Dobro amplification

johnnyboy · #1 02-08-2021, 08:42 AM

I am not sure if this post belongs here or in Acoustic Amplification. I want to make recordings with my Model 27 Dobro. Any pros and cons regarding pickups vs. microphones?

MC5C · #2 02-08-2021, 11:18 AM

There are three main paths to consider. If it's an original Model 27 from the 1930's you probably don't want to stick a magnetic pickup on it for fear of damage. They tend to sound more like lap steels than Dobro's and that might not be what you want. For stage use and an authentic sound a lot of people like the Fishman pickup that is installed on the spider under the saddle, it replaces the original saddles and is used with a Jerry Douglas Aura pedal preamp. The final path is straightforward acoustic mic'ing just like in a studio. You need to figure out what and how, equipment, etc, but it's a well trodden path that you can get to with a lap top, probably a cellphone these days, or a console mixer and (shudder) a tape deck!

http://www.resophonicoutfitters.com/product/JDFPUP.html

johnnyboy · #3 02-08-2021, 12:33 PM

Thanks, Brian. Mine is an OMI model, 1976, not an original. Even so, I prefer to not alter the instrument, so a mic directly from an amp into my laptop using Audacity may be the way to go. Nice collection, by the way.

keith.rogers · #4 02-08-2021, 02:46 PM

If you don't have a pickup in it already, why would you *not* want to just mic it up for recording?

johnnyboy · #5 02-09-2021, 06:44 AM

Duh. Apparently I let my caffeine level get too low.

Silly Moustache · #6 02-09-2021, 08:19 AM

An AKG Cs1000 is the best answer I ever found.

Gibson made Dobro, corrected with Beard cone and intonation correcting spider.

keith.rogers · #7 02-09-2021, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

An AKG Cs1000 is the best answer I ever found.
....

Not unlike guitars, my experience is that the instrument/player and placement make the most difference. While I've always used an SDC, one of the best recordings I've heard was done with a Sennheiser MD441 - a ridiculously expensive dynamic! Now, I don't know how much that mic had to do with it (and never will), but it made me think that when I get the chance to mic a dobro again, I will certainly include a trusty SM57 in the setup.