banjoak - Posted - 09/17/2025:  13:54:27

Not a lot of information to go by. As KC mentioned, best depends on usage, a lot of factors, and if it achieves what you want or need for the situation. Fretless is probably irrelevant. But other aspects take into account the environment, room, stage, monitoring; and ambient sound, other musicians, how sits in mix. Experimenting, gain experience understanding of how sound/amplification works, what tools do; can go a long way to identifying the actual issue, and then possible solutions. Might involve problem solving and trade offs, as solve one issue, might introduce another. Even then might not be a best, but rather different ways, and subjective. 

For many, conventional mic on a stand; as often works pretty darn good, with good understanding, set-up and soundcheck, can get decent gain before feedback, to where it's not an issue for many situations. It can provide more versatility, choices of mics, can easily swap mics; easily adjust position; with it gives ability to dynamically work the mic for gain/tone while playing.

Some folks like the clip on mic, often on a goose neck. It creates fixed distance source to mic, allows the player to move around a little freer, without needing to worry about changing the relation (affecting gain/tone)

In similar set up, a lot of open back banjo players internally attach a mic in the pot, and like those results. A lot of times just a SM57 to dowel. Like any close mic set up, proximity effect can tend to be more low end, but that fits some CH players; and can adjust thru EQ. Other mics can work, including smaller mini/lapel like mics, and/or condensers. Will have different qualities, EQ. Also might find omni polar pattern a little better, flatter response, no proximity effect.

If feedback is a major issue, or if you want lots of FX and don't care about tone, you probably want something like an EMG pickup.

EMGs are just active pickup system. Whether any PU/mic/system active vs passive, isn't about solving feedback issue. Does have an affect on tonal characteristics, transients, dynamics. Generally qualities of active has cleaner, less noise, more clarity and sustain, quick response, better dynamic range.

Many folks using pickups (magnetic or piezo) find the raw signal not what they want... so run them thru some pedal, tone/EQ or other FX, to fix/shape the sound... often to try to get them to sound closer to more natural. To that end, some now use IR convolution pedal, like ToneDexter.