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  #31  
Old 04-07-2016, 12:33 PM
Fran Guidry Fran Guidry is offline
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One possibility is that your amp is powering the mic input with either phantom or plug-in power. If so, that could cause noise when the volume control is moved.

Fran
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  #32  
Old 04-07-2016, 12:54 PM
popthree popthree is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fran Guidry View Post
One possibility is that your amp is powering the mic input with either phantom or plug-in power. If so, that could cause noise when the volume control is moved.

Fran
i just checked the owners manual for my amplifier and it does indeed supply phantom power in case of using a condenser mic.

this myers pickup is a condenser mic, but it does have its own power, a tiny watch battery inside it.

i have used a regular dynamic microphone with this amplifier a few times, and it works fine. of course, my dynamic mic does not have a volume potentiometer.
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  #33  
Old 04-07-2016, 01:29 PM
TheJackal TheJackal is offline
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I bought one of these to use with my resonator. I bought the mic set up (the "Grip") that has the suction cup along with the metal "bridge" option that can clamp onto a mandolin.

I stuck the mic down inside the resonator, suction cupped it to the top, and plugged it it. With very little tweaking, I got a good sound that is good enough to use live. I don't have a different pickup in the reso and this worked really well. I have no complaints at all. Yes, there is a risk of feedback, and no, there are better setups out there. I've no doubt that the Jerry Douglas set up with the dedicated Fishman DI and pickup are better but they come at a much higher price. My experience with the Myers is positive.

Based on my good experience with this set up, I purchased "the Blend" to try out with my guitars that have undersaddle and piezo pickups. The first problem I had here was that with one of my Taylor guitars, there was no sound but with other guitars, the mic worked. It had something to do with the depth of the plug. I contacted Gregg and he sent another unit for me to check and try. Second one worked fine. I asked about sending the first one back and he said to keep it. He seems to stand behind his products that way and is intent on satisfying the customer and developing his product line.

I don't see using the blend for the following reasons, the microphone mounting process just gets in the way. Basically you run a long wire from the plugged in part behind the guitar, up and over the side near the heel and fretboard and then put a bend in the mic cable to hold it in place. Maybe this would work better using the suction cup included with the mic but I just couldn't find a suitable place to run the cable where it didn't seem in the way. The second problem was having two separate cables running to the control/mixer box that plugs into the guitar. I don't like having that much stuff hanging off of the end of my guitar and the plethora of cables, two out to the mixer and one out to the microphone was just too many wires to keep up with.

I gave up on that because the gain in sound I got from adding a microphone, for me, didn't outweigh the issues.

Having said all of that, the products are well made and he definitely stands behind them.
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  #34  
Old 04-07-2016, 01:59 PM
popthree popthree is offline
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so i emailed Gregg to see what his thoughts are on the phantom power suggestion.. but, i'm thinking since the cable coming out of the myers pickup is 1/4" then it is already bypassing any chance of receiving phantom power. am i wrong? i'm not a sound guy so maybe i am wrong.
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  #35  
Old 04-07-2016, 02:14 PM
Orfeas Orfeas is offline
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I think that I probably will try it out in the future.
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  #36  
Old 04-07-2016, 04:47 PM
Bluegrif Bluegrif is offline
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Interesting and timely thread because I plan to buy one of these for my resonator very soon. I expect it'll work just fine, from everything I've read. With a reso, I don't really feel there's a much better option. And certainly not at that price point.

Initially I was thinking of a Lace Ultra Slim but everyone says they make your reso sound like a lap steel. Very little point in playing a resonator if it doesn't retain the sound of the cone. And I'm not a fan of piezo pickups. I know some of them can sound alright but I've never liked the way any of them respond to playing dynamics. Overall, it seems the best sound for resonator is a mic, and I really, really didn't want to stick a mic on a stand and try to keep my guitar in the right position the entire show. I know feedback is a potential issue with any mic but I'll only be using it for solo/duo shows (I play electrics for my full band shows), and those are normally relatively low volume affairs. I rarely even use a vocal monitor, since I can hear the mains just fine.

Should get it in a week or so and I can let you know how it works out.
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  #37  
Old 04-12-2016, 08:50 PM
The Bard Rocks The Bard Rocks is online now
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I got one recently and been playing around with it at home. Put above the strings and I don't get much gain. But stick it in the soundhole or sound port (better yet) and you get a lot more. It sounds bassy to me, but so does my Shatten P/U in another guitar. Some folks will prefer it like this, but I will continue to experiment.

Used with a preamp, it can be pretty loud (I think - it's still too cold to test it outside). That does not constitute a problem for me. I am going to use a mike anyhow and the P/U is to lessen the difference between the quieter and the louder instruments that I might play at a gig + work in tandem with a pedal I use some (which won't work well using just a mike).
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  #38  
Old 04-13-2016, 02:58 PM
popthree popthree is offline
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putting the 'pickup' .. oh lets call it what it is, putting the microphone in the soundhole of my guitar is just not working. i am very surprised by all the pictures i see of this device, presumably in use, with the mic sticking in the guitars sound hole. the bass response is off the charts, very boomy and crazy feedback.
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  #39  
Old 04-13-2016, 09:20 PM
The Bard Rocks The Bard Rocks is online now
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Default in the soundhole

