Placing a Celtic Harp Pickup
Which way did it go???

Placing a pickup is simple. Making sure that it sounds well takes a little patience and some help from a friendly ear to listen while you play through the pickup.

The trick is to mount the pickup on the Celtic harp soundboard about 1/3 from the bottom. For trial purposes use some poster sticking putty available at a stationary supply (buy the expensive brands as they are tackier and leave no residue). Mount the pickup head externally and play it through an amplifier which should be set with neutral knob positions. Move the pickup up and down until you get a nice balance of base and high end frequencies. Move it laterally in and out to find the loudest point without string buzz.

Note that ideal location and mount the pickup internally at the same spot. Make sure you choose a pickup with a long cable to the output jack as you need to then route the cable back to a soundhole for external access. I mount both the pickup and the cable jack end using the same poster putty. I also use the putty to anchor the loose cabling against buzz. I further anchor the cable output end with duct tape. The whole set-up is removable/ replaceable with no damage to the harp.

Some Pickups: I recommend the first two items. The others look worthy.

Alfredo Ortiz Barcus Berry Folk Transducer
LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI
Reese Harp Pickup
Pickup The World #30
McIntyre Pickup
Barcus Berry Planar Pickup

I will add your knowledge and experience to the “mix” if it can add to the effectiveness of these articles. The rest of the Celtic Harp Amplification Series is available here.

Stephen Vardy
Harpsound Audio
[email protected]