underwood with platinum pro eq

[Lucerne]

Hi,

I recently changed my bridge and found that my original pickup (fishman) didn't suit it. The new bridge is great sounding acoustically but just couldn't match up amped with my old fishman combo set up. I have since tried the underwood which meant shaving the wings of the bridge slightly to get a snug fit. They sound pretty good along with the pro eq preamp but i can';t seem to get near the output levels that i previously had with the fishman combo (pickups and preamp) without getting feedback.
I've read through some posts and the preamp seems to be fairly well reviewed (phase switch etc) and i wonder can anyone expand on other tips such as ..........damping between the bridge and tailend:........ not putting too much input into the amp (or pa) but letting the output volume do the work:............. fittng the pickups slightly less tight................
I tried going back to my original bridge and pickup and seemingly can't reproduce the exact sweetspot from which i had my original (and missed) sound.

Cheers

[Ric Vice]

Originally Posted by Lucerne

Hi,

I recently changed my bridge and found that my original pickup (fishman) didn't suit it. The new bridge is great sounding acoustically but just couldn't match up amped with my old fishman combo set up. I have since tried the underwood which meant shaving the wings of the bridge slightly to get a snug fit. They sound pretty good along with the pro eq preamp but i can';t seem to get near the output levels that i previously had with the fishman combo (pickups and preamp) without getting feedback.
I've read through some posts and the preamp seems to be fairly well reviewed (phase switch etc) and i wonder can anyone expand on other tips such as ..........damping between the bridge and tailend:........ not putting too much input into the amp (or pa) but letting the output volume do the work:............. fittng the pickups slightly less tight................
I tried going back to my original bridge and pickup and seemingly can't reproduce the exact sweetspot from which i had my original (and missed) sound.

Cheers

Hello,
Underwoods are generally not as hot a pickup as the Fishman BP-100. Personally, I think they sound better. They like tight spaces so you may need to use wood shims to get the fit snug enough, it's kind of tricky.

It will probably never match the percieved output of the BP-100, because that pickup puts a lot of emphasis on the midrange frequencies and tends to emphasize odd order harmonics. The Underwood (according to Don Underwood) emphasizes even order harmonics.

If you ever get some cash, I think that you would benifit from trying one of the newer piezo's on the market like the Full Circle, Realist, or the Revolution Solo. They are a step up from the older designs.

Ric

[Lucerne]

Thanks Ric,

I made the mistake of not putting on an adjustable bridge at the time. If i was to change to the full circle would i be able to get the luthier to work on my current (new) bridge or would it be better to go for premade adjustable bridges? I am in a positon to change as I haven't actually bought the underwood yet but am getting it on a very generous loan while i test it which i have done to varying degrees of success over the last few gigs. i have a feeling that the full circle may be the pickup for me because based on what i've read it seems to offer more mid/growl type sounds, which i am after.

Cheers lad

[Ric Vice]

Since I use a Realist and the Revolution Solo, I'm not as famaliar with the set up for the Full Circle. Any compitent luthier, should be able to put adjusters into a bridge. It would definitely cost less than having a second bridge made. I believe that the Fishman comes with a second dummy adjuster to match the pickup.

Ric

[greitzer]

Originally Posted by Lucerne

Hi,

I recently changed my bridge and found that my original pickup (fishman) didn't suit it...i can';t seem to get near the output levels that i previously had with the fishman combo (pickups and preamp) without getting feedback.

I'm curious, which Fishman pickup were you using? And what type of amplifier are you plugging into?

I use the Underwood pickup and FishmanPro EQ preamp also, and so far this is the best combination I've tried for squeezing out as much volume as I can beefore feedback. But I haven't tried a Fishman pickup yet. If there's a Fishman pickup you've tried that produced good sound and good volume, I'd be interested in hearing about it.

Also, FYI, in my experience the Underwood pickup works best if it can't "see" the amp -- put the amp behind you, or somewhere else where it doesn't have a "line of sight" to the pickup (like several other musicians in between you and the amp, if possible).

[Lucerne]

Hi John,

the pickup i had was the bp100 which normally gets pretty poor (and seemingly warrented) reviews. This clips onto the top of the bridge on the neck side but i put them on the other side moved the bridge a few times and suddenly got this big punchy sound. The bridge was beginning to strain at the top hence the eventual change and although i straightened it, i can't seem to get the original sound if i put it back on. My amp for this is an ashdown combo, 300W, . I use this in conjunction with the pro eq. and just bypass the ashdown's eq. The sound of those amps are great for an even response across the finger board.
i'm not unhappy with the underwood's sound but just feel it's output is way less before feedback. Thinkin of trying the full circle but reluctant to buy it and for that not to work.
I agree with your line of sight deffo.

Cheers

[greitzer]

Thanks for the info. Interesting that you got more sound by putting the Fishman on the underside of the bridge rather than the top side. I wonder if others have tried that as well.
In any event, I appreciate the info.