Miking a Resophonic Guitar

Ron Thompson · From: Bridgeton, N.J. USA

I am the only instrument in our group that is not amplified with obvious results. I don't want to put anything permanent on my resophonic guitar so I am considering using a mike. Has anyone successfully done this ? If so what equipment did you use. Please keep it simple because this is all new to me.

Thanks for your help

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

How loud do you need to be? Are you keeping up with drums (and are the drums miked as well)? And what is your budget? All of these questions are important in figuring out what will be the best reply to your question.

Googling the term "mic a dobro" gives 624,000 results. You'll probably get that many opinions, but the current consensus seems to be that the Fishman/Beard Jerry Douglas pickup and Aura pedal give the best results.

I use a Shure SM57 through a PA system or switch to lap steel if I need to be loud.
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Tom Wolverton · From: Carpinteria, CA

I play in a pretty loud band with drums and bass. After going the whole Fishman JD/Aura route with my reso guitar (even using a LoudBox 100), I finally gave up and bought a Marrs "Catcan". Not the best tone in the world, but no more feedback problems.
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chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

so you're saying even the most expensive state of the art technology (fishman/aura + big $ install)still doesn't cut it for dobro in an electrified band?

Bill McCloskey · Posted 23 Jun 2010 10:08 am

Bob Brozman used to have a good tutorial on micing a reso on his site somewhere.

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

http://www.bobbrozman.com/soundhints.html is the link to Bob Brozman's tips for National resophonic guitarists.

Tom Wolverton · From: Carpinteria, CA

What can I say? Small stage, loud drummer, loud bass. I *wish* they would turn down, but, at present, it is my reality. The bass notes seem to couple up with the dobro cone. Maybe I should try putting tape over all the holes in the cover plate and covering up the screen holes. That might help. I'd rather use the Aura for sure than the Catcan. And of course, every room and stage is a bit different. Yes, I've poured a lot of money into this problem and have been fairly disappointed.

Of course, best of all, a mic with an all acoustic band is heaven !
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Mike Neer · From: NJ

Tom, have you ever looked into using plexiglass sheeting as a barrier? It might be something to consider, whether it's putting one in front of the drummer, or one behind you.
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seldomfed · From: Colorado

I've heard good things about K K pickups for guitar - perhaps their reso products are as good,

http://www.kksound.com/pureresonatorbb.html
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Tom Wolverton · From: Carpinteria, CA

...or maybe put plexiglass slivers under the drummer's fingernails so he can't hit so hard. : )

I'd love to try that, but some of these festivals we play at...it's like guerilla warfare getting on the stage and setting up in 5 or 10 min. Not much time to EQ or put up a barrier, let alone relax and get in a groove for the first tune. If you can do it, a mic on a dobro is so much easier - if it doesn't feedback.
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Robbie Daniels · From: Casper, Wyoming, USA

I have a Reso Dobro type with built in pickup and volume-tone controls like acoustic guitar models. Works great for me. I play through an acoustic amp with xlr connection to PA board at a moderate volume and everybody can hear, audience and band members.
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Tom Wolverton · From: Carpinteria, CA

This high stage vol problem is a real pain in the culo. I'd love to get a Weissenborn type sound in this environment, but gave up on that too. I'm wondering if getting a Godin A6 and raising up the strings would work.
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rodger_mcbride · From: Minnesota

Seriously, stuff some rags into the soundholes and use the Fishman Nashville spider PU with the Aura pedal into a DI to the board. Also possibly split another out into a monitor amp on stage or use in ear monitors. Good notch filters can help. Seems to be the bass and drum set that offers the most resonant feedback. Digital drumsets don't seem to move as much air and seem to offer less feedback. Finding a sweet spot away from the bass and drums and between stage monitors helps. Works for me at very loud stage volumes.
rodger

Jim Bates · From: Alvin, Texas, USA

If the stage is big or wide, I always get good results using a condensor mike (AKG c1000s) AND keeping away from the monitor, or having it turned down on my mike.

On a small stage with very loud music - FORGET IT!

Thanx,
Jim

Bob Knetzger · From: Kirkland, WA USA

Digging back on an old thread..made me wonder.

How much does the Douglass Aura pedal and Nashville bridge saddle pick up combination ADD to the sound?

I get how it's designed to do many, many bands of EQing and tries to make up the difference between the pickup signal and the modeled sound images. Can it also make a given instrument sound different/better than it does acoustically? The Aura is not triggering a sound, just coloring, so it can't add string sustain, envelope shaping, etc. but can it dramatically change the final tonal quality?

I've seen the video of players demoing how the pickup installed in really good dobro can still sound good acoustically AND also get a good amplified dobro sound.

What about putting the pickup in something that isn't already great sounding acoustically--what does the Aura do to that? Saw the listing at Elderly for a Beard Road-O-phonic with a Fishman and Aura--how does that sound amplified?

I'd even consider putting a Fishman pickup and Aura pedal on a Marrs CatCan for a plug-and-play solution to loud, little-or-no-sound-check bar band setting gigs. Looking for all three at once: dobro sound, loud, no feedback. (You usually can get only any two of the three...)

