Comments

External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

Hi!
I'm looking an external pick-up for my zouk, but I don't have idea about this.
Do you know which is the best type?
Thanks!
Greetings,
GaliBouz.

# Posted on April 11th 2008 by GaliBouz

Re: External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

I am not an expert here, but most of the guitar pickups won't work, because a lot of them sit under the bridge saddle, and wouldn't fit on the zouk. If it needs to be external, you'll probably have to go with a humbucker style the attaches to the sound hole (assuming you have a round, or oval hole on the zouk).

My zouk has an internal bridge-plate transducer pickup that seems to work pretty well.

# Posted on April 11th 2008 by Reverend

Re: External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

Check out these groups, GaliBouz, There are some experts on either of these sites that might have answers for you as well (besides Reverend, of course :-)). Plus there you'll find anything and everything related to these fun instruments. If you're not a member yet, you should check it out, especially the files section on the cittern list, lots of great and useful stuff there.

Irish Bouzouki List
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/IrishBouzouki/
The Cittern List
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/cittern/

# Posted on April 11th 2008 by MartySmith

Re: External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

Fishman do a few external ones...

# Posted on April 11th 2008 by seaniemcg

Re: External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

It all depends on
a) your budget
b) what effect you are trying for.
I took a Seymour Duncan 'Woody", designed to fit across the soundhole of a guitar, and removed much of the lower part of the wooden flange at each end of the pickup, which enabled me to fit this magnetic pickup into the smaller diameter soundhole of the 'zouk. Thus a magnetic pickup on a 'zouk, easy amplification for ceilidh band dance gigs.
In my not-so-humble opinion you get what you pay for.

# Posted on April 11th 2008 by Guernsey Pete

Re: External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

I have a Headway Snake under saddle pickup which I removed from a guitar. It works really well for OM and bouzouki simply attached to the outside of the body with Blu-tack, in the soundboard/bridge angle. really good sound. Maybe not ideal as a permanent thing as you also need to stick the battery on the side of the instrument. Work equally well with the element Blu-tacked onto the bridgeplate though. Ashworth stick on bugs work really well just stuck onto the end of the bridge, though can be feedback prone in some circumstances.
Keith

# Posted on April 11th 2008 by ocarolan

Re: External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

you can get good results with the little microvox microphone designed for l/h side of melodeons - but you need the belt mounted power unit as well. They are prone to feedback however. If you know a box player who uses one, borrow it and try.

# Posted on April 11th 2008 by millionyears_bc

Re: External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

-try this e-bay link

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BOUZOUKI-OCTAVE-MANDOLIN-CITTERN-MANDOLA-PICKUP-SYSTEM_W0QQitemZ220222731938QQihZ012QQcategoryZ101567QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

# Posted on April 11th 2008 by pencross

Re: External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

EMG pickups makes a Bouzouki pickup that may easily adapted for your needs: http://www.emginc.com/displayproducts.asp?section=Acoustic&categoryid=3&catalogid=66

# Posted on April 12th 2008 by Snakefingers

Re: External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

Interestingly, a friend turned up today with a Lionheart bouzouki, with the fitted 'bug'. Has anyone experience of these ? I was going to offer to refit the 'zouk with a Red Henry-type bridge, but it seems the bug is the bridge saddle, then the cable is threaded through the bridge foot, and a hole in the soundboard ( ! ) to the pre-amp, then on to the strap-button socket. Too much for me to tangle with without a strong drink, and a lot of patience, at least.

# Posted on April 13th 2008 by Guernsey Pete

Re: External bouzouki pick-up, Someone can help me?

Schertler DYN. Look up their site. You did say external pickup.
They stick on wherever you like with special putty and you can
remove after a perfomance. They cost though.

# Posted on April 16th 2008 by chuneboi slim

Not a member yet? Sign up!

forgotten your password?

Frequently Asked Questions

Enter your email address to have your password sent to you.