Gear

Comment by Marcy Marxer "Iona Martin" on October 23, 2008 at 11:26am

I play a Martin guitar through a Fishman Aura when flying and add a Fishman Loudbox Performer when driving to gigs. It's a real lifesaver! The sound is just like my acoustic guitar played in the living room but as loud as I need it to be! The extra volume means I can always hear with ease and comfort.
Both the Fishman Aura and the Loudbox Performer get 5 stars!

Comment by dr.mikey on October 23, 2008 at 12:57pm

Gear...ummmmmmmmmmm. I typically play my NGC 000 or Proulx dread (or old Gibson mando) through a Heil PR30 or Shure SM57 into a Bose L1 sound system.

Comment by Trevor on October 23, 2008 at 12:57pm

Thats cool Marcy. I've always wondered about the Fishman products.
I have a Taylor 214E with the expression system, but I try to mix the plug in sound with the miced sound. I have a 'pencil' style Audio-Technica Artist Elite ae5100. They make a pretty nice balance, and I just mic the resonator.

Comment by Michael MacLeod on October 23, 2008 at 1:01pm

The little AAD or Phil Jones "Cub 100" is the smallest lightest Amp I've ever heard for packing around. It is incredibly clean and accurate. I use a K&K trinity package in my Laskin. Or I will use a Neumann KM-184 with the PA if I don't have to plug in or want to use the Archie.

Comment by Seth Austen on October 23, 2008 at 8:18pm

I'm also very happy with the Fishman Performer. I haven't tried their new system yet, but it sure sounds tempting. If I really like it, the Loudbox could end up for sale :)

Comment by Kellar Winkelmeyer on October 26, 2008 at 6:23am

I use a dual source pickup in my guitars. Fishman matrix undersaddle transducer plus a Crown mini condensor mic in the soundhole played through a DTar Solstice Blender. My current amps for small gigs (coffee shop and parties) are an Ultrasound CP 100 and an old Trace TR100. I have been happy with my plugged in sound with both amps. I think the key is to be able to EQ the two pickups and blend their contributions to the final mix. My band played once through a Bose L1 system and we were all amazed at the quality of the sound and the ease of playing without monitors. I would love one of my own but it isn't cheap and would probably be overkill for a small venue. I think there are lots of good choices for acoustic amplification these days.

Comment by Mark Clark on October 27, 2008 at 9:59am

Marcy, I don't know how you find time to start all these great discussion groups... but thanks.

I play my trusty old 1970 Martin D-41 (currently in the very capable hands of Martin Reynolds at The Podium in Minneapolis for repair) and a Blueridge BR-260 (the Brazilian one) I picked up to play while my D-41 is laid up. I recently acquired a 2004 Martin D-28CW that is an exceptional instrument by any account and has a K&K Pure Western Mini pickup system installed. This is the first acoustic instrument I've owned that has has a pickup of any kind and I haven't really used it plugged in yet.

I also have an Eastman 815 mandolin, an archtop Mastertone copy banjo made for me in 1971 by Jan Michael, a reso made for me by Roger Anderson and a Telecaster.

Our band uses a single mic setup (AT-3035 LDC) plus an instrument mic mounted on the bass. I love this way of balancing the band's sound. I've always maintained that bluegrass music isn't truly acoustic music. That is the instruments aren't naturally balanced against each other like you'd have with a string quartet, say. Amplification is necessary in bluegrass to get the instrument balance right and to correctly raise and lower the volume of instruments and voices as needed. The single mic strategy is perfect for that and doesn't turn your band's sound over to another person. It also creates visual interest as people move into and away from the mic.

If we're playing a festival or larger show and not using our own sound system we ask the sound engineer to place our mic on stage for us. So far they've all been very helpful. Some experienced pros have even given us nice compliments on our setup.

I'm sure I'll find a use for the K&K. Maybe in solo or duet situations or perhaps for recording. It'll take me a while to figure out how and when to use it.

Are folks here using wireless guitar "cords?"

Comment by Russ Aubertin on October 27, 2008 at 10:34am

I have a question regarding mics. We have two setups, one with individual instrument and vocal mics which is almost required for the outdoor gigs, and one with two AKG C300B's set up about 3' apart we like to use indoors. The AKGs give us great sound but are difficult to prevent feedback and we can't use monitors with them, they are ultra sensitive. Would we be better served with just one AKG? Or, should we look for a mic that will give us better gain before feedback? Any other mic recommendations out there?

Comment by Steve Alexander on October 28, 2008 at 10:47pm

I've got a B-Band pickup in my Morgan Dreadnought. It has a 24db roll off on the bass frequencies which gives the pick up more clarity. I run it into a MK4.23 boost pedal from Creation Audio Labs (http://www.creationaudiolabs.com/mk423) and then on into a Roland AC-60. I'm happy with the sound. I got the Morgan for volume as my old '54 D-18 won't keep up with the jam crowd. Some folks don't understand that whanging on 180 strings to one isn't fair!

Comment by Mike Bunting on November 11, 2008 at 6:20pm

For Mike MacLeod, how does the AER CUBE 60 compare to the Phil Jones Cub?

Comment

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page