Hi there, Tim, and thanks for the question. I have a setup which includes a custom built condensor microphone suspended over the f-hole (built by Joe Mills in Nashville) as well as a L.R. Baggs peizo pickup mounted in the bridge. Essentially, I can mix and independently eq the signals using a Rane AP13 preamp, depending on the application. For gigs with a bunch of stage noise, I rely exclusively on the bridge pickup – for solo gigs and low stage volume, you can use a close mounted condensor mic with less chance of feedback and a more natural sound. Hanneke, too, uses a clip on condensor mic. In the studio, I use a combo of the above as well as a Shure SM-81…but this is more of a studio application than a live application.
Roland is right, however. If you’re doing small or infrequent gigs, it’s tough to beat the old sm-57. Start there, and if you’re looking to upgrade, there are certainly some higher end options. I would recommend using a preamp if you do go with a close mounted mic on the fiddle. You’ll have more control and will be probably happier with the end result.
Hope that helps, sir!
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