Pickup for Dobro?

[Chiba]

I've recently come into possession of a biscuit-bridge dobro and was wondering if anybody can recommend a good pickup for it.

I did a little looking around and came across a few. I'm discounting the Lace right away because I don't want to just drop a single-coil pickup on the guitar - I want it to SOUND like a dobro when it's amplified.

Checked out a Canadian one - Schertler? - that seems pretty good, but I don't know enough about amplifying a dobro to know what to look for.

Anyw advice is appreciated.

--chiba

[QuickDraw]

i think highlander makes a really good biscuit bridge pickup

[retro]

One time I got to hear Catfish doing his soundcheck at a reso fest and his sound actually blew me away. I was saying to myself, yeah man that's the sound. Anyway, I talked to him and found out he was using Highlander's in his Nationals and little Collings. So that's what went in mine and I am very happy with them in both applications. Very!
What I like and what I looked for is that it sounded like the guitar and that the output was balanced across the strings, with little or no feedback issues. Also handy that the battery/power supply is in a separate case outside of the guitar on the reso.

I haven't tried other's like Basik Schertler or McIntyre. I think Dobro, factory installs McIntyre's for what that may be worth.

[reddgeetarzan]

For what its worth- I've heard of guys using a dual system of sorts. Not sure on the specifics- but one of the pup's was the McIntyre and I thought the other might have been the Lace (don't hold me to that one!)
But I do know it had the best of both worlds- a natural sound and the full spectrum......I'll see what I can find and reply- I'm also interested as I have a late 20's/early 30's National Trojan, also biscuit type, that I'd like to electrify at some point.

[dave251]

The pickup system I use for my electroCoustics is easily adapted for reso guitars...

Here's a couple of clips. The first is a biscuit bridge Regal metal body, the second is one of my eC's....

http://www.electrocoustic.com/audio/regal.mp3

http://www.electrocoustic.com/audio/electroBro.mp3

This "magpi" system uses a mag pup and a disce piezo attached directly to the biscuit, on the inside. It's a passive system that includes a volume and "balance" control between the two pickups.

I do not recommend the MagPi for use in a vintage instrument as holes will need to be cut. However, for modern "players" instruments, it's VERY effective and will perform at high volume levels.

And a word of caution, regardless of the pup system used....the higher the gain, the more the "accurate" tone quality will need to be sacrificed...not only do the soundwaves from your monitoring system effect the overall tonality, but the basic resonant frequencies of acoustic guitars, and resos in particular, interfere with the "sonic space" in live program material. In general terms, acoustic instruments take up a LOT more of the audio spectrum, and can cause muddy indistinct tone, particularly in the upper bass/lower midrange. So just be aware that in reality, an "accurate" tone at high gain levels is almost always very difficult to obtain....many times it's not really very desirable as it will tend to interfere with the other instruments on stage.

[losvarmits]

OK...making a reso loud...is possible here are few ways to do it

- Using 2 pick ups is the best way
- If you are playing loud use a magnetic( I recomend the Lace sensor) and a piezo ( any of the Fishman reso p/u's or an SBT transducer like I use)
-If you are playing in a lower volume situation use an internal microphone( I use the Crown Mic that Fishman sells) with a peizo( same as above)

Using 2 sound sources has a few advantages...in my rig I use the mic to get the "air" sound coming off my resonator & the piezo to give me string sound & improved single note definition.

Depending on how loud I need to play determines if I am going to use a Acoustic Amp...or a stereo pre -amp with the proper phantom power to make my Crown internal Mike work... I use either a Fishman Performer amp or a Fishman Pocket Blender that mounts on a straight mike stand.


I have a pretty simple logic to my set up

I treat the microphone by EQ'ing out the stuff that makes it bad...LOW END....I roll off ALL low end...that is the 1st frequency that feeds back on stage..when I get rid of it I can then get more gain before feed back with the Mike. I mount the mike off the neck stick inside the guitar with the Mic about 1 inch away from the middle of the cone just under the tail piece

I treat the Piezo by EQ'ing all the stuff that makes it bad...HIGH END...I roll off ALL high end...that the "un musical" part of the Piezo tone.
I also use a adhesive putty to stick the SBT on the bottom of my biscut cone

I get the microphone as loud as I can on stage ( keeping the piezo all the way off)

I then turn up the Piezo to fill out the low end of my sound

I think of the Mic volume as my " treble" knob & the Piezo colume as my "Bass" knob.

I tweak the 2 volumes until I get a sound I like....NEVER turning up the piezo louder than the internal mike so I retain that airy "magic" sound from the cone...the whole point of playing a reso is to hear the sound of the cone & the sweet tone it creates inside a metal or wooden reso guitar.

If you want to get tricky & louder you can use a pre amp or amp that has seperate effects loops/inserts ( Rane AP13 I think has this & the Fishman Blender has these loops) & hook up a Sabine Solo Feedback Exterminator..they allow you to gain some serious stage volume without changing the tone too much.

