The Session >> Discussions >> Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
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Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I'm thinking of buying the LR BAGGS violin bridge pick up, does anyone know if it has a nice warm sound and if it pick's up any bow noise?
I’m also interested in 'The Band' from Headway as that has good reviews and is supposed to sound very warm without bow noise.
I'm currently using a PZM microphone and it sounds lovely, the only problem is it's prone to feedback in certain venues!! If I had the LR Baggs fitted I could combine the 2 signals together, (mic and pick up) but then I'd probably need 2 pre amps also.
I’d appreciate any comments from people with experience of either The Band by Headway or LR Baggs pick ups.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I am convinced that there will NEVER be a pickup for acoustic instruments that sounds completely natural, or beats a mic, be it fiddle, guitar, or whatever. Then there are PZM mics like you're talking about, which sound great, but will feedback if you are standing near a monitor. I am assuming that must be the case. Do you need mobility? I ask because the best sound option you have is a mic on a stand, preferrably a small diaphragm condenser directed away from any monitors, but even then there is a small risk of feedback if you're really juicing the gain.
So there's my snobby response regarding mics. I can't help it, as I avoid pickups to the best of my ability. However, I understand that sometimes you just can't avoid it. LR Baggs is about as good as you're going to get, but I've never heard of 'The Band' so I can't comment on those.
I have some pro-audio experience, but I'm no expert, so there may be a professional engineer who knows better.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I use the Baggs bridge and Paracoustic DI box and have found it to be pretty good solution as a pickup interms of sound reproduction and cost. Don't know about 'the Band' never having even heard about it...
At the end of the day being able to compare the two side by side so you can hear what they sound like is the ideal answer - after all why does one fiddle sound better than another? It's subjective and I've found that to be the same for pickups. How many times have you seen reviews saying 'the best, most natural sound ever'? It's a minefield of conflicting claims and hype. FWIW I'd say go listen and then talk before you shell out your hard earned cash.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
If you want it to sound like a violin a good stand mike is certainly the best option. Next best is an instrument mounted mic like the DPA4099.
If you must use a transducer pickup, the sound it meaningless to say 'this one is warm', or 'that one is bright' - it's going to sound like whatever you dial into the EQ.
Bow noise is less of an issue with any transducer than it is with a mic. The Baggs bridge transducer has the advantage that is it is visually unobtrusive, but it is as feedback prone as an instrument mic, and needs to be fitted by a luthier.
The band isn't just a pickup, it is also an acoustic baffle, which blocks off most of the F holes, and damps the plates. This greatly reduces feedback, but also stifles the acoustic sound of the instrument.
Personally I'd rather spend a bit of time sorting out the monitors to eliminate feedback than play on stage with an inner-tube wrapped round my fiddle.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Both fiddlers in the ceilidh band in which I play use Headway "Band" pickups. The sound through a decent PA is certainly very good with no feedback problems so far. Not quite as natural as a good mike, but easier in a band context. Occasionally there can be some distortion when first set up, especially on the lower two strings, if the "Band" is incorrectly placed and/or too loosely attached.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I haven't tried any of the ones mentioned but want to chime in anyway...
I had a pickup on my old fiddle but when I bought the one I play now (a little more than a year ago) I wanted to get something that wasn't permanently fixed to the instrument (or rather to the bridge). I also wanted to get something that sounded better, so I got an Audio Technica ATM-350.
It does require some monitor fiddling (hehe) to avoid feedback but I've used it together with electrical guitars and drums without problems - and the sound is amazing. It just amplified, not changed as it is with a pickup.
I do feel that with the right pickup and the right speaker you can get a quite nice sound (my old pickup sounded great when played through a guitar amp) but the only way to get a really great fiddle sound is with a microphone.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Thanks to everyone for you comments, very helpfull.
I wonder if the PZM is more prone to feedback than the Audio Technica ATM-350? This would be a great option as I could use it on both my violins.
I do have a feeling I may be unhappy with the sound of any pick up, I think you are right about hearing them before I buy one.
