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That's an excellent question. Let's get down
to Schertler terminology first. The term "Stat" refers
to the miniature "electrostatic
microphone" that fits - in the form of a cork capsule - into
the eye - sometimes referred to as the "wing-hole" of
the bridge. In both the Stat Select and the Stat Set this paramount
part of the system (includes a high quality Schertler cable and
specially designed clips to attach the connectors to the tailpiece
of the instrument) - are virtually identical in every detail. What
is different then - is the type of Preamp that comes supplied with
the Stat. With the Stat Select you get the latest generation "Pre
A-111". With the Stat Set you get the "Stat-Pre".
That's a more difficult question. The sophisticated Pre A-111
has so much packed into it that a few words will never do it justice.
The best thing to do is to read our Stat Select review or read
about the Pre A-111 on its own pages in our section on preamps.
For those of you who still just want to get some sort of an overview
for now - we would best describe the Pre A-111 as a floor-mounted
unit that is mains operated. The unit offers both dry and equalized
outputs and has individual Volume, Resonance, Bass, Treble and
Gain controls. The Stat-Pre on the other hand is powered by an
internal 9-volt battery and has just the one control knob - which
is a Gain (The Gain - allows you to adjust the amplification of
the input signal.) control. The advantages of this are twofold.
Firstly it means that the unit is small and light enough for the
player to mount on his belt by means of an optional clip. Secondly
it means that the player has no problems with a mains power source
restricting his onstage movements.
Yes. Obviously there are other things that you should consider
- but hopefully this will help point you in the right direction
for what you need - Stat Select or Stat Set.
Yes that is correct. Double bassists right
around the world regard the Shertler Stat pickup system very,
very highly. This well deserved reputation is because the system
provides a full and realistic string instrument sound with full
bass tones and clear, bright trebles. The transducers are also
well known for working well with any bass amplifier, for their
high feedback resistance, for providing an impressive "bridge-sound" -
without the harshness or distortion of a piezo pickup - and for
their simplicity of installation.
The Shertler Stat works well for all playing styles. For those
of you who play rock, fusion and jazz with loud amplified levels
- the system's resistance to feedback is particularly attractive.
Furthermore - the Stat works very effectively with signal processors
and effects courtesy of its strong solid signal.
In comparison to the exclusive packaging of
the Dyn B and the handy sized protective black carry case of
the Stat Select - The Shertler Stat Set is delivered in a pretty
disappointing corrugated card box. No doubt this is to keep cost
down to a minimum. Still - the container is reasonably robust
and I guess that once you have installed the unit - the box won't
receive that much further use. Far better to concentrate on the
quality of what is inside. On opening - the main components can
be found slotted into cut-outs in a foam strip. Here the method
of packaging-protection again seems woefully inadequate. One
just has to cross fingers that the delicate electronics aren’t
crushed in the post before you receive them. On a more positive
note - the good news is that once inside the box - there is everything
you need to get you up and running in the minimum amount of time.
The contents are as follows;
1) A short - 26.0cm (ave) - high quality "Spiral Shielded
Cable" signal lead with the factory fitted electrostatic
transducer attached at one end and a female RCA phono plug attached
at the other.
The phono plug has a custom-designed tailpiece fixing bracket already
factory assembled onto it.
2) A retaining knob with screw for securing the bracket onto the
tailpiece.
3) A self-seal plastic pouch containing a tiny fibre wedge to support
the transducer when it is fitted inside the eye (wing hole) of
the bridge.
4) An acoustic preamplifier - the Stat-Pre.
5) A 1.82m (ave) "Mogami" low noise wire with a factory
fitted male RCA phono plug attached to one end and a "Neutrik" professional
quality 6mm (1/4in) jack socket attached at the other.
6) Installation instructions for the "Stat" in English,
German, French and Italian.
7) Guarantee.
Very nice indeed. You just know as soon as you pick up the various
components of the system that everything is made from top quality
components and fittings. Take for instance the two RCA plugs -
they have a sort of weighty feel to them that just exudes quality
and the contacts are plated in gold for the ultimate connection.
Take for instance the fact that the cables are shielded from radio
interference and just take a look at the custom made fixing bracket
and screw.
The actual Stat looks like a small straight bottle cork (10mm
x 8mm x 8mm) with a black PVC lead-cap at one end. Immediately
below the black lead cap is an aluminium ring.