The biggest hurdle with amplifiying a Reso guitar is that the guitar/cone can turn into a big condenser microphone on a stage & the liabilty to hear loud drums thru your rig is high....

But if you have the time & money it can be done...

Also..stay away from MCntyre p/us's ....they suck & when I worked at Dobro in the early 90's we used them for a while & they where feed back magnets that had real lame tone issues...I helped voice the Lace p/u as an alternative to those peizos & eventually found the Fishman SBT to be the best gain vs feedback peizo / tone . I think they have new models now but anyone who sold p/u's as crappy as those early ones can't have any ears to start with or any idea what works on a real stage with a real band.

Another thing to remember is the Fishman AURA...THOSE THINGS ROCK...BLEND IN SOME AURA WITH YOUR PICK UP SOUND & GET READY TO LAY DOWN REAL DOBRO TONE ON A LOUD STAGE.

Any time I've played out with my Dobro I ALWAYS get commets like"how the hell does your guitar sound so good?"....never how good my playing is...the fricking story of life...oh well I have fun any way ; 7 )

[Franklin]

I just got back my reso with a Fishman Resonator p'up. I have no idea what I need to do, or if it needs to be tweaked -BUT IT SOUNDED HORRIBLE!

Thru an amp (Fender DRRI) or PA it was nothing but a feedback monster, no way I could get loud enough to play with a full band. I had to turn down the bass and treble on the amp to almost off, and also turn down to 0 the EQ knobs on the PA.

The only marginal sound could be had was with an EQ to roll off the highest and lowsest frequencies. Then, I couldn't use any gain. With all the dirt pedals' volumes below unity gain it would still just feedback. To be able to even break up the sound a little I had to loose a lot of volume.

Lot's of good info in this thread, like "I also use a adhesive putty to stick the SBT on the bottom of my biscut cone".

Does anyone stuff their resos with foam or something to deaden them?

I was looking forward to playing out with it this weekend...

I know how tough amplifying resos can be, but what are my options? Maybe I need to look into a DI and one of those Sabine Solo Feedback Exterminators.............

:(

[drolling]

I was flipping thru' a guitar mag the other day and saw an ad for a new pickup designed in collaboration w/National. It looked very cool, too - a wide, thin magnet-backed rectangle that would stick to the body between the neck & coverplate. Wish I could remember the manufacturer's name, but I can't even rember which magazine it was. I'm in the market for a dobro pickup too.

Anybody know what I'm talking about?

[ClinchFX]

Bob Brozman has a lot of good info on getting a good sound from resonator guitars at http://www.bobbrozman.com/soundhints.html

Peter.
ClinchFX (http://www.clinchfx.com)

[retro]

I was flipping thru' a guitar mag the other day and saw an ad for a new pickup designed in collaboration w/National. It looked very cool, too - a wide, thin magnet-backed rectangle that would stick to the body between the neck & coverplate. Wish I could remember the manufacturer's name, but I can't even rember which magazine it was. I'm in the market for a dobro pickup too.

Anybody know what I'm talking about?

I think you are thinking of the Lace/National.

http://elderly.com/images/new_instruments/PUA/NLP1_sm_.jpg


Not familiar with the Fishman...

I run reso>DI>mixer.

[drolling]

I think you are thinking of the Lace/National.

http://elderly.com/images/new_instruments/PUA/NLP1_sm_.jpg


Not familiar with the Fishman...

I run reso>DI>mixer.YES!! That's the one.. I like the understated *art deco* looks of this one. Off to the Lace site (I already checked National Reso) for more info..

Thanks Retro!

[drolling]

hmmm.. that was fast & fruitless.. No info at Lace - just their Dobro pickup that looks a lot like the ones they make for strats.

And Google takes me to an acoustic guitar discussion page..

I'm gonna fire off some e-mails to Don Lace & Don Young (at National) for the lowdown, but in the meantime, does anyone know who's selling these p-ups?

thanks..

[retro]

Elderly does but...

http://elderly.com/brand/PUA_national.html

Ben Harper's Grandparents have a store out here and I think Ben uses them. I can see on Monday if they have them if you like.

[drolling]

Thanks again, Retro! I just got something from Elderly this week, but I'd never have thought to check for reso p-ups.

I find it strange that neither Lace nor National have any info on these pickups online yet. Some clips would be nice, too..

[Karmateria]

That higlander unit sounds awesome.

Karma

[Jon Silberman]

You can't beat the Lace for "tones for the bones." I have a stereo setup with a Lace Dobro PUP and a McIntyre piezo system. I almost never even turn on the McIntryre the Lace sounds so good.

My box:

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL326/682310/3612494/44387027.jpg

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL326/682310/3612494/44386536.jpg

http://pic10.picturetrail.com/VOL326/682310/3612494/44387097.jpg