Should I add MiSi to my Blackbird order?

biscuitboyd

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I recently ordered a Farallon with sound port. If I can afford to add the MiSi pick up, should I? Any downside to acoustic function or longevity?
 
No real downside to sound or longevity.
Most convenient time to have a pickup installed is when you get the instrument brand new, so you might as well if having a pickup is likely to be useful to you.
 
Glad to hear it, Kissing. Any additional maintenance other than charging the Misi?
 
I’d put one in. It’s there if you want to use it. Plug into power for 60 sec and it’s ready. I’m happy with the ones I have.
 
I had a Misi pickup installed when my Jupiter Tenor was built and I just had a Misi installed in my aNueNue Moon Bird Tenor. They sound great and the one-minute-charge time is fantastic.
 
Thanks everyone. Just the push I needed. I'll contact Blackbird today.
 
It depends. If you play ukulele as a job there is a different answer. You need to look at how you do your job of playing and the cost benefits.

If you are getting the instrument to take out on hikes and adventures in the wild, electronics will get in the way of the fun.

If you are an enthusiastic amateur ukulele player, a pick-up will expand the possibilities to explore with your ukulele. If you do not already have an amp, you can look up some low cost battery powered models like the Marrshall Micro Amp. Its not the worlds best amp, but its enough to start to explore amplification. Or you can buy something like a headphone amp like the Vox AmpPlug and use your headphones to explore some amplification. Once you start to amplify and apply some controlled distortion, you get a whole new world to explore.

In the event that you go beserk with amplification enthusiasm, you can work up to more expensive amps and pedals.


I like that answer, Bill. I was going to say: if you're buying the ukulele because of its ruggedness and plan to take it where it will be exposed to the elements, then a pickup such as a MiSi will probably not be a good idea. But if you're going to use it as you would any other $1500 ukulele, then there's not reason NOT to have it.

A Blackbird Clara is on my dream list of ukuleles (the list is pretty short these days). I haven't thought about including a pickup...but now it's something to think about.
 
Bill1 said:
If you are getting the instrument to take out on hikes and adventures in the wild, electronics will get in the way of the fun.

Electronics... especially a Mi-si where all the parts are inside the uke would be unaffected by most ukulele adventures in the wild.
Short of completely submerging it in water or using it as a boat paddle....

Under the normal care you would give to an ukulele, electronics won't be a hindrance.
It'll only be if for whatever reason you intentionally expose your ukulele to the most extreme situations.

And even then, if you install a PASSIVE pickup, it'll probably work perfectly fine again after drying.
 
I had the opportunity to get the MiSi system for free at a local store when I bought my Farallon, but turned it down. I don't ever expect to need amplification, so I just didn't want something that would eventually need maintenance. And almost as important, I HATE the endpin jacks that the system uses. I just can't ever get a strap to feel secure using one of those.
 
I also consider buying blackbird tenor and i wonder if the hollow neck is strong enough to hold a string tension? Is this ukulele scratch resistant (body and fingerboard) /its east to break if falls?

does anyone own this ukulele for a long time?

1500$ its a lot of money for me, i have to be sure what i purchase :p
 
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I also consider buying blackbird tenor and i wonder if the hollow neck is strong enough to hold a string tension? Is this ukulele scratch resistant/its east to break?

Structurally, hollowing out a tube can make it stronger. There have been no reports of blackbird necks (ukes, not avians) snapping.
 
Structurally, hollowing out a tube can make it stronger. There have been no reports of blackbird necks (ukes, not avians) snapping.


coo :) and what about scratches on the body/fingerboard surface.

I wish to get the answer from sbdy who use the uke for a while.
 
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The neck is carbon fibre. The real question is, are traditional wooden necks durable enough to withstand stribg tensions!
 
coo :) and what about scratches on the body/fingerboard surface.

I wish to get the answer from sbdy who use the uke for a while.

Well I've had my Farallon since the fall of 2016. The body seems free of scratches, BUT my older version is matte, not gloss. For some reason the headboard is gloss, and does show some scratches from restringing. The fretboard is quite hard, and doesn't seem to scratch at all, though it does show fingerprint gunk more than a wood fretboard does. Can't remember if it was glossy or matte originally, but now it just looks sort of dirty matte. And of course the neck has not moved.
 
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