pickup

[ymmij]

hi there,i currently use a david gage pickup on my bass
and i think it sounds ok if im just using a tiny bit of amp
volume to compete with drummer.my problem is that when
i turn up my amp to a volume where the accoustic sound of
my bass is lost it sounds awful.i was thinking of changing my
pickup but there is so many mics and pickups avail.
anyone give me any advice on what to go for.my amp is a
e a 500 with two tech 1x12 cabs.this amp and cabs sounds
great with my jazz bass
cheers.

[JimmyM]

Clef Revolution Solo. I play in pretty loud bands (not ear-splittingly loud but loud nevertheless), and if anything, it sounds better at louder volumes, plus it's the least feedback prone non-magnetic pickup I've ever used. Some people say its output is a little light compared to electric basses, but I just turn it up a little louder and problem solved. Easy to install, doesn't require a preamp, and sounds great.

www.uptonbass.com or www.traditionmusic.com

[Silversorcerer]

I like the K&K Bassmax, personally. It is very simple to install, can be removed completely just as easily so it's not cluttering up the bass when you are acoustic. It just wedges under a bridge wing and the input jack spring clips between any two of the string after lengths. The output is quite strong without any preamplification and the EQ is pretty neutral also. An added bonus;- it is relatively inexpensive, too. I use it straight into a Fender Rad, very little EQ depending on the room. I have a 5 string and it is faithful all the way to the bottom. In a couple of the bands I play in, the volume is loud enough to completely drown the acoustic sound and the pick-up delivers pretty nicely. On my ply bass, it didn't sound so good on arco, but on my carved bass it seems to work well for arco also.

The limitation in any of these types of pickups is how faithfully the part of the bass they are mounted to vibrates evenly across the musical spectrum. So if you have a bridge/bridgefoot mounted pick-up that sounds bad, it might be improved by changing some things about the bridge because it can't "hear" the body acoustics. Just a thought in case you experience the same problem with other bridge mounted systems. Also it is important that the fit of the pick-up is good. The K&K has to be wiggled into the right spot to get an even EQ. These are things I found when I upgraded my bass and kept the same pick-up. The same pick-up didn't sound the same on a different bass/bridge. The bridge on my new bass has different proportions than the old one, with a greater relative amount of wood above the heart and I think that might have something to do with the difference.

Some other pick-ups used by other DB players I regularly see playing out that also sound good to me:

The Underwood pick-up;- I know one fellow who uses this on an old Hungarian bass and it sounds awesome. He also has a pre-amp on it. His system sounds better than most I've heard. He runs it through a subwoofer and one of those odd-looking Bose collumns.

The Realist (at least it sounds good on some basses that I've heard) I've heard this one sound just fine on an Old Kay, an old German shop bass, and on a fully carved Asian bass.

[Mudfuzz]

I like the K&K Bassmax as well. It also works great for recording direct.