I'm not that good at playing into a mic on a stand unfortunately, but that might be an option (can't stay still enough)! I could look into small diaphram condenser mics, any idea how much a suitable one would cost, or what make and model to go for?
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
i play in a band with two fiddlers - both have the baggs. it sounds good to my ears on one, and not the other. both get good sounds when they blend a mic with the pickup.
i once bought a baggs blend system for a mandola on the strength of hearing it in another instrument, and it sounded awful in mine. i also bought a rare earth banjo pickup which is perfectly fine, but has been outdone by a shure mic cable tied to the inside of the instrument.
it's a very subjective thing, and pickups respond differently to different instruments - you need to try them out, and if, like me, you're nowhere near a shop, you need to bite the bullet and expect to spend a bit of money buying, trying, selling ...
one final point about the baggs system - both fiddles in the band sound a hell of a lot better when fed through the baggs para di preamp thingummy - i'd definitely recommend factoring something like that into your budget as well. only trouble is, headway do one too, so you'll need to start another thread asking which of those to get as well : )
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Schatten bridge pick up and a fishman's preamp, good enough to get other fiddlers coming up to us and asking what we are using. Sounds very like the fiddle unplugged.
Howling feedback doesn't sound too good either, and its horrible playing in loud venues with the possibility of feedback lurking in the atmosphere.....
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
If you are happy with the sound of your current pickup, why change it just to get rid of feedback? An amplified acoustic violin will always be prone to feedback - the sound is picked up by the instrument body, not the pickup or mic, the only way to stop it is to stop the instrument body vibrating - either by using an electric fiddle, or a compromise like the band, which 'deadens' the instrument.
But feedback is a loop system: instrument to pickup to amp to speaker to air to instrument - if you break the loop anywhere you kill the feedback. Any half decent sound engineer can do it at the desk by fiddling with the speaker phasing, and possibly adding a microdelay. But if you haven't got that, then the surest way to avoid feedback is to not send the amplified sound back at the instrument. Stick with your current pickup and spend your money on an in-ear monitor.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I think "The Band" sounds pretty good, but does have that characteristic transducer sound to some extent. EQ helps.
I have an ATM350 which does give a lovely sound but feedback can be an issue. I had a DPA 4099 for review a while back. The sound was superb, noticeably better than the ATM350, but at a much higher price. The DPA would be nice enough for recording, I think, but for real world gigs the ATM is fine.
Both the ATM and DPA need phantom power so you have to factor in the cost of a preamp etc if you're not plugging into a desk that does phantom power.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
skreech is dead on. I don't know why I didn't think of the in-ear monitor. A small diaphragm condenser, combined with an in-ear monitor will do the trick and the sound will be perfect. Keep in mind that a small diaphragm condonser is a cigar-shaped mic that will pick up great detail in a narrow pattern, so it's very directional. They are commonly used for choirs. You will have to be restricted to an area, but since they pick up some distance you wouldn't have to be right up on the mic.
Condenser mics have flooded the market over the past ten years and you can get a decent one and not spend much. You don't need a studio-quality mic for your purposes, so one under $200 will suffice, but you may need to purchase a phantom power supply. Condensers require their own power source and not all boards/mixers/desks provide it. Most do, but older ones may not. That's maybe another $50. Just stay away from Nady mics, as they are made from the cheapest stuff on earth. Marshall MXL mics are decent and will stay in that $100-$200 mark, but feel free to spend more if you want. Shure, Audio Technica, Sterling, Rode, these are all good.
As for in-ear monitors, you will not regret the switch. Quality of sound will accompany price here, and may run you more than the mic. Shure and Sennheiser both make excellent models. I would say you may consider Nady in this case because it will serve the purpose but will not sound as good as the former two.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
but you will have to stand still, in front of the mic, and buy everybody else in the band in ear monitors too...unless you turn the fiddle off in their foldback speakers.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I have been using the LR Baggs for years, and haven't had any problems. The key is to use a good preamp with whatever pickup you decide to use. Most PA systems or amps will make the instrument sound thin if you don't, and turning them up will only distort that nice acoustic sound.
