Dobro Pickups

kiwijohn

kiwijohn

New member
Hope one of you guys out there can help me. I have a Dobro (about 45 years old) someone has put a Fishman Passive Resophhonic Guitar Pickup under the biscuit and wired it ll up (Fishman make these thinigs for Dobro style guitars). Its all done professionally but it sounds more like one of George Bushs policies than a blues guitar. The pickup has no gain what so ever. The notes recommend a preamp but say it is usable with out one. There is no preamp wired. On full volume without a preamp it is equivant gain to a factory built semi accoustic using a similar Fishman pickup on about 5% of volume. When I run through a preamp and build the gain the noise of the slide hitting the strings is so pronounced that it is unuseable.

Any of you guys got any experience that might be useful.

Overall objective is I want to use my 1960 accoustic Dobro on stage with a lound blues band playing it through the PA or similar amplifier in the same manner as you would play any other semi accoustic.

Thanks in advance.

John
 
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Re: Dobro Pickups

The Highlander is what I use in my '30 Style O. Sounds very full and very good! Lew
 
Re: Dobro Pickups

kiwijohn said:
How sensitive is it to slide noise? Do you have to be exceptionally careful??
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It's not to bad. Any pickup like that is going to amplify slide noise or strings that aren't damped properly or accidental knocks on the edge of the fingerboard with the slide.

If you make a noise that your ears can hear, the pickup is going to pick it up.

But the overall tone is very full and rich...not thin and metallic at all.

Lew
 
Re: Dobro Pickups

kiwijohn said:
...it sounds more like one of George Bushs policies than a blues guitar.
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Uh, so it sounds sensible and well thought out? Ethical? The guitar becomes the "leader" of the band? I don't understand. No need to use a polarizing analogy to make your point.

Slide noise is apparent with an under saddle pickup, but dare I say it's mostly technique related. I usually play lap style slide, on both acoustic, electric, lap steel, and resonator. If I mute the strings behind the slide, the noise goes away. Or at least I can control how dramatic I want it. Like Lew said, if you can hear it, so can the pickup. If you can't mute the strings with your palm (lap style) or index finger, try putting a piece of foam under the 1st fret and see if that helps you. By the way I'm not diminishing your personal abilities at all, I'm just trying to lay some groundwork for the discussion, since I can't be there to see you play.

Also that noise is more present in the very top end, which under saddle transducers produce in abundance. So perhaps along with the preamp, you could use some high end filtering. What are you using for a preamp?
 
Re: Dobro Pickups

I've owned 2 resonator guitars and they were both wood/metal spider bridge guitars. To my knowledge, I've never even played a bisquit bridge reso. So I can't speak to the bar noise. But I've had very good service from my K&K Sound acoustic guitar pickup, and I've heard good things in the reso community about the K&K reso pickups. I have a passive pickup and an external K&K preamp to go with my guitar, but the pickup is plenty loud enough without the preamp. You might also try asking someone one the Reso Nation site.
 
Re: Dobro Pickups

I don't know what model it comes with, but Gibson's Hound Dog sounds spectacular plugged into any amp.
 
Re: Dobro Pickups

his might do what you need!
http://www.adirondackguitar.com/lace/laceacpickup.htm

Acoustic pickups in general are not designed to be overdriven, however another option is to put a "surface" mounted pickup on the top of the dobro. This could then be plugged into an AMp. Something similar in tone to Eric Sardinas can be achieved if it is done properly. That volume and gain can create serious feedback issues if it has not been setup properly.
 
Re: Dobro Pickups

For a preamp i've been trying a few options. I have a lot of Behringer gear on my rack. I have tried the one on the desk and the ULTRAGAIN PRO MIC2200. (http://www.behringer.com/MIC2200/index.cfm?lang=ENG). I'm still experimenting as I have only had the pick installed a couple of days. Still don't have it to a point its really useable.

I can eliminate an amount of slide noise by being very careful but you have to be so careful it is not really playable.
 
Re: Dobro Pickups

I should also appologise to the one or possibly two people out there that may be offended by my earlier jest re George 8~)
 
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