First gig!!! [Need advice on pickups]

frankiefirefox

frankiefirefox

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Aloha y'all!

Just got off stage!!! What an amazing time!!!

So this is the real problem. I need pickups!!! I need a sound hole pickup for my Ko'Aloha and one for my Gold Tone banjolele.

Any info would be much appreciated.

Cheers!
 
fff, that's freaking awesome! You were on stage..what number did you play? Coffeehouse? That's so cool its scary. Great! - Steve
 
I installed santa's Lr Baggs ukulele five-O into my Kelii yesterday and love it-your Koaloha deserves that. The 1/2 inch drill into the side+Tailblock is a bit Hendrix-esque but overall it is pretty straightforward.
On the banjolele a cost effective option is a JJB transducer that you can superglue to the vellum just under the bridge.
 
frankiefirefox said:
Aloha y'all!

Just got off stage!!! What an amazing time!!!

So this is the real problem. I need pickups!!! I need a sound hole pickup for my Ko'Aloha and one for my Gold Tone banjolele.

Any info would be much appreciated.

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Congrats! Fun, isn't it?

Details,please.
 
coolkayaker1 said:
fff, that's freaking awesome! You were on stage..what number did you play? Coffeehouse? That's so cool its scary. Great! - Steve
Click to expand...

Steve, I had a blast. I played rhythm on Friend of the Devil, Shady Grove and a Neil Young tune that is eluding me. I played in a pub. Had an amazing time. Most definitely going to do it again!
 
chrimess said:
I installed santa's Lr Baggs ukulele five-O into my Kelii yesterday and love it-your Koaloha deserves that. The 1/2 inch drill into the side+Tailblock is a bit Hendrix-esque but overall it is pretty straightforward.
On the banjolele a cost effective option is a JJB transducer that you can superglue to the vellum just under the bridge.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely get the JJB, but I hesitate to drill into my baby... Are there any quality sound hole options for the Ko'Aloha?
 
Congrats on the gig. Nothing like getting up in front of folks to get that adrenaline buzz going. Plus the joy of making music. Don't have any advice on pick-ups but am learning by reading this thread. Good luck with any future gigs!--Thom
 
You can always get the Shadow undersaddle with the external mount but it looks funny.

frankiefirefox said:
Thanks for the info. I'll definitely get the JJB, but I hesitate to drill into my baby... Are there any quality sound hole options for the Ko'Aloha?
Click to expand...
 
Now that you've added more criteria, frankiefirefox, I recommend a tuner that clips on the headstock of your ukulele:

http://www.google.com/shopping/prod...0OZD2igKvrYCgAQ&ved=0CF8Q8wIwAg#hsec:overview

To get the best acoustic sound out of this pickup, you'll also need an active D.I. box/preamp:

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?74603-Behringer-ADI21-active-DI-preamp

What this means to you is that for about $50 bucks you can amplify your ukulele professionally, without drilling holes or altering your ukulele in any way. This also gives you total control over your sound, no matter what P.A. System or amplifier you plug in to.

Congratulations on your first performance. The next ones will be easier, as you now know what to expect. Ric
 
Ricddoug, I'm a bit confused because I know nothing about pickups. So, say with my Martin I want to amplify. How does the AD!21 interface? Do I need to install some sort of sound hole pickup to plug into the ADI?

Thanks for walking me through this...
 
Using a pickup that clips on to your headstock, pdxuke:

http://www.google.com/shopping/prod...0OZD2igKvrYCgAQ&ved=0CF8Q8wIwAg#hsec:overview

and plugging it into an ADI21 which then plugs into your amp/P.A. Here I've illustrated it with a clip on pickup on the headstock of my Ovation Applause UAE20 soprano ukulele plugged into the input of my ADI21. The output of my ADI21 is plugged into the input of my Roland AC-33 amp:

ClipOnPiezoelectricPickup.jpg
 
Here's a photo showing a clip on piezoelectric pickup attached to the head of my Ovation Applause UAE20 soprano plugged into the input of my ADI21 and an XLR microphone cable plugged into the XLR out of my ADI21 into the channel 1 input of my PA50:

ClipOnPiezoelectricPickup2.jpg
 
For a similar situation, I used a microvox instrument pickup. They are miniature condenser mics specially designed for acoustic instruments. They need their own psu which you buy separately but it will then plug into your own amp or house PA. They will amplify your uke but retain the acoustic sound and it worked really well for me. You just need a little velcro pad on the uke and you can swap it between instruments. I used my own amp as a monitor and output through a Behringer DI100 DI box to the House PA and it worked really well. I have since bought other ones for my recorders and harmonica for the Ceilidh band I play in.

You can find out more about microvox pickups here. If you go to the Retailers link and scroll down you can find US dealers.
 

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