1 pickup solution for guitar, mando - Schertler DYN-G??

[lespaul_79]

Hi, I was looking for a solution to getting a pickup for my mando and guitars. I was looking at some K&K stuff, but I'm trying not to have one for each axe - mando, dread, and a 00 for fingerpickin gigs.

I have this Audio-Technica ATM350 goose neck, but it's a little awkward. I might sell it.

I know a mic would be a possible solution, but for now the Schertler DYN pickups looked like a great solution. Anything comparable that is cheaper to the Schertler DYN?

I just wanna be able to switch easily between instruments. Thanks!

[Kerry Krishna]

Switching a single pickup between even two axes while up on stage without looking and sounding goofy is impossible I'd say ckg.
Never mind doing what you are talking about with three instruments!
It takes time, and makes both the audience and the sound-person mad!
So, three diff axes, three diff mic heights AND positions, three different EQs for the sound-person, (if you don't use your own mixer) and THEN the EQ/Volume differences in the 'front of house' speakers have to vary with the number of people in the room? Think about that whole ball of wax!

There are always folks that will come on a giant Forum like this and say " He's wrong. I did it" though. Kerry is nuts.!" Well, I tried to get what you are asking for years. Never once even came close to working and pissed off both audience and sound-person, and I looked incompetent
every time. Better to have pro quality tools to do a pro quality job.

What I ended up doing, (after trying all options for a few years) was have three axes, three pickups, and a small 6 channel mixer up on stage right beside me. The mixer had a foot switch that muted it when I was changing axes.
Then all I had to do was make a set list up so I was playing mando for 4 tunes, then guitar for 5 tunes, sort of thing. Vera manageable...



The only other way you could possibly do this is to use a single mic on a stand, but the learning curve would be a huge ongoing thing, and different for every room you would play.
If you want to even barely look like a semi pro, get the mini-mics, or pickups/preamps ( notice those two things go together? There is a reason for that!) and a mixer that you can send a line to both front of house and to monitors, and you will be bulletproof for almost any situation.
I know this is an expensive way to do it, but unless you will be playing without and sound reinforcement at all, it's the only way I know of.
This is just my opinion though...

[Barry Wilson]

I understand too. I play a midi guitar. I do keyboard parts through my guitar into a yorkville amp. I also play acoustic and mando but those both have pickups and the yorkville has 3 channels. so all 3 go through that. my electric guitar goes through a fender amp stacked on top of the yorky... that said we had to bulk tunes together like Kerry mentioned

[lespaul_79]

Thanks y'all....

BTW, should have explained it better. I wont be using all 3 axes for 1 gig. But I would like one solution so if I'm going to a gig I can just bring 1 pick up and pop it on the axe that I'm using. As opposed to buying/installing a pickup for each axe. Especially since I want a new dread super bad. Dont want to install anything on my old Yairi.

[mandroid]

Dyn G and M are the same capsule, I got a Nutrik Mic cable end with a switch,
then the signal is silent and you can transfer the pickup to the second instrument.

Just Fluff up the putty ring and stick it on.

I stopped considering any installed pickups after I got the Schertler.
so It would do as you desire.

[Barry Canada]

I have a schertler and an older audio technica ATM 35 (the higher end microphone)
I prefer the sound of the microphone by far. It is also simpler to transfer between instruments.
Also the flexibility of the gooseneck permits moving around physically as you are not stuck to a mic stand along with easier
Micro positioning adjustments of the microphone on the instrument. I also find that the microphone provides a more precise
Sound representation of the acoustic instrument.

[lespaul_79]

Thanks y'all.

[Tim2723]

As to your other question, to the best of my knowledge there isn't a cheaper version of the Schertler DYN systems. There are a number of stick-on dynamic microphones and a bunch of soundboard pickups out there, but the Schertler is pretty unique technology. I don't think anyone has a knock-off copy of it yet. They're kind of expensive but they are a very high quality product and you get what you pay for in this business. And remember, it's ready to go out of the box. While they make a preamp for it (which is nice to have) you don't need to add it or anything else to make it work. Just plug in and go.I know a few guys who thought they'd get away cheap by using piezo pickups, but by the time they were really satisfied with their sound they had spent a bundle on preamps and other widgets to get a good tone. So the Shertler isn't really that expensive in the end.

[Jim Nollman]

Because the Schertler is mic level, and because almost every sound board most of us ever use has adequate built-in EQ, I never use my Schertler with an external preamp. I would't advise using it with more than one instrument at a time. The proper application of the goo that sticks the mic onto the instrument, does not fit my definition of an automatic process. The key phrase for applying the goo is: less is more. With practice, you learn to stretch a length of it that's slightly thinner than an iPod cable. Anything more than that, doesn't hold the mic on the instrument any better, but it does demand more work (and probably more care for the top plate's finish) when you unstick the Schertler from the instrument at the end of a show.

