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Location: NJ | Looking for acoustic pickup recommandation for a 1982 model #1115 (12 string). I am the original owner of it but have had trouble finding a pickup that I like, or one that fits the sound hole due to the thickness of the sound hole ring. For years I had been using a "Barcus Berry" but I now have the need to play amplified much more now then ever before. Any suggestions?
Pickup can be internal/installed, or sound hole mount. |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Have you ever tried the Fishman Rare Earth soundhole pickups? There are acoustic; single coil, humbucking and condenser mic models.
you could have the factory mount any one of a number of pick-ups and preamps in that guitar... OPP w/OP Pro comes to mind.... |
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Location: NJ | Thanks for responding -
I haven't checked the Fishman one's but my experience is the thickness of the sound hole ring makes it almost impossible to mount them.
Any idea of cost for the "factory" option? |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | You'd really have to contact Ovation customer service.
I couldn't make a good guess. Maybe someone else here has had similar work done.The factory would have to route or replace the bridge for the OPP. Or you could go with the Thinline pick-up which I believe will fit into your current bridge.
Then mount pickup and saddle and route out and install the preamp can, install plugjacks....
and of course the cost of the new equipment... |
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Location: NJ | Already sent an email to Ovation with the request,
thanks.
I looked into trading up a few years ago to get something with the electronics, but much to my surprise none of the guitar shops offered me anything worth considering. They all said it was in beautiful condition for its age, but didn't want to insult me and apologized with their low offers. It has too much sentimental value to me to let it go for $200. I thought it would be worth more. Again, it's in near perfect shape for almost 25 years old. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I have the same guitar and love it. It's been refurbed by the factory- GS bowl w/Abracing so, it's in great shape and it both plays and sounds wonderful.
If you go with the modern electronics, you'll have a guitar worth what you install in it. |
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Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Originally posted by N610:
Thanks for responding -
I haven't checked the Fishman one's but my experience is the thickness of the sound hole ring makes it almost impossible to mount them.
Any idea of cost for the "factory" option? The Fishman Rare Earth fits Ovation soundholes without a problem, I have one on an old Legend. It's a very good pickup. The Sunrise pickup Baggs M1 are a couple of excellent magnetics that will fit an Ovation, in fact there are very few soundhole magnetics that don't fit. |
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Location: SoCal | If you only want to spend a couple of hundred, had a local guitar tech install an LR Baggs undersaddle p/u. They have several to choose from and you can route it out thru the end pin hole.
I like what Jeff did to his Pacemaker (or was it the previous owner?) and I'm kicking around the idea of doing the same to a 1969 Glen Campbell 12 string. It's got a beat up top but it's playable. I had the factory, several years ago, install an OP40 preamp in it. Great plugged in sound, but only so so as an acoustic.
If the OFC guitar never becomes available, I think I'll spend the money and have the GC12 sent to the factory for a new top and bowl, and probably the new generation electronics. Now that would be a 12 string to compete with any other 12 out there. Jeff's is simply a tremendous instrument, as are the Glen Campbell 12 reissues. |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | Any of the above options would work fine. I have a Pacemaker 12-string that was retrofitted with a Fishman Acoustic Matrix Natural II. Did the same thing to a 1971 Balladeer 1113. Very clean and faithfully acoustic sounding. I wanted something that was minimally invasive; the only outward change to the appearance of the guitar is the 1/4" jack in the bowl. The pickup is just a thin strip that fits under the saddle. No onboard EQ or volume controls, but you don't need 'em; the sound is so clean it needs very little tweaking. Set your amp or PA and forget about it.
I just got a CS-257 which has the OP-30 electronics package with the Ovation thinline pickup. It sounds awesome. The only thing is, if you wanted to retrofit something like that on your guitar, it would involve some extensive cutting.
Just a little more info so that by now you should be thoroughly confused! |
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Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | When I caught a bad case of GAS about a year ago, I bought a Bill Lawrence sound hole pickup for the Matrix. It's pretty good for very little money and the spring contraption they use to snap into the soundhole is pretty slick, but it doesn't fit as well on Ovations because of the thick rosette. It didn't cure the GAS, though, and I don't ever use it anymore. Too many other Ovations to play that I can plug in if I want. |
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Location: NJ | Thanks all for responding and the suggestions. No, I'm not confused, in fact I have always been in the camp of "less is more" and will likely install an under the saddle pickup. I may try it myself.
