Magnetic Pickup For Resonator

[studiogeek]

I want to put a magnetic pickup under the strings of a resonator (naturally I can't use a sound hole pickup)). I saw an on line demo of relatively low cost pickups by a company called 12 Bar Blues - has anyone used them and can offer an opinion - or - suggest other "low cost" options - I'd like to stay in the $100 or under range. (resonator is not my main ax - this is only to add some reso slide to a couple of recordings (I want to blend the sound through an amp with the mic'd sound).

 

[Folkcafe]

A lot of what you'd get out of a magnetic pickup will depend on how well the pickup can translate the resonator cone interaction via the strings. Some pickups are more "microphonic" than others. I test this by plugging in and tapping on the pickup with my guitar pick. Some will click loudly, others barely a sound. When I wound pickups, I could get a pickup that was more microphonic by winding it a bit loose and only lightly wax potting it. Made it more sensitive to feedback at loud volumes but picked up more subtle details such as with slide.

For a more resonator sound, I find having a piezo bar installed at the biscuit keeps its signature sound. Something like a Schatten NR-2. On a resonator I built, I had a strip piezo installed under the ivory on the biscuit and used a Baggs ParaDI to input into the computer. You could go strait into the amp but be careful of feedback as the piezo is more microphone than pickup.

So electric sounding guitar. Any sort of pickup but one that is more microphonic will impart some of the reso vibe.
More resonator sounding guitar. Piezo pickup.

 

[studiogeek]

Thanks for the feedback!!

A lot of what you'd get out of a magnetic pickup will depend on how well the pickup can translate the resonator cone interaction via the strings. Some pickups are more "microphonic" than others. I test this by plugging in and tapping on the pickup with my guitar pick. Some will click loudly, others barely a sound. When I wound pickups, I could get a pickup that was more microphonic by winding it a bit loose and only lightly wax potting it. Made it more sensitive to feedback at loud volumes but picked up more subtle details such as with slide.

For a more resonator sound, I find having a piezo bar installed at the biscuit keeps its signature sound. Something like a Schatten NR-2. On a resonator I built, I had a strip piezo installed under the ivory on the biscuit and used a Baggs ParaDI to input into the computer. You could go strait into the amp but be careful of feedback as the piezo is more microphone than pickup.

So electric sounding guitar. Any sort of pickup but one that is more microphonic will impart some of the reso vibe.
More resonator sounding guitar. Piezo pickup.