If you want to be mobile, you can also look into the X2 digital wireless (but use it with your preamp as well).
On another note: bow noise. This problem is usually do to one of the following, in my experience:
1. You may be using too much gain, either on your preamp, through the PA system or monitor systems. Turn it down.
2. You have an imbalance in your treble or bass.
3. You have a really, really sensitive pickup or mic, which is awesome, but will pick up just about everything. If you are playing solo, turn the volume down and the gain down. If you are in a band, they'll all normally drown you out anyway, so it will bleed into the background and no worries.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Thanks everyone, for your help, I will consider all options.
At present I feed the PZM mic (which is strapped to my violin mounted on a strip of leather!) into a Art Tube mic pre amp then out into a small Behringer mixer for eq /fx and then out into a Yamaha Stagepas 500 pa.
The Stagepas doesn't have a very flexible mixing system unfortunately, so I couldn't stop the violin going to monitor and have it coming out of the speakers. I usually point the monitor away from me, towards everyone else to limit feedback, but in one venue I played a couple of months ago I had feedback with the monitor off and the speakers well out in front and I couldn't get the mic loud enough to hear what I was playing.
I do have a cheap electric violin, but that sounds very harsh plugged in.
Do you think the Art Tube mic pre amp would work with the LR Baggs or the Headway?
I think you are right about it being a very subjective thing.
I may well have to buy a couple more pick ups / mics so I can try them out with my violin / pa etc. I do live a long way from any shops that sell this type of specialized violin pick up / mic equipment unfortunately.
In one band I play in the fiddler has a Headway Band, it's seems to be a pretty good natural sound and has the advantage on needing no attachments or alterations to your fiddle. Most pro guys here in Scotland use Skyinbow and are very happy with it. More importantly that's what top engineers want fiddlers to use here. Fishman - oh no, oh no, oh no unless you like lots of bow noise and rolling off half the frequencies.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Thanks everyone for your posts.
It now looks to be between:
The Band
The Read Instruments Microphone Fiddle Pro
and The Skyinbow pick up.
I do have 2 acoustic violins and would like to be able to transfer it from 1 instrument to the other, will read up on the Skyinbow pick up though as that sounds interesting.
When I can afford it I may well get a Bridge electric violin.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
The Skyinbow has a wee bug that fits in the bridge so no use if you want to transfer from fiddle to fiddle. The band would be a sensible choice for that purpose.
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
yes in my opinion they have a more natural sound than the baggs , i didnt have to pay import duty but i can never figure out these charges from the US as i got a mandolin pickup last week and did have to pay
Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I'm thinking of buying the LR BAGGS violin bridge pick up, does anyone know if it has a nice warm sound and if it pick's up any bow noise?
I’m also interested in 'The Band' from Headway as that has good reviews and is supposed to sound very warm without bow noise.
I'm currently using a PZM microphone and it sounds lovely, the only problem is it's prone to feedback in certain venues!! If I had the LR Baggs fitted I could combine the 2 signals together, (mic and pick up) but then I'd probably need 2 pre amps also.
I’d appreciate any comments from people with experience of either The Band by Headway or LR Baggs pick ups.
Many thanks
# Posted on October 13th 2009 by WENDYEB
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I am convinced that there will NEVER be a pickup for acoustic instruments that sounds completely natural, or beats a mic, be it fiddle, guitar, or whatever. Then there are PZM mics like you're talking about, which sound great, but will feedback if you are standing near a monitor. I am assuming that must be the case. Do you need mobility? I ask because the best sound option you have is a mic on a stand, preferrably a small diaphragm condenser directed away from any monitors, but even then there is a small risk of feedback if you're really juicing the gain.
So there's my snobby response regarding mics. I can't help it, as I avoid pickups to the best of my ability. However, I understand that sometimes you just can't avoid it. LR Baggs is about as good as you're going to get, but I've never heard of 'The Band' so I can't comment on those.
I have some pro-audio experience, but I'm no expert, so there may be a professional engineer who knows better.
