DjangoBooks.com

Best pickup for a 14 fret D-Hole?

13»

Comments

  • dennisdennis Montreal, QuebecModerator
    Posts: 2,159
    about schatten, i'm endorsed by them, and went they sent me the pickup , i had it installed and was really disappointed .... and thought to myself, what have i gotten myself into !!!

    but then i had them send me the preamp... and oh man! did it impress the hell out of me! it made an ENORMOUS difference, and they did tell me that it was meant to be used with the preamp...

    you can hear it here (both guitars) unfortunately the recording quality isn't the best

  • Bob HoloBob Holo Moderator
    Posts: 1,252
    Dennis - I'm glad to hear you mention a preamp. Preamps are the Rodney Dangerfields of the audio industry... and from what I've seen since becoming a Gypsy Jazzer... it's the same in the guitar world. They are so important - but they're just not "Sexy" ... and so they "don't get no respect". People will drop $1,000 on an amp and $300 on a pickup and then go bargain hunting for a $75 preamp. (or not use one at all - even when their amp doesn't have a good pre section built in) Granted, cheap preamps are much better now than they used to be (now that everything is done in op-amps instead of discrete components) but still... from what I've seen, the people who are willing to invest a little extra in their preamp ... mostly wind up happy that they did so. My friend Larry swears by his little Baggs Para Acoustic preamp with a parametric notch filter built in for killing wolf/feedback tones. I believe it can be had for around $150.
    You get one chance to enjoy this day, but if you're doing it right, that's enough.
  • MichaelHorowitzMichaelHorowitz SeattleAdministrator
    Posts: 6,152
    Bob Holo wrote:
    People will drop $1,000 on an amp and $300 on a pickup and then go bargain hunting for a $75 preamp. (or not use one at all - even when their amp doesn't have a good pre section built in)

    Since most people are using Schertler or AER amps (both which have builtin preamps), there's usually no need to buy an extra pre. Although some pickups have a highly proprietary premap that really compensates for the problems of that particular pickup. In that case it's worth having the preamp (like the Schatten). But then if you plug it into an amp that already has one (like the AER), you get a lot of overcompensation for certain frequencies so it's gets even worse. The nice thing about the Schertler is that only the Stat channel has the builtin pre. You can use the Mic channel if you want to circumvent the builtin pre.

    'm
  • MichaelHorowitzMichaelHorowitz SeattleAdministrator
    Posts: 6,152
    dennis wrote:

    you can hear it here (both guitars) unfortunately the recording quality isn't the best

    Hi Dennis...that sounds good. However, they're also using mics, so it's hard to tell what you're hearing. Could you post a vid of just the Schatten pickup through and AER? I'd like to hear it...

    thanks!

    -Michael
  • dennisdennis Montreal, QuebecModerator
    Posts: 2,159
    actually those mics were for the radio, it was broadcast nationally but ya, i'm going to record a short demo with it on the AER, i think it sounds great
  • EmmettRayEmmettRay Honolulu, Hawaii✭✭✭✭ Koa Iseman, AJL XO-503, Holo Busato
    Posts: 89
    I've decided to go with a K&K Pure Maccaferri pickup, after hearing a few others. Its inexpensive enough that I can rip it out if I change my mind later on. ($70 - direct from manufacturer)

    Installation was a doozie even on a D-hole. I thought since I fix airplanes during the day, I should be able to handle this little task but I almost destroyed my tailpiece in the process. It wrapped around my drill bit as I was drilling the last hole size, but I was lucky enough to flatten it out and get it back on the guitar. I was anxious to get it done and didn't use a vice. If anyone on here attempts something like this make sure you have plenty of tools. And forget about doing it on a petit bouche, IMPOSSIBLE! Pay someone.

    As far as the sound of it, I've only heard it through Garageband on my laptop and so far so good. I can finally get some decent recordings done, my next purchase is a preamp/amp. I'll have to update this review when I get one later. Happy Holidays guys...
  • BluesBop HarryBluesBop Harry Mexico city, MexicoVirtuoso
    Posts: 1,379
    Hey Dennis,
    Did you use the outboard Schatten preamp or the one with a battery that goes inside the guitar??
    I ask because my rhythm player's thinking of getting a Schatten for his Gitane D500, but he's unsure which one to go for, the active model or the passive.

    And if he gets the passive which preamp do you recomend, Baggs or Schatten?

    Short of an AER which amp works best?
    He's thinking of a Roland AC60 or the new Phil Jones CUB.
  • Posts: 597
    Hey Dennis,
    Did you use the outboard Schatten preamp or the one with a battery that goes inside the guitar??
    I ask because my rhythm player's thinking of getting a Schatten for his Gitane D500, but he's unsure which one to go for, the active model or the passive.

    And if he gets the passive which preamp do you recomend, Baggs or Schatten?

    Short of an AER which amp works best?
    He's thinking of a Roland AC60 or the new Phil Jones CUB.

    I know this is for Dennis, but I thought I'd chime in with my choice since the Gitane D500 is currently my main gighorse. I use the passive model for the Schatten and a Baggs PARA DI. I've used it through different setups and really like it. I also got the Schatten Black Box for situations when I couldn't keep the Baggs close enough to fiddle around with it.

    At one of my gigs, I use a Fender Acoustasonic 30 -- which is provided by the restaurant. Considering the fact that I don't have to lug an amp to those gigs (a twice-a-week lunch gig), I ain't complaining. But when I play gigs with my own stuff, I use a Schertler Unico. :wink:
Sign In or Register to comment.
Home  |  Forum  |  Blog  |  Contact  |  206-528-9873
The Premier Gypsy Jazz Marketplace
DjangoBooks.com
USD CAD GBP EUR AUD
USD CAD GBP EUR AUD
Banner Adverts
Sell Your Guitar
© 2024 DjangoBooks.com, all rights reserved worldwide.
Software: Kryptronic eCommerce, Copyright 1999-2024 Kryptronic, Inc. Exec Time: 0.01618 Seconds Memory Usage: 0.99881 Megabytes
Kryptronic