Preamps?

mattfong · #1 07-06-2008, 09:52 AM

So my Realist pickup doesn't match my Eden CXC210 very well. I haven't been able to find a good tone, and the Eden EQ is powerful as hell. I'm thinking of trying out some preamps to see if that helps. I've heard that it might be an impedance problem and stuff like that.

I have about $300 bucks to spend. Any recommendations? I'm thinking of trying a Sansamp, because I think Reid Anderson uses one, and I've seen him play Eden before and get great tone. I could also use it with my electric basses. What about those Fishman acoustic preamps? Maybe that Radial one? I dunno, I need to go try them, but if theres any that are great that I am missing, let me know.

If it helps, I play a fully carved Eastman, with Spiro E, Velvet Compas 180 A & D, and Dominant G.

Kev2007 · #2 07-06-2008, 09:55 AM

I've had good luck with the Fishman Platinum Bass - it does colour the sound (like just about any pre), but not in a bad way. The phase switch is a nice touch, the DI is very clean. Decent prices on ebay.

FWIW,

Kev

fish slapper · #3 07-06-2008, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kev2007

I've had good luck with the Fishman Platinum Bass - it does colour the sound (like just about any pre), but not in a bad way. The phase switch is a nice touch, the DI is very clean. Decent prices on ebay.

FWIW,

Kev

+1

I borrowed a friend's for a couple days and it was great for matching my FC to my SWR practice amp. But I have an AI Clarus head and it was redundant for that.

greitzer · #4 07-06-2008, 10:53 AM

+ 1 + 1

The Fishman works well, it gives you a lot of flexibility in tone. As I recall, it fits within your price range.

Kev2007 · #5 07-06-2008, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fish slapper

+1

I borrowed a friend's for a couple days and it was great for matching my FC to my SWR practice amp. But I have an AI Clarus head and it was redundant for that.

Yeah, I should mention that I'm typically running a Schertler DYN-B, or occasionally a Wilson piezo. Usually thorugh one of the MKI AE Contra, or a GK 150MBE. The Fishman is needed much more when using the Wilson (I run it pretty much flat EQ with the Schertler).

Kev

mattfong · #6 07-06-2008, 11:42 AM

Hopefully the local music store carries the fishman, 100 of my 300 is a gift card. I might go down today to check out what they have.

Anybody have experience with any of the preamps with a Realist? or an Eden? Or both?

Marc Piane · #7 07-06-2008, 12:48 PM

Realist into AI Clarus/Wizzy 12 or GK150MBs. I go between using no pre, a Fishman, and a Sansamp depending on my mood. The Fishman has the most feedback taming tools. Personally I like the sounds I get with the Sansamp a bit more though and the AI has a HPF built in. Still miss the phase switch that the Fishman but I like what the Sansamp does for my sound a bit more.

mattfong · #8 07-06-2008, 08:40 PM

So I think I have temporarily solved my problem until I can go down to Cosmo and look at what they have. I tried running my bass through my brother's Sebatron tube mic preamp then into my amp, and I'm getting a pretty good sound. Not what I'm looking for, but it'll do until I can get a new preamp.

What about the Sansamp Para Driver DI? Apparently its made for acoustic instruments, and includes DB in the description. Anyone used it?

So far I'm planning on trying the Bass Driver, the Para Driver, their rackmount versions, and the Fishman Platinum.

jrlynch · #9 07-07-2008, 06:29 AM

buy fdeck's little black box. 50 bucks and you're there.

jeff.

shwashwa · #10 07-07-2008, 06:38 AM

the sansamp bass driver and rackmount versions will not give you the impedance matching that the para driver will give you. that's the main difference. it would be just like plugging into your bass guitar amp. the para driver has an input impedance of 3 or 4 mega ohms which is fine for piezo. the fishman has 10 meg ohm. i have both and use both. i like the sound of the sansamp para driver slightly better than the fishman, but the fishman has the high pass filter wich is very helpful.

shwashwa · #11 07-07-2008, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrlynch

buy fdeck's little black box. 50 bucks and you're there.

jeff.

that's the best option. and then just use the eden's eq. it will probably be more effective once you impedances are matched, and it has the high pass filter as well.

ToneRanger · #12 07-07-2008, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattfong

So my Realist pickup doesn't match my Eden CXC210 very well. I haven't been able to find a good tone, and the Eden EQ is powerful as hell. I'm thinking of trying out some preamps to see if that helps. I've heard that it might be an impedance problem and stuff like that.

