Pickup for Violin -- Recommendations?

[lochry]

My son is an ace violinist who has been sitting in with a New England based psycho-folk band for house gigs and recording.

They want him to start playing with them in larger venues which means plugging into an amp or into the house board. (Not sure why they aren't offering him a mic.)

My son has no experience with amplified instruments and is asking me for advice. My experience is mainly with recording, not amplification of acoustic instruments. I hope someone has experience with pickups and amplification. So . . .

1. Any recommendations on decent sounding pickups for violin? (Preferably something easy to attach and remove that does not require resetting the bridge.)

2. Any recommendations on an amp for a violin?

Also, any recommendation on what to put in the line -- e.g., a compressor?

Thanks!

[zombywoof]

I cut my teeth on the old Barcus Berry vioin pickup that you attached to the bridge with what looked like silly putty. It was pretty much all you could get at the time.

Folks I know have been raving about the Barbera ( not sure of the spelling) violin bridge pickup system. Pretty pricey though.

After that - the Baggs bridge pickup system seems to be well liked.

Amps - geez. Don't have a clue these days. Ya might look at the Rivera Sedona which has channels voiced for both electric and acoustic guitars.

[jrm]

I've seen violin players use the old Trace Elliot amps.

[lochry]

Thanks for the input. Very helpful.

[walterw]

the new baggs radius (http://www.lrbaggs.com/html/products/pickups_radius.shtml) pickup is worth a look.

as for electronics, a good piezo preamp will allow him to get a rich full sound, which he can then run straight into the PA. the baggs para DI, the fishman pro-EQ, lots of choices there.

a compressor is the last thing a violin needs. a little delay and/or reverb can be nice, but is usually available in the PA itself.

any pedals should come after the preamp, otherwise the preamp can't do its job of "impedance matching" the pickup.

[zenfreud]

Disclaimer: I'm a dealer for these.

If you want dang-near studio quality in a live situation, check out the DPA 4099V violin (and mandolin) mic. It's got a supercardioid pickup pattern with smooth off-axis response (translation: great gain before feedback) that has an extremely clever, non-invasive mounting arrangement. It's simply a great mic. But there's no free lunch, or in this case, mic. It sells for $599.

And yes, DPA makes the same mic with a larger mount for acoustic guitars, it's the model 4099G, same price.

[clemduolian]

Go with ATM-350 (Audio Technica) mic, into a DTAR Solstice preamp/blender EQ. THe best sound at the best price. Punch Bros. all use these mics--they sound great. Solstice is a rock solid preamp that will allow your son to control his own EQ and volume and it provides phantom power for the mic....all at a very reasonable price. From this rig he goes to the PA and doesn't need an amp.