# Posted on October 13th 2009 by Jimmy B
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
A friend of mine has "The Band" - sounds really natural, almost the same as his fiddle sounds acoustically.
# Posted on October 13th 2009 by camwebby
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I use the Baggs bridge and Paracoustic DI box and have found it to be pretty good solution as a pickup interms of sound reproduction and cost. Don't know about 'the Band' never having even heard about it...
At the end of the day being able to compare the two side by side so you can hear what they sound like is the ideal answer - after all why does one fiddle sound better than another? It's subjective and I've found that to be the same for pickups. How many times have you seen reviews saying 'the best, most natural sound ever'? It's a minefield of conflicting claims and hype. FWIW I'd say go listen and then talk before you shell out your hard earned cash.
# Posted on October 13th 2009 by john knoss
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
If you want it to sound like a violin a good stand mike is certainly the best option. Next best is an instrument mounted mic like the DPA4099.
If you must use a transducer pickup, the sound it meaningless to say 'this one is warm', or 'that one is bright' - it's going to sound like whatever you dial into the EQ.
Bow noise is less of an issue with any transducer than it is with a mic. The Baggs bridge transducer has the advantage that is it is visually unobtrusive, but it is as feedback prone as an instrument mic, and needs to be fitted by a luthier.
The band isn't just a pickup, it is also an acoustic baffle, which blocks off most of the F holes, and damps the plates. This greatly reduces feedback, but also stifles the acoustic sound of the instrument.
Personally I'd rather spend a bit of time sorting out the monitors to eliminate feedback than play on stage with an inner-tube wrapped round my fiddle.
# Posted on October 13th 2009 by skreech
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Both fiddlers in the ceilidh band in which I play use Headway "Band" pickups. The sound through a decent PA is certainly very good with no feedback problems so far. Not quite as natural as a good mike, but easier in a band context. Occasionally there can be some distortion when first set up, especially on the lower two strings, if the "Band" is incorrectly placed and/or too loosely attached.
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by ocarolan
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Neither. Even the best fiddle pickups sound awful.
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by mcdevincabe
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I haven't tried any of the ones mentioned but want to chime in anyway...
I had a pickup on my old fiddle but when I bought the one I play now (a little more than a year ago) I wanted to get something that wasn't permanently fixed to the instrument (or rather to the bridge). I also wanted to get something that sounded better, so I got an Audio Technica ATM-350.
http://eu.audio-technica.com/en/products/product.asp?catID=3&subID=22&prodID=1496
It does require some monitor fiddling (hehe) to avoid feedback but I've used it together with electrical guitars and drums without problems - and the sound is amazing. It just amplified, not changed as it is with a pickup.
I do feel that with the right pickup and the right speaker you can get a quite nice sound (my old pickup sounded great when played through a guitar amp) but the only way to get a really great fiddle sound is with a microphone.
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by Pontus Adefjord
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Thanks to everyone for you comments, very helpfull.
I wonder if the PZM is more prone to feedback than the Audio Technica ATM-350? This would be a great option as I could use it on both my violins.
I do have a feeling I may be unhappy with the sound of any pick up, I think you are right about hearing them before I buy one.
I'm not that good at playing into a mic on a stand unfortunately, but that might be an option (can't stay still enough)! I could look into small diaphram condenser mics, any idea how much a suitable one would cost, or what make and model to go for?
Thanks again
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by WENDYEB
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
i play in a band with two fiddlers - both have the baggs. it sounds good to my ears on one, and not the other. both get good sounds when they blend a mic with the pickup.
i once bought a baggs blend system for a mandola on the strength of hearing it in another instrument, and it sounded awful in mine. i also bought a rare earth banjo pickup which is perfectly fine, but has been outdone by a shure mic cable tied to the inside of the instrument.
it's a very subjective thing, and pickups respond differently to different instruments - you need to try them out, and if, like me, you're nowhere near a shop, you need to bite the bullet and expect to spend a bit of money buying, trying, selling ...
one final point about the baggs system - both fiddles in the band sound a hell of a lot better when fed through the baggs para di preamp thingummy - i'd definitely recommend factoring something like that into your budget as well. only trouble is, headway do one too, so you'll need to start another thread asking which of those to get as well : )
good luck
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by saltybrian
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Schatten bridge pick up and a fishman's preamp, good enough to get other fiddlers coming up to us and asking what we are using. Sounds very like the fiddle unplugged.