It's not an impedance problem. I have the same Eden head and have tried piezos with and without preamp buffers and can hear no difference.
How do you set the EQ? Is the 'enhance' turned off?

When I converted to EUB from BG, I added an Eden 112XLT to my 210XST and got a whole lot of extra mid-range punch & detail that really helped the upright

Ric Vice · #13 07-07-2008, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrlynch

buy fdeck's little black box. 50 bucks and you're there.

jeff.

+1
Matt,
The HPF Pre amp is a very nice unit. It's designed to address the input impedance, Lo Cut filtering, and Phase Shift. The Fishman has a notch filter and graphic EQ in addition to the HPF's features. Both are very reliable units. It depends on how much you want to spend.

Ric

jacochops · #14 07-07-2008, 11:14 AM

I have a WT-330 that I tried with the Realist. I couldn't get a sound that was anywhere close to an umamplified tone. I ditched the Realist, put on the Revolution Solo II pickup, and boom. Great tone, and I hit the preamp bypass switch. Very natural tone, plenty of volume, no preamp. It's running into a custom made 2X8 cablnet made by Lou Furlinetto (F Bass George Furlinetto's brother).

Seriously, the Realist sounds good on some basses, but not mine. For 140 bucks, you simply cannot miss with the Rev II pickup. There's a guy on the BG side named Wilbyman who I turned on to the pickup. He swears by it now.

bolo · #15 07-07-2008, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacochops

Seriously, the Realist sounds good on some basses, but not mine. For 140 bucks, you simply cannot miss with the Rev II pickup. There's a guy on the BG side named Wilbyman who I turned on to the pickup. He swears by it now.

Hey bro I dig the Rev Solo too. And I have tried other p/u's (Bass Max, Double Big Twin, Schertler DYN-B, Planet Wing). I don't feel I need a preamp either for the two heads I use it with.

But I wanted to tell mattfong and whoever else that from what I have read here it's not a guaranteed good sound w/ every bass. There are some basses (or bassists?) it does not like. I think that's true for just about any DB pickup.

Wilbyman huh? Did not know he was among the Rev Solo crowd.

If there is one pickup that almost always seems to get favorable reviews (again in this forum), it's the Fishman Full Circle. I'm just going by what I've read here on TB.

jrlynch · #16 07-07-2008, 07:59 PM

i think that without question piezos are happiest seeing the lightest possible loud ... i can certainly readily hear the difference between a 500k input impedance and 1m or 10m ... it just keeps sounding more effortless with more bottom and less grinding highs ... you could buy the dtar or find one of the old raven boxes, but if all you want to do is give the pickup a happier load and have the option of flipping the phase and using a high pass filter to keep your speakers from blowing up, the fdeck box gets you there ... i wish it was made out of military spec aluminum, but at the end of the day it works, and is silly cheap.

and if he makes a mil spec one, i'll buy it.

jeff.

mattfong · #17 07-07-2008, 11:08 PM

what exactly does a high pass filter do? Should I get fdeck's box in addition to another preamp?

Basically I'm trying to avoid getting a new pickup, or amp. I love my Eden to death, it makes my EBs sound SO good, even though I rarely play them, and I saved up for a long time to buy it...

How much does a used AI clarus go for? I could save for one of those and run it through the Eden cab?

mattfong · #18 07-07-2008, 11:11 PM

Alright, so fdeck can't ship to Canada. Oh well.

ToneRanger · #19 07-08-2008, 06:11 AM

I think changing the pickup will make more difference than changing electronics. Any chance you can trial a different pickup on your bass?

bolo · #20 07-08-2008, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattfong

what exactly does a high pass filter do?

I'm no techie, but I will take a stab at this.

A high pass filter cuts or rolls off lower frequencies, and allows higher notes to pass through. It is kind of like your Bass EQ knob on your amp, but better to my ears, although I can't explain why. In layman's terms, it cuts out low end mud and rumble, but still leaves low end meat on the notes.

The high pass filter will filter out frequencies below a certain point. It doesn't cut them off altogether, but rolls them off at rate of like 12 dB/octave for example.

This is especially important w/ piezo pickups, because they sense super low freqs or infrasonics. These are freqs below the lowest note on your bass. But they rob power from your amp, and they make your speaker work hard. I think a lot of infrasonics are generated in pizz work just by the pluck, and your fingers landing on the string below the one you just plucked.

Anyway, in practical terms, now that I know how to use one, my bandmates (and presumably the audience) can hear me better because the sound is not as muddy.

If that's not technical enough, google a bit and see what you get.