At the heart of the cork "capsule" is
a miniature electrostatic microphone that is sealed inside a
specially constructed sound chamber.
The Stat capsule has to be mounted vertically in the treble (G-string)
side eye (wing hole) of the bridge with the black cap (signal-lead
cap) facing towards the foot of the bridge. Installation instructions
and diagrams are provided and are relatively easy to understand.
The good thing about installing the Stat is that it is not necessary
to remove to bridge and should only take a few minutes to get up
and running. Here is a summary of the fitting procedure;
i) The capsule needs to be fitted right in the middle of the eye
of the bridge - i.e. centrally. It is helpful to draw a light pencil
line on the upper face of the bridge to indicate this central axis.
Check to make sure that you have drawn this line on the G string
side of the bridge.
ii) The end of the cork capsule with the black cap needs to be
supported by the tiny fibre wedge that can be found in one of the
re-sealable plastic pouches. You will see that one side of the
wedge is slightly convex and that one surface of the wedge is
coloured white. The convex surface needs to be glued to the bass
(E-string) side of the lower eye so that the white surface is facing
you. The wedge should be positioned central to the thickness of
the bridge and - so as not to restrict the vibrations of the wing
of the bridge - with a space of 1mm away from the corner of the
wing. When fitted - the surface that is to support the capsule
should be horizontal.
iii) Before doing any gluing - test fit the position of the wedge
to make sure that you are placing it in the correct position. Glue
the wedge into position with quick drying super-glue.
iv) Next - the top of the cork capsule needs to be shaped to
precisely match the rounded contour of the upper eye. The cork
is quite soft and can easily be shaped with a flat rasp or file.
Should a few millimetres of cork need to be removed this can
be done with a sharp Stanley knife or razor blade before final
shaping with the file. The capsule should fit into the eye with
a comfortable amount of pressure. If it is fitted in too tightly
- the pickup could lose it's "open" sound quality and
more importantly - the pickup capsule could sustain damage.
The female RCA connector is secured by means of the factory attached
fixing bracket and screw to the bass side of the tailpiece. With
the socket pointing downwards - position the rubber cushioning
washer that is affixed to the other end of the bracket - behind
the round string hole at the base of the E-string slot. Insert
the threaded screw through the front of the string hole and into
the hole in the centre of the washer and through into the thread
in the bracket. Tighten the screw until the bracket is secure.
Yes - the fixing bracket and screw have been specially
designed by Schertler to hold the connector approximately 2cm away
from the side of the tailpiece - so that it is easily accessible.
The moulded black plastic knob at the top of the screw feels
absolutely great in the hand and looks fab on the bass.
No. Once the Stat has been fitted - there are no
further adjustments required other than making the usual connections
to the external equipment.
Yes - the entire system can easily be removed at
any time. All you need to do is unscrew the tailpiece bracket and
carefully push out the Stat from the eye of the bridge. The small
wedge affixed to the lower eye of the bridge can be left where
it is - ready for the next time that you want to reinstall the
system.
Yes - the high level of performance and sound reproduction
that the Stat-Pre enables is very impressive. The fact that the
unit is so compact and easy to use is also very, very nice.
The Stat Pre measures only 103x55x25mm and weighs
only 160gms.
The unit can either be floor mounted or attached
to the player's belt with a special clip called - surprise, surprise
- the Pre-Clip. By attaching it to the belt in this manner - the
player - whilst on stage - has both easy access to the unit and
the choice of free movement - subject obviously to the length of
his/her output cable.
No. The clip can be purchased quite inexpensively as an optional
extra.
The Stat Pre has been designed and engineered especially to derive
the best performance from Shertler transducers and active loudspeakers.
It boasts the following innovative features;
1) Protection; It has an innovative sub-bass filter that protects
the house system or your onstage amplifier from distortion or potentially
harmful signals caused by low-frequency spikes.
2) Circuitry; It has Class A (100% of the input signal is used.
i.e. the active element works in its linear range all of the time)
constant current design. The circuitry generates a signal that
reproduces an acoustic instrument's sound with incredible fidelity
and response.
3) Power; It is able to deliver nearly 500 hours of playing time
from a single onboard 9-volt battery.
The battery goes in the back of the Stat Pre. Simply unscrew the
four crosshead-screws from the housing cover and slot the battery
in.
