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Topic: Guitar pickup on Dobro? |
Brendan Mitchell
From:
Melbourne Australia
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Posted 12 Jan 2024 3:58 am |
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| Has anyone had experience with putting a made for guitar pickup on a Dobro? Which impedance hi/lo is better for a clean sound? I have bought a cheap Dobro and thought I could put a pup in and maybe use it in a band situation, we get reasonably loud so a mike will not cut it and I don’t want to spend a lot on a fancy system just to try it out. |
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Raybob Bowman
From:
S. Lake Tahoe, CA, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2024 10:28 am
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Dean Rimmer does that. IMO, doesn't have that Dobro tone, but he makes it sound great.
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Sierra U12 4+5 / 1933 Dobro / homemade Tele B-bender |
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K Maul
From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 12 Jan 2024 2:08 pm
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Right, you’ll basically have a lap steel. However- I used to use a very microphonic Teisco gold foil and it emulated a dobro sound more than, say, a humbucker would.
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Kevin Maul: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Decophonic, Evans, Excel, Fender, Fluger, Gibson, Hilton, Ibanez, Justice, K+K, Live Strings, MOYO, National, Oahu, Peterson, Quilter, Rickenbacher, Sho~Bud, Supro, TC, Ultimate, VHT, Williams, X-otic, Yamaha, ZKing. |
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D Schubert
From:
Columbia, MO, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2024 2:51 pm
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The National and Lace slimline pickups made for resonator guitars sound pretty good, but may cost more than you want to spend.
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GFI Expo S-10PE, Sho-Bud 6139, Fender 2x8 Stringmaster, Supro consoles, Dobro. And more. |
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Jeff Highland
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Brendan Mitchell
From:
Melbourne Australia
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Posted 16 Jan 2024 2:38 am
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| Thanks for the replies, I think I may have to try a couple of different options. I want it to still sound like a .Dobro. |
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 16 Jan 2024 12:50 pm
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Likely the best thing that’s easy to install, sounds close to a dobro (but still slightly lap steelish because it’s a surface mounted humbucker) is the made in Oregon Krivo Resophonic pickup.
The cool thing about the pickup is that it’s not a permanent installation - no drilling. It mounts under the strings with putty, so it can be easily removed and used on other guitars if one were to upgrade to a better instrument.
Since it is placed between the coverplate and end of the fretboard you need to check the measurements on the Krivo website to make sure it will fit on your guitar.
Not cheap @ $230, but it does a good job to where the typical audience won’t notice the difference. And you will get it right the first time instead of buying other pickups that will bum you out to where you might try still others until you’re finally happy. In other words, "You only cry once when you pay for quality." 
They periodically show up on the used market at a better price, but not very often.
There are video samples on the website.
https://www.krivopickups.com/store/p2/Krivo_Humbucking_Pickups_for_Resophonic_Guitars..html
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Mark |
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Marty Broussard
From:
Broussard, Louisiana, USA
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Posted 16 Jan 2024 2:40 pm
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Another vote for Krivo.
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RETIRED
"Technique is really the elimination of the unnecessary..it is a constant effort to avoid any personal impediment or obstacle to achieve the smooth flow of energy and intent" Yehudi Menuhin |
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Brendan Mitchell
From:
Melbourne Australia
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Posted 16 Jan 2024 4:36 pm
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| Mark Eaton wrote: |
Likely the best thing that’s easy to install, sounds close to a dobro (but still slightly lap steelish because it’s a surface mounted humbucker) is the made in Oregon Krivo Resophonic pickup.
The cool thing about the pickup is that it’s not a permanent installation - no drilling. It mounts under the strings with putty, so it can be easily removed and used on other guitars if one were to upgrade to a better instrument.
Since it is placed between the coverplate and end of the fretboard you need to check the measurements on the Krivo website to make sure it will fit on your guitar.
Not cheap @ $230, but it does a good job to where the typical audience won’t notice the difference. And you will get it right the first time instead of buying other pickups that will bum you out to where you might try still others until you’re finally happy. In other words, "You only cry once when you pay for quality."
Sounds good but out of my price range. Shipping to Australia and the $ conversion rate means I have to buy local at the moment.
They periodically show up on the used market at a better price, but not very often.
There are video samples on the website.
https://www.krivopickups.com/store/p2/Krivo_Humbucking_Pickups_for_Resophonic_Guitars..html
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Mark Eaton
From:
Sonoma County in The Great State Of Northern California
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Posted 16 Jan 2024 9:48 pm
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I understand Brendan, especially being in Australia.
It comes down to priorities. If you're using the dobro only for a couple tunes an evening and you are on for example pedal steel the rest of the time, you don't want too spend much on amplifying a dobro.
But it is such a difficult instrument to get amplified with reasonably accurate sound, and avoiding feedback, there just isn't much to choose from in pickups that sound any good.
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Mark |
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Jeff Highland
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 16 Jan 2024 10:30 pm
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I do have a couple of spare mgb pickups here in Australia if you are interested in one
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Duesenberg Fairytale
1949 Supro Supreme
1950 National New Yorker
2008 Highland Baritone Weissenborn
2020 Highland New Yorker.
2020 Highland Mohan Veena
2021 Highland Weissencone |
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Larry Allen
From:
Kapaa, Kauai,Hawaii
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Posted 26 Jan 2024 11:41 am Pu
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The best sounding I’ve used is a Bill Lawrence Dobro PU..hard to find as they were made in the 90’s. True Dobro sound, no feedback, etc. 
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Excel steels & Peavey amps,Old Chevys & Motorcycles & Women on the Trashy Side |
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 29 Jan 2024 5:23 pm
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Brendan I'm running the JD Fishman Nashville pickup in my Beard MA6 and it's pretty hard to beat - very spendy to buy of course as you also need the Aura JD pedal - but it is outstanding at still sounding like a dobro and is loud without the feedback issues of old ! .... if your using your Dobro a lot, it is the way to go... it would help a lot if you felt you could install it yourself as well :-} I imagine a trip to visit with Paul Beard would be pretty expensive hehe !!!
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14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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Rene Brosseau
From:
Chatham,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 10 Feb 2024 7:56 am Pick Up
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I played in loud live bands & needed to be heard...but still wanted to sound like a Resonator...this is the only thing that worked!!!...sticks right to the spider (not wood body)
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Franklin #130, Melobar Skreemer, Wechter Scheerhorn Resonator, Nashville 112, Boss DD 3 &/or Profex II |
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