Thanks again. |
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Location: Flushing, MI | The Dean Markley Pro Mag soundhole pickup will fit the rosette of both my Legend and Matrix, but it's not the best tone for acoustic pickups. |
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Location: Texas | This may upset some purists, but I use a Dean Markley Artist Model on my '72 Balladeer, and would not consider anything else. It sticks to the outside, and depending on where you put it, you can emphasize the bass or treble, or just get a good balance ... all of which retain the basic acoustic tone. I originally bought it to use on a banjo and mandolin, but tried it one day on the Ovation, and it has been a great solution. Less than $50 ... |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | Hey, Big Red--
As you probably know, Dean Markley makes the Artist in a kit as well, which you can permanently mount. It sounds really nice. You can mount it under the bridge with clear silicone and run the cord to a 1/4" jack in the bowl (or endpin jack for a wooden guitar). Finding the sweet spot is the most time-consuming part. A good starting point is just past center on the treble side of the bridge. It gives a really nice acoustic tone. I had one in my '71 Balladeer for a while before I graduated to undersaddle pickups. |
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Posts: 354
Location: Flushing, MI | Would you consider the Dean Markley Artist to be tonally superior to their Pro Mag soundhole pickup? I have two Ovations without electronics, and if the Artist sounds better, I may have to get one. I've stopped using the Pro Mag and gone back to using my CS257 for amped gigs. |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | I liked the Artist a lot better than the Pro Mag. I had a Pro Mag hard-wired into the 1/4" bowl jack for a while before I went to the Artist. The Pro Mag is just too "electric guitar" sounding (for my tastes, anyway) if you're looking for a good acoustic sound. The hardest thing about mounting an artist underneath is finding the best spot. If you just want to mount it on the outside with a cord hanging down, you can move it until you find the sweet spot. Unless you really don't want to drill any holes in your guitar, I'd recommend putting an undersaddle pickup in it. At this point in time it's still you most convenient option until they come up with something more advanced. I really like Fishman's Acoustic Matrix Natural II. I heard several guitars of different brands that had them and they sounded great, and I put them in my Balladeer and Pacemaker, and THEY sound great. |
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Location: Central Illinois | Dont' know if they work in Ovations, but I've had really good luck with K&K Pure Western pickups. Fantastic, natrual, woody sound. And for just $90. Check out the reviews on Harmony Central.
David |
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Location: Scotland | until you need to get 'em loud, then they suck donkey balls. Try using K&K pickups with a loud drummer and bass player and see how far you get. |
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Location: NJ | Not that there's anything WRONG with sucking DonkeyBalls (there are tourists in Mexico who'll pay a PREMIUM t'see something like that) . . .
MasterT. is just trying t'prove a point . . . |
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Location: Central Illinois | Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
until you need to get 'em loud, then they suck donkey balls. Try using K&K pickups with a loud drummer and bass player and see how far you get. Huh? I've been doing exactly that for over a year now. I'm in a trio with drums and electric bass. I'm not having any trouble at all. Donky balls indeed! :) Did you try a preamp? They are a passive pickup after all. I'm using the new Pure XLR preamp and I'm having no trouble at all with volume or feedback.
David |
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Location: Scotland | It's all a question of taste and application, and the sound and performance of the K&K at volume did not suit my taste or needs. I played a bunch of festivals in Italy a few years ago and we used rental gear. All the rental company had available was a Martin D18 with an early Barcus Berry thinline (Yuk) and a Guild D60 with K&K. And yes, I used several different pro quality preamps and they still sucked, (though in fairness the K&K's were way better than the Barcus Berry) Only way to get the things loud enough was to lose the stage monitors. In my experience pickups like the K&K and the Baggs I-Beam sound great at moderate volume in small venues but just don't cut it at the kind of levels needed in bigger places or on big stages where clean, loud monitors are essential. |
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Location: Warren,Pa. | I have the best of both worlds: My 6778LX has OpPro w/XLR,and I installed the K&K Pure westerns w/an 1/8" jack on the end. I keep the K&K's plugged in until I need more uumph (sp?). Then I simply unplug one and plug in the other. Even though the Ovation p/u gives more cut-through power, the sound at higher volumes (really at any volume, IMHO) is unnatural compared to the K&K.
I guess nothing's ideal...we just do the best we can.
And I don't pretend to know all that Paul knows; this has just been my experience. John <>{ |
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Location: Central Illinois | Thanks for the explanation, Paul. What kind of music do you play? I'm pretty much a blues/country blues fingerpicker. And granted, even in my Trio, we don't get all that loud. So I guess I don't have any experience for truly lound venues. Except that one time I opend for someone at the Canopy Club in Champaign, IL. Stack of speakers on both sides and large screen TVs :) First time my guitar ever made the floor shake! Even there I had no trouble with tone or feedback.
Guess I just hate to hear someone trash a system from just one experience. Sure not the norm for K&K!
Just curious, Paul, what's your pickup of choice?
Later,
David |
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Location: Scotland | I'm pretty much a country/blues fingerpicker too. Right now I'm touring with a trio consisting of myself, a percussionist and Nashville-based songwiter Bob Cheevers.
I can't get past the Ovation OPP. There are pickups out there that arguably sound more natural but in terms of feedback resistance and string to string balance I've yet to find anything I'm more comfortable with. I'm playing dobro rather than upright slide on this tour and the dobro is such a bitch to amplify I ended up putting an extension nut on an Ovation and playing it lap-style. |
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Location: Central Illinois | Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
There are pickups out there that arguably sound more natural but in terms of feedback resistance and string to string balance I've yet to find anything I'm more comfortable with Have to agree with you there. My K&K Equipped Collings and Larrivee do sound more natrual and woody, but it's hard to beat the crisp clarity and ease-of-use of my Elite. Think it's OP-24.
Hope I can hear you someday, Paul. You have a website or calendar? |
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Acoustic Pickup
