magnetic pickup for violin?
The Scop
Did anybody ever try to use a magnetic pickup (like the ones of electric
guitars) on a violin? Would that sound good? You would have to use steel
strings, I guess.
--
Johannes Korn - joha...@whisky.biologie.uni-freiburg.de
http://whisky.biologie.uni-freiburg.de/~johakorn/johakorn.html
jo...@afm.org
I tried without success. The level would swell when I took the bow off
the string. The way I understand it is that the typical "guitar"
magnetic pickup "reads" the up and down motion of the string while the
bow prevents most of the motion in that plane. I suppose something
could be arranged but that the pickup's elements would have to have a
different orientation. HOWEVER... I may be totally wrong about
this..but my own personal experience didn't work out..I'm always
interested in a better pickup system....good luck...Joel
Tom Ginsberg
You should check out Zeta's Strados Pickup system. It uses 2 piezo magnetic
pickups per sting.
Tom
--
Tom Ginsberg
tom...@clark.net
Vincent A. Calcaterra
Tom Ginsberg wrote:
>
> You should check out Zeta's Strados Pickup system. It uses 2 piezo magnetic
> pickups per sting.
>
> Tom
>
> --
> Tom Ginsberg
> tom...@clark.net
A piezo pickup is a crystal which has been cut and tapped to sense
vibration. As the vibration distorts the crystal, an electrical signal
is produced which carries the amplitude and frequency of the note played
on the string it is sensing. The last time I checked, Zeta mounts two
piezo crystals orthogonally, that is in a V pattern under the string in
the Zeta bridge pickup. This picks up the sound, but tends to cancel the
bow noise. As far as Zeta having a magnetic pickup (Strados, as
mentioned), I'm no aware of any, and a magnetic pickup would not work in
the bridge, as a magnetic pickup is a coil and works like a generator,
that is when a string breaks the field of the permanent magnet in the
pickup, a current is induced into the coil. The pickup must be below the
string, and a a point where the most string vibration would be present.
(at the end of the fingerboard) There is a pickup that I've been meaning
to check ou called a "Bowtronics" pickup, which is a Humbucking (two
coils configured to reject 60 cycle hum) design, in a form which will
easily mount to the fingerboard of a fiddle. And Yes you must use steel
strings to use any magnetic pickup.
Sorry that was so long!!!
-vince
Fyhr
In article <3264C3...@whisky.biologie.uni-freiburg.de>,
joha...@whisky.biologie.uni-freiburg.de says...
>
>Did anybody ever try to use a magnetic pickup (like the ones of electric
>guitars) on a violin? Would that sound good? You would have to use steel
>strings, I guess.
>--
>
>Johannes Korn - joha...@whisky.biologie.uni-freiburg.de
>http://whisky.biologie.uni-freiburg.de/~johakorn/johakorn.html
a company named "Bowtronics" makes a magnetic pickup.
you must use steel strings, which a lot of country players
do anyway. i own one and have used it a bit. i also
have a 5 string Jensen violin with a Barbera piezio pickup.
the company's address (which may have changed)
Bowtronics
914 Arnold Ave.
Pt. Pleasant, NJ 08742
(908) 899-3924
i've seen them for sale at Rondo Music:
Rondo Music
1597 Us Highway 22 W
Union, NJ 07083-6299
Phone: (908)687-2250
ray fyhr
fy...@superlink.net
Archer Sully
tom...@clark.net (Tom Ginsberg) writes:
>In article <3265A8...@afm.org>, jo...@afm.org wrote:
>>The Scop wrote:
>>>
>>> Did anybody ever try to use a magnetic pickup (like the ones of electric
>>> guitars) on a violin? Would that sound good? You would have to use steel
>>> strings, I guess.
>>> --
>>>
>>> Johannes Korn - joha...@whisky.biologie.uni-freiburg.de
>>> http://whisky.biologie.uni-freiburg.de/~johakorn/johakorn.html
>>
>>I tried without success. The level would swell when I took the bow off
>You should check out Zeta's Strados Pickup system. It uses 2 piezo magnetic
>pickups per sting.
