Highlander pickup power supply

[washboardchris]

Hi Michael, any idea where I can get a power supply for a Highlander single cone pickup( someone walked off with my bag with the answer to evrything in it at a gig on Saturday) I am in the UK & have no idea where to get one from over here. Thanks for your time

[snakehips]

Hi there !

I've got more than I need really.
I could sell you one.
How does £20 plus postage sound ?
Email me if interested on snakehips81 AT gmail DOT com

The most I could ever need at a gig is 3.
2 set up with Nationals, and one spare, in case a battery goes dead - quick change-over is all that is required.
Most of the time I just have one Channel set up, with one battery box, and one stereo jack lead. Change guitars by unplugging at the guitar / right-angle stereo jack only.

It would be great if Highlander had a mute footswitch on the battery box to silently change guitars - BUT alas, they don't do that !!
I've emailed them that suggestion twice, and never got a reply from them about it.

[washboardchris]

Hi, can I get back to you in a few days as it may be that my playing partner has my bag& as he is away for a few days I cant get hold of him.I use a small mixer with a mute switch to sub mix into the desk & hit the mute to change over. Thanks for your help. Chris

[slidenpickit]

Hi Snakehips,

A Planet Waves circuit breaker cable between the Highlander pre-amp and the PA might do the job. I don't think they do a stereo one though.

Regards

Chris

[snakehips]

Hi Chris,

Those type of circuit breaker cables do work, but the Neutrik Silent jack is better as no fiddly buttons to press while wearing fingerpicks. No, neither do in stereo jack - so I'm not scrambling around the floor to disconnect a cable out of the battery box everytime I want to change guitar (in my case, nearly every song).
A damn mute switch on the battery boxes couldn't have taken that much effort and expense, eh ?

I have a great Mute switch on my Bose Tonematch digital 4-track mixer, that I can have reasonably close at hand - and not a small, inaccessible button to press either, with fingerpicks.

[Stevie]

Yes, a vote for Neutrik silent jack plugs.

However, it would be simplicity itself to make a mute switch using a couple of chassis mount sockets, a die cast box and a foot switch, latching or non latching depending on how you would like to use it. We are not talking about true bypass here because the switch is not diverting, only blocking. That leads on to the thought that any old effects pedal that you no longer care for could be rewired at the switch inside in ten minutes or less and could be converted back again in almost as little time should you reconsider. Wicked- a kill switch for a reso!

In addition, you would have the satisfaction of being able to say "I made that" instead of buying another Chinese import. How many Asian craftspersons did you see at your last gig walking off with your latest CD? ;<D

[Stevie]

Re reading my last post makes it seem (to me) as though I'm "having a go" at far eastern imports. Of course that's not the case and I benefit from the extremely high quality of these products as do most of us. I just wish it was not quite so one-sided. Apologies for going off-topic.

[slidenpickit]

HI Snakehips,

Yes, you are right, they are fiddly. I didnt know abou the Neutriks. As Stevie said, maybe make your own. It sounds very simple so you would have thought they'd include that function in the Highlander. Is there any way an A/B switch might do the job with one channel not connected to anything?

[Stevie]

Chris, the A/B box idea is great. You could connect your tuner to the other outlet- if you use one that is!

[slidenpickit]

So for around £38ish, Snakehips could be a very happy bunny!

This is totally off topic but has hopefully helped someone.

Cheers

Chris W

[snakehips]

Hi again !

No, I'd not want to spend MORE money !
Anyway, connecting ANOTHER box PLUS another cable into the signal path is one extra hassle more that it needs already. I was after a better and simpler solution, NOT adding more items into the equation, to complicate things.

There is a new active pre-amp and pickup system out there that does not need batteries.
I'd love to know if it could be used with the Highlander pickup, instead of the Highlander pick-up with the Highlander pre-amp. It would mean a National reso could use the Highlander pickup but NOT need the battery box - so would just use ONE standard jack-jack cable into an acoustic amp or PA.
Charge up the pre-amp for 8 hours use, in just 60 seconds. Could do that between songs if your 8 hours ran out in a marathon gig !

Here was a thread about it on the IGS forum, a while back :
www.guitarseminars.com/gs/viewtopic.php?t=4845&highlight=misi+preamp+pickup

And the pickup company's website : mi-si.com/
And products : mi-si.com/products/

[slidenpickit]

Yes, they seem to have managed to make the Resolectric work with a mono cable.

[snakehips]

Hi again,

Yeah, but there is still a 9V battery, inside the guitar, inside a little compartment, on the back of the body.