Which Pickup Was Used To Record This Clip?

RobKay · #1 09-19-2010, 12:13 PM

I guess this is for the pickup experts, or anyone for that matter, just installed a pickup in a OM size guitar(rosewood/spruce). I was curious if anyone could figure out what pickup it is? I'm sure Gary will get it

There was no eq and just some reverb added, i'm running a complete new recording set up with different monitors and recording software in a new house and room so i don't really know where i am sound wise just yet.
But take a listen and see if you can figure it....it speeds up slightly at the end as the postman was coming up the path with a parcel

fingerpicking.mp3

Rob

guitaniac · #2 09-19-2010, 01:12 PM

Hi Rob,

Let me be the first to make a fool of myself with this guessing game. I'd guess that the pickup is the PUTW I/O UST. From what I hear, you're getting a very clean, articulate sound which reminds me of the PUTW I/O UST which is currently in my little rosewood/spruce concert sized Crafter guitar.

Whichever pickup it is, you make it sound very good. I look forward to returning to this thread in a day or two and learning what pickup it is.

Gary

Kohnodude · #3 09-19-2010, 03:08 PM

except for the low end bump, I'd swear you were playing a harpsichord.

RobKay · #4 09-19-2010, 03:26 PM

Actually you're not far off there, that song calls for an early 17th century Spinet/harpsichord type sound.
Rob

SpruceTop · #5 09-19-2010, 03:28 PM

Very Nice Playing!

You're using a combination of a magnetic soundhole pickup (Sunrise, or Baggs, or Fishman, or other) with either an SBT or UST. A really nice blend has been achieved!

Regards,

SpruceTop

Rick Jones · #6 09-19-2010, 06:44 PM

If it is Magnetic and SBt, you use alot less magnetic than me in that kind of mix. I'm not really hearing that round mag tone except on the odd note.
It sounds more like a sounboard transducer to me, similar to my K&K when I solo it with the lows rolled off.

Very nice playing btw!

DrDavid · #7 09-19-2010, 07:39 PM

Definitely sounds to me like some kind of UST on the low end.

Maybe single source, or maybe blended. But if the latter, then I'm not hearing a sound hole mag in the blend. Probably blended with something else, if at all.

And I'll join the chorus of compliments on your playing. Very nice!

..

Side Man · #8 09-20-2010, 07:36 AM

Headway UST...

RobKay · #9 09-20-2010, 01:49 PM

Actually everyone was very near.......
Pickup was a DTAR Wavelength....i was playing around with different DI's and preamps to see what sounds i could come up with. DI was a Ridge Farms Gas Cooker into a JLM Audio preamp straight into Presonus Studio One Software(amazing recording software, very simple to work with.)
Not sure at all about my recording room some sides sound very bass heavy and other sides not, will have to add some bass traps and damping.
Tune was a song written in the late 60's early 70's to sound like a Spinet type instrument played in the seventeenth century. Song title "Woburn Abbey"
All just for fun......Not sure if was a good ad for a Wavelength or not
Thanks for taking the time and trouble to stick your necks out and respond!
Thanks for the compliments by the way....
Rob

guitaniac · #10 09-20-2010, 02:08 PM

That's great news, Rob. I'm about to replace the I/O UST in my Crafter with a Wavelength system. I've decided sell the Crafter (fretboard is a little too tight for my taste) and figure it'll sell better with an active system in it. (I'd also prefer to keep the I/O UST for myself.) Thanks to your experiment here, I won't feel too terribly guilty that the buyer is getting screwed with a second choice (relative to the I/O) pickup system. LOL.

Gary

PS I'd also like to congratulate your deft touch. I haven't had much luck recording from the Wavelength because it seems to be hyper-responsive to my touch. Its seems like a small change in attack intensity elicits a larger change in output level.

guitaniac · #11 09-21-2010, 06:36 AM

As long as I'm making comparisons between the Wavelength and I/O USTs, I should mention a factor in the Wavelength's favor. The Wavelength lends itself better to digital enhancement with the Fishman Aura devices or the DTAR Mama Bear. I believe that's because the Wavelength picks up less top ambience than the I/O does, therefore providing a more neutral platform for the digital processors to incorporate the sound image (in Aura's case) or the target guitar (in Mama Bear's case) into. In any event, the Wavelength has worked well for me with both Aura and Mama Bear. The I/O UST never has.

Gary

RobKay · #12 09-21-2010, 08:37 AM

Gary....i've always wondered about the Dtar M/Bear and the Aura but they're that expensive here in the u.k. i've never purchased one, plus i've seen that many for sale on ebay i always thought they can't be any good? In the same guitar i have the K.K. pickups, but i have to say i can't stand em....i've tried blending them with a sunrise and the Wavelength but gave up on them, they seem to introduce some strange artifact that i can't figure out what it is......
Rob

denmar355 · #13 09-21-2010, 10:01 AM

That was fun. Can we play another round or two?

guitaniac · #14 09-21-2010, 11:24 AM

Hi Rob,

With respect to the Pure Western mini, I think its effectiveness varies with different guitars. I get too much (for my taste) of an in-the-cave sound from the K&K mini in my spruce/mahogany Samick OM. On the other hand, the mini in a friend's 1963 Martin D-18 sounds terrific. He plays moderate volume settings, so feedback susceptability isn't an issue for him.

A plus for the K&K mini is that it seems to have a smoother response to the touch than most USTs - smoother than the Wavelength for sure. Its one of the pickups which got me to thinking more about the issue of touch responsiveness.

With repect to the digital thing, my absolute best results came with the Aura Spectrum DI and a little Fishman UST-equipped guitar. The guitar actually had its own onboard Aura system and factory-installed Aura sound images. It nevertheless sounded better with one of the stock OM sound images in the Spectrum DI. I was actually modeling to some extent, as it sounded like a bigger guitar when amplifying with that sound image. (That amuses me to some extent as the Fishman folks hate the "modeling" word. They've been emphasizing from the beginning that Aura "sound imaging" is not modeling.)

In any event, the Fishman Aura technology seems to work best with the Fishman film piezo undersaddle pickups. The catch is that you have to find a compatable sound image for the particular pickup/guitar rig that you're using. That may take quite a bit of experimentation. As an open mic host, I find the DTAR Mama Bear much easier to use with unfamiliar UST-equipped guitars. It takes relatively little "dialing in" with Mama Bear to make most UST-equipped guitars sound better (to the relief of my much-abused ears).

I've drifted away from the digital thing in recent times, as I've been looking for guitar/pickup rigs which are easy to set up quickly, and which give me a smoother touch response than most USTs. (The Baggs Anthem system is a winner in that respect.) I've since sold the Fishman UST-equipped guitar and the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI.

Gary