Howling feedback doesn't sound too good either, and its horrible playing in loud venues with the possibility of feedback lurking in the atmosphere.....
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by bodatcha
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
If you are happy with the sound of your current pickup, why change it just to get rid of feedback? An amplified acoustic violin will always be prone to feedback - the sound is picked up by the instrument body, not the pickup or mic, the only way to stop it is to stop the instrument body vibrating - either by using an electric fiddle, or a compromise like the band, which 'deadens' the instrument.
But feedback is a loop system: instrument to pickup to amp to speaker to air to instrument - if you break the loop anywhere you kill the feedback. Any half decent sound engineer can do it at the desk by fiddling with the speaker phasing, and possibly adding a microdelay. But if you haven't got that, then the surest way to avoid feedback is to not send the amplified sound back at the instrument. Stick with your current pickup and spend your money on an in-ear monitor.
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by skreech
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I think "The Band" sounds pretty good, but does have that characteristic transducer sound to some extent. EQ helps.
I have an ATM350 which does give a lovely sound but feedback can be an issue. I had a DPA 4099 for review a while back. The sound was superb, noticeably better than the ATM350, but at a much higher price. The DPA would be nice enough for recording, I think, but for real world gigs the ATM is fine.
Both the ATM and DPA need phantom power so you have to factor in the cost of a preamp etc if you're not plugging into a desk that does phantom power.
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by TomB-R
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
skreech is dead on. I don't know why I didn't think of the in-ear monitor. A small diaphragm condenser, combined with an in-ear monitor will do the trick and the sound will be perfect. Keep in mind that a small diaphragm condonser is a cigar-shaped mic that will pick up great detail in a narrow pattern, so it's very directional. They are commonly used for choirs. You will have to be restricted to an area, but since they pick up some distance you wouldn't have to be right up on the mic.
Condenser mics have flooded the market over the past ten years and you can get a decent one and not spend much. You don't need a studio-quality mic for your purposes, so one under $200 will suffice, but you may need to purchase a phantom power supply. Condensers require their own power source and not all boards/mixers/desks provide it. Most do, but older ones may not. That's maybe another $50. Just stay away from Nady mics, as they are made from the cheapest stuff on earth. Marshall MXL mics are decent and will stay in that $100-$200 mark, but feel free to spend more if you want. Shure, Audio Technica, Sterling, Rode, these are all good.
As for in-ear monitors, you will not regret the switch. Quality of sound will accompany price here, and may run you more than the mic. Shure and Sennheiser both make excellent models. I would say you may consider Nady in this case because it will serve the purpose but will not sound as good as the former two.
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by Jimmy B
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
but you will have to stand still, in front of the mic, and buy everybody else in the band in ear monitors too...unless you turn the fiddle off in their foldback speakers.
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by bodatcha
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I have been using the LR Baggs for years, and haven't had any problems. The key is to use a good preamp with whatever pickup you decide to use. Most PA systems or amps will make the instrument sound thin if you don't, and turning them up will only distort that nice acoustic sound.
If you want to be mobile, you can also look into the X2 digital wireless (but use it with your preamp as well).
On another note: bow noise. This problem is usually do to one of the following, in my experience:
1. You may be using too much gain, either on your preamp, through the PA system or monitor systems. Turn it down.
2. You have an imbalance in your treble or bass.
3. You have a really, really sensitive pickup or mic, which is awesome, but will pick up just about everything. If you are playing solo, turn the volume down and the gain down. If you are in a band, they'll all normally drown you out anyway, so it will bleed into the background and no worries.
Hope my 2 cents helps.
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by Fiddlechick7
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Er, due.
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by Fiddlechick7
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Thanks everyone, for your help, I will consider all options.
