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Topic: New Fishman Aura System |
Marty Muse
From:
Austin,Tx USA
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Posted 4 Sep 2008 9:14 am |
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| Just thought I would throw in my two cents worth. Like many steel/reso players I have always wrestled with amplifying my dobro in a live situation with a band. Kudos to Paul Beard, Jerry Douglas and Fishman for coming up with a great, EASY solution. I sent my dobro to Beard for the install. They did the install, set it up and had it back to me in a jiffy. I couldn't be happier with it. Thanks guys! |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 4 Sep 2008 10:47 am
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| marty..what was the bill for that whole ordeal? i'd like to have it, but probably can't afford it. |
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Dave Plewa
From:
The Jersey Shore, USA
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Posted 4 Sep 2008 12:32 pm
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Marty, what kind of reso do you have....and did you notice any difference acoustically from the old vs new bridge material? thinking about getting it but still on the fence..
Dave |
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Beard Guitars
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 4 Sep 2008 12:46 pm
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Thanks Marty,
It was a pleasure.
I'll let Marty voice his opinion on the acoustic properties of his guitar.
The cost for the full blown system is $500. We don't charge installation if you buy the entire kit (PUP, Aura Pedal, Adjustable Spider).
It's hard to fathom, but, we've done close to 4 doz installs, including all of the Jerry Douglas guitars.
Demos at www.youtube.com/beardguitars if you haven't seen them.
hp
_________________
Beard Guitars, LLC
21736 Leitersburg Pike
Hagerstown, MD 21742
301-733-8271
pbeardguitars@hotmail.com |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 4 Sep 2008 4:48 pm
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I don't have mine yet in my Clinesmith - but if the money isn't going to kill you, then there's nothing to be on the fence about. This is the cool system!
_________________
Mark |
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Dave Plewa
From:
The Jersey Shore, USA
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Posted 5 Sep 2008 4:47 am
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Hey Mark, Dobro Dave here....I am convinced it is the latest and greatest for plugged in sound..heard Jerry at Grey Fox giving a demo and was quite impressed...my only concern, besides the $$$, is if it will alter my acoustic sound when not plugged in. So I try to hear everyones initial impression when they first get there guitar back....
I saw Jerry's response about the tusk material and greatly value his opinion.....it's just that I had my maple smith setup by Tim Scheerhorn at resosummit and am very very pleased..I'd hate to alter that sound if I just did plug-in gigs once in a while..the c-1000 works well for me, but I sure would like to move around since I do work our sound as well...
...so that's the fence I'm sittin on..and if I had an extra $500 the "gear junkie" in me would probabaly be sending it off to Beard as we speak..
happy pickin'
Dave  |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 5 Sep 2008 6:21 am
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Dave, you may have missed the comment by Jerry on his forum that he recorded the new album with his Beards that have the Fishman pickup with the Tusq material, going into studio microphones.
Many of us weekend warrior types are justifiably concerned about our sound quality on high end resos, but who is more concerned about that sort of thing than Jerry Douglas?
_________________
Mark |
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Dave Plewa
From:
The Jersey Shore, USA
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Posted 5 Sep 2008 6:37 am
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..indeed...point taken....
but then again Jerry could make steel string sctreched across a fence post sound great... |
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Tom Middleton
From:
Austin, Texas, USA (deceased)
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Posted 5 Sep 2008 6:47 am
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Marty,
That's good to hear. On what brand dobro did you have the installation? Paul Beard runs a great operation. |
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Marty Muse
From:
Austin,Tx USA
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Posted 5 Sep 2008 6:50 am
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Dave-
The guitar I had the system installed in is a Beard Gold Tone Mahogany. I really only play it plugged in. I do practice with it acoustically and it still retains the tonal qualities it had before I sent it in; but, I had this installed to do a very specific thing. To amplify a reso in the context of a band and have it sound and feel like you are playing a resonator guitar. I think it is a tremendous success in filling this need. Whether or not it detracts from a really fine instrument's acoustic tonal characteristics is something I can't really say.