An alkaline-battery of good quality is recommended.
The Stat Pre is only turned ON when both the
INPUT and OUTPUT jack are inserted. A small but intense blue
LED "CHECK" light
on the top of the unit - indicates that the battery is charged
and the system is ready to work. The Stat Pre is distinguished
by its minimal battery consumption - however in order to prevent
wasting the battery - it is advisable to pull the OUTPUT jack out
of the system when not in use.
Yes. Battery power can be checked simply by
inserting the mono jack from the amplifier or house system into
the OUTPUT. When this is done a small but intense blue LED "CHECK" light
will come on - on the top of the unit. The light indicates a
charged battery. By inserting the jack from the Stat into the
INPUT - the system is ready to work.
Yes - the Stat transducer has to be supplied with 10V phantom
power to operate.
Condenser mics, also known as capacitor or
electrostatic microphones must have a source of direct electrical
power in order to operate. Some models are powered by an internal
battery, but most condenser microphones receive their power through
the microphone cable from the input of the device to which they
are connected, such as a mixer or microphone preamp. This method
of sending a DC electrical voltage through the microphone cables
is called "phantom power".
In addition to powering the circuitry of the microphone the phantom
powering directly or indirectly supplies the voltage used for polarizing
(cause something to acquire polarity) the microphone's transducer
element ("capsule"). Phantom powering consists of direct
current applied equally through the two signal lines of a balanced
audio connector (usually an XLR connector). The supply voltage
is referenced to the ground pin of the connector (pin 1 of an XLR),
which normally is connected to the cable shield or a ground wire
in the cable or both.
i) GAIN; Allows you to adjust the sensitivity (amplification level)
of the input signal.
ii) OUTPUT; The OUTPUT gives you the signal after the sub-bass
filter.
iii) INPUT;
iv) CHECK; The CHECK light indicates that the unit is powered and
ready to operate.
There is only one output socket on the Stat Pre. It accepts a
standard 6mm (1/4in) jack. The input socket is also designed to
accept a 6mm (1/4in) jack.
You'll just love the user friendly GAIN control on the side of
the unit and the clear labelling and Schertler logos on the top
of the unit. You'll also love the rugged good looks of the cast
aluminium housing. It is certainly well up to the job of protecting
the internal circuitry from careless stage hands - should you decide
to position the unit on the floor.
Yes. In the middle of a gig you'll find it incredibly reassuring
to see the small but intense blue - unit is receiving power - LED
CHECK light glowing away at the top middle of the unit.
High Quality components and Class A circuitry ensure a top class
sound reproduction.
The Stat pickup system was first introduced in 1988.
Today it is used by thousands of musicians worldwide. We like the
fact that both the pickup and the preamp are made to an extremely
high quality and standard of workmanship and that in combination
as the Stat Set - the system offers the following;
a) It is simple to fit and use.
b) It delivers a fast signal response.
c) It provides wide tone and dynamic settings.
d) It is ideal where high amplifier levels must not present a handicap.
e) It provides high feedback resistance.
f) It provides an impressive "bridge sound".
g) There is NO piezo harshness or distortion.
h) The Stat Pre is compact, versatile, and easy to use and enables
a faithful sound reproduction.
The Schertler Stat Set is a system that just works.
Stat Transducer
Pickup type: Bridge-mounted electrostatic microphone.
Length (cork capsule unfitted): 27.7mm (average - inc end cap).
Diameter: 10.0mm (average - across cork).
Nominal Impedance: 1.6kohm
Frequency response: 20Hz to 12 KHz +/- 3dBu
Dynamic range: 75dB
Sens. On instrument: ca. -25dBu
Temperature range: -10°C to +50°C
Contacts: gold plated
Connection: Chinch (RCA) to mono Jack (phono plug)
0dBu < = > 0.775V
Stat Pre
Dimensions: 103 x 55 x 25mm
Weight: 0.16kg
Power Supply: 9V Alkaline battery
Frequency response: 20 to 20 kHz
Max output: +8 dBu
Nominal output level: 0 dBu
Max gain: +18 dB
Max input: 0 dBU
Signal to noise ratio: 93dB
THD: < 0.06%, -10 dBu
Input impedance: 25 kΩ
Output impedance: 190 Ω
0dBu < = > 0.775V
Price : UK£440.00
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