Natural Acoustic Sound  – Even With an Amplifier!

Acoustic instruments, by virtue of their organic, natural sound, possess a unique charm.  Laden with rich harmonic overtones, these instruments give rise to magical sounds that spread out like floating waves across a room.  

As long as one sticks to playing acoustic instruments in small, quiet spaces – or around a campfire – nothing can prevent enjoyment of their unadulterated, satisfying sound.  Should one decide, however, to brave the larger stage as an acoustic musician,  greater challenges emerge.  Unfortunately, it is often the case that, when an acoustic instrument gets amplified, its magic – or so-called “spirit” – all but disappears. 

There is definitely an art to conveying acoustic sound both purely and authentically through an amplifier, while simultaneously keeping feedback under control.  It therefore behooves the musician to devote the same degree of care and attention to professional amplification as he or she does to the instrument itself.  The age-old catchphrase – a chain is only as strong as its weakest link – certainly applies here.  That is to say, a high quality, costly acoustic instrument proves utterly worthless if poor amplification compromises its sound.

1.    Innovation through Nano-Technology

Over the years, numerous manufacturers have gone at the problem of amplifying acoustic sound authentically.  The Shadow Company, as inventor of the very first pickup for acoustic instruments, has long been a pioneer in the development of professional pickups.  From the very beginning, and still to this day, the name Shadow stands for commitment to research and to the well-engineered development of top quality products.

With the invention of innovative Nanoflex technology, Shadow has launched another significant and successful phase in the history of sound amplification, which dates back to the 1930’s, when a wire was first coiled around a magnetic spool.  Thus began the history of the electromagnetic pickup.

Nanoflex (NFX) is a name derived from the unit of measurement prefix “nano” and the word “flexible.”  The name is quite fitting, since all the high-definition pickups of the NFX family are extremely thin and possess a great degree of flexibility.  As a result, they conform closely to the surface of the instrument.

2.    The Structure and Sound of Nanoflex Pickups

The Nanoflex pickup’s sensor consists of seven flexible layers of carefully selected materials.  With extreme precision, these special strata pick up the pressure of the nut, which conveys string vibration, while simultaneously sensing the vibratory movements of the guitar’s surface as well.

The production of sound in an acoustic instrument, e.g. guitar, violin or upright bass, originates not only in the strings.  The characteristic sound of an instrument also derives from its shape, specific materials, and the nature of its top and body.  In the end, however, an instrument is more than the sum of its parts.  Each instrument possesses its own unique and individual sound. 

Amplification that stays true to the unique nature of an acoustic instrument therefore requires that two things be taken into account:

• vibration of the strings ... AND...
• vibration of the instrument'S top and body

If either of these aspects is neglected, the result will necessarily sound unnatural.

To shield the organic, acoustic sound of an instrument from negative influences, Shadow developed a one-of-a-kind technology that protects and amplifies a signal directly at the pickup level.   In contrast to other pickup systems, the signal does not travel through even a single millimeter of cable.  It is therefore shielded from the electromagnetic “litter” typically emitted by amps, lights, monitors, etc.

Because of direct amplification at the pickup and 100% effective shielding, Nanoflex products prevent loss of sound and are, in addition, 100% free of collateral noise and humming.  This is yet another, significant way in which Nanoflex differs from other pickup technologies.

To sum up the facts:  unlike average bridge pickups, Nanoflex pickups take up the vibrations of an instrument’s strings and body.  NFX pickups therefore give rise to a sound spectrum more closely resembling that of a microphone-bridge pickup combination.

No other pickup technology reaches such a high degree of fidelity in the amplified reproduction of authentic acoustic sound.

3. Four Arguments for Nanoflex Pickups

Nanoflex pickups take into account all aspects that influence the sound of an acoustic instrument:  the vibration of both the strings and the body.  Thus they are more sensitive to how the varying shapes and materials of individual instruments affect their sound.  Nanoflex is capable of conveying all the harmonic and organic dimensions of the acoustic sound spectrum.

The majority of pickups available on the market today are passive piezo pickups.  The drawback of piezo pickups is that their sound tends to be more pronounced at the high-end (its often dreaded “tinny” sound), which can be painful to the ear.  Nanoflex pickups differ by virtue of their construction; they produce an open sound, conveying the harmonic overtones that are so essential to an acoustic instrument’s unique “spirit.”

In order to protect the natural and acoustic sound of the instrument from negative external influences, Shadow developed a unique technology that amplifies and shields directly at the pickup.   In contrast to other pickups, a signal never travels through even a single millimeter of cable, and therefore is not exposed to the electromagnetic “litter” emitted by equipment such as amps, lights, monitors, and so on.  This innovative technology keeps loss of sound at an absolute minimum and guarantees a signal that is 100% free of noise.

Nanoflex pickup systems can be installed by anyone, thanks to detailed installation instructions.  Shadow also offers a corresponding preamp variant with all of its NFX pickups. This require little or no additional adjustment to the instrument. 

4. Sampling the Sound of a Nanoflex Pickup

Reading about it is one thing, but hearing how it sounds is always better.  In order to bring you the sound quality of the Nanoflex pickup, guitarist Peter Autschbach directed and recorded the following video for Shadow.  Installed on his guitar is one of the basic versions of the NFX product line, which goes by the name: SH NFX EP-A.

Other demo videos and sound samples can be found within our Video-Archiv.

Peter Autschbach recorded a video to demonstrate the amazing sound of Nanoflex pickups. The pickup played by Peter is: SH NFX EP-A.

5. Nanoflex Pickups Available for a Wide Range of Acoustic Instruments

Currently available for purchase are Nanoflex pickups for  the Concert, Western-style, or Maccaferri guitar, violin, cello, bass, oud/ud, saz, ukulele and zither.  Nanoflex pickups for other instruments are coming soon.

For help in finding Nanoflex pickups in our online catalogue, please note that all item numbers containing the letters NFX are Nanoflex pickups. 

6. Product Recommendation: SH Sonic Doubleplay

Greatly loved and highly regarded by guitarists the world over is Shadow’s soundhole preamp of the Sonic Series for Concert and Western-style guitars.

The graphic below depicts the installation of the dual pickup system: SH Sonic Doubleplay, which combines the Nanoflex and the NanoMAG pickup systems.

The most important part of making music is the sound . . .

                                                           . . . and that’s what Nanoflex takes care of.