I am not getting feedback, at least not at sound pressure levels that I can stand. No vocal coming through it either this way. But I do get lots of bass. To be fair, it seems no worse than what I get with my one regular guitar that has a pickup (Shatten). From my limited experimentation so far, I feel it works better in the sound port than in the sound hole. And to my surprise, I have not found that it gets in the way, at least not in the way in the position in which I have tried it (sound ports and holes, pointed at 14th-16th frets, etc.), It is definitely louder when located inside.
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  #40  
Old 04-14-2016, 09:57 AM
popthree popthree is offline
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are you using a pre of some sort? i am not, and i find that even with the volume all the way up on the myers the signal is still not super strong... and with the volume all the way up, it tends to be very feedback sensitive.

you mention 'sound port' what does this mean?
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  #41  
Old 04-15-2016, 06:05 AM
The Bard Rocks The Bard Rocks is online now
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Default myers placement

A soundport is a smallish (1-2" if a circle) hole placed in the upper bout, top side. It's purpose is to allow more of the sound to be heard by the player and it actually works well to do that, without a loss in sound to the audience.

Putting the mike in there allows me to keep the P/U off the top where it might inhibit vibration and would be seen by an audience. Lacking one, I would put the P/U on the upper bout nearer the fingerboard as very little sound is contributed by this area, and allow the mike to enter the sound hole. But it's something to experiment with as no two guitars are identical, nor are our ears.

It goes into a TC Helicon G XT and I have the guitar turned up about 70% and also a little more gain on the guitar side of the PA. So, we are pushing it up quite a bit, between the two, but I do have adequate volume with room to add more if needed. When I say "adequate", let me mention that I don't play with loud drums or basses and am not in loud bars either. I like my sound to be kept low enough that no one's hearing can be damaged, including my own!

I am still experimenting with both units and when I return in a couple of weeks will take it outside to see if that changes anything. I should add that Greg suggested that I use a cord with a single 1/4" end to plug into the P/U and the other end an XLR to plug into the vocal side of the PA, something about impedance that I did not understand. This was considerably louder, as he said it should be. But it also tied up the vocal side of the PA (Bose Compact). When I experiment outside, I will bring out a mixer that I often use and see how that flavors the mix.
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  #42  
Old 04-15-2016, 07:45 AM
popthree popthree is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks View Post
A soundport is a smallish (1-2" if a circle) hole placed in the upper bout, top side. It's purpose is to allow more of the sound to be heard by the player and it actually works well to do that, without a loss in sound to the audience.

I should add that Greg suggested that I use a cord with a single 1/4" end to plug into the P/U and the other end an XLR to plug into the vocal side of the PA, something about impedance that I did not understand. This was considerably louder, as he said it should be. But it also tied up the vocal side of the PA (Bose Compact). When I experiment outside, I will bring out a mixer that I often use and see how that flavors the mix.
none of my acoustic guitars have a 'sound port' so not an option.. i think probably 95% of acoustics don't have such a thing.

yeah he suggested the XLR adapter to me as well. thus far i am unable to discern any improvement, and actually, as tested with my acoustic amp, which supplies phantom power (as do most sound boards) it creates a horrible sweeping sound whenever i move the volume. in all fairness, i haven't had an opportunity to test the XLR with a regular PA in a club as yet...but i don't really think its going to work for me. i'm a hobbyist, a songwriter, and i play open mic venues. the typical setup there is you walk up and get handed a 1/4" jack to plug into.. there isn't a negotiation of, here, plug this doohickey into another channel and tinker with it for a few minutes so i can get my sound...
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  #43  
Old 04-15-2016, 08:45 PM
The Bard Rocks The Bard Rocks is online now
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Yes, I play places like that sometimes, and don't generally bring anything with me to open mikes but instruments. I simply use their mikes and don't plug in. Too much trouble for all concerned for 15 minutes of playing and then someone else is up.
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  #44  
Old 04-19-2016, 10:17 PM
Bluegrif Bluegrif is offline
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I bought mine for a resonator and it seems ideal for that application. I am interested in how it might work for my flattops, but I've used the double stick tape on my reso so I can't really jump back and forth. I was going to do a bit of that but with the suction cup, it just fell off the guitar while it was on the stand. That made me very nervous about the possibility of it falling off during a show. Pretty sure that'd ruin the song so I went ahead with the double stick.

On the reso, i have it going into the cone. No bass heavy sound there. In fact, I actually have to roll off treble, which helps it to sound smooth. It's pretty impressive in this application.

I highly recommend a good preamp. I'm using my trusty Baggs Para Acoustic DI and it works great. Big, fat signal is no problem at all. And the EQ is exactly what's needed to sculpt the sound. Once everything is set up correctly, it's very natural sounding.

I feel it's one of the best options available for a reso. Magnetic pickups make them sound like a lap steel. Little point in playing a reso if you can't hear the cone. And I've never cared for piezo systems. The only thing I might add at some point is a magnetic pickup at the neck, then blend the two. That would add some versatility. Overall, I'm happy with the unit.
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  #45  
Old 04-20-2016, 11:30 AM
popthree popthree is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks View Post
Yes, I play places like that sometimes, and don't generally bring anything with me to open mikes but instruments. I simply use their mikes and don't plug in. Too much trouble for all concerned for 15 minutes of playing and then someone else is up.
i guess the open mics i go to are just doing it wrong, but there is never a 2nd mic available. 1 mic and a 1/4" jack is how these things go around here.
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