Deering Goodtime banjo owners now have access to an innovative banjo pickup, designed specifically to boost its performance to 11. This suspension magnetic pickup puts a suspended magnetic pickup further towards your strings than usual and thus eliminates feedback.
Mounts securely to coordinator rods using an adhesive, and can easily be removed when transporting or in a case or case when not needed. No impact to tone quality and very feedback-resistant.
Sound
The banjo is a complex instrument, making its amplification more challenging than other instruments. While a microphone may capture some sounds from it, some high-pitched banjo notes cannot always be captured this way. Luckily, many different pickups exist that can amplify sound while keeping authentic characteristics of each banjo intact.
Piezoelectric pickups have been around since the 19th century, creating electric signals when vibrated. A handful of manufacturers produce piezo pickups specifically for banjos; typically consisting of a round pickup roughly the size of a nickel that attaches with sticky glue inside of its banjo head and tiny shielded wires connected directly to it from its location on the banjo to an external preamp jack for connection purposes. Piezoelectric pickups typically don’t produce as much amplification as microphones do and may need additional preamp to become effective.
Magnetic pickups for banjos offer a more modern alternative to piezo pickups, using magnets and inductors in tandem for quiet operation in professional recording studios while still producing an even mix of high and low pitched sounds suitable for most applications. Installation typically only requires minutes without permanent modifications to your instrument!
Hatfield Music provides the Kavanjo Banjo pickup system, featuring a magnetic humbucking pickup suspended from a customized banjo head and designed for easy removal and replacement, making it the ideal solution for musicians needing to quickly amplify their banjos for public performances without altering sound quality or authenticity of instrument. This pickup system offers one of the fastest ways possible to increase volume on banjo without altering authenticity of instrument’s tone quality or sound quality.
The ACB Barrel pickup uses direct sensing of the head. This works by placing a thin steel shim near or under the center bridge post and sensing vibrations of the head through this thin steel shim; then producing an audio signal which can be sent out through mixer, amp or PA systems. Furthermore, its battery powered preamp helps shape its response as well as minimize noise feedback; available for most Deering Goodtime banjos it can be ordered through any authorized dealer.
Noise
There are various methods available to convert the sound waves produced by your banjo into an amplified signal that can be amplified, each offering advantages and disadvantages.
One solution is a piezoelectric pickup, which is both affordable and can produce quality sound. These consist of a crystal in a housing that you attach under the banjo head (or guitar/mandolin face), with an attached jack for external connection; for best results use electronics with noise reduction capabilities and consider mounting the jack without disrupting acoustic qualities of other instruments as well.
Another option for picking up your banjo is magnetic pickups, which are more costly but provide greater advantages such as less interference to its acoustic qualities and have better signal strength potential.
Jones-Hatfield magnetic pickups are particularly favored among bluegrass players due to their versatility. They can easily be installed into various banjo models without needing preamp, making installation a simple matter for players of various styles and genres. It was originally designed for resonater banjos with two co-ordinator rods but can easily be modified for use with other styles using fake co-ordinator rods or dowel sticks; additionally they come equipped with a special Deering mounting bracket which comes free upon request!
Piezoelectric pickups may not be as prevalent, but they can still be very effective. Starting at just $15 they’re small enough to fit beneath your banjo head or inside its resonator with ease and provide access for cord connections; some Kavanjo models even feature them mounted directly to a plate at the top.
Mics tend to be more resistant to feedback than pickups; therefore, these pickups may pose difficulties during high-volume situations like jam sessions and concerts. They’re best used at home or small venues where feedback will not be an issue.
Flexibility
There are various methods for amplifying your banjo, one being using a piezoelectric pickup. These pickups utilise century-old technology developed for old phonographs that has since found applications in acoustic guitar pickups; when stressed by soundwaves they generate small amounts of electricity which are transmitted through wire to an instrument’s jack for transmission back out as sound. There is a wide selection of piezoelectric models from $15 ones which simply attach directly onto the head to $100 models with external volume controls built-in.
Another solution would be using a microphone. While this will transmit much of what your finger makes when striking strings, it won’t pick up all of their unique tones from the rim which give banjos their distinctive sound. A microphone might work for house concerts but won’t do well in larger venues or jam sessions.
Magnetic pickups suspended from the head are the ideal way to amplify a banjo’s natural sound without altering or feedback-proofing it; Kavanjo is one such device which makes life simpler for beginners who wish to improve their banjo sound quality.
Deering also manufactures a magnetic pickup for banjos called the Goodtime, designed specifically to fit those using two coordinator rods but easily modified for other setups. It features a special jack clip which attaches directly onto each coordinator rod for quick setup or storage purposes.
ACB Barrel magnetic banjo pickups are another highly regarded magnetic option, commonly used by professional banjo players. They work by sensing steel pieces beneath or near the center bridge post that are touched by banjo strings, producing an signal when touched by one and sending it on to a preamp for further shaping sound shaping and noise/distortion reduction. This model has proven popular.
Portability
Banjos with pickups can be enjoyed both indoors and outdoors, but sound quality may suffer at higher volumes in noisy locations like jam sessions and concerts. Bridge-mounted pickups may also increase feedback while head-mounted models could interfere with your instrument’s resonator resonance, diminishing sound quality further.
Piezoelectric pickups employ century-old technology – similar to that used on mid-20th century phonographs – which produces a tiny electric charge when stressed; as a result, this technology was first utilized for amplifying acoustic instruments in the 1960s. Musical instrument manufacturers provide various models of Piezoelectric pickups to add vibrato to acoustic-electric guitars and banjo heads, with most mounted directly on their bridges for ease of access. While magnetic pickups tend to reproduce higher frequencies more effectively, Piezoelectric pickups provide superior higher frequency reproduction without picking up on lower frequency sounds as effectively. They require preamps in order to increase volume and enhance clarity.
Most modern acoustic-electric guitars come equipped with battery-powered preamps built right into their bridges, though banjos don’t yet. There are some bridge pickups on the market designed to detect movement of banjo heads directly; others work by sensing vibration from under or near center bridge posts.
Additional solutions for recording and amplifying the sounds of a banjo without changing its natural tone include using microphones. While they do not produce optimal results, microphones are easy to set up and offer outstanding feedback resistance.
Deering’s passive, humbucking pickup is one of the most sought-after banjo pickup options, enabling users to plug their instrument directly into a power amplifier or PA system and avoid feedback problems when playing in loud environments or with other instruments like an acoustic-electric guitar.