New pickup, went back to square one

[n***@gmail.com]

I play a classical guitar, amplified with a rhythm section. For the last 6 or 7 years I've used a posh string transducer that replaces your saddle. I've decided I wanted to get rid of it and go back to a regular saddle as I felt this pickup/saddle combination did not transfer the string vibrations fully to the guitar top and the acoustic sound of my guitar was being compromised. But going back to a regular saddle meant searching for a new pickup. I hate having electronics in the guitar, I like a pickup to go to the jack and to keep the electronics on the outside. I use a fire eye red eye preamp di and I love that thing.

So I tried the old standby fishman ceramic pickup- the old one they've had forever- and it sounds terrific. My guitar sound has a lot more depth to it and the dynamic range is larger. With the red eye it really sounds good, and nice and smooth. I've used it on a few gigs now and it is easier to play as the sound I am getting is more in line with the natural sound of the box. So there you have it, back to basics.

[Glutton]

Post by n***@gmail.com
I play a classical guitar, amplified with a rhythm section. For the
last 6 or 7 years I've used a posh string transducer that replaces your
saddle. I've decided I wanted to get rid of it and go back to a
regular saddle as I felt this pickup/saddle combination did not
transfer the string vibrations fully to the guitar top and the acoustic
sound of my guitar was being compromised. But going back to a regular
saddle meant searching for a new pickup. I hate having electronics in
the guitar, I like a pickup to go to the jack and to keep the
electronics on the outside. I use a fire eye red eye preamp di and I
love that thing.
So I tried the old standby fishman ceramic pickup- the old one they've
had forever- and it sounds terrific. My guitar sound has a lot more
depth to it and the dynamic range is larger. With the red eye it
really sounds good, and nice and smooth. I've used it on a few gigs
now and it is easier to play as the sound I am getting is more in line
with the natural sound of the box. So there you have it, back to
basics.

Do you run the DI out to a guitar amp, or only to the mix board?

[n***@gmail.com]

Mix board with foldback in the wedges. On small informal things I'll carry a little full range cab (like a Buscarino chameleon) and an acoustic image head.

[n***@gmail.com]

Used it last night at a rehearsal into a little polytone mini brute too.... sounds terrific.

[Les Cargill]

Post by n***@gmail.com
I play a classical guitar, amplified with a rhythm section. For the
last 6 or 7 years I've used a posh string transducer that replaces
your saddle. I've decided I wanted to get rid of it and go back to a
regular saddle as I felt this pickup/saddle combination did not
transfer the string vibrations fully to the guitar top and the
acoustic sound of my guitar was being compromised.

So a lot of USTs now have an architecture like the PUTW pickups - it's
a strip of thin film that lays under the ( otherwise apparently
ordinary ) saddle.

I'd never say it would not make an audible difference, but it's a really
small amount of material.

The other style in play now is the K&K, where little dot-things are put
in various places, inside the guitar on the inside face of the top. The
guitar I have with one on sounds exactly the same as it did before.

Post by n***@gmail.com
But going back to
a regular saddle meant searching for a new pickup. I hate having
electronics in the guitar, I like a pickup to go to the jack and to
keep the electronics on the outside. I use a fire eye red eye preamp
di and I love that thing.

FWIW, I like having the knobs on the guitar. Real tactical advantage
when fighting feedback...

Post by n***@gmail.com
So I tried the old standby fishman ceramic pickup- the old one
they've had forever- and it sounds terrific. My guitar sound has a
lot more depth to it and the dynamic range is larger. With the red
eye it really sounds good, and nice and smooth. I've used it on a
few gigs now and it is easier to play as the sound I am getting is
more in line with the natural sound of the box. So there you have
it, back to basics.

[n***@gmail.com]

Well the strong vibration has to get to the top of the guitar. That Barbera I was using was losing a whole lot of energy. This fishman I put in is rigid so it is managing to retain and pass on a good amount of vibration to the top. My guitar sounds so much better.

This was tonight just outside of Atlanta. Guitar into red eye into the house. With an ev468 out front as well.

https://www.facebook.com/234901986525057/videos/1654476024567639/

[Les Cargill]

Post by n***@gmail.com
Well the strong vibration has to get to the top of the guitar. That Barbera I was using was losing a whole lot of energy. This fishman I put in is rigid so it is managing to retain and pass on a good amount of vibration to the top. My guitar sounds so much better.
This was tonight just outside of Atlanta. Guitar into red eye into the house. With an ev468 out front as well.
https://www.facebook.com/234901986525057/videos/1654476024567639/

Yeah, steel-string != nylon string. At all. I have a very strong
steel-string bias in these things, and I forget ...

That does sound really good. Nice and present in the upper ranges.
And it sounds like a guitar, plenty of level in the room.

[Steve Freides]

Post by n***@gmail.com
I play a classical guitar, amplified with a rhythm section. For the
last 6 or 7 years I've used a posh string transducer that replaces
your saddle. I've decided I wanted to get rid of it and go back to a
regular saddle as I felt this pickup/saddle combination did not
transfer the string vibrations fully to the guitar top and the
acoustic sound of my guitar was being compromised. But going back to
a regular saddle meant searching for a new pickup. I hate having
electronics in the guitar, I like a pickup to go to the jack and to
keep the electronics on the outside. I use a fire eye red eye preamp
di and I love that thing.
So I tried the old standby fishman ceramic pickup- the old one
they've had forever- and it sounds terrific. My guitar sound has a
lot more depth to it and the dynamic range is larger. With the red
eye it really sounds good, and nice and smooth. I've used it on a
few gigs now and it is easier to play as the sound I am getting is
more in line with the natural sound of the box. So there you have
it, back to basics.

Nate, do you have a link for this pickup - I searched based on what you
said but couldn't find it.

Thanks.

-S-

[n***@gmail.com]

https://www.fishman.com/products/series/ag/ag-series-undersaddle-pickup/

It's uncanny. This thing is the most basic of basic and yet it sounds damn good for the purpose. Although I bet the red eye has a bit to do with that.

[Tony Done]

Post by n***@gmail.com
https://www.fishman.com/products/series/ag/ag-series-undersaddle-pickup/
It's uncanny. This thing is the most basic of basic and yet it sounds damn good for the purpose. Although I bet the red eye has a bit to do with that.

I was also wondering which one you meant. "New and improved" isn't
synonymous with "better" so I'm not surprised, and a good preamp
certainly makes a lot of difference. I was discussing pickups for nylon
string guitars a many years ago with one of the local teachers, and he
suggested that the warm "polite" tone of many nylon string guitars is
well suited to a fairly aggressive kind of UST. - It gives them a
stronger attack.

How did you come to choose the Red Eye? It has received a lot of
favourable comments in this group, and I'm wondering how you got there.

[n***@gmail.com]

Hank Alrich turned me on to the red eye a few years ago. He was right it's terrific!

I have a few now because it is a stellar sounding di in the studio for magnetic pickups like a passive fender bass or a strat or tele, and is fantastic for a Rhodes....

[Tony Done]

Post by n***@gmail.com
Hank Alrich turned me on to the red eye a few years ago. He was right it's terrific!
I have a few now because it is a stellar sounding di in the studio for magnetic pickups like a passive fender bass or a strat or tele, and is fantastic for a Rhodes....

Thanks. I was trying to remember who it was who used to advocate them, I
just needed my memory jogging. I didn't realise that they were also good
for magnetics.