How do you amplify your maccaferri guitar?

Al Watsky

If you blend the Ischell and the Peche you may hear some crossover/phase cancelation . Not to say that you won't like the blended sound , just that at some point as your crossing strings say, you will hear a difference in tone. It can get pretty noticeable . Sometimes you can reverse the phase between the pickups and cancel it out. When acoustic guitars have several pickups , which isn't uncommon lately, folks have been opting for A or B or C . Not usually blending. In most cases a mic can always be blended so I guess because the Ischell is a type of mic it might react better than a sound board transducer or saddle transducer to blending. If you try blending let me know how it works out for you.

therealguyfi

Anytime you use more than one pickup, or a mic and pickup together, you get some amount of phasing: the waveforms are arriving at the amp a different times. Many preamps give you the option of inverting phase but the problem is that sources are rarely 180 degrees out of phase so often this feature doesn't is the problem. Some frequencies are attenuated while others are boosted, it usually results in a cloudy sound that's unlike what your guitar really sounds like.

The Radial Phazer is an analogue tool that changes phase incrementally by providing a slight delay. I use a Pro 70 mixed with a Big Tone (incidentally I eq them separately) which I send through the Phazer. I get the realism of the mic mixed with the focus of the Big Tone (about 50/50, more mic when I can) and I can be quite loud without feedback.

Al Watsky

If your using 2 of anything there is always some phase cancelation . In my case the difference in string location of the pickup is enough to hear a difference. Sounds good though !

Buco

I saw Stephane Wrembel using A/B pedal with mic during rhythm parts and magnetic pickup during solos.

Al Watsky

Yeah, guys like to A-B sources.

bbwood_98

After years of going through 2 pro 70's a year, I have a rode lav mic that I like the sound of a lot. I have a ashdown acoustic; and broken Acoustic image clarus 2 combo (that I love!). both work great and are mostly loud enough. I'd love to try a d-vote 4099; I have seen a few folks using them at major festivals with little issue.

Mandobart

The tinny quack of piezo's is often caused by impedance mis-match. The worst example occurs when a player plugs a piezo-equipped instrument (with a 1 - 10 Mohm output impedance) straight into a mic or line input on a PA. A good DI or pre-amp will help with that. However, I'm surprised that would still be a problem with your AER amp. Nearly all acoustic amps including AER feature a "high Z" input to accomodate passive piezo's. I've heard this happen when players have a 9 volt battery go dead in an active DI. I change the batteries in my pedals about every two months and always have spares on hand.

I don't like undersaddle-type pu's that are constantly under the preload from string tension. This places the element in a constant state of distortion and limits the free response to soundboard vibrations. I've been using these JJB pickups for close to 7 years now in 3 fiddles, a mandolin, mandola, two octave mandolins, two mandocellos, my 12 string and my Altamira. I mount the two heads internally under the soundboard as close as bracing will allow to directly under each bridge foot contact point. Most people superglue them in, but I use blue-tak putty like this. I did it initially to allow easy removal later but I've never had a problem with it.

When I play as a solo, duo or trio I use my Carvin AG300 with the high-z selected. When I sit in with another band with a PA I use my RedEye preamp into the board.

Buco

@Mandobart do you use the putty as the glue or the tape so to speak?

Mandobart

K&K pu's come with a double-sided tape; in that regard I use it as the tape. Most luthiers superglue these type of pu's to the underside of the soundboard. In that regard I use it as the glue. In one case, a 5-string viola, I've had the putty let go a little; probably due to dirt/dust in the instrument. A little pressure with an S-type sound post setter kept it in place.

Buco

I wasn't sure if the putty is between the head and the soundboard or you use it to tape over the pickup head. I thought maybe if it's between the head and the soundboard, the putty would prevent the signal transmission since the pickup reacts to vibrations vs being a microphonic pickup.

I was checking their site and see they offer artist series too but couldn't see what the advantage would be over standard. Any ideas?

I'm curious how these sound in Selmer style guitars. For how affordable they are I think I'm going to get one and try.

Thanks @Mandobart