Cello Pickups

A cello pickup is an electronic device that captures the vibrations of the cello strings and converts them to an electric signal that can then be modified, amplified, broadcast, or recorded.  There are two types of pickups, magnetic and piezoelectric.  Cello pickups are typically piezoelectric.  This is because, in addition to having a very different sound, they do not pick up additional magnetic signals that may distort from the original sound.

A piezoelectric cello pickup usually fits onto the bridge of the cello, where the vibration is the strongest, although it is also not uncommon for the pickup to be mounted on the body of the cello.  The pickup will then frequently send the signal to an on-board preamp, which gives the cellist additional control over the tone and shape of the sound before it is sent to a device for recording, modification or amplification.
The disadvantage of a single transducer is that it does not typically capture a very well rounded sound, and so ideally transducers would be placed in several places along the bridge in order to capture a broader range of sound that is more faithful to the original, unamplified sound of the cello.

The following are examples of cello pickups. Click on the links for more information about each pickup.