Gypsy Jazz Amplification/Pickup System Overview

Craig Bumgarner

Caravan GSE wrote:

....After 400+ gigs here is what we do in Caravan Gypsy Swing Ensemble with no problems. We each run AKG C1000S mic into the vocal line of a Trace Elliot TA100 acoustic amp. This functions as a glorified stage monitor. We then take the pre-eq line out of the amp to the PA head.......

Chris

Chris,

Does Caravan GSE have it's own PA? If so, what do you use? If not, I'm assuming you are using the house PA. What do you do if you play a place that does not have a PA?

Thanks,

Craig

Craig Bumgarner

There seems to be a wide variety of opinions on a Bigtone setup, ranging from awful to THE BEST solution. I've tried Bigtones twice and both times, tone was poor. Could have been my setup, I'm learning more about this every day.

Talking about tone is just about impossible. Maybe someone who really likes the Bigtone setup could point to a video or sound clip that is a good illustration of what a good BT can sound like?

Thanks,

CB

chigo29

Sólo me compré un Dell Angelo Arte Debarre. Hay noe camioneta tono de gran instalado y me pregunto si instalar uno mismo sería posible? No hay luthiers de guitarras gitana aquí en Oslo, que me puede ayudar con la instalación de este sistema. Para ello estoy pensando que la bying STIMER shertler o sería mejor ..
Con un amplificador de guitarra acústica ordinaria de la STIMER es el mejor?

ezrite

With a Schertler Unico, if two or three instruments plug in, are you dividing power? In other words, if I'm loud enough plugged in alone, might I lose some of that power if i share the amp with another instrument (in this case percussion)? Or are both instruments now as loud as the one instrument was?
Thanks.

noahfuture

I'd like to add that the Peche a la Mouche magnetic pickup I just bought from our illustrious host, KILLS ME! Ok so I am a bit of a rock n roller and I'm in love with the 1947 electric recordings of Django. I wanted a Stimer, but I'm playing on this beautiful Rodrigo Shopis D-hole and the bracing is way too close to the sound hole. Michael suggested the Peche a la Mouche, and I'm so pleased he did.

Couple of things though... The clip it came with was also not properly shaped for my guitar, but some pliers and a little coaxing and now it's snug. SO don't fret if it doesn't quite fit your guitar. The fact that the clip is metal but covered in a sort of rubber was cool too. It limits the stress put on the wood inside.

The sound is amazing. The balance of the strings is perfect. I'm running it through an old tweed fender tremolux. The Tremolux is a remarkable little amp although almost too good sounding or too many watts (18) to get the Django electric sound. This was remedied by my overdrive pedal volume down and gain up. I can pretty accurately imitate the sound on some of my favorite recording (although someday I'd really like to get me a Peche la Mouche amp! The sound on the Stotchelo video's here are insane! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAbOJIXoIVo
So where are we on getting them to the US?) If you're wanting a cleaner tone, this pickup is beautiful sounding without the overdrive. Just a fantastic archtop sound.

So that's about it. My favorite acoustic ever, is now my favorite electric ever. I do kinda wish the volume was on the bottom of the pickup. It takes a tiny bit of adjustment to get used to it, but not really a huge deal.

mr. beaumont

Hello all, first post here. Been playing guitar for 20 years, jazz for 12, but only into the Gypsy style for the past six months or so--it's like learning all over!

I wanted to piggy back yet another glowing reccomendation for the peche a la mouche. I've been using mine with my Gitane D-Hole Jorgenson Model, and really liked the results--thru a smal tube amp (I'm using a SF Princeton) it's a very cutting, "electric django" tone--but thru my henriksen jazzamp it's a warmer, more acoustic tone--with some delicate EQ-ing. It doesn't sound like a microphone or an piezo style pickup, but it's nice to have a few options when it comes to amplified tone.

As for the cord/knob placement, the knob didn't bother me as much as the cord, which i didn't like the idea of it sliding between my body and the guitar and getting "crimped" under pressure. I solved this with a little sticky velcro pad on the top side of the guitars lower bout. I run the cord over that, secure it with an opposing strip of velcro over the top, and the cord runsfrom the pickup, bends gently under and goes under the velcro "bridge" and then runs parallel to the side of the guitar, keeping it away from my body.

Sticking velcro on a beautiful handmade instrument might not be desirable, but for my Gitane, it was a good solution.

If that sounds like a good idea to anyone but my wording makes no sense, I'll try to get a picture up in the future...

ibradbur

Couple of comments.. First the Peche ala Mouche amp is available in North America, by special order. I had mine delivered over the summer and its amazing. And I agree, I really dig the matching pickup.. I have had trouble fitting it on my Shopis D-hole. noahfuture, any chance I can get some details or pics etc as to how you managed this?

MichaelHorowitz

ibradbur wrote:

Couple of comments.. First the Peche ala Mouche amp is available in North America, by special order. I had mine delivered over the summer and its amazing.

Juan told me they can't send the amps to the US because the liability insurance is too expensive (never thought about it but I guess they need to be covered in the event someone gets shocked!).

I think they can ship to Canada though.

noodlenot

Hi all!
i need some educated opinions on the following: i want to buy a small practice amp on the cheap, which i intend to use with both a AT laveler mic and the krivo django bucker with adjustable poles pickup(not the single coil model). my choices this far are:
ZT lunchbox (Michael pointed me this one)
Ultrasound-AG-30
Fishman-Loudbox-100
my main criteria is tone, not volume or projection. by tone i mean something clean and open, without too much colour (no scooped highs or lows) and that doesn´t go too early into overdrive. next comes portability, and then volume (gain). i plan to use the amp mostly for practice and an occasional jam, so i need to hear the articulations and small picking nuances, and don´t need too much power. i know that this is asking too much for the price tag, so i´m looking for opinions on the one closer to the description.

hope this topic isn´t beaten to death by now...

thanks in advance,
Miguel.

disclaimer - i am almost completely amp illiterate, so the description terms might be slightly off-centre. ii apologise for this. i hope the main point passes through, though.

MichaelHorowitz

ZT lunchbox (Michael pointed me this one)
Ultrasound-AG-30
Fishman-Loudbox-100

I'd say the Ultrasound meets your requirements the best. The ZT is more about being ultra portable. It's amazing at that but the size has some negative effects on the sound. The 6.5" speaker will have a tough time with chords and low end.

The Fishman is nice but is a bit "transistory" sounding to me...just a little on the edgy side. The Ultrasound is warmer and the 8" speaker will reporduce low end a lot better.