Okay, so got back my other G string concert with the Fishman undersaddle passive pick up.
As mentioned before, Fishman required additional measurements to manufacture the pick up, one such measurement was the distance between the strings. And there is more work to be done. If I'm guessing right a passive transducer pick up requires a drill for the female input plug. The passive under saddle requires a similar drill for the input plug and another drill in the saddle to place pick up. If I remember correctly the passive transducer cost was less than $100, and the under saddle pick up was just over $150. Labor cost is additional for both.
Now for the difference in amplification. At the same amplifier volume level, the transducer pick up is not as loud as the under saddle pick up. And when I compared my Pono ukulele with the under saddle Markley pick up, it was similar to the Fishman under saddle pick up with respect to loudness at the same amplifier volume level. As Hapakid pointed out transducers in a loud amplified enviorment can pick up noise from other instruments and may lead to feed back. Haven't played in such conditions so haven't yet experience that. And since the under saddle pick up is similart to an active pick up set up, I would guess feed back isn't as sensitive as the transducer.
So for now, if you want to save money and you know you won't be in a loud amplified enviorment go with a transducer. And if you don't mind the battery change and the battery inside the instrument go with an active pick up. I spent more with the passive under saddle and the outboard pre-amp set up. But again the benefits are an eq with controls.
And if you shop around there are concert size ukuleles available with a built in active pick up and pre-amps with eq controls.
Aloha nui,
Genaro
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Posted - 11/06/2006 : 10:28:16 PM
