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Post by pringljo on Aug 4, 2022 16:55:04 GMT
I am on the waitlist for a Blues 12, and I am looking for pickup options. I see that the Sixtus/MM are no longer available, so a couple that I am looking at are: schatten-pickups.myshopify.com/products/nr-2or lacemusic.com/collections/9/products/ultra-slim-acoustic-usa-sensorDoes anybody have experience with either of these, or other suggestions for ones that are readily available? I realize that they are very different. My understanding is that the piezo would give me a more "natural" sound, where the mini-humbucker would give a more "electric" sound? Also, any advice about installing these. I don't want to get in over my head. If it is a simple as unscrewing the cover, removing the cone, drilling a hole in the side and sticking everything in place, that seems doable. But I don't know what I don't know. I have read that some people say it's best not to take these apart if possible, as that can lead to rattles and such. One thing that attracts me to dealing with MM is the excellent set up. I don't want to "undo" anything by monkeying around where I shouldn't.
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Post by transam1 on Sept 1, 2022 22:44:29 GMT
I see you haven't gotten a response. I have never liked the biscuit-placed pickup like the Schatten; it is prone to feedback and I have had problems EQing these things. The Lace sensor is not thin enough to place directly at the bottom of the fret board without interfering with the strings if you are a heavy player. The best choice for my money has been the National Slimline Pickup. It is a dual humbucker type with one of them designed to pick up vibrations from the guitar's top. It is very flexible, and can be EQ'd so that it is sort of magnetic sounding or more acoustic sounding. It's a simple install, in that you just stick the pickup on (comes with very think double sided tape. It is less than a quarter of an inch thick and is "radiused" so it will not sit higher than your fret board. You can then route the wire through one of the sound holes and install a permanent end pin jack; if a metal guitar you can do it just through the side, or through the end block. If you don't want to drill holes, you can just let the wire hang and plug in directly to a cable. National also makes what they call a "hot plate" which replaces the cover plate on the reso and has volume/tone knobs as well as preamp. This is very expensive and is very prone to feedback and errant noise (it picks up any kind of contact you make with the guitar). The lace sensor to me is made more for a Dobros, where lap style finger pickers tend to play over the cover plate. But playing "spanish" round neck style I find it's too high.
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Post by Michael Messer on Sept 2, 2022 0:09:07 GMT
Hi transam1
I hadn’t seen your post until now. I will try and grab a few minutes over the next day or two to respond.
Shine On Michael
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Post by Michael Messer on Sept 2, 2022 7:51:39 GMT
Hi pringljoe and transam1,
It is such a shame that my guy no longer makes pickups, he really had nailed it, and they were so reasonably priced.
The Schatten pickup is no more than a cheap piezo that is packaged to look like it's designed for resonator guitars. When they launched this product they sent me some samples to try. The one designed for spider bridge Dobro style guitars was okay, but it affected the acoustic tone of the instrument because it dampens the cone sound. The one designed for National style biscuit bridge guitars is IMHO unusable and it sounds terrible. So stay clear of those.
The National Slimline works okay, but it is not designed to pickup vibrations from the top of the guitar, that is what powerful pickups do. They have cleverly included that in their spiel to make it sound like it was intentional.
If you are looking at that type of magnetic pickup you should also consider the Krivo resonator pickup.
Joe, if you want my luthier to fit a pickup for you, that is not a problem as long as you provide the pickup. We can talk about that by email nearer the time.
The National Resophonic Hotplate will not fit on MM Guitars because the screw holes are in a different position and because the dome shape of the coverplates are not the same. I am considering having a few Hotplate style pickup/coverplates made to my specs by my manufacturer. I'll keep you posted.
Shine On Michael
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Post by snakehips on Sept 2, 2022 10:34:38 GMT
The best acoustic/resonator sounding pickup was always Highlander pickups.
Fishman have a newish pickup for single-cone Nationals, called the Nashville Biscuit pickup - and comes with a new biscuit (with two saddles) and the pickup is already imbedded into the underside of the biscuit. I hated it. It had good string balance and a strong output BUT it had no National resonator characteristics to it at all - it sounded somewhere beteen a regular non-reso acoustic ..... and a nasal Dobro !!! (hence the "Nashville" name, I suppose !!).
I'm still testing a Headway "National Steel" pickup - and plan on doing some videos soon. Will start a new thread on this so as to not hi-jack yours but this Headway pickup looks promising.
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Post by Mike B on Sept 2, 2022 11:05:56 GMT
Hi. I came across a photo on Instagram a few months ago on Mojo pickups page. Mojo are developing a resonator pickup. It looked similar to the sixtus pickup , maybe slightly larger , if i remember right it was 6mm deep. It didn't say how much it was going to cost. M
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Post by bonzo on Sept 2, 2022 11:09:41 GMT
Hi Jo, welcome to the forum. I use sixtus pu's, as good as Lace IMO and a lot cheaper but unfortunately no longer available. Having said that I use Lace and have never had any problems with the size. I use blue tack to mount them which allows for more adjustment. Never had one fall off! As Michael pointed out earlier you don't want to pick up anything from the body of a resonator, it's more of a 'speaker cabinet' for the cone. You're getting good advice, as much as what to avoid as what to try! Lace is the one that sticks in my mind, they do turn up on ebay and occasionally in tin can alley on the forum. Enjoy the blues 12, beautiful guitar 🎸. I've got a 14 it's a keeper
Best wishes to you all, John
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Post by twang1 on Sept 2, 2022 11:55:31 GMT
I have a Lace slim installed in my wooden reso. I had a luthier cuttin'up and makin' a hole in the coverplate, because that's the place I felt it sounded fine. The sound is all right but it will never be as you were using a mic in front of it. But it works and I'm happy. (I was given the Lace for free by Mr Lace himself at the Frankfurt Messe. It was among the first ever built and he wanted an opinion) Frank
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Post by pringljo on Sept 16, 2022 15:00:29 GMT
Michael, I may go ahead and have your guy fit it for me. I am thinking about one of the humbucker style. I just picked up a SM57, so I will probably mic the guitar to get a good authentic sound. But having grown up in Alabama back in the 70's, I'm a big Allman brothers fan. I am working of a few things that I might like to get a little more Umph. Still get a reso sound, but a little edge. Perhaps I can order one and have it shipped directly to you?
Are we still on track for Nov. timeframe?
Joe
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