I am primarily a pedal steel player. I play reso on very little of the material I play on the road (w/Robert Earl Keen). That is the biggest reason I really needed something simple that would work. I had tried different solutions that were simple and the results were very unsatisfying. I would think if you're not really having a problem with amplification and are pleased with your sound, then this might not be for you. If you are struggling with feedback and tone it might be the best $500 you could spend. They did a great job on the setup as well as the pickup installation. Again, thanks to Paul, Howard et al. |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 5 Sep 2008 6:55 am
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Marty, I'll be looking forward to seeing you guys again this year at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco - and since the festival does lean toward bluegrass - hopefully you will utilize that plugged in Gold Tone Beard for a few tunes!
_________________
Mark |
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Marty Muse
From:
Austin,Tx USA
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Posted 5 Sep 2008 8:45 am
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Mark-
Won't be bringing the dobro (or much else) to the HSBF this year. I think we are flying in and out for the show, which means back line gear and all. Come and say hey if you get a chance. |
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Kevin Brown
From:
England
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Posted 5 Sep 2008 12:51 pm
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| Is this aura system the answer to my prayers re amplifying my biscuit bridge resonator also ? has any tried it on a single cone biscuit bridge instrument |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 5 Sep 2008 5:16 pm
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Marty, I'll try to give you a holler before or after your set - I'll be out in the crowd with the rest of the "unwashed masses."
Too bad you guys are doing the quick out-and-back and you can't bring the full complement of gear.
Almost as good as your band's music is the wit of Robert Earl himself - he gets me chucklin' every time!
Kevin, provided the pickup unit itself can be mounted on the biscuit, it would seem to me that it could make sense for a biscuit bridge reso, but that sounds more like a question for Howard Parker, or for Paul Beard himself. On the Beard spider they actually have screws to hold the bridge firmly in place - a first for spider bridge resonator guitars.
The weird thing might be that the cone on your guitar is inverted in the other direction, whereas a spider bridge dobro cone is concave, with a rise in the middles.
If you haven't seen it, here is a link to a photo on the Fishman site of the actual pickup element integrated into the two-piece bridge:
http://www.fishman.com/products/details.asp?id=98
_________________
Mark |
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Beard Guitars
From:
Maryland, USA
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Posted 6 Sep 2008 5:57 am
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| Quote: |
| Is this aura system the answer to my prayers re amplifying my biscuit bridge resonator also ? |
hmmm.
I don't think so.
The real key to the resistance to feedback is the under the saddle implementation of the pickup element. It is specific to a spider bridge insert. There's no way to adapt that insert to a biscuit bridge. Fishman would have to experiment with a biscuit/pickup integrated assembly.
The Aura imaging pedal is also specific to spider bridge resonator systems. In this case Jerry recorded all the mic images at Bill VornDick's studio. Fishman then massaged them with their super secret sauce  and programmed the pedal. FWIW I played a lap steel through the pedal and it "sorta" sounded like a spider bridge resonator guitar. I would not spend my money on that application.
I've tried the pedal with other pickups. The results were less than satisfying.
Also (and I digress slightly), I've seen a non-trivial number of "self installs" that have just hosed the pickup. That includes several that had a guitar tech do the install. Caveat emptor.
Back to your normal programming. |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 6 Sep 2008 8:26 am
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Well, it was worth a shot (about the biscuit bridge) but it did seem like it would be a stretch, and as Howard pointed out, it would be a big stretch.
And as he also pointed out, there have been a number of episodes of improper installation attempts by garage tinkerers and general professional luthiers who don't have much reso knowledge. Over on the Reso-Nation site a few fellas have told horror stories that have turned into very costly ventures to go back and get it done right.
Kids, don't try this at home!
Marty won't be bringing his Goldtone to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass with Robert Earl Keen next month, but Jerry Douglas will be there with his band during the mellower, much less crowded Friday session in Golden Gate Park, so I'll get to see him use the system up close again.
_________________
Mark |
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Marty Muse
From:
Austin,Tx USA
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Posted 6 Sep 2008 10:48 am
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| Sorry I'm going to miss that. What a great music festival. Perhaps as close to perfect as it gets. (For me anyway) |
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