First off, piezo's aren't magnetic. They are pressure sensitive devices.
There is a good magnetic system for violin, or at least there used to
be. Its from an outfit called "Bowtronics" makers of the fabulous
"Bowtar", an electric guitar designed to be played with a bow. They
also make a very nice violin pickup that attaches to the end of the
fingerboard. It has minimal effect on the acoustic sound of the
instrument, is reasonably free from feedback and sounds quite good.
That's the only magnetic violin pickup that I know of. All the rest
are piezo or microphone systems (such as AKG, etc..)
-- archer
Archer Sully
email: arc...@meer.net
home page: http://www.meer.net/~archer
Will write C++ for food
Tommy Jakobsson
The Scop wrote:
>
> Did anybody ever try to use a magnetic pickup (like the ones of electric
> guitars) on a violin? Would that sound good? You would have to use steel
> strings, I guess.
> --
>
> Johannes Korn - joha...@whisky.biologie.uni-freiburg.de
> http://whisky.biologie.uni-freiburg.de/~johakorn/johakorn.html
constructed with a minimum of tools.
You need:
A Violin with steel strings equipped with a wooden Tailpiece with four
metal fine tuners.
Here is what to do:
* Connect all strings at the peg box - for instance by inlaying a piece
of mandolin fretwire into the back side of the saddle.
* Connect E and D tuners
* Connect A and G tuners
Place a fairly strong magnet (nothing extreme) under the finger board.
Now you have 2 coils in a magnetic field ( a sort of primitive MC
Pickup).
Connect a wire to each of these coils, for instance at the E and A
tuners. Plug in to a good quality microphone preamp and line it into a
PA System. You get a VERY powerful sound with a minimum of feedback.
The signal to noise ratio could be better so this is nothing for
classical music, but for Rock Music it works.
Have fun!
Gervais Currie
Tommy Jakobsson <jako...@wineasy.se> wrote:
>If You are interested in experimenting, a magnetic picup can easily be
>constructed with a minimum of tools.
>You need:
>A Violin with steel strings equipped with a wooden Tailpiece with four
>metal fine tuners.
>Here is what to do:
>* Connect all strings at the peg box - for instance by inlaying a piece
>of mandolin fretwire into the back side of the saddle.
>* Connect E and D tuners
>* Connect A and G tuners
>Place a fairly strong magnet (nothing extreme) under the finger board.
>Now you have 2 coils in a magnetic field ( a sort of primitive MC
>Pickup).
>Connect a wire to each of these coils, for instance at the E and A
>tuners. Plug in to a good quality microphone preamp and line it into a
>PA System. You get a VERY powerful sound with a minimum of feedback.
>The signal to noise ratio could be better so this is nothing for
>classical music, but for Rock Music it works.
>Have fun!
Don't you get hum clicks etc when you touch the strings?
Tom
arc...@meer.net (Archer Sully) wrote:
>>>> Did anybody ever try to use a magnetic pickup ..<snip>
>There is a good magnetic system for violin, or at least there used to
>be. Its from an outfit called "Bowtronics" <snip>
Here, here Archer you are absolutely right. Bowtronics is the best.
I have installed Fishman, Barcus Berry, Zeta and a host of "others,"
Bowtronics is the most consistant of them all and the easiest to
install with the least amount of modification.
Kris Williams
********************************************************
"... and there was this girl there who had once been an
ex-ballet dancer who took off all her cloths and danced
around in the rain ... round the banana tree ... round, and
around ... and I ... followed suit ...
-Ramblin' Jack Elliot
********************************************************
Vincent A. Calcaterra
that have tried, or use the Bowtronics pickup to respond.
Can you contrast the sound of the Bowtronics pickup to a typical piezo
bridge pickup.
What brand of steel strings did you use on it?
Please reply here, or direct to me.
thanks,
-vince