the ultimate guitar pickup -- I'm not kidding

[joelh]

Doug et al:

Thanks, I think you answered my questions. The last one was whether the Wavelength DI would power both the pickup that it came with as well as the DPA mic. (I think the answer was yes.) Although Goldhedge has been doing that in our contra dance band and has been having some trouble with the pickup channel, as he noted above.

I took my new (used) 4061 to the (friendly) DPA folks nearby who checked it out and put a new connector on it. I also bought the XLR adaptor, the violin mount and some stick-on rubber surface mounts and took it all to a weekend contra dance festival. The rubber mounts come with double sided tape that really sticks on, and appears designed for flat tops of guitars. I watched them pull one off of the back of a Martin guitar. They really had to pull it hard to get the mount off, but then the tape came right off with a wet rag.

I used it all weekend in a variety of placements on my fiddle, and settled on a surface mount under my chin rest, facing the left F hole. I think the (black) surface mounts will likewise work on the (ebony) bridges of my mando and octave mando. (Of course I need to buy another DPA and pickup/DI for my guitar.)

We had no feedback issues possibly because we were using wireless in-ear monitors all weekend. So I can't evaluate feedback yet for stage monitors. Everyone loved the sound though. And hooking up is just plugging the XLR adaptor into the cable and sliding the mic wire into the rubber mount. We're definitely making progress here.

Thanks all for your advice.

Joel

[ericcsong]

if anyone needs one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DPA-Micropho...#ht_500wt_1180

[Lawliet]

hi Doug and everyone. I have recently find out doug's test sample of different pickups and I do appreciate your effort. Just like what this thread said, i am absolutely impressed by the 4061 and K&K. Therefore, I am planning to have a set and may I ask is there any size or shape is optimum to this system? I am thinking about a Martin GPCPA5K or a Taylor 214ce for the system. I understand that the system may cost similar sum of money as the guitar, but my budget limits me. Thanks for any advice

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Lawliet

hi Doug and everyone. I have recently find out doug's test sample of different pickups and I do appreciate your effort. Just like what this thread said, i am absolutely impressed by the 4061 and K&K. Therefore, I am planning to have a set and may I ask is there any size or shape is optimum to this system? I am thinking about a Martin GPCPA5K or a Taylor 214ce for the system. I understand that the system may cost similar sum of money as the guitar, but my budget limits me. Thanks for any advice

I've now got this setup in everything from an OM to a 17 inch baritone, and all seem to work fine. I am most happy with the sound in my Martin OM, but that may be due to any number of reasons. I think it helps a bit if the mic can be mounted centered under the strings, which isn't possible in all guitars, depending on bracing - at least using my simple mounting technique (a Radio Shack wire clamp), I'm sure there's some more clever solution. On at least one guitar where I had to move it offset a bit, the string balance on the mic is less ideal, tho it's ok when blended with the K&K.

[Lawliet]

Thanks for your reply Doug.
So the mounts in the imk 4061 bundle is not well enough?
also, do you recommend using the windscreen?

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Lawliet

Thanks for your reply Doug.
So the mounts in the imk 4061 bundle is not well enough?
also, do you recommend using the windscreen?

I don't think I've ever seen the DPA mount, I buy the mics used on ebay (usually around $100). I've been using this:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2062666

with the mic wrapped in a bit of foam. I just leave the wind screens on, tho I think I have one without it. Not sure it matters.

[Doubleneck]

Not really at the the playing level you guys are but I just got a K&K Meridian clip on mic off eBay and was just amazed how nicely it pick up the acoustic sound of my guitar. Could dual source with my UST through my Dtar Solstice but right now I am just loving the mic. And easy to take to another guitar. Steve

[El Conquistador]

Some time back, I aquired an audio-technica 831b. http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wi...88f/index.html It had been written up as a good guitar mic. It comes with a nice padded attchment clip for the soundhole. I, however, abandoned it very quickly. It sounded great, it just could not give me the volume before feedback I needed. I now have, and am pretty darn happy with, K&K minis.

However, I have a fairly quiet pure instrumental gig coming up and this thread got me to wondering if I could use the AT831b in tandem with my K&K using the second chanel of my SA220? I guess the idea is that I would clip it to the treble side of the soundhole, then, use 80% K&K from chanel 1, and 20% or so from the 831b. Does this sound like a good idea?

Steve

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by El Conquistador

However, I have a fairly quiet pure instrumental gig coming up and this thread got me to wondering if I could use the AT831b in tandem with my K&K using the second chanel of my SA220? I guess the idea is that I would clip it to the treble side of the soundhole, then, use 80% K&K from chanel 1, and 20% or so from the 831b. Does this sound like a good idea?

What I usually find is that even the tiniest amount of mic makes a huge difference. So, sure, give it a try. Even if you can only mix in 1% mic, it may help. And at worst, you shut the mic off, and you're back to K&Ks, which still sound good alone.

[El Conquistador]

I will give it a go next weekend and report back. : )

Steve

[Lawliet]

so the imk 4061 is a kit form of 4061 which includes a bunch of mount adaptors

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Lawliet

so the imk 4061 is a kit form of 4061 which includes a bunch of mount adaptors

Right, but it's $540! You can get the little clips alone, 5 for $20, or get a bag of the Radio Shack ones (10 pieces? I'm not sure) for $5. Space can be tight inside the guitar, on a couple, I ended up cutting the radio shack clip in half so it would fit, which worked fine.

[Lawliet]

As the wavelength preamp provides phantom power for the mic, so does it mean the system fits any outboard preamp as long as it supports stereo input? So about the pendulum, with the mic/pickup module it still provides 9V phantom power, will it be too much power as the battery already support a part of the power. Sorry guys, I know I have a lot of questions, but I just wanna make myself clear

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Lawliet

As the wavelength preamp provides phantom power for the mic, so does it mean the system fits any outboard preamp as long as it supports stereo input?

Correct.

So about the pendulum, with the mic/pickup module it still provides 9V phantom power, will it be too much power as the battery already support a part of the power.

You wouldn't want to use the SPS-1 mic module, it might work, but the power's not needed, and I think the input impedance won't be quite right.

But if you have an SPS-1 with a mic module, you don't need the onboard preamp. After my initial experiments with this setup, using the wavelength preamp, I bought an SPS-1 mic module (I only had the unpowered 2-input preamp at the time I first tried this), took out the wavelength, and now have a very clean simple system with no batteries or electronics in the guitar. The only downside is that now I absolutely need an extermal preamp that provides power to the mic. I can't just plug a stereo Y cable into a 2 channel amp, etc. I have to use the SPS-1, or some other 2-channel preamp with mic power.

[El Conquistador]

Question, in a dual source rig with SBTs like the K&K and a mini condensor mic, which end of the tone spectrum would you expect the SBT to re-produce best, and what end the mic? I am thinking of the Anthem where the "tru-mic" is used to re-produce the highs and the UST the lows. Would that be true for any mic and whatever dual source?

Steve