Connor Briggs - Posted - 01/20/2011:  09:51:54

Hey ya'll! I've been considering getting a mando pickup. Is there any recommendations out there? I want one that doesn't have to be glued or anything. And cheap is good. Thanks!
Pick on!

-If everyone played mandolin, there would be world peace-

mandolinman31639 - Posted - 01/20/2011:  11:45:52

A Shure SM 58 Microphone LOL

matrixbanjo - Posted - 01/20/2011:  12:40:49

I like the 57's

Gerry Cassidy - Posted - 01/20/2011:  12:48:13

Yeah, a 57, or good condenser...

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 01/21/2011:  01:19:37

For a mic I like an AKG C1000 ..... Fishman makes a bridge pickup that works well. Use it with a Carpenter jack and you don't have to glue or drill your mandolin. Play long and often. nR/

Tomm - Posted - 01/21/2011:  05:41:33

ya'll are funny, however I agree. The cheapest best route.....57. I never mic instruments with 58's though, only vocals.
I have been curious about some of the newer mandolin pick up systems. Anyone heard any of them? Baggs came out with one in the last year or so. No doubt there are some good ones. Mountainheart comes to mind of acoustical groups that "pick up" they're instruments and Aaron Ramsey's mandolin sounds great. I'm sure some of that is the sound set up, but it has to have a pretty accurate source to start with.

mandovoodoo - Posted - 01/21/2011:  06:25:17

Baggs radius is getting good reviews and responses.

Connor Briggs - Posted - 01/21/2011:  10:09:39

I've got plenty of 57's and 58's. We have a band and we have a bunch of those. I like the LR Bagg, just to much to pay for as liitle I would use it. I'm looking for a pickup that can be taken off quick. A friend of mine got a Fishman for her fiddle and it has a carpenter jack mount. Thanks!

Tomm - Posted - 01/21/2011:  10:22:38

That's it...the Radius. I've been curious about it. I have Baggs "dual Source's" in my guitars. Although the band plays mic'd only, I play in the praise band at my church and we "plug in". Love they're guitar set ups. Very good.

mark - Posted - 01/21/2011:  10:24:58

Don't have one yet, but have been reading and considering a pickup solution for six months or so.

Aren't the fishman mandolin pickups bridge pickups? I looked at them, but as I really like my current bridge and tend to rest my wrist just below the bridge - seems like a high likelihood of handling noise.

Cheap and good seem mutually exclusive.

Schertler makes a great pickup that can be used as a stick on with most any string instrument and I have heard many happy users - it just costs a couple arms and legs. Despite that, I've been tempted as it would be one pickup for mando, guitar, fiddle, and uke and wouldn't require the post-processing piezo and such would.

Reality suggests I'll end up with a K+K twin installed internally as it seems like any cheap pickup would require a pre-amp or such box to clean up the signal before sending it to the PA. If I'm going to need an external box too, the K+K isn't that expensive and seems likely to get the best results and least handling or bridge quack sound. The Radius is interesting, but the carpenter jack idea is a pretty ugly solution if I'm only playing plugged in a couple times a month.

All that said, haven't done anything yet as the 57 has been working well enough. Come summertime and farmers markets I'll busk my way to the K+K at very least.

Edited by - mark on 01/21/2011 10:28:09

Connor Briggs - Posted - 01/21/2011:  10:36:41

Yeah. The ssong that I want it for is in our Church. I just wanted to see if there is any chance of me not using a wireless vocal mic. Last time I used a lapel mic hooked on my tail piece. It worked OK for one song. But I'm afraid that it will fall off during the song. Thanks for ya'lls valuable time! :D

Connor Briggs - Posted - 01/21/2011:  10:40:42

Mark, I think all the new Fishman's have the mic built ino it. It would be nice, but I have my bridged set up like I like it and I don't want to mess the tone up.

LCH - Posted - 01/21/2011:  16:44:51

I have been gigging with my LR. Baggs "Radius" for about 6 moths...so far..I like it when I "HAVE" to use a pickup ..pretty much large venues. when I need to use one or the other or both!I would of course rather just use a mic and DO when I can...when I cant...I like the LR. Baggs!

dont post much...too busy giggin'

kencollier - Posted - 01/22/2011:  10:29:59

I had always preferred playing in front of a mic, but I move around too much and the sound techs were always struggling to keep me "level". So, about 10 months ago, after lots of research, I
I installed the K&K Twin Internal (kksound.com/mandolintwininternal.html) pickups in my J.Bovier F5 and it sounds great. Very natural mandolin sound without that quacky piezo sound. Very easy to install. Each pickup sticks under the soundboard near each F-hole using a very thin double sticky film. They can easily be removed without any damage to the wood or residue left behind. Oh yes, and this pickup is much less costly than the Fishman or Baggs alternatives.

Also, I'm a bit anal about my instrument and I love the ebony end pin. I don't care for look of the 1/4" stainless end pin jack that comes with most pickups; and I didn't really want to drill out the endpin hole. So, I added a Tapastring vintage endpin jack (tapastring.com/Vintage_Jack_fo...dolin.htm)along with my K&K pickup. It's a good looking setup, but uses an instrument cable with a 3.5MM plug rather than the more standard 1/4" cable. The Tapastring jack comes with a 90 degree 3.5mm plug that you can splice onto a regular instrument cable. I also carry a 3.5MM to 1/4" adapter as a backup.

Finally, I plug run my mandolin through an LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI (lrbaggs.com/paradi.htm)box where I roll off some of the midrange and boost a bit of the bottom end to get a really rich amplified mandolin sound.

I'm very happy with my setup, and would recommend it to anyone. It's cost effective and sounds great, even though I prefer the straight acoustic sound of my mandolin.

I hope this helps. (I tried to add pictures, but couldn't seem to get that feature to work.)

mrbook - Posted - 02/04/2011:  15:18:17

Years ago I bought a McIntyre stick-on pickup (not the current feather) that sounded good. Our band went to a single mic setup, and I haven't used it in a few years, but I'm sure that someday I will have to plug in somewhere.