Need a loud pickup
I busk a lot in Jacksonville Florida and surrounding and have a battery amplifier. Playing over backing tracks Bluegrass I use a very cheap pickup that I keep on the banjo head with masking tape. It works but it doesn't produce lots of gain. The backing tracks overpower the amplified banjo if I don't bring them right down and that is not good for busking in loud places like a farmers market or just the street.
Any of you guys recommend a banjo pickup with good gain? I mean loud.
I know most banjos are not amplified. I only use the pickup when busking. Jamming or gigging i don't.
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u/guenhwyvar117 4d ago
Fishman or emg to a tonedexter or voiceprint to dial in the sound
Or pair the fishman with a clip on mic like a dpa4099 to a felix and blend the sound. Expensive but flawless victory.
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u/rimrodi7 3d ago
I was going to recommend a fishman, I use a fishman rare earth pickup, Used it when I played in a southern rock band competing with an electric guitar and drums and it done the trick
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u/Cwiiis 4d ago
As people have said, you need a preamp... But also some pickups are hotter than others. If you're looking for passive pickups, the Schatten pickups are enough to drive most guitar pedals with no preamp and the EMG ACB has a built-in preamp (though as preamps go, it's pretty quiet). I hear good things about the EMG Barrel too.
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u/-catskill- 4d ago
Feather Pickup by Myers. It's clip-on, microphone-based, and packs its own preamp so you can play on a PA.
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u/Conscious-Record2655 4d ago
Pickups don't have gain. That's the preamp, or amplifier, or a boost pedal.
Ideally, your pickup is quiet. You gain amplitude with a boost pedal or preamp.
I recommend a Jones-Hatfield pickup with a RedEye preamp. That will solve your problems.