Anybody ever try this?

Steve Lipsey · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

the Lace Sensor reso pickups aren't the most accurate, but they sure are easy to use....non-marring doublestick tape, movable to wherever you get the best tone, removable when you don't need it
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Bob Watson · From: Champaign, Illinois, U.S.

Gold Tone makes a mic for Banjo and Resonator Guitars that clips onto the instrument and comes with a stomp box gizmo that you can click on and get 20% more volume for solos. The mic is styled after an SM 57 and supposedly doesn't feed back as bad as a regular mic. I haven't tried one but I've seen a friend of mine use one with a bluegrass band and it sounded good. I'm not sure how loud it gets without feeding back, but it looks like an interesting alternative. I would be curious to hear from anyone who has used one of these. Here is a link..

http://www.goldtone.com/products/details/w/instrument/453/abs-Banjo-Resonator-Guitar-Microphone-System

Jouni Karvonen · From: Helsinki, Finland

Inspired by the Gold Tone system I attached a padded 80´s Sennheiser drum/amp/etc mike against the coverplate with a cabletie. I drive it thru a volume pedal to a guitar amp or PA system, and sounds very acoustic, also on my spider reso.

Howard Parker · From: Maryland

I'm surprised to hear of a high volume application where the Fishman system didn't work well. I've witnessed the Jerry Douglas Band play at ridiculous levels without issues. Personally, I play at levels that require hearing protection and I do use a Fishman Loudbox on stage as a personal monitor. I've not had issues but may have a couple of recommendations.

I do have an EQ/DI in my chain as a safety valve. I've really never had to use it for feedback control. It may be useful in your situation. Also, Jerry told me that is rare cases he's found it helpful to turn the "Blend" control down on the imaging pedal. I do suspect (don't know for sure) that certain images may be more/less feedback resistant. I've never been in a venue where I've had to make wholesale changes to my typical settings.

Hope this helps.

h
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Howard Parker · From: Maryland

FWIW

h

Greg Booth · From: Anchorage, AK, USA

Cool Howard, thanks for posting that pic. For many years I've lived a kind of musical double life, a full time working PSG player and a touring dobro and banjo player in a bluegrass band but not really mixing the two. Recently I've been adding the Aura equipped dobro to my steel gigs and I need to build a pedal board similar to yours. Like you so far I've been able to play as loud as I need to with the Fishman Aura pickup and pedal. I'm curious, do you stand to play dobro, or stay seated behind your steel? Sometimes when I get the urge I'll switch and grab the dobro mid song but people can't really see what I'm playing unless I stand up. We recently worked up my Wichita Lineman arrangement where I play both and it gets a bit awkward making the switch!
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Mark Eaton · Posted 2 May 2012 9:08 am

You guys comment on the volume thing not being a problem with the Aura and it really shouldn't be if it's all done correctly and it's a shame that Tom Wolverton has had such issues.

They will be going back out again later this year after Alison Krauss & Union Station is through most of their touring; that will be the dobro and standup lap steel "power trio" of Jerry Douglas, Viktor krauss on bass (Alison's brother), and one of the most amazing drummers in the world, Omar Hakim. Jerry has a new solo album releasing in June.

I saw them two years ago at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, and that New York journalist whom a number of years ago called Jerry "the Jimi Hendrix of the dobro" was more on the money than he even realized.

These guys were loud with Jerry running through the Aura on the resonator and a very elaborate pedal board. Omar Hakim was at times insane on the drums and there were zero problems for Jerry.
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Howard Parker · From: Maryland

Hey Greg,

I don't do a lot of dobro/steel gigs. On those occasions when I do I go old school and stand. I add an A/B switch bypassing what I don't need on the board. It's awkward and I never found a solution that pleased me. I also refused to carry 2 amps and played the dobro through the steel amp with results that were mediocre to my ear.

Mark, I remember seeing the JD band with Guthrie Trapp on tele and of course Jerry was matching him note for note. I was thinking "yeah" I should do that. I also saw Cindy Cashdollar use a similar rig when she was touring with Dave Alvin and The Guilty Woman. Yeah buddy!!

h

Terry Sneed · From: Arkansas,

From suggestions on the Reso-nation forum, I tried a Beta 57a and purty much like the tone I get with it.
I play with two different Gospel groups, one that has lead guitar, bass, piano, steel/dobro and drums.
I get plenty of volume with my mic without feedback, and the drummer plays LOUD!
The other group has two acoustic guitars, bass, mandolin and my Dobro. I'm the only one not plugged in. I have to admit, it's not the tone I want to hear for my Dobro, but it's not bad.
terry

Philip Tamarkin · From: California, USA

K&K Golden Bullet works for me - attaches with a piece of Velcro. I had the chance to play with an Aura system last week - very impressive sound when amplified, but underwhelming when played unplugged. If I had need (or talent) to play amplified on a regular basis, I'd dedicate one reso to the Aura - meanwhile, the K&K does everything I need it to do. YMMV...

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