The autolycus pickup has some good features.

Great value. This pickup sounds good in real life. Easy to fit, no mods, glue or screws and no acoustic degradation. Available with secure ordering at www.violinpickups.co.nz

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• violin
• fiddle
• pickup
• transducer
• music
• technology

[gbtayc]

I am wondering how it does on t the very high notes

I can hear a lot of bow scrape on the very last note

The majority of the playing sounds very natural

Is this an amp designed for acoustic instruments or just a regular guitar amp with no HF tweeter

How much does it cost

[dwardley]

Amp is a Behringer ACX900 for acoustics. Pickup responds well to tone controls but sound very much depends on quality of instrument. Some subtle tone changes may be enjoyed by moving the pickup along the F hole. Nearer the bridge for a 'harder' sound and back for a more "woody" softer sound. This pickup is recovering sound from the violin, not a bow scraping strings!

What you hear is of course is part acoustic but mostly electric, as in real life playing.

Cost NZ$69. incl mail.

[dwardley]

By the way - bear in mind that the "top note" is top G. Do you play up there often, I don't!! These Gypsy violinists are quite talented.

[cableaddict]

Interesting but in this video we are hearing mostly the un-amplified tone.

What would sell me (if indeed this is a good system) would be to hear the un-amplified violin alone, then a recording of JUST the pickup sound.

Otherwise- online videos are useless.

[dwardley]

The amplified sound is in fact quite high and with a little echo effect. This is apparent on the very last note when the echo sustain hangs on.

But - I know what you mean.

[TheVirtouso]

how much is it? and can i buy it?

[dwardley]

Not many of us have superhuman hearing beyond the help of an oscilloscope. You may be lucky! I respectfully invite you to develop a better pickup any way you wish. This one took me six years to evolve. There is NO WAY will I ruin acoustic tone with anything on the bridge. Perhaps it is very wrong to attempt to turn a lovely acoustic instrument into an electric one.

Please don't buy one.

[cableaddict]

An oscilloscope will not show how the upper harmonics compare, which is what really counts.

Anyway, I'm no knocking this product. Far from it, it might make a very nice compliment to a bridge-pickup, using a dual-input preamp. - But there's no way to tell without a "proper" demo.

[dwardley]

I have done many tests with this pickup. Comparison with an input though a mic and one from the pickup on the same instrument at the same time has been very revealing. With a very modest adjustment of tone available on amps generally, it can be difficult to decide which sounds the best! I do use a little echo or reverb much as a vocalist might use. The oscilloscope display tends to confirm waveform similarity.

There are many pickups to choose from, take your "pick".

:-)

[dwardley]

I am inclined to agree, perhaps I should remove it. However there is a recording made directly into the computer on the web site. I use this pickup simply because it is the best I have ever found. I play regularly and get repeat compliments everywhere I play. I would not sell them otherwise, or without good feedback. My story is true, not fiction.