double bass, feedback and Eq pedals

[dodgy_ian]

so,

did i fairly loud jazz gig last nite, crammed onto a small stage an for the first time i was expereincing a lot of feedback on the dble.never had it b4 and dont really know how to go about resolving it. I basically was getting asked to turn up and up but coulnt because I was just getting wailing feedback. I managed to tame it by keeping my knee on the back of the bass, reducing the overall resonance of the thing but it still didnt help much on the volume side of things. Would an EQ pedal help? I have a boss 7band bass eq pedal. I've got to play this gig again next week and it would be go to have it sorted by then.

I;ve got a k&K bass master pro set up (4 piezos on bridge and an underfoot) going into a Hartke 1x12 kickback.

any suggestions greatly appreciated!

[anonymous0726]

I'd try turning off the under-foot piezos. You also might deaden the bridge with a mute. Get the speaker offen the floor and point it away from the bass as best you can.

[hdiddy]

I just picked up a Fishman Pro Platinum bass EQ Preamp from Bob G. last week. This little unit is SWEET! 5 band EQ, phase switch, compression, and ground/lift switch for XLR. It's pretty easy to dial out the nasty. Worth taking a look at.

I have it hooked up to an iAmp500 right now. Should be able to dial out just about anything.

[jbahleda]

I am pretty new at the doublebass and play in a jam/pop band. I also use the fishman platinum eq, but with a small stage and our HEAVY handed drummer to compeate with (not to mention my crappy ampeg BA112 kickback model) I have been having serious feedback issues. The phase reversal switch works for a bit, but in a high volume situation it is not enough, at least for me that is.
Has anyone tried one of those feedback busters that berringer has?

[hdiddy]

I think the consensus here is that if you're going to play super loud volumes, it's kind of a different application altogether. You need something that has a high feedback threshold, like a magnetic pickup, or a barbera bridge or maybe even an EUB. You can only play so loud before something like a Full Circle PU starts feeding back.

Also search for the old threads where other guys have stuck foam cushions between the tailpiece and the top to dampen and reduce feedback. Some also weave velcro between the strings in the afterlengths for the same effect. Look at those old threads for deets. Maybe you can do some of this stuff without having to buy a new PU.

[Jason Hollar]

That Boss should do the trick though...

Just fiddle with the lower mid range controls. I find keeping everything flat, then cutting one or two of the low-mid sliders works great. The Boss has an awesome gain knob that should let you boost the overall volume once you find and kill the feedback frequency (usually 120 & 400 HZ on mine). Try cutting 500 as well if you get too much "honk". Usually, the typical Smiley Face EQ curve is the thing to shoot for on loud gigs.

And yes, try stuffing some muting material under the tail piece and string after-length.

[fingers]

I used to play db in a band that did a bunch of big clubs. Kinda a rock/world music outfit. Here's what I found.

1 Position any amp or bass drum away from the body of the bass. Anything that can cause the bass to vibrate will make feedback worse.

2 Like folks have said, stick a towel or small pillow behind the tailpiece. I had limited success with muting the afterlength of the string but I hear a bunch of people talk about it.

3 If it is a place with a house system, insist on keeping the stage volume under control. They can make you loud out in the house. If the club has subs under the stage... give up. I've yet to find a way to effectively dampen that much vibration up the endpin.

4 Pickup choice is pretty huge. I used an Underwood with pretty good success. I also used a bass with a Wilson and it was cool too. I hear the K&K bass max is pretty cool too.

5 If all else fails... switch to chop. I've had to tell folks before that if they want that kind of volume I gotta switch. I think db doesn't sound good at huge volumes. After you muted everything, put a special pickup, etc. You basically have a huge fretless.

[Bob Gollihur]

Originally Posted by dodgy_ian

so,

did i fairly loud jazz gig last nite, crammed onto a small stage an for the first time i was expereincing a lot of feedback on the dble.never had it b4 and dont really know how to go about resolving it. I basically was getting asked to turn up and up but coulnt because I was just getting wailing feedback. I managed to tame it by keeping my knee on the back of the bass, reducing the overall resonance of the thing but it still didnt help much on the volume side of things. Would an EQ pedal help? I have a boss 7band bass eq pedal. I've got to play this gig again next week and it would be go to have it sorted by then.

I;ve got a k&K bass master pro set up (4 piezos on bridge and an underfoot) going into a Hartke 1x12 kickback.

any suggestions greatly appreciated!

The four bridge-top transducers will feed back more readily than the Bass Max wing pickup, so if you are not balanced towards the Bass Max I would do so.

If you are able, put your amp alongside you, you don't want the speakers blowing at and exciting the bass. An EQ pedal can help, cut some of the lowest (30hz) frequencies that are the demons of vibrating basses and probably are turning into mud off-stage anyway. A little more focus on the midrange will help you cut though the mix.

[larry]

Originally Posted by hdiddy

I think the consensus here is that if you're going to play super loud volumes, it's kind of a different application altogether. You need something that has a high feedback threshold, like a magnetic pickup, or a barbera bridge or maybe even an EUB. You can only play so loud before something like a Full Circle PU starts feeding back.

Also search for the old threads where other guys have stuck foam cushions between the tailpiece and the top to dampen and reduce feedback. Some also weave velcro between the strings in the afterlengths for the same effect. Look at those old threads for deets. Maybe you can do some of this stuff without having to buy a new PU.

+1 on what hdiddy says.

I was in a pop-type band on DB for a few years. I used a magnetic pick-up (Pierre Josephs String Charger). That did the job. Not the most natural sound, but at those loud volumes most of the subtle nuances of the DB sound are lost anyway. There may be better magnetic pick-ups, but that one worked well. If I was still playing that type of thing, I would probably try blending the magnetic pickup with a more natural sounding one like a Revolution Solo, Full Circle, etc.. Run them in to something like my D-Tar Solstice where I could flip the phase between the signals if needed. I'll bet that would sound pretty natural and get loud before feedback.