Thinking about the Countyman Isomax II soundhole clip-on option for my Collings MT2 but I just don't want to mount a carpenter jack on the body of the instrument to house the 1/4" Jack. #I know that you can order it with a long cable but I fear that that would be too flimsy and not withstand the rigors of performance.
Any help?
willi
Wireless transmitter on the strap.
I got a small one, but it tends to feed back. It's the fault of the cheap dynamic mic.
A better condensor mic would work, just haven't seen a system yet that would fit the bill. I'm sure that theres something out there. Have not done the research. AKG might be a place to start. What kind of mini mics are used by live broadcasters?
Willi ... I've got the long cable on my Countryman and you're right ... it is not industrial strength. Still if you use a reasonable amounbt of care, you should be fine. I've broken the wire twice in the 10 plus years I've used it. Of note here too is that Countryman has a pretty cool service policy ... if you're out of warranty (as I was) send them the mic with the broken cable back and for about $70-75 they'll replace the the capsule and cable ... in effect you're getting a brand new IsoMax for $75. I though that waqs a pretty good deal ... better that trying to solder the cable back together. Anyway, just tyhought I'd chime in and let you know that the skinny cable on the Countryman may not be as much of a problem as you're thinking.
Hope this helps!
I try to protect thin cable [Schertler pickup with XLR plug] by putting it in my pocket, the regular mic cable is what I step on or trip over then.
there is also a mini xlr plug to transition to a larger stage XLR, and of course 1/8" stereo and 1/4" 3 conductor jacks.
writing about music
is like dancing,
about architecture
Well, from the info I see on the Countryman website, it looks like they will provide it with the connector for various wireless rigs. That may solve my problem.
Or I may just bite the bullet and use a carpenter jack. I really like having the heavier cable.
willi
You can run the wire from the mic in through the bottom of the closest f-hole and plug it into a made-for-the-job 1/4" jack built into the tailpiece inside the mandolin. The whole thing can be plugged and unplugged with only medium hassle by unscrewing the 1/4 jack from the base of the tailpiece with the little XLR plugged into it. Does this make sense? It's a concept fairly often used for mounting Sunrises at al in flattop guitars.
Not sure I am getting it Paul. Mini condenser mic to 1/4 " jack that you have inserted into the enlarged endpin hole? I need phantom power so it would be a TRS female jack, and then TRS stereo cable off to my preamp phantom power source? (My preamp is 1/4" in only).
Looking at my endpin hole location and the way the tailpiece is incorperated, it appears that it would best be done by a pro...
willi
Willi -
You probably need a pro, though I know some mere mortals who have pulled this off. I was assuming the mic was one of the Countryman-types with the mini XLR, yes? You can make (or have made) an endpin jack assembly that contains a 1/4" female jack on the outside and has an XLR female jack on the other end of it, inside. The whole thing can be removed by hand, pulled out to enable you to plug the mic into the inside end of the jack assembly. End result: you get a mic without one of those abominable "carpenter jacks."
If you need phantom power for your mic, you can either put a battery *in* the jack assembly, or you can use one of the lines inside a 1/4" stereo line to carry the juice from your preamp. It's not (to my knowledge, though it'll probably happen any day) an off-the-shelf item, but it's not rocket science to generate one.
I use an ancient Donnell mic inside my A-4. The hearing aid battery is in the thing itself. It unscrews and pulls out, and it actually sounds pretty good. All you see outside is the 1/4" jack/strap button sticking out of the tailpiece. Same principle.
I would never expect any instrument-mounted mic to provide audiophile sound at a gig, although I have heard string quartets (particularly Kronos) using Countryman mics in concert that sounded fabulous. I think it was largely a very competent soundman who was responsible though.
One other thing I have done for a few folks is mount the mini-XLR-out under the pickguards. This presupposes you even have a pickguard though!
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