At present I feed the PZM mic (which is strapped to my violin mounted on a strip of leather!) into a Art Tube mic pre amp then out into a small Behringer mixer for eq /fx and then out into a Yamaha Stagepas 500 pa.
The Stagepas doesn't have a very flexible mixing system unfortunately, so I couldn't stop the violin going to monitor and have it coming out of the speakers. I usually point the monitor away from me, towards everyone else to limit feedback, but in one venue I played a couple of months ago I had feedback with the monitor off and the speakers well out in front and I couldn't get the mic loud enough to hear what I was playing.
I do have a cheap electric violin, but that sounds very harsh plugged in.
Do you think the Art Tube mic pre amp would work with the LR Baggs or the Headway?
I think you are right about it being a very subjective thing.
I may well have to buy a couple more pick ups / mics so I can try them out with my violin / pa etc. I do live a long way from any shops that sell this type of specialized violin pick up / mic equipment unfortunately.
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by WENDYEB
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
http://www.riml.biz/index.html
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by pavlf
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I've used the Bands before and have been very happy with the sound quality, particularly for pickups at that price.
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by barrysmith90
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Forget about them and check out Barbera transducers
http://www.barberatransducers.com/violinpickups.html
Incredible pickups and unmatched even power on every string..
# Posted on October 14th 2009 by csparpd
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
I got the Skyinbow pickup recently. My band mates and I are very happy with it. Very balanced acoustic sound.
# Posted on October 16th 2009 by SteelPlayer
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Here is a recent discussion. http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/22216/comments#comment462147
In one band I play in the fiddler has a Headway Band, it's seems to be a pretty good natural sound and has the advantage on needing no attachments or alterations to your fiddle. Most pro guys here in Scotland use Skyinbow and are very happy with it. More importantly that's what top engineers want fiddlers to use here. Fishman - oh no, oh no, oh no unless you like lots of bow noise and rolling off half the frequencies.
# Posted on October 16th 2009 by bogman
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
BTW, the Skyinbow pick-ups fitted by two fiddlers I play with were replacements for the rather harsh LR Baggs, or at least one of them.
# Posted on October 16th 2009 by bogman
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Hi
I use an LR Baggs pickup which I think is good, it is not a totally acoustic sound and does give some bow noise, here is a clip of me using it through a very average PA.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mike+allen+fiddle&search_type=&aq=f
# Posted on October 17th 2009 by Mikea
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Thanks everyone for your posts.
It now looks to be between:
The Band
The Read Instruments Microphone Fiddle Pro
and The Skyinbow pick up.
I do have 2 acoustic violins and would like to be able to transfer it from 1 instrument to the other, will read up on the Skyinbow pick up though as that sounds interesting.
When I can afford it I may well get a Bridge electric violin.
# Posted on October 17th 2009 by WENDYEB
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
The Skyinbow has a wee bug that fits in the bridge so no use if you want to transfer from fiddle to fiddle. The band would be a sensible choice for that purpose.
# Posted on October 17th 2009 by bogman
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Links from here to a helpful comparative review, (quite serious, Danish, not that I'm suggesting any connection.)
http://www.fiddleforum.com/fiddleforum/index.php?topic=23238.0
# Posted on October 17th 2009 by TomB-R
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
i have tried many different pickups ,lr baggs etc, but recently bought a bradivarius pickup and it is excellent and half the price of the baggs
# Posted on October 19th 2009 by surfmacsurf
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Thanks for the info.
Would you say it sounds better than the baggs pick up, they look very good?
Did you get yours from America?
They work out £105 with delivery.
# Posted on October 19th 2009 by WENDYEB
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
yes in my opinion they have a more natural sound than the baggs , i didnt have to pay import duty but i can never figure out these charges from the US as i got a mandolin pickup last week and did have to pay
# Posted on October 19th 2009 by surfmacsurf
Re: Which violin pick up - 'lr baggs' or 'the band' by headway?
Thanks. I've just purchased a Bradavarius on ebay, am hoping this will help me get a decent live sound.
# Posted on October 20th 2009 by WENDYEB