Barbera Soloist Saddle Pickup
The Soloist from Barbera Transducer Systems is a passive saddle transducer, that is to say, the saddle is the pickup! Feedback is near non-existent ...
The Soloist from Barbera Transducer Systems is a passive saddle transducer, that is to say, the saddle is the pickup! Feedback is near non-existent ...
The Barbera Soloist pickup for acoustic guitar provides perhaps the most well-balanced string-to-string output available. Gone is the need for a perfect coupling of saddle to bridge slot, the source of so much tone loss and volume imbalance. What is not gone is a clean, clear amplified representation of your acoustic guitar. The Soloist provides full range, high fidelity sound quality, tonal richness, focused clarity, balance and power of projection to any instrument's amplified voice.
And all that with near non-existent feedback!
There are two approaches to onboard stringed instrument amplification; two schools of thought. In the most common approach, where a surface contact piezo transducer element is fashioned to be applied onto or under a bridge, everything gets amplified. Resonant surfaces of the instrument becoming microphonically active, like one massive drum head, typically yielding a raw, unfocused or distant sounding signal which contains a lot of "noise". It then becomes necessary to attempt to filter out all that unwanted signal and retain only the musical qualities for amplification.
Barbera Transducers Systems follows an alternate path, incorporating an integral multi-transducer graft into the bridge (for bowed instruments) or replacement saddle (for guitars), directly collecting the string energy. Having recognized the interactive loop that results from the plucked string vibrating the instrument which, in turn, re-vibrates the plucked string, Barbera transducers capitalize on isolating that vibrational energy and transforming it into electrical impulses for amplification. Because the surface of the instrument is not sensitized microphonically, common surface noises (raps, taps, knocks, thumps, bumps, booms and bangs) are not amplified, thus feedback resistance can be impressively high. The result is an exceptionally clear image of the instrument's voice.
With a Barbera Soloist installed, the performer can plug straight into the house, if they so desire, or use any combination of pre-amp, amp or PA to amplify their sound. I can attest that this pickup provides for a no-frills, battery-free, crystal clear amplified experience.
And there is no loss of quality when choosing to play acoustically, un-amplified. And that goes for 12 string guitars just as well as it does for 6 stringed instruments.
Regarding saddle placement and individual string compensation, while slight filing of the saddle crown is permitted, it is recommended to rely primarily on the angle of the saddle slot when compensating for intonation, as you risk damaging the pickup with aggressive material removal.
If you are wanting or needing to amplify percussive effects, and are expecting to install one, lone pickup to capture those surface noises along with your musical program, then the Barbera is not for you. You will hear only the string signal; you will not hear any raps, taps, knocks, thumps, bumps, booms and bangs.
If you are a percussive player and are already expecting to install a multi-source sensor system, you may find the Soloist pickup to be EXACTLY what you need, explicitly because of it's string energy isolation capabilities. Use the Barbera for the musical program, and add a body sensor or a magnetic soundhole pickup, and you gain discreet control over the output.
You can read more about the Barbera Soloist pickup on their website » Barbera Transducer Systems