More Newbie Questions

[lonote]

I recently purchased my first DB, a 1/4 size Kay M-3. I have had a soundpost installed and the luthier says it is structurally excellent and ready to go. Now, I'll need a pickup. I will be playing blues, strictly pizz. I have 2 amp rigs that I've been using with my EBG's: a solid state Ampeg B-2 combo with 4 X 8" speakers and an old (tube) Fender Bassman 50 with a 1 X 15" JBL. I would like to keep the electronics as simple as possible..."plug and play" is my motto. When I look at pickups, many look to be pretty much the same so I'd like to know what y'all would recommend. I also don't want to spend a lot of money at this stage of my DB development. Thanks!

[JonB]

I'm familiar with the sound of the 4x8 cabinet part of the B2. While I don't know about the Fender, it's probably safe to assume it has the same sort of pillowy bottom end since it has a 15" and tubes. If your playing close to your amp and have to have the volume up, you'll be fighting the feedback monster.
There are several good choices for "plug & play" pickups which you can find in the archives here. K&K Bass Max is good - inexpensive and easy to install. Full Circle is good too if you have wheel adjusters, but has a bit of boost in the extreme low end, which may be a problem with your amp choices. I like Pick-up the World because of the articulation pickup. This gives you some control over highs going into the mix, which you will find useful. You won't want to hear this, but usually piezo pickups work best with seperate preamps. This is to match impedence before going into your amp(s).
One tip to help you fight boom and feedback, regardless of which pickup you buy, is to reverse phase. Since your amps likely don't have phase reverse switches, just make a connector cord with the leads reversed on one end. Hope it all works out for you.