Microphone and Ai 2 Channel

[16fuss]

hi folks, i changed from steel to gut strings some weeks ago. the sound change is really huge. before that i was quite pleased with the sound i got with my wilsonpickup- AI - Ampeg Portabass pb110h.
the amplified sound i get now is even better, but it is totally different than the acoustic sound of my bass. i would like to do a step to "my bass only louder".
i dont need superhigh volumes (and if i would the wilson is ok for that). i would like to try a mic. lugging around an extra preamp seems uncomfortable to me. are there mics wich:
1. work with AIs preamp section/phantom power
2. can be permanently left on the bass without looking like a cyborg?

by searching this forum i read about:
golden trinity
sm57
sennheiser 906
amt

the price certainly is a point to me, but it should be a practical solution for everyday use.

thanks for your help

[txstatebass]

Although it is a little pricey, I use my AMT for almost every gig, from restraunt to festivals to recordings, and I use a coda II. It's proven itself over and over as the closest to "my bass but louder."
Hope this helps in your decision making (and no, I am not endorsed...yet)!

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by txstatebass

Although it is a little pricey, I use my AMT for almost every gig, from restraunt to festivals to recordings, and I use a coda II. It's proven itself over and over as the closest to "my bass but louder."
Hope this helps in your decision making (and no, I am not endorsed...yet)!

I also use an AMT (tailpiece mount) into a AI Coda. However, I normally mix the mic with a Full Circle pickup. Although the AMT does
have a small black box, I just Velcro the box to the top of the Coda and leave the XLR cord plugged into channel 2. I love it!

[16fuss]

so both of you use the AI combo-amp? i have serieII, but replaced the cab by zhe portabass. this one is coloring the sound quite a bit. i like this with piezo, but how will it fit a mic sound?
Bob, do you have 2 cables running from the bass to the amp?

[Ric Vice]

Originally Posted by 16fuss

1. work with AIs preamp section/phantom power
2. can be permanently left on the bass without looking like a cyborg?

by searching this forum i read about:
golden trinity
sm57
sennheiser 906
amt

the price certainly is a point to me, but it should be a practical solution for everyday use.

thanks for your help

You might check out the thread on the Heil Stubby (Dynamic Mic) that will be out in March or April. It's relatively small and It certainly got my attention. You would have to use the new H Clamp, so I'm not sure that you could just leave it on your bass, but it's pretty easy to set up.
The AMT with the optional (and pretty expensive I might add) tailpiece mount is probably the most hassle free, but you evidently have to be careful with the cable and strain relief because AMT uses proprietary connector between the mic and their pre-amp. The H Clamp allows you to use virtually any microphone you want.
You do have to be careful with the bigger condensers because they could fall into the bass. The advantage of using a dynamic mic is that you can plug it directly into the AI without using the phantom power at all.

Ric

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by 16fuss

?
Bob, do you have 2 cables running from the bass to the amp?

At the present time - yes. I've been looking for a single cable to combine the two, but I haven't found a supplier that sells it in the small quantity I need.


As Ric Vice pointed out, the AMT factory tailpiece mount is pricey, but I made my own version that I think is actually better than the factory mount. However, the modification will void the warranty (if that is a consideration). I posted photos of the mount a couple of years ago and you can probably find them with the TB search facility.

[bolo]

Originally Posted by 16fuss

are there mics wich:
1. work with AIs preamp section/phantom power
2. can be permanently left on the bass without looking like a cyborg?

In general I can't really think of a reason why a given mic wouldn't work with the AI amps. For mics that need phantom power, the Series III AI's provide it at 38 volts.

As far as being discreet and being left on the bass, there's the AMT tailpiece mount as noted above. Other than that, the DPA mics (4021 for e.g.) are even smaller and less obtrusive, but very expensive (in U.S. $ at least).

There is also an ATM (not AMT) mic in the "35" series I believe that also gets good reviews from some folks here. It is a clip-on variety. I wouldn't leave it on the bass, but seems easy enough to clip it on and off.

The H-clamp that Ric mentioned is great (IMO) and provides a wealth of possibilites for trying different mics and mic placements. But I guess some would say it might look too much like a borg-ish contraption such as you mentioned. I don't notice it much anymore at all, but here's how it looks on my bass.

P.S. I have an AMT too, but not the tailpiece mount. Both the AMT and my Beyer M88 work fine with a Series III Focus 2R.

[bolo]

Here's another option. This thread has a picture of Lynn Seaton's mic mount. His mic is a Shure Beta 56. Clean look. Easy to take on and off I presume. The "bonnet" holding the mic in between the bridge legs is custom made.

[Bob Branstetter]

Here is the photo of my bass with tailpiece mounted AMT mic. I just attach the cord and I'm ready to play. I've had it on the bass for a couple of years and although it is easily removable with an Allen wrench, I've never had a reason to removed it. It's just a plug-in and play operation.

[Bob Gollihur]

An AMT tailpiece version is now available as a stock item. We just got the first one in last week (and it's gone now) and will be adding the photos I took to my web site this week.This version does not require any special tools to install it, though I did find a small wrench useful to hold the small locknuts as I unscrewed the bolt thumbwheel by hand.

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by Bob Gollihur

An AMT tailpiece version is now available as a stock item. We just got the first one in last week (and it's gone now) and will be adding the photos I took to my web site this week.This version does not require any special tools to install it, though I did find a small wrench useful to hold the small locknuts as I unscrewed the bolt thumbwheel by hand.

That's great news. I found the side clamping of the standard version to be a real pain since it had to be removed and put away after every job. I wouldn't want to risk leaving it on the bass with the case on.

When I talked to Marty Paglione a couple years ago, he quoted me a price of about $175 in addition to the cost of buying the standard version. Can you tell us the approximate difference between the two versions now?

[Bob Gollihur]

Originally Posted by Bob Branstetter

That's great news. I found the side clamping of the standard version to be a real pain since it had to be removed and put away after every job. I wouldn't want to risk leaving it on the bass with the case on.

When I talked to Marty Paglione a couple years ago, he quoted me a price of about $175 in addition to the cost of buying the standard version. Can you tell us the approximate difference between the two versions now?

Same price for either version, Bob, for either the S25B or SP25B with the tailpiece instead of clamp mount. You'll find additional photos of the production tailpiece mount version, that I took last week, now posted at http://www.gollihurmusic.com/product...P25B_S25B.html.

[txstatebass]

Honestly, I have found myself using less an less pick-up and more AMT to the point where I only plug in the realist on LOUD gigs. Most of the time, I just go straight to the house with the AMT (who wants to lug more gear than necessary?). My fave tone is when my boss brings out the Bose tower. Those things are sick. I like the idea of the tailpeice mount for the AMT, but I might be getting another bass soon, so I'll hold off on that for a bit.
But the AMT through AI is a good way to go for me.

[Bob Branstetter]

That's even better news. It looks like they have also eliminated the plastic (Switchcraft EN3) connectors too. A good product gets even better! Now if they could just get rid of the photos showing the mic in front of the ff holes...

[txstatebass]

+1 Bob! It took me forever to figure that out! Nights of "Why's it doing that?!!"