Mandolins have a huge history of being played all over the world, but they have historically been acoustic instruments and amplification wasn’t required. Bluegrass or folk bands historically haven’t needed to be amped up on stage but in the modern age, finding the best mandolin pickups is the simplest way to getting your volume where it needs to be, especially for big gigs.
Microphones are an option and especially for performance, but on stage, this can become very awkward when you start moving around and changing instruments. In fact, it just isn’t viable. Pickups are also sometimes referred to as ‘transducers’ so you may see them described as this at some retailers.
Choosing a pickup system for your Mandolin isn’t always a simple process. With some instruments such as a classical or acoustic guitar, the pickup will go on the soundhole. For Mandolins, different designs, variations and shapes such as A-Style and F-Style, and different shapes and sizes of soundhole mean that getting the right Mandolin pickup is essential.
After our pickup reviews, we’ve also put together a really simple buying guide to help you to make the right choice for your mandolin.
Mandolin Pickup Reviews
We’ve picked out some of the best pickups at different price ranges. Different instruments require different pickups and these have a variety of pickup styles and features, we’ve broken it all down to make the decision on which to buy as simple as possible.
Myers Pickups Mandolin Pickup with Micro-Gooseneck – Best Pickup Overall
As you may expect, it has a 1/4 inch jack input and of course a control switch to change the volume and control the pre-amp.
The microphone which picks up the audio is omnidirectional and wonderful quality, so you get a clear and crisp sound when run through an amp. This has the mounting hardware included for three different positions, so you can alter it depending on your instrument design, soundhole location or just personal preference. You can experiment to see what works best.
The versatility of the Myers Pickup means it is great for multiple instruments, so you can use it on your banjo, ukulele, or just about any other acoustic instrument. A huge amount of positive reviews and testimonials show just how happy people are with their purchase and the features of the Myers.
LR Baggs Radius – Easiest Pickup to Install
LR Baggs are known for their acoustic instrument pickups, and they have created a great, easy to use product for instruments which belong at a higher frequency such as the Mandolin, and as such picks up the bright tonality of your Mandolin with ease.
Check the Current Price of the LR Baggs
This is also incredibly easy to use, and instead of having to do proper hardware alterations or modifications on your instrument, it has ‘mounting putty’ which means you can attach it with ease as if you were using glue. The mounting putty has no negative effect on the finish of your instrument so you can remove it when you are done and it won’t leave a mark.
This is a magnetic pickup for mandolin. The sensor is held in equilibrium by two neodymium magnets.
The sensor uses the same technology that is used in diaphragm mics, with the transducer using a film sensor to give a sensitive pickup and a rich tone which is true to your instrument. This gives you lots of control over your sound and means you don’t end up with a tone which has been muddied by a low-quality pickup.
This isn’t the cheapest product on the market and is great for high-end and intermediate Mandolins. If you are a beginner with a budget Mandolin you may not want to opt for the LR Baggs, but it can be moved and used on other instruments as you upgrade. If quality is what you need, look no further.
K&K Mandolin Twin Internal
The K and K Mandolin pickup gives a tone which is exceptionally true and clear and is used in many brands of electric Mandolin and by professional instrumentalists.
The brand does have a “Twin Fusion” model which is designed for anyone to be able to install, but the reviews simply aren’t as good as the Twin Internal. Strongly recommended for those who have the capacity to install the product or who knows a reliable techy who can do it for them.
Luvay Piezo Pickup – Cheap Mandolin Pickup
This definitely has a more ‘plastic’ feel to it and is less of a luxurious product than some of those we’ve already mentioned, which is reflected in the cheap price. That said, the tone this provides is a lot better than most would expect from a product at this price range and most of the reviews back this up.
The Luvay Piezo is great for violin, ukulele and other products and the quality contact microphone gives a pretty good tone, which is more than good enough for band practices and small gigs. A great option if you’re not looking to spend a lot of money.
Andoer Clip-on Pickup Pick-up – Best Clip-On Mandolin Pickup
The sound quality is fine for live use and makes it really easy to amplify your instrument. It might not be ideal for recordings, but the ease-of-use means it is great to have in your gig bag so you can hook it up to an amplifier whenever you want.
If you’re thinking about a clip-on mandolin pickup then the Andoer model can be a great solution. It also has the benefit of being a fraction of the price of some of the competing models.
How to Choose a Mandolin Pickup?
What are we looking for in a top-quality pickup? What is the difference between the models above? It’s important that you get the best mandolin pickup to suit your budget and to get the perfect tone.
Easy to Install
Due to the fact that Mandolins can be a little awkward in terms of shape, something that is easy to install is essential. This is especially true if you want to attach the pickup yourself, the last thing you want to do is get a quality product and make an error whilst installing it.
The video below shows a K & K pickup being installed. If you are going to install something like this on an expensive mandolin, it’s worth getting a luthier to do the job.
Tone
Another main consideration is tone, of course, you want a pickup which can give a bright tone and properly amplify all the frequencies of your instrument. The last thing you want is to install a pickup and the audio sounds like it is being played over the phone when you amplify it! Trust me, this does happen, and is tied to the final consideration, cost.
Price
There are some good products at a decent price, so value for money is paramount when buying a mandolin pickup, but there is little point in buying a cheap Mandolin pickup which isn’t up to the task if you have invested a lot of money in your instrument. A $10 pickup on a $500 Mandolin is not going to make the most of your instrument.
Mandolin Pickup vs Mic – Which is Best For You?
A mandolin pickup provides a lot of convenience. It has many positives when compared to a microphone, especially in a live environment.
- You are much less likely to experience feedback or bleed from other instruments.
- It doesn’t matter too much where you position the pickup, it should do a decent job.
- You don’t need power running from a mixing desk, such as phantom power.
The one real downside is that you might not get all of the character of your mandolin instrument in the resulting audio. In a live environment, this usually matters far less than in the studio.
Pickups are great for the recording studio, too. We recommend using both a pickup and a microphone. The two work independently from each other, but you can blend or choose between them afterwards.
Conclusion
More and more people are looking for pickups for all sorts of instruments. It opens up a world of new tones, effects and of course the loudness we need for gigs and other audio applications. The products we’ve mentioned here are truly some of the best, but if you have any experience with other contact mics or pickups we’d love to hear about it.
Image credit: ALangley
