Octave Mandolin, Bouzouki, Mandola: Electric Pick-Up Systems & Installation

Sep 26, 2009, at 6:13 AM

Your Name: Mary K.
Subject: Trinity College TM-325 Octave Mandolin

Message: Hi! Can you please tell me if the Trinity College TM-325 has a flat or radiused fingerboard/fretboard?

Also, which external pickup with transducer works best?

fyi- Your mandolin video is great!! I'm a beginner and learning so much from it! thanks!!

thank you so much!!

Mary K.

Hi Mary,

Sorry I haven't been able to get back to your e-mail sooner.

No ... the TM-325 does not have a radiused fingerboard ... I remember these as having flat fingerboards unless there were some recent changes made in their manufacturing. I don't have one here to confirm this for you.

If you're looking for a good pick-up system for the Trinity College, you might want to research further. We used a variety of piezo/transducers and with mixed results. It seemed to me that the type of adhesive used and the placement was as critical as the brand of pick-up choice. I've had good results with the Fishman and especially like the Aura System. My suggestion would be to make sure you purchase a preamp with the pick-up installation so that you have a Graphic EQ to adjust for the best possible tonal range.

Thanks so much for the kind words regarding my mando DVD. And, let me know if I can ever answer any questions during your learning journey.

All my best,

Mickey Cochran

Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:59:23 -0700
Subject: Re: a quick tech question

Hello! I have a quick question for you, or, rather, for the people who install the McIntyre Feather transducers in the instruments that you sell. I own a Trinity College octave mandolin and recently bought a McIntyre Feather directly from the the people who make them in North Carolina. I'm halfway through the installation process, and only now (of course!) do I realize that the Trinity College TM-325 has a brace exactly where the Feather is supposed to go! Argh! Anyway, I was wondering where your tech people position the Feather on the TM-325, given that they can't put it directly behind and parallel to the bridge as the people at McIntyre recommend. Thanks for your time and your help! Happy Holidays and much success in 2009!
- Geoff Bennett S., Richmond, VA

This is kind of tricky ... since you have a brace coming out directly from the center of the bridge.

Your choices would be to place the McIntyre Feather on the bass or on the treble side. I personally like to mount on the bass side. My suggestion would be to use some temporary double-sided tape or putty and place the feather at different points until you've found the exact sweet spot that works for you. For ease of experimenting, you could do this on the top and then move it to the inside once you've decided. I like more bass than treble whenever I play electrically ...

You might also consult with McIntyre to gain their opinion.

All my best,

Mickey Cochran

Folk of the Wood
Mystic West Products
Acoustic Music Instruction
PO Box 2810
Alto, New Mexico 88312

http://www.folkofthewood.com

http://www.mysticwestproducts.com

Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:34:29 -0600 (CST)
Subject: Re: Re: a quick tech question

Mickey -

Thanks so much for your time and your thoughtful reply, I really appreciate it. I was kind of afraid that it was all going to boil down to a A-or-B decision like this. I've called McIntyre but haven't heard back from them yet; I'm sure they're just as busy as everybody else right now. I may err on the treble side, actually; I use my octave mando in place of a Macedonian tambura, Bulgarian tambura and Greeek bouzouki, so I'm playing on the treble side of my neck a lot more than the bass side. Still, it kinda sucks to have to choose; for something three times the price of a K&K TwinSpot, I was kinda hoping for a one-size-fits-all solution (yeah, right! ha ha). Still, I'll experiment and see what ultimately works out the best. Thanks again for your help. Happy 2009!

- Geoff

Subject: PU's for Octave.
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 22:51:26 -0300

Hello again,
I ed you earlier asking about pickups before I read your
FAQ"s. I see that you have been recommending the Shadow. Is there a model
# for that pickup to help me research it a little further? Where exactly
is this installed,, is it under the bridge??? Also if you have any other
suggestions on PU's it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again,
Stewart

Yes, we used to recommend the Shadow...and it's still a solid piezo that seems to give a decent response. However, since McIntyre has introduced the Feather, we've almost exclusively install these on all Octaves.

We install these under the top at the treble side of the bridge.

Hope this helps...FOTW

Subject: Octave Mandolin pickup???
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 17:19:54 -0300

Hello,
I am currently interested in purchasing an octave mandolin (Sage1) and I'm
in the predicament of how to amplify this baby. Have you any suggestions of
what might be best? I am certainly far from a pro player but I like to
have good gear when I do play. In my acoustic guitars, I use the Fishman
Matrix in my Larrivee C10 and I use a Highlander PU in my Taylor 510c and
they sound great although I do prefer the sound of the fishman, it seems to
have more output. I'd like to get similar sound reproduction in the octave
mandolin if possible. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. By the
way, you have a great site.
Many thanks,
Stewart MacDonald

Greetings Stewart,

Now that's an infamous name!

I used to buy from StewMac quite often...and my luthiers still do in fact...

My suggestion would be to go with the factory installed McIntyre Feather Pick-Up (we also install these in-house)...as Weber builds your Sage1. Most of the sound manipulation would be dependent on the pre-amp and type of amplification after that...the McIntyre Feather does a great job of picking up the acoustic timbre of the instrument...the weakest link after that would be how you mold your sound by the sound reinforcement equipment you'll be using.

If you're on the Atlantic side of Canada, you probably have seen your share of Celtic music happenings...we're in the process of starting a label and have 10 Celtic bands out of Canada signing on...

I hope I've been of some help to you...best of luck with your future research efforts...

Mickey

Subject: Best mandolin value for $1200
Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 09:44:13 -0700

I just bought a 1994 Taylor guitar model 712 with an after market
(excellent) pickup and just sold my Washburn 1982 M-1S-N mandolin with a
Fishman saddle pickup.
I'd like to replace the sold mando for something in the $1200 range.
Do I get an A or F style? What's the difference?
I want a USA made company.
I want it to have a pickup (or can I add a saddle pickup like the Fishman)?
The Fishman saddle pickup actually replaced the original saddle and had a
wire from the saddle to the input (which attached to the main body strap
peg). So the pickup did not affect the inner workings of the body's
acoustics.
Do they still make pickups like this and is the purists choice for going
electric?
I want a full rather than bright sound.

Greetings,

I believe in the price range you're looking, you'll find that you get more for the money in an A model...

The differences between the F and A can be fairly extensive...mainly, two critical factors you're looking at are bracing and the style of music you hope to pursue with your new mandolin.

In the 1200.00 range, you have some very nice domestic mandos available...your main choices would be either the Weber Hyalite or the Breedlove Quartz KF or OF models...

All of these are archtop F soundhole mandos that offer versatility, excellent craftsmanship and a tremendous tone...

For F models, you would be limited to import models...there isn't a domestically made F model that falls in at 1200.00 or less...

I would recommend the the Fishman transducer...or, especially the new McIntyre Feather pick-up designed specifically for mandolin...these are only 149.00 Installed.

I believe we can also offer the Fishman Saddle pick-ups if that's what you would prefer; haven't seen one in quite awhile though...we highly recommend the pick-up to be installed with a permanent jack on the end pin...

For a full sound, you would want to run a pre-amp between the pick-up and the amp/PA...this will reinforce the feed and add to the capability to further manipulate the tone and volume. We have a clip-on belt version made by Fishman available...

Hope the above helps somehow...Mickey