Amplifying 12 string guitar for live use.

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hoursonend

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Hi,

I currently own a Yamaha FG312 Type II guitar (closed tuner head, not like the original FG312).

It's a 12 string guitar, without pickup system.
I use the MXL 991 for recording, which works great for me.

With some upcoming live performances, I'm afraid the condenser mic won't really work well on stage (feedback problems, no freedom of walking)?

I was looking for some pickups systems, like the LR Baggs LB12 saddle pickup?

As I live in Europe (the Netherlands), I can't find it anywhere in an online store, not even on ebay (I can't buy from United States sellers because of payment limitations (no credit card etc)). My guitar shop doesn't sell them either.

Some of the other options, (pickups available for me through internet stores in Europe) are:


What other pickups / amplification systems can you recommend? Or would you say the condenser mic will work just fine? I experienced that, when recording, the position of the guitar in front of the mic is very critical, and that's exactly what I'm afraid of playing live with a band - positioning and hearing what it sounds like will be very difficult?

Thanks in advance,
Stan. :)
 
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If you're going to use it in a band you might go with a sound hole pickup....something like a Sunrise.
 
Hi, thanks for the reply!

Well, the sunrise, is it suitable for a 12 string guitar?

Anyone has experience with Shadow pickups? Are they any good? Or the Fishman I mentioned above? Any other recommendations, preferably below 150 euros/dollars?

Regards,
Stan.
 
Sunrise is extremely suitable to a 12-string. It's magnetic, so it does sound 'electric'. Michael Hedges and someone named Kottke ;) have used them.
They are handmade, and heavy - they are built like a tank.

The last song on This Page 'The Greenville Railyards' is heavy on the sunrise and light on the mic.
 
Thanks! the sunrise sound nice!

Can I use any 6 string electric or piezo pickup for my 12 string guitar? Or do I need 12 sensors or something like that?

Oh, and what di box or preamp would you recommend? I currently own two Behringer mixers (UB1002 and UB1204-PRO), but I think a tube preamp would sound nice and warm on a twelve string? Or is that not what I want on stage, do I want to 'cut through' the mix with a brighter tone?

Thanks again
Stan.
 
I don't know about those other pickups - probably they work ok with 6 or 12. The sunrise has individually adjustable pole pieces so you can make sure each string gets what it needs.
I've never seen strong preferences for one DI over another. I use the line-in on the RNP but I've used the Audio Buddy also. I don't think there's much difference.
 
Hi,

I've been looking for the Sunrise pickup, but I can't find any dealer for them in Netherlands, even Ebay hasn't got any for a reaonable price..:(

Does anyone have experience with the Fishman AGX-094? It's available to me for just 88 euros, or 114 including Powerjack preamp... It's an under-the-saddle pickup, I guess it should be a good choice for live use?

Thanks
Stan.
 
I have a Martin Thinline Gold pickup in my D12-35 Martin,... it is actually made by Fishman, and is a Piezo pickup that is mounted under the bridge as pictured in your Fishman link,.... I have had great results with this setup, you can hear a bit of it here....

http//:www.recordingproject.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=4556

The recording is only so so, but just listen to the dynamics of the guitar itself,... it is done with the setup described above,.. and should be suitable for your needs,....

Keep in mind it is a passive pickup, and needs some sort of preamp to sound equal to your band buddies,..... it appears that with the pictured setup, it is included....


Good deal by the way,... I paid over $100 for mine, and it has no preamp,.... and I had to have a tech install it for me for another $50,... so what you have on the Fishman link is a good thing ....


Good luck...!!

Steve
 
I bought my sunrise from shoreline music . I won't go into the details, but the owner is one of the most ethical people I've dealt with on the web.
 
Is a Soundhole pickup (piezo, are they available?) better or worse than a bridge pickup? I'd really like a piezo, but are they applicable for strumming? Won't they go clipping?

The fishman indead looks good, but I'm a bit hesitant about drilling a hole in the guitar, so if a soundhole pickup would do the same?

Thanks :)
 
I bought a Shadow a few months back for the hell of it.. HORRIBLE, completely horrible. Very harsh sounding pickup, sold it for a quarter of what I bought it for.
 
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