[mandroid]

I stick a plastic card on the putty face, when I stow it away, and have left the same ring of putty
on the pickup for years.

I see the Schertler Preamp as a splitter to control your powered monitor,
and it offers dry signal to run to the board.

no gigs like that or just have a amp that does that, and its un-needed.

[Jim Nollman]

The plastic card idea never occurred to me. Thanks for that Mandroid. I owe you one.

[Perry]

On the subject of pre-amps:

I wouldn't mess with a Schertler preamp or a Baggs Para-DI for that matter. I would suggest a ToneBone Pre-Z as a quality affordable unit with loads of real world usable features.

The Schertler pick-up on it's own may not have enough get up and go in loud situations making a pre-amp a necessity.

Plus it is very handy to have a volume, EQ, boost button, feedback control and a mute switch at your disposal.

[mandroid]

Anyhow, asked in the original post

Anything comparable that is cheaper to the Schertler DYN?

given the use of the Dynamic Microphone type mechanism, as in a dynamic mic,
is Unique. No.

Being a Swiss company and the currency of the trading countries around it are falling
Dollar pegged, Pound UK or Euros
relative to the value of the Swiss Franc , prices have gone up.

AKG has a Condenser type contact microphone, and Austria trades in Euros, and so is a bit less costly.
But condensers need a bit of power, so need a supply somewhere ,
Phantom comes off the board, thru a regulator in AKG's cable.
Or a battery power supply.
last time I saw the Owners Manuals (read them online) the C411 came in 2 models .
so you had to make the initial purchase around which power source you would use.

If the PreZ is a microphone preamp, then it ought to be OK, I put an EFX loop on my AC60
using it's back panel connections, it has a Mic Pre in it, the pedal board
just adds another stage, and then goes back into the power stage on the amp

put it instead into a basic power amp and then you could drive
what ever speaker cabinets you may need tp Rock the House..



Piezoelectric type is a whole different way of making vibration
into an electric signal. lots of brands went with that type mech.

[Big Joe]

If you only want one pickup that will actually work for both instruments, the best and really only solution is a microphone on a stand. Pickups are voiced differently for guitar and mandolin. They may seem to be similar instruments, but the range is different. If you find a good guitar pickup, it will not be that good for mandolin. If you find a good mandolin pickup, it will not be good for guitar. The only really workable solution is either a pickup for each (I recommend the K&K) or a good mic in front of you to play through.

[Trent Crawford]

Dyn G and M are the same capsule, I got a Nutrik Mic cable end with a switch,
then the signal is silent and you can transfer the pickup to the second instrument.

Just Fluff up the putty ring and stick it on.

I stopped considering any installed pickups after I got the Schertler.
so It would do as you desire.

So i`m to assume the Dyn G and Dyn M are the same thing???

I have the opportunity to grab a Dyn G, and will do so if it is in fact the same thing as the M...

My mind is telling me there must be some difference for them to label them G and M???

Any Info?

Cheers.

[mandroid]

as I said here :http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...n-Mic-Opinions

Wire is shorter on the G than the M.

[mandolinstew]

I have been using the Schertler DYN M and pre amp for about nine years.I tried other pre amps and the Schertler is the best.I use it with mandolin,mandola,12 string guitar and banjo.Never have a problem switching at live gigs.The only setting I change is the volumn on the pre amp.And they were way cheaper when I bought them!

[Jim]

If you only want one pickup that will actually work for both instruments, the best and really only solution is a microphone on a stand. Pickups are voiced differently for guitar and mandolin.

+1

[mandroid]

Schertler claims some voicing from the cable length tuning.. I doubt anyone with normal haring can tell the difference.

If it matters a lot , put a 31 band rack mount EQ in an effects loop..

I'm small spuds .. I use the amplification to deal with being old and it's a Hearing Aide more than a
big band players benefit..

I sucked at sports too, used to not being picked for the team, In PE,
one or the other was stuck with me by the end.

Draft board did want bodies.. as soon as I graduated from HS.

[mandolinstew]

just saw a Schertler DynM and Schertler PRE AIII pre amp on E bay for $4oo (in the mandolin section}

[Brad Maestas]

I owned and used both with the PRE-AII for many years. If you look at the response curves for each pickup in their accompanying literature, you'll see that the DYN-G has more low end extension, which makes perfect sense. In practice, I could not tell the difference. If you plan to double with one DYN, the DYN-G is the logical choice.