Hi all, I play my carved upright in a Rock band, we are not really loud and I don't slap the bass... but I do play several of our songs with the bow. Any way, we have a regular bar gig and so I am trying to learn how to avoid feedback. I am having trouble turning up the volume enough for us all on stage to hear the bass.

~ The bar is large with a high ceiling (shiny) and the walls are brick so it is a little echo-ee in there.
~ I have none of my sound coming through the monitor speakers.
~ I have a 2 / 10" speaker cabinet and 300 plus watt head that we use for our sound on stage, monitoring.

does anyone have some words of wisdom for me?

Sorry... I forgot to mention that I have K&K pickup-- sits in one of the holes of the bridge

Easy solution...switch to a solid body EUB!

is there a pa? if so, I'd ditch the amp and go straight the house and have the sound guy put some of you in the drum monitors. if you guys are playing so loud you can't be heard without 300 watts on stage (which at the point it is kind of silly to play an acoustic instrument) you can get a nice magnetic pickup and stop up the f holes with foam and play at those volumes on stage.

And that's the point where I decided that a EUB was a more sensible choice than doing battle with the big girl on a loud stage.

Get one of these:

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fishman-ProEQ-Platinum-Bass?sku=303149

Also, wedge a piece of foam, or roll up a towel and put it behind your tailpiece. Alot of feedback seems to come from the tailpiece resonating.

A parametric EQ can also be very usefull to notch out frequencies that are feeding back.

For lots more info on controlling feedback at high volumes (without "getting an EUB" :spit:) go to Rockabillybass.com and use the search function there.

you have some good ideas here.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=500238&highlight=feedback

David Santos

For those that can't find the search function...

Originally Posted by Uncletoad
I have played ridiculously loud in small and large venues with huge rock bands using my Plywood Cleveland bass mixed Gut/Steel strings and a Full Circle pickup into an AI Focus 2RIII and Euphonic Audio VL208. It mananges to still sound like a string bass too.

Several Considerations;

1. The onstage bass volume should be low, feel the low end and presence of the bass through the PA.
2. Use the onstage system with mids and highs only as a personal monitor to stay in tune.
3. Dial in the front of house sound without any on stage sound whatsoever and then turn up your rig just enough to play in tune when everything else kicks in.
4. Try to get whatever personal monitors you use up off the floor near your ear and away from the body of the bass.
5. Stay well behind the main speakers and well away from the subs.
6. Keep the bass out of the floor wedges and stay as far away from any on stage speakers as you can.
7. Use the rubber stopper on the endpin and don't stick the pin directly into the floor.
8. Experiment with phase reversal on the preamp.
9. Experiment with high pass filters on the preamp.
10. Stay away from compressors.
11. Place a foam wedge or towel between the body of the bass and the tailpiece if you still have feedback.
12. Weave a strip of velcro through the afterlength of the strings between the bridge and tail piece.
13. When all else fails use parametric EQ to dial out the offending frequencies. A couple bands should be enough. If not you've got a source problem.

Very good info, Toad. That pretty much covers it.

Someone should sticky that.

Very good info, Toad. That pretty much covers it.

Someone should sticky that.Yea. I'm getting tired of copying it every time the topic comes up.

Oh I will say that the same exact set of principals apply to my old carved bass too. The ply is a more dead instrument acoustically and amplifies that much louder if need be.

Phil,
"I have played ridiculously loud in small and large venues with huge rock bands using my Plywood Cleveland bass mixed Gut/Steel strings and a Full Circle pickup into an AI Focus 2RIII and Euphonic Audio VL208"

One thing I've noticed about the 208's is that they are pretty "feedback neutral". I've used mine with a the good old Walter Woods Ultra and a AMT mic for a concert. Now mind you the AMT was going into the PA as well, but I could get a reasonably loud stage volume put of the Woods into the 208. I had the Realist running into the second channel, but I didn't have to use it that much. If I use a different cabinet I don't get the same results.


Ric