Czech-Ease and amplified sound

bassinstincts · #1 12-12-2006, 08:31 PM

Hi. I saw you recently in Chapel Hill and asked about your used of a microphone instead of a pickup on the Czech Ease bass you were playing (the sound was excellent). I believe you said you were using a Shure Beta 58 mic??? Is your mic held in place under the bridge by the foam in which it is wrapped? And what kind of foam do you use? Thanks. Jeff Elliott

Lynn Seaton · #2 12-13-2006, 10:51 AM

Hi Jeff,
Thanks for the kind words about the performance in Chapel Hill. I use a Shure Beta 56. It is wrapped in soft foam that came from a hobby shop. Really, any soft foam will work. My wife made a wrapping for it out of cloth that is a tube open at both ends. It is stuck in the bridge. I will find out how to post a picture on this page ASAP.
Lynn

Lynn Seaton · #3 12-13-2006, 10:52 AM

Here is a photo of my bridge.

Ed Fuqua · #4 12-13-2006, 12:15 PM

Do you use closed cell or open cell foam?

Sorry, just kidding around. Welcome to the board!

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #5 12-13-2006, 12:25 PM

Amen, Lynn, welcome! I got credited for doing something clever when i mounted a Beta 57 btween the bridge legs and posted pics of it. My wife isn't a seamstress, so I jury rigged the whole thing, and later had to confess that I stole the idea from you. Good to see you here!

Eric Hochberg · #6 12-13-2006, 01:31 PM

Hey, Chris - you didn't steal anything, and I'm sure Lynn would agree. This mic placement has been going on at least as far back as the '70s (when I started my career). Some of the top engineers in Chicago would want to "jam" a mic in there, much to my chagrin, as I had visions of it falling out and scratching up my bass, not to mention my increasing anxiety as they rigged it up. I finally said, "no way, put the mic on a stand...!!!"

Engineer Paul Serrano, who did many jazz and blues recordings for Delmark Records over the years rigged up a velcro strap that he used with a smallish mic that would hang from the bridge. It worked very well.

bassinstincts · #7 12-13-2006, 02:11 PM

Thanks, Lynn. That's very helpful. Do you use the same set-up on conventional uprights?

mrpc · #8 12-13-2006, 07:05 PM

Lynn, welcome! I look forward to hearing your point of view here. Your arrival is good news indeed.

BTW, I used an old chrome plated switchable SM-56 wrapped in foam in the '70's. (I'm sure the Beta is much better) I used duct tape to wrap the foam. It worked so well that I still have the rig.....but it has been quite awhile since I've used it!

Lynn Seaton · #9 12-14-2006, 11:07 AM

Yes,
I have been using the same microphone set up since the Beta 56 came out a few years ago. I do this without an endorsement too. I just like the sound. I have recorded several CD's with it too including the recent Lynn Seaton Trio "Puttin' on the Ritz" on the Nagel-Heyer label. Before the Beta 56, I used a Countryman Isomax II.

mrpc · #10 12-14-2006, 12:49 PM

Lynn, how did you mount the Countryman on your bass? Mel Martin once recorded my bass with the Countryman by clipping the mic on the treble f-hole. It sounded great on tape, but didn't seem practical for live use that way. BTW, what's the best way to find your recordings? Thank-you.

**Freddels** · #11 12-14-2006, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrpc

BTW, what's the best way to find your recordings? Thank-you.

They're on his website.

http://www.lynnseaton.com/

Lynn Seaton · #12 12-14-2006, 02:46 PM

I mounted the Countryman Isomax II in a small piece of foam in the wing of the bridge facing the foot of the bridge. It has similar to the foam and wire used for the Fishman. There is a discography on my website of recordings as a leader and as a sideman. www.lynnseaton.com If you have any trouble getting the recordings that I was a leader on, email me and I will do something directly.

thesneakyjesus · #13 12-15-2006, 10:28 AM

Lynn, I understand that you use the beta 56 now, wrapped in foam, but where does that signal go?
PA/DI box/amp?

Have you ever used a combination of amplifier/cabinet/pickup that has worked for you?

What other factors (including you string choice, set up, and bridge dampening etc) have you used to stop your bass from feeding back and still getting a good sound amplified?

Thanks so much,
Chris Harrison

Lynn Seaton · #14 12-16-2006, 07:59 AM

My preference is to go straight into the amp with the mike if the volume of the band is reasonable. A line out can be taken into the house PA. If the volume is too much for the mike, OR someone prefers a pickup sound for their band, I put a Realist through the amp and feed the mike into the house. No DI is needed for the mike. Feedback can be a problem if the amp has to compete with other instruments going into a PA. That's why I want to be in the PA too. Don't stand directly in front of the amp. Ideally, the volume of everyone on stage is such that we can still hear our sound from the bass itself and not just the amp. It is not always so...alas.

thesneakyjesus · #15 01-02-2007, 01:07 AM

Thanks for getting back.

What is your typical amp set up? (what amp and cab do you use, how do you position it, how do you fight feedback)?

Lynn Seaton · #16 01-02-2007, 08:37 AM

I usually use an Acoustic Image with the Shure Beta 56 microphone. I place it on the floor behind me and slightly to one side. For feed back control, don't stand directly in front of the amp. If I am using a pickup only through the amp for louder gigs, I will elevate it, but place it the same. I would still like to have my mike in the house PA whenever possible. For louder gigs, I use the Realist pickup through a Walter Woods amp and a 15" JBL K 140 in a custom built cabinet or a Bag's End 15" cabinet.
Feedback is not usually a problem if the volume is reasonable. Protect your hearing folks. Unfortunately, the volume on the bandstand has gotten out of control in recent years. I like to play with a balanced group sound based on the volume of the acoustic piano on the bandstand without monitors. Engineer the balance of the band on the stand. Play like a well mixed recording. If everyone sets up close, then it should sound like a good mix to everyone. If everyone on the stand plays their volume level appropriately, it will be well balanced like a great recording. During a shout chorus or the peak of a hard hitting solo , the bass may be "felt but not heard". In other words, you will not hear every note you play as distinctly as if you were playing alone by yourself. That is normal.
With the ability to listen to recordings at any volume we choose, we can lose touch with what is a real volume level in performances. The compression on many recordings makes for a limited dynamic range as well. In live performances, dynamics should range from a whisper to a roar. Too many people play at one monotone volume the whole tune and the whole night- loud! The inclination to turn up everything to be heard is a losing battle with no winners. Talk to your bandmates about going the other direction and playing softer to start. Sometimes, it is GOOD to play so soft you can hear yourself breathe. Yes, it is fine to get louder, but people get tired of "being screamed at" from the bandstand all the time.

Bassphil · #17 02-14-2008, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ehochberg

Hey, Chris - you didn't steal anything, and I'm sure Lynn would agree. This mic placement has been going on at least as far back as the '70s (when I started my career).

I have a photo of Paul Chmbers with a mic wrapped in foam and crammed under the bridge, which is probably from the late 50s or early 60s... That's a great spot for a bass mic.

Anyway- Hi Lynn! I just bought a Czech-Ease this week for a few things I have coming up. After two days of bowing the open strings, it's really starting to open up.

Hope to see you again soon,