New Amplified Rig: J45 Vintage > Shure Beta 57a > Bose S1

[thegreatgumbino]

I'm still on the fence about a pickup vs mic'd.  I keep going back and forth.  There are benefits and draw backs to both.

I ordered a used Bose T1 mixer that will be here tomorrow.  Looking forward to trying to plug the Beta SM57a into the T1 to get some additional volume on the mic.  

[thegreatgumbino]

On 6/24/2019 at 5:44 PM, billroy said:

*Tone dexter + Edwina mic... down the road just a little bit, but once your happy with the K&K, but then you realize you can get even closer to amplified acoustic nirvana (and it would give you the edwina mic for those times you do / can go acoustic only).  (BK - I'm planning the edwina to be used with the K&K to build the wavemap, any reason this is wrong?)

 

Is there a poor man's Edwina?  Rode NT1/1a?

[thegreatgumbino]

On 6/26/2019 at 3:42 PM, thegreatgumbino said:

I'm still on the fence about a pickup vs mic'd.  I keep going back and forth.  There are benefits and draw backs to both.

I ordered a used Bose T1 mixer that will be here tomorrow.  Looking forward to trying to plug the Beta SM57a into the T1 to get some additional volume on the mic.  

 

Got to briefly play with the T1 mixer.  Setting up the Beta 57a and the e935 with proper gain staging made a world of difference in the volume and sound quality of the setup.  Very excited to play with this setup some more.

[Jinder]

The e935 is an excellent mic, you'll really enjoy it! I use an e865 condenser for live work and it's a beautiful thing. I'll upgrade to the 965 at some point but the 865 sounds so great I haven't done yet. I'm a huge fan of Sennheiser mics, they are making some truly stellar kit.

[Murph]

The Shure KSM44 gets a lot of love in the Bluegrass circles I follow, as does the AKG414.

The Ear Trumpet mic's are really getting popular as well, they are literally showing up everywhere.

[uncle fester]

1 hour ago, Murph said:

The Shure KSM44 gets a lot of love in the Bluegrass circles I follow, as does the AKG414.

The Ear Trumpet mic's are really getting popular as well, they are literally showing up everywhere.

Hey Murph - sorry I missed it above, what mic did you use for your gig in the photos above?  

[Murph]

2 hours ago, billroy said:

Hey Murph - sorry I missed it above, what mic did you use for your gig in the photos above?  

 

As I recall it was an SM57. It was a sound crew's rig for that event, there were several bands, it was a New Years party. They had some killer monitors for sure, and the mixer was digital, guy was just walking around with an iPad mixing the whole thing, Our set up was mere minutes.

The mains were like 2 giant walls of JBL's, I meant to take a picture of them just for kicks, but got busy.

It's a pleasure working with people who know what they're doing.

[QuestionMark]

On 6/26/2019 at 4:51 AM, Jinder said:

 

With a decent guitar and a decent pickup, I've found over the years that there is FAR more to be gained from diligent, disciplined practice than there is from overthinking amplification solutions.

 

Jinder wrote the above words of wisdom which are buried in this thread.

As Carlos Santana has been known to say, the tone is in the hands.  The reason his playing has the same tone and sound and is recognizable whatever guitar, amp, or equipment he is playing.

I’ve implemented that philosophy in my playing for decades now, which is not to say I do not have my favorite pickups, amps, or guitars.  I do.  But, those are more a matter of comfort, familiarity, and why change something when it’s dependable and both I and the audience like it...and find it pleasing.  Plus, it’s easily interchangeable with different instruments.

At this point in my life I am playing music at outdoor community or indoor/outdoor private events 5-6 times a week during the spring, summer, and autumn.  Plus, about once a week during the holiday season at private events.   And for years now, I have a regiment of practicing or playing everyday (except for an occasional planned day off).  So Jinder’s comment certainly rings true to me.

Pickup wise, I stick with my moveable from different guitars, RareEarth Humbucker Acoustic sound hole pick up or recently, on some guitars where a soundhole pickup doesn’t fit (an archtop or a classical guitar)...a removable Cling On pickup that holds on securely with a removable small magnet inside of the instrument.  Plus, for smaller gigs a Roland Street Cube with separate instrument and mic jacks.  Or, if it’s a larger indoor or outdoor event, my full PA sound system set up (a 600w Yamaha soundboard, two matched 12 inch speakers on speaker stands, and the Roland Street Cube as my monitor.)  All lightweight easy to set up equipment.   But, those things all just amplify the tone and sounds produced from my years of practice...supporting both Jinder’s and Santana’s expressed outlooks.  My only criteria for the pickup and amping equipment being that it doesn’t distort the sounds I am making nor have unnecessary hum in it...and, is easy to set-up/take down and reliable durability to it to handle the rigors of it being used a lot.   

Because as far as I am concerned, it’s in the practice time and in the hands, not the equipment from my experience and approach.  A good playing instrument like the Gibsons or some Epi’s discussed on this forum certainly make it all that much more enjoyable to play.  To me, pickups and amps, not so much as long as they work good.

QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff