and my yamaha fpx happens to sport one such kind of blended pickups but e trebles are feeble when played live, which is a big minus for soloist.

I aim to hav a clear and strong sound like any plug in guitar (taylor, ovation, godin) would, without e air sound that doesn't cut thru e mix in a live situation. I just found this website which compares a few different pickups, hope anyone in e same predicament will find it slightly useful.
http://www.dougyoungguitar.com/pickuptest.htm

Bob Holo

Updated.... I attached a new soundfile. The last one was compressed way too much and sounded like crap...
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I've heard the Schatten & Bigtone & Schertler Basik & Played the Schertler DynG. I've never heard them side to side on similar amps - so as for "better" I don't know... because the big variables are where you put the pickup, how you set up the amp, what the acoustics of the gig are, and how you equalize in your preamp. But I can tell you what I heard on these differing setups:

Schatten: The most "acoustic" of the bunch - but to me it sounded a little too acoustic for a pub gig where the goal is to "cut" through. You could EQ it though and I like the fact that you don't have to cut holes in the soundboard.

Schertler DynG: ?A big fat tone with nice acoustic nuances and enough edge to cut. My favorite so far (warning: subjective opinion)

Schertler Basik: Nice cutting tone - fewer acoustic cues than the DynG and a bit leaner sounding than the DynG but similar overall characteristic

BigTone: Classic sound - but needs to be equalized quite a bit or it can sound thin. You do not want to just "plug it in" to the soundboard. You will want to run it through a decent preamp or use an amp that has EQ but a lot of people love them because they have lots of "crunch". My only real reservation about these is that you have to drill a hole in the soundboard to install them.

I had a handheld recorder at this show last night. Here are a few seconds to give you an idea of the "Basik" in action. Keep in mind that it was a little MP3 recorder and I ran this through my laptop soundcard and then compressed it to conserve this site's server space - so this recording sounds a bit harsh - but I'll give you some idea of the sound he was getting through that little Crate Taxi amp. This guy has good technique and a nice handmade Favino-style guitar.