Realist pickup problems please help!

mattastonmusic · #1 03-28-2013, 02:53 AM

Hey guys,

I'm having some major issues with my realist pickup (the standard one). The output on it is so low, and often distorted. I've tried changing cables, changing amps and ensuring that there is a good connection with the bridge/body but still i have issues!

I've had the pickup for one year, and at the start it was great! High output, good sound etc. Then after about 6months it started not working. I contacted realist and they basically said; ''sorry but there really isn't anything to go wrong with the pickup, try contact cleaner down the output jack'' So i did this but still it didn't work. Anyway, i then didn't play much double bass due to my electric bass gigs. But i'm looking to potentially do a long string of dates on upright in the next coming months and through the summer and i need a working pickup!!

Any advice?!

p.s. i've contacted realist again to see if they can help me.

Ric Vice · #2 03-28-2013, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattastonmusic

Hey guys,

I'm having some major issues with my realist pickup (the standard one). The output on it is so low, and often distorted. I've tried changing cables, changing amps and ensuring that there is a good connection with the bridge/body but still i have issues!

Any advice?!

p.s. i've contacted realist again to see if they can help me.

Matt,
Well, one possibility is that the pickup isn't seated right, and the surface of the pickup isn't making proper contact with the top of the instrument. It should sit right under the bridge, and there shouldn' be any visible gaps between the peizo element and top of your bass.
If that's not the case then, I'd contact them again, and see if you can pursuade them to replace the pickup. Realists generally lasted about 4 to 5 years on my bass, before what you described happend. On some basses, they last quite a bit longer. The warranty period on a Realist is only 1 year.

Ric

Mark Gollihur · #3 03-28-2013, 07:03 AM

+1 - Check to see that the bridge on the bass is perpendicular to the top. Tuning the bass can pull the bridge a little out of "square" with the top, and that reduces pressure on the pickup and changes (not for the better!) the tone and output. Re-seating the bridge, ensuring a solid foundation on top of the Realist pickup - and a perfectly straight bridge - may make a world of difference.

I just advised someone last week with the same advice, and she proclaimed it a "night and day difference."

Sam Finlay · #4 03-28-2013, 03:04 PM

Hello All,

I agree that the bridge-foot seating is the most likely culprit here. It sounds as though the foot either doesn't fit snug to the top or that it might have been leaning.

The problem not mentioned here, I don't think, is that by playing the bass with the poor-fitting foot on the pick-up there is a chance you could have cracked a piezo in the element. An uneven, vibrating surface can be lethal to a piece of ceramic. If you feel around on the element --take it off the bass first-- you'll see/feel two ceramic disks. If one of the disks has split in two, then there's your problem.

mattastonmusic · #5 03-28-2013, 05:45 PM

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think it was a steating issue. The ceramic elements are both intact from what I could tell. The output has greatly increased now, however I am paranoid about this happening when I'm on this tour!

Maybe I should get another pickup as a backup just incase?

Ric Vice · #6 03-28-2013, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattastonmusic

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think it was a steating issue. The ceramic elements are both intact from what I could tell. The output has greatly increased now, however I am paranoid about this happening when I'm on this tour!

Maybe I should get another pickup as a backup just incase?

Matt,
If you like the sound of the Realist, then they have released a new version, called the Realist Lifeline. Provided you have an adjustable bridge, it slips into the space between the adjuster and the bridge foot. I would think that this would work very well as a backup, if you really need one. However, if you have a padded case, and check your bridge periodically, I don't really think that you'll have that problem again. I wouldn't be two concerned about it unless your bass is going to be bumped around a lot. Mine traveled on the back of a buss to New Orleans, and in a U-Haul to Atlanta, without incident.

Ric

Thanks to Gollihur Music for the pictures

Champagne · #7 03-28-2013, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattastonmusic

Maybe I should get another pickup as a backup just incase?

It would be unwise not to have a backup pickup and strings. But that is my opinion and I've always taken touring seriously with eliminating easy wild cards for peace of mind. For instance, if you knock your bridge and crack the pickup (if that is possible)

Ric Vice · #8 03-28-2013, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Champagne

It would be unwise not to have a backup pickup and strings. But that is my opinion and I've always taken touring seriously with eliminating easy wild cards for peace of mind. For instance, if you knock your bridge and crack the pickup (if that is possible)

+1
I guess I'm lucky in this respect. I can't recall ever having a peizo go down on a gig. The Underwood, might slip out of it's morings, but it was easy to put back into place. The Fishman BP-100 just sounded terrible to begin with. My first Realist did lose volume because it wore out, but you could compensate by turning the volume up as it lost signal gradually. Regardless, if you have the spare cash, carying a spare pickup is a very good idea.

Ric

mattastonmusic · #9 03-29-2013, 02:45 AM

great. thanks everyone! And yeh i'm a big believer in planning for any and all eventualities! Time to go shopping, haha.

Prior to this i haven' been using a preamp. (One of the reasons i went for the realist was the fact that i didn't really need one) but i'm going to be using one from now on too. So that will help i guess. So i can turn up the volume just incase.

Mark Gollihur · #10 03-29-2013, 07:09 AM

FWIW, it's always a good idea to periodically check the "attitude" of your bridge anyway, pickup or not. Most bridges will tend to start leaning a bit towards the fingerboard due to the continued tuning of the instrument. The resulting uneven downward pressure can (and usually will) begin the process of "warping" the bridge.

A good solid "whack" with the edge of a paperback book is usually a good way to get the bridge standing back up straight (and shows the other components of your bass that you mean business, and won't take any of their ****.)