Good evening, what pickup would you recommend for a Greek folk guitar to produce a reasonably satisfactory, natural sound? I imagine that pairing it with the right amplifier also plays a role (I’m thinking of something relatively affordable, as it’s intended for home use at low volume).
First of all, welcome!
There are quite a few older but interesting threads in this section that you may already have read. I’ll summarise a few things here:
TAR makes quality pickups (I suggest you go there and try them), as does K&K, along with some other brands. Also, don’t rule out magnetic pickups; some are designed to produce a natural sound (I personally use a TAR one).
If you go for a piezo crystal pickup, you’ll need to do quite a bit of work with the EQ, so a suitable pedal might help. Be careful with any ready-made presets, as they’ll probably be intended for the sound of an American acoustic guitar rather than a Greek folk guitar.
There are also microphones, either in pickup form, such as the excellent AKG C411, or combined with a piezo or magnetic pickup (Fishman, RM and others). These are intended for use with a mixing desk, of course.
And something related to the DI, which is unfortunately underestimated even though it’s an essential tool. If it’s going to an amplifier, you don’t use a DI. If it’s for a mixing desk, then it’s essential.
As for amplifiers, there are many options, but they must definitely be designed for acoustic instruments so that they don’t colour the sound. There are many options, from inexpensive ones such as Behringer to top-of-the-range models such as AER. You get what you pay for, both in quality and durability. I happened to get my hands on a Trace Acoustic, and I’m very pleased with it.
5 Likes
Hi Niko! We’ve known each other for quite a while, if you remember me… Great, I’ll go and try them out to see what they sound like. And I’ll try to listen to them with relatively cheap amplifiers (like the one I’m planning to buy), so that the result isn’t misleading.
If you go, @Velissarios_K, you could write up the comparison and the results you obtained. It would be important for anyone with the same concerns!
I know you and one other person by that name, got it! Glad we’re chatting here too!
Good evening, unfortunately I don’t have much experience with pickups, so I can’t really help.
I’m wondering, do you play with someone at home? What instrument is it? Are you unhappy with its natural sound/volume? Because a pickup plus a cheap amplifier will probably disappoint you in terms of naturalness, even at low volumes!
Also, pay attention to the type of amplifier you choose; it probably needs to be for an acoustic guitar/instrument.
1 Like