Realist Copperhead for Mandolin
The Realist™ acoustic transducer was designed by
Ned Steinberger in collaboration with David Gage. The Realist is
available for bass, cello, viola, violin, arch-top guitar, mandolin, banjo, and other acoustic instruments, including the kora.
David Gage on the development of The Realist™:
"Recognizing the limitations of microphones and traditional
piezo transducers, Ned and I decided that for the working musician
things could and should be better. We felt a transducer should be
equal in it's ability to recreate an acoustic pizzicato and arco
sound through commonly used amplifiers.
Furthermore, this pick-up had to be simple, dependable,
and affordable. After years of consideration and tests, we have
come up with a system that achieves all of these goals.
We understand the hours of practice it takes to draw
your sound out of your instrument, and with this pick-up we feel
your voice can be heard more accurately through an amplifier. Both
recording engineers and professional musicians have been startled
by the great tone and even response when playing pizzicato and arco.
Finally, you can play both pizz and arco without having to play
with your controls."
Ned Steinberg on the development of The Realist™:
"This pickup is the result of an intensive collaboration
between myself and luthier David Gage. He is one of the first people
from the acoustic bass scene to reach out and support my work on
the electric upright. It was the piezo bridge pickup in particular
that caught his interest because of the full, rich tonality, specially
when bowed, that seemed to be missing in other electric instruments.
We got to talking about the dissatisfaction so many acoustic string
players have with the sound of the pickups that are available. The
next thing I know, I've got one of David's prize instruments in
my studio, and we are testing all kinds of old and new variations
of pickup designs. The result is The Realist™, which is an
evolution of the original pickup in the NS Double Bass. Three elements
combine to give The Realist™ the exciting tone that has so
many players raving. The first is finding the right structure within
and around the piezo crystal to respond optimally to the acoustic
resonance of the instrument itself. This involves endless comparisons
that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, and we have David's sensitivity
and patience to thank for the excellent result. We owe a debt also
to the many fine players who were corralled into helping evaluate the
various options. Second, placing the transducer under the foot of
the bridge puts it exactly were the sound is transferred from the
strings to the sound board. This is definitely where the action
is, and the rich, powerful response, both pizzicato and bowed, testifies
to this simple fact. The output level directly from the pickup is
unusually high, and as a result the signal to noise ratio is also
very high, so no pre-amp or other active, battery powered gear is
necessary. Just plug it in! The copper foil sandwich construction
is the third key element in the system. It provides total shielding
to eliminate hum from light fixtures and other electrical or radio
interference. It is flexible enough to conform to the curve of the
top of the instrument, so that the full pressure of the bridge is
concentrated evenly onto the piezo surface. But all this technical
stuff is beside the point when you are on stage or in the studio,
the pressure is mounting, and you need your sound to be there. As
both luthier and musician, David has plenty of field experience
in the ongoing battle for tone. "
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