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Pickup adjustment for more volumn

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Home Forums Forum Archives Professional Harpists Pickup adjustment for more volumn

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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  • #146059
    Susan Ottzen
    Participant

    I have a style 100 Lyon Healy. I’m playing out in 2 bands and need alot more volumn and don’t have funds for an electric harp. I have 2 piezio pickups and a preamp. My guitarist had the idea the change out the foam sticky used to apply the pickups to the harp with carpet tape (very thin) and indeed I have more volumn. I also am using an equalizer, and an effects processor called Diditech RP 100 for reverb which is awesome. Anybody heard of changing the pickup tape before to increase volumn?

    #146060
    tony-morosco
    Participant

    It makes perfect sense. I prefer microphones to pickups for acoustic harps, but I have used pickups before and what I did was to use the kind of sticky stuff they use to hold down vases in museums. Living in earthquake country I have most breakable things in my house secured down, so I tried using the same stuff for pickups. What I found works best is not to put what ever adhesive you are using between the pickup and the harp.

    Instead put the pickup directly against the wood and then use your adhesive material around the edges or over the whole thing to hold it in place.

    I just ran the sticky stuff around the edges and a bit over the top edge of the picup. It worked very well. But I still prefer microphones. They are more hassle but the sound quality is, I find, far superior for acoustic harp.

    This is the brand I used, the Quakehold Museum Putty.

    #146061
    Jessica A
    Participant

    For concerts, why not just use the sound system in the auditorium and one of their mikes?

    #146062
    Donna Germano
    Participant

    with a band I have the best luck using superglue for the pickup, directly to the wood inside, on the soundboard. You can always slide a small knife behind the pickup to break the bond.

    #146063
    Donna Germano
    Participant

    Oh and I am talking about amplifying a standard acoustic pedal harp.

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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