LR Baggs Radius Transducer Pickup for Mandolin

Shipping by Music123 was prompt, however product was not properly functioning. Music123 was responsive to messages through Reverb. Since product was purchased with an "offer" through the Reverb platform, they could only issue refund, then allow for re-purchase so that everyone's accounts were kept accurate. Since Music123 did not have replacement in-stock, I elected to pursue a warranty replacement/repair through LR Baggs. LR Baggs has been super-responsive (like within an hour) via email and has sent a return authorization

Easy to install externally

The pickup works like a charm, but since I have two mandolins, I switch it between them, and I worry about that because I'm afraid to crack the body of the Mandolin if I tighten the bracket too much! I've had it slip off a couple of times while playing at church! I would recommend putting the included putty on the clamping surfaces of the bracket to prevent it from falling off and breaking the wiring. If you run out, Elmer's (that is the glue Elmer's) sells white putty that works as well as the enclosed.

Nice sound, no feedback, so far so good.

I bought this to match the L.R. Baggs Venue DI Box for my Washurn 118 mandolin. I wanted a pickup configuration that was loud enough for outside venues and reproduced the acoustic tone of the mandolin accurately. This is a problem for mandolins, which are so small. The L.R. Baggs pickup did just what I wanted. I was surprised at how loud it was even without the Venue DI Box with its preamp. The tone was true and accurate and made me want to use it frequently, especially for recording and playing outdoors or with other musicians who have more volume. Other mandolins, with piezzo pickups under the bridge, have a lot of volume, but sound metallic and icy cold rather than warm and acoustic. Others feedback excessively. This one doesn't and is a great improvement in both respects. You can tell from the video above, with Sierra Hull, how good the amplified sound is. The Venue DI box allows you to amplify the volume further and tweak the tone to your liking. It also has a tuner, which obviates the need for headstock tuners. Highly recommended!

I have to say that playing on a mic is my first choice for mandolin to get the most authentic, acoustic sound, but in the situations that I play in, playing that way is not usually and option. My mandolin almost always gets lost in the mix because I can never get my mic loud enough without feedback. I have had some luck by not putting my mando in the monitors, but obviously, that is no fun. Enter the Radius!!! I bought it, apprehensively, because it is a "non-returnable" item. The price was reasonable enough to take a chance. I had read some mixed reviews, and had talked to a couple people that I trust, and thought I had enough info to pull the trigger on the purchase. I ordered online, got the pickup in, installed it myself with great ease, plugged it in to my own pa thru an old LR Baggs pre-amp that I have had since '89. It worked surprisingly well!! What surprised me most was the tone. It has a little weirdness to me since I had only played on mics til then. So, my first gig arrives!! (My group has a couple guitar players, a fiddle, and my mandolin...the style of music is very ecclectic...def not a "bluegrass" group) I am all set to have my REVENGE!! I will finally be in the mix!! 0oops! Now the fear sets in!! I can't hide my less than perfect playing behind a mic that isn't really loud enough! Oh well, I carry on!! During sound check with the house pa and sound tech, I am poised to enjoy this experience when I realize that I have, in my excitement to get to the gig and in my hast to have some "revenge," I had forgotten my pre-amp at home! I ended up not using my mandolin at all that night...I just defaulted to my trusty guitar. I was disappointed, but still hopeful! The next gig rolls around! I am a little paranoid by this time, because, again, I am not using my own pa. It is a different venue, so the anxiety builds. I get there, help with the load in, plug in the pre-amp, plug in the mandolin, sound check....BOOYEAH!! I am good to go!! I had more fun playing music that night than I had in a very long time!! I finally had my revenge!!! I can be the peaceful person that I normally am now!! LOL!! The pickup did a great job for me and my particular situation. I am very pleased with this pickup! I haven't played anything else to compare it to, but at this point, I am not in the market to try other things. The Radius is performing very well for me! The tone is quite pleasing and surprisingly natural and good all around. I cannot stress this enough, YOU WILL NEED SOME TYPE OF PRE-AMP with this pickup. I tried a plain old, dry direct box, and it just does not work well at all!!! The preamp I have uses a 9v battery. You WILL need something to boost the signal BEFORE it gets to your mixing board, since the pickup is PASSIVE. The preamp essentially makes your pickup "active" and is, thusly, "hot" enough now. The radius was a great choice for me, because I already had a couple of pre's that I thought could work. The pickup is cheap enough, and since you can install it yourself (another money saver), you can maybe afford a good pre-amp too. Again, my guess is that you WILL need one, otherwise, my "2 cents" is, you might as well be playing on a mic.