| I love my FC, and I have a Rob Allen too. I agree with hdiddy that not only are the instruments and physics a lot different, but the pickups too. The FC piezo is in one bridge foot, as you know. The Matrix Natural II piezo used in the Rob Allen ("Bob") I believe spans all the way across the saddle. My Fishman preamp doesn't really help either, at least very much, though it should if I had a lower input impedance input.
Bob always sounds good, but I don't know how natural it is the actual sound of the bass, because it DEFINES the actual sound of the bass. The FC comes pretty close to its goal to my ears for my Cleveland, but not as close as a good mic. That's a common belief, but mics have their drawbacks too, as I'm sure you know. Some players aren't as keen on the FC, but it may be their bass/setup or their more favorable experience with another contact pickup. I guess what I'm saying is that someone who has used an FC and other contacts should comment, as opposed to trying to understand why Bob's pickup works so well. Though I agree it does! | 
