Using high quality bridge blanks and well aged Bosnian bridge wood, the top portion is carefully mortised and firmly fixed into the base which houses the two sensors. This two-piece construction enables me to place the pickups exactly where I want in relation to the feet, giving the best response and most open tone while still holding up acoustically.
Aceto/Violect Deluxe Pickup for Violin
$275.00 – $420.00
Description
We are thrilled with the sound of this new innovative system and consider it a major step forward in violin amplification. The Aceto/Violect Pickup System is now available on both our Violect and N·V models. It is also available as a retro-fit for all Aceto/Violects from 1988 to the present, as well as for use on acoustic instruments.
In response to my customers, who loved the amplified sound of my standard pickup and who were asking for a system that had negligible effect on the instrument acoustically, I have redesigned the standard pickup to have a narrower foot width and a more solid structure.
Using high quality bridge blanks and well aged Bosnian bridge wood, the top portion is carefully mortised and firmly fixed into the base which houses the two sensors. This two-piece construction enables me to place the pickups exactly where I want in relation to the feet, giving the best response and most open tone while still holding up acoustically.
This bridge pickup is the model used on all our Artist series instruments and is now offered for use on all violins. This version has a bit less output than the original design but still strong enough to be used directly into a combo style amp. When well fit by a competent violin repairman, the tone is uncompromising and faithful to even the finest of acoustic instruments.
Darol Anger –
My previous experience of various violin bridge pickups runs pretty wide since 1973. While they provide a clean clear sound, they generally only reproduce the sound of the strings and the bridge itself, which is usually rather buzzy and not very violin-like. So when I decided to use a bridge pickup for my “nice” violin into a new ToneDexter preamp, I was a bit skeptical. however, the ToneDexter people clearly recommend a bridge pickup, so I naturally went to the best maker: Eric Aceto, the force behind Ithaca Stringed Instruments. I was certain that I knew it would sound as good as it could.
However,I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the raw pickup signal: the buzzy overdriven sound I expected was somehow changed by the Aceto bridge into a more velvety sound, rich and smooth. It made an ideal basis for the “Tone Print” technology of the ToneDexter. And it soundsc better on its own than any other bridge pickup I’ve tried, obviously. Eric’s Da Guy!
Duncan Wickel –
Been using this pickup for many years on my violin after a long period of cycling through a lot of other brands. There’s something about this one that magically transcends the usual ‘brittle’/’shrill’ sound associated with all other more common piezo bridge pickups on violin. It has a much darker, pleasing sound. Worth every penny.
Mark Woodyatt –
I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Eric Aceto, the mastermind behind the patented Aceto pickups. As someone who has relentlessly pursued the absolute best sound, I can attest to Eric’s extraordinary passion and dedication to innovation.
Over the years, I’ve had Eric install his renowned bridges on at least five of my instruments, including an Aceto five-string violin, which is among the finest ever made. My late friend and luthier, Ihor Shablovsky, a skilled violinist himself, was amazed by the sympathetic resonance achieved by Eric’s pickups, remarking that he never thought such a feat was possible.
My journey with Eric began when I sought out the person responsible for creating instruments and pickups for some of the world’s best violinists. Most of them use his patented pickup, and the true priceless bonus lies in Eric’s unwavering commitment to improving the sound of his creations.
A disappointing purchase of a Barkus berry in the mid 70s let Eric to come to the conclusion that he could make one better, first impressing Jean-Luc Ponty with a superior solid-body electric violin in 1978, to Jean Luc purchasing one of these original five string, acoustic electric instruments, which I’ve gotten to hear live, and it sounds better than anything He performed on prior,, Eric has been on a relentless quest for perfection. It took him 20 years of testing every conceivable material before he found the perfect piezoelectric ceramic for his pickups.
Today, Eric’s instruments are in a class of their own. I’ve tested many of them, and I can wholeheartedly testify to his continuous pursuit of mastery. Recently, I had the opportunity to trial an instrument he made for Zach Brock, a Fadolin, which Eric had further improved with a new sound post and other enhancements, making it sound better than ever.
When you reach Eric’s level of expertise, as he described to me, the design is perfected, and it’s a matter of personalizing the details like wood choice, bridge style, and minor tweaks. I trust his judgment implicitly, as we share the same hand size, and he plays exceptionally well.
In my authentic experience, I haven’t discovered anything that can hold a candle to Eric’s work for those seeking the absolute best sound possible while effortlessly plugging into an amp and achieving greatness.