Current Pick-up Options for an 8 String Reso Guitar

[Joseph Carlson]

Hello all,

I recently picked up a McKenna 8 string resonator. I'm trying to get an idea of the pickup options that are currently available.

Thanks!
Joe

[Mark Eaton]

There are currently none that I know of which are specifically designed for Reso guitars.

Kent Schoonover for a fairly brief time was offering a custom version of his take on the Fishman Nashville pickup for seven and eight strings then for whatever reason he decided not move forward with it. Too high of a cost? Too difficult? Not enough interest? I’m not sure what happened with this.

Krivo, with their magnetic surface mounted Reso pickups also offered special seven and eight string custom pickups for a time. Then awhile back they discontinued that option.

There is potentially good news on the horizon - but no idea when we’ll actually see it. Several months ago on Facebook and Instagram Paul Beard put up a “teaser” video announcing that Beard will be offering at some point seven and eight string reso pickups, but there hasn’t been any updates that I’m aware of since Paul made the announcement.

[Eric Dahlhoff]

I have a Beard 8-string with a Fishman Nashville pickup. installed by Beard. Contact them!

[Guy Cundell]

I have a Fishman bridge installed in an MA8 a few years back by Paul. It's made with two 6 string bridges cut down. The problem is that the ceramic material chips and needs attention. It may have something to do with the extra downward pressure required by the 8 strings. Given my time again I would forget the pickup and head straight to a DPA 4099 mic. Great live or for recording.

[Lee Rider]

I had an Alumitone pickup on my Adams 8 string reso.

https://lacemusic.com/products/tonebar-8-3-5

[Mark Eaton]

I had an Alumitone pickup on my Adams 8 string reso.

https://lacemusic.com/products/tonebar-8-3-5

Lee, does this pickup make your Adams sound more like a lap steel than a resonator guitar? It's described as an eight string pedal steel pickup.

[Mark Eaton]

I have a Beard 8-string with a Fishman Nashville pickup. installed by Beard. Contact them!

Eric, how long ago was this installed?

And Guy, I didn't realize you had one as well.

The only one I was aware of in the past cobbled together by Paul Beard from Fishman Nashville parts was on an eight string reso owned by Howard Parker. And I recall Howard making it sound like Paul would never do it again between the cost and it apparently being a pain in the a$$.

When Paul put out the "teaser" video awhile back mentioning a new eight string pickup was on the way, he gave no additional information. I was under the impression that the future eight string pickup is something completely new.

[Eric Dahlhoff]

Eric, how long ago was this installed?

Mark, I bought it from the original owner, who ordered it with the pickup from Beard in 2003.

[Lee Rider]

I had an Alumitone pickup on my Adams 8 string reso.

https://lacemusic.com/products/tonebar-8-3-5

Lee, does this pickup make your Adams sound more like a lap steel than a resonator guitar? It's described as an eight string pedal steel pickup.

Kinda like a mixture of lap and reso.

[Mark Eaton]

Eric, how long ago was this installed?

Mark, I bought it from the original owner, who ordered it with the pickup from Beard in 2003.

Then what you have in the guitar is not the Fishman Nashville pickup, which hit the market several years later in 2008/09 and was first used by Jerry Douglas. What I’m guessing you have is the Fishman Classic pickup which some of us refer to as the “donut” pickup that attaches to the tension screw underneath the cone inside the guitar. They call it the “classic” - I refer to it as “the feedback monster.”

The Nashville pickup replaces the bridge inserts in the spider, and each insert is wired to an output jack on the tail of the guitar. It is available for six string Reso guitars only, so the only two I’ve ever heard of that were customized by Paul Beard for eight string guitars are owned as I mentioned earlier by Guy Cundell and Howard Parker. And Howard has posted online in the past that Paul had no interest in constructing any more of these custom jobs. So we’re still waiting on the new eight string pickup Paul has in the pipeline.

[BJ Burbach]

Mark, here is Lee's guitar (thanks, Lee). It has an lace SC8 single coil and he fit it right in.
I would agree with him that it is sort of in the middle for a magnetic pickup, more microphonic than some. I used it in a lap steel also and I like it, but I can't really give a real review, because I don't have a decent amp. Sold my Fender and Gibson tubers, mostly use mics. Maybe a mag pickup with a Tone Dexter? Has anyone here tried that??
Then there's the issue with strings. Ph-Br is weird with a pickup so trying Nickel. I have a Stainless steel dobro set from SIT up next and they sell singles to finish it off, so high hopes for acoustic brightness. I like their SS Emmons C6 set on another acoustic guitar. I would like a set that sounds good with or without mag pickup. Long life would be nice, too. I'm not asking much, right?

Happy New Year,
BJ

[Mark Eaton]

Mark, here is Lee's guitar (thanks, Lee). It has an lace SC8 single coil and he fit it right in.
I would agree with him that it is sort of in the middle for a magnetic pickup, more microphonic than some. I used it in a lap steel also and I like it, but I can't really give a real review, because I don't have a decent amp. Sold my Fender and Gibson tubers, mostly use mics. Maybe a mag pickup with a Tone Dexter? Has anyone here tried that??
Then there's the issue with strings. Ph-Br is weird with a pickup so trying Nickel. I have a Stainless steel dobro set from SIT up next and they sell singles to finish it off, so high hopes for acoustic brightness. I like their SS Emmons C6 set on another acoustic guitar. I would like a set that sounds good with or without mag pickup. Long life would be nice, too. I'm not asking much, right?

Happy New Year,
BJ

As far as a mag pickup with a ToneDexter, a Florida luthier who is a friend of mine, Damon Wack, prefers the Krivo combined with the ToneDexter on his reso guitars over the Fishman Nashville (he builds some beauties). He's the guy I mentioned earlier who had Krivo make some custom 7 and 8 string pickups, but as I wrote I believe they discontinued that option.

The Krivo on its own is the best sounding surface mag pickup for resonator I have come across. A guy here in California has one and we ran it into an acoustic amp and it's accurate enough that the typical audience member probably wouldn't know the difference. On its own it still sounds a little lap steelish since it is mag pickup, but when I've heard true electric guitar or steel pickups mounted on a dobro without any additional devices to help shape the sound, the ones I've come across make a reso sound like 80% or more lap steel. That being the case - might as well play a lap steel instead.

[Rich Arnold]

I wont use a pickup on a resonator guitar unless someone invented a pickup that perfectly reproduces the natural sound of the instrument. Before that happy day arrives I'll be using a microphone.
When playing in a small saloon with a band where everyone else has amps the size of refrigerators I go to lap steel.

[Lee Rider]

Mark, here is Lee's guitar (thanks, Lee). It has an lace SC8 single coil and he fit it right in.
I would agree with him that it is sort of in the middle for a magnetic pickup, more microphonic than some. I used it in a lap steel also and I like it, but I can't really give a real review, because I don't have a decent amp. Sold my Fender and Gibson tubers, mostly use mics. Maybe a mag pickup with a Tone Dexter? Has anyone here tried that??
Then there's the issue with strings. Ph-Br is weird with a pickup so trying Nickel. I have a Stainless steel dobro set from SIT up next and they sell singles to finish it off, so high hopes for acoustic brightness. I like their SS Emmons C6 set on another acoustic guitar. I would like a set that sounds good with or without mag pickup. Long life would be nice, too. I'm not asking much, right?

Happy New Year,
BJ

I use nickle bronze strings on all of my acoustics now. Trey Hensley turned me on to them. He says they last him a whole show! With phosphor bronze strings he would change them at the break....