The Revolution!

[Rick Auvil]

My new Revolution Solo pickup makes the Christopher hybrid sound fabulous through the SWR LA-15 - especially the arco sound! I experimented slowly with the thickness and found just the right fit. Played my first gig and received all kinds of kudos! How has your's been sounding?

[bolo]

Originally Posted by Bus

How has your's been sounding?

Mine's been sounding very "microphone like" recently. I know that's an overused phrase, but I have an AMT too, so I have a pretty good idea of what my bass sounds like w/ a mic. I think the fact that I have the p/u VERY snug now is contributing to the mic-ish tone.

The sound of the SOLO is more solid, less transparent, and a little "flatter" or less 3-D than the AMT. But it's still a real pleasing DB tone that's very effective on the gig, to my ears anyway. YMMV ...

And just to finish the thought:

"You say you'll change the constitution
Well you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well you know
You better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You aren't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don’t you know it's gonna' be alright
Alright Alright"

[drurb]

Originally Posted by Bus

How has your's been sounding?

Just great! It and the Wizzy seem to play together (pun intended) very well.

[bassbuddy]

Originally Posted by bolo

I think the fact that I have the p/u VERY snug now is contributing to the mic-ish tone.

Agreed. I put some MORE time into getting a proper fit, and it sounds better than ever now. I'm having a bit of a problem getting the slot completely flat; it seems a bit tighter on the E side, but much better than before. Once I get it completely even, I'll probably send mine back for reconditioning, as I've got it shimmed in for now. But yes, getting a good tight fit seems to be the key with these.

[Rick Auvil]

I sanded the back of the wood pickup casing to get my fit. It has a tight fit on the bottom, but is slightly gapped to the outside of the bridge wing. I was worried about that gap at first, but when I heard the sound I was quite pleased. Maybe thinning the wood helped - who knows? I'm not going to play any more sanding games because it's sounding great. That's the goal. Good luck with yours!

[Bobby King]

I just recently got a Rev Solo pickup. I had one made with an extra thick casing to accomodate a Dresden-style bridge. With a little help from my luthier we got it to fit well. We flattened the leg side a bit and filed down the wing "beaK" so it looks more like a wide French bridge wing slot. I've tried it with both sides up and I'm liking it best with the "R" side facing up. It has a very nice tone, not too bright, and I can play pizz or arco without having to adjust my amp. But it's definitely lower volume than my Underwood, although more "natural" sounding. I'm going to put it through it's paces on a few more gigs to see if the volume thing is an issue.

On the first gig I used it for, I had on two plain gut upper strings and two Pirastro Pizzicatos. The plain gut definitely boomed more with the pickup than how the bass sounds acoustically. It was sort of uneven response. Now I put back on my Velvet Animas and seen to be getting a much more even response. I'm eager to try this setup on a gig. I had a Realist before and that was never good with gut either, but it sounds great on my son's steel-string bass. The Underwoods (one side only) are great for a gut setup.

BTW, since the Animas use that cord loop instead of a ball end, I had to rig up another way to mount the jack. I used a small bolt going through a felt washer, then the clip, ran that through the G string tailpiece hole, then another felt washer and tightened it with small nut. It worked fine.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by bassbuddy

Agreed. I put some MORE time into getting a proper fit, and it sounds better than ever now. I'm having a bit of a problem getting the slot completely flat; it seems a bit tighter on the E side, but much better than before. Once I get it completely even, I'll probably send mine back for reconditioning, as I've got it shimmed in for now. But yes, getting a good tight fit seems to be the key with these.

A snug fit is the way to go-- when it's too tight, the vibrations of the piezo element is restricted and it can sound awful. Fortunately, the solution is easy, and that's to sand a bit more off.

Although I leave my RS on all the time, over time it became a bit looser. Eric Roy recommends a piece of a sax reed if shimming is required. The change was so slight on mine that two pieces of scotch tape did the trick.

[bolo]

I was futzing with the fit again last night on a gig. On my bass, I tend to get feedback on certain notes if the fit is too tight. Sometimes it almost reminds me of a really, really good sound hole p/u on an acoustic guitar, including the occasional "vroom" of feedback on certain notes. I think a little sanding will fix 'er right up though.

For bassbuddy, I was real happy with the reconditioning service, and I've done it twice (I have 2 SOLOs). It's less than half the cost of buying a brand new one - and that works for me.

I never tried shims w/ the RS like I used to with the BassMax. But I guess that's an option too.

DRURB, if you were in Tobacco Road like me, you woulda used duct tape instead of scotch tape. A drummer was using some last night under his cymbals to darken the sound and cut the sustain. He chose black tape instead of the traditional silver, presumably for its tonal qualities.

And he also used it to afix a Hefty trash bag over his broken driver's side window. (Just kidding.)

[bolo]

Originally Posted by DRURB

It and the Wizzy seem to play together (pun intended) very well.

+1. The SOLO and the iAMP 200 (sans preamp) work great for me too. I run the iAMP flat by bypassing the EQ section, and just plug & play. Great pizz sound IMO.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by bolo

DRURB, if you were in Tobacco Road like me, you woulda used duct tape instead of scotch tape. A drummer was using some last night under his cymbals to darken the sound and cut the sustain. He chose black tape instead of the traditional silver, presumably for its tonal qualities.

And he also used it to afix a Hefty trash bag over his broken driver's side window. (Just kidding.)

Ah yes, but being so sensitive about aesthetics, I wanted the natural wood of the RS to still show. I had to use scotch tape. Seriously, the old duct tape might have been too thick. I needed a tiny change.

[Bobby King]

You know you're a Redneck if any part of your upright is held together with duct tape!

[bassbuddy]

Well, I used masking tape to tighten the fit. To each his own!

[Bobby King]

A repairman from Nashville that I knew used to use little stick-on labels. There's a certain size you can get from office stores that are about the perfect size for the inside of the wing slot. I asked him if wood shims weren't better for the sound and he said, "Paper is made from wood."

[hensonbass]

I just got done with my first week of shows playing "Wicked" at the Fox here in Atl. and for the upright I'm using the RS pickup exclusively into the soundboard and my AI/EA210 rig. I'm getting a lot of compliments on how the upright sounds both bowed and pizz.

If you are into Broadway shows this is a good one to go see. Well written and a challenge to play too. Calls for upright , 5-string elec, and fretless elec. as well.

[carved czech]

But it's definitely lower volume than my Underwood

That´s why I sold my RS. Revolution was nice only in my room. On stage I could not cut through the mix. So Underwood remains my favorite pu. Soundmen love my strong signal and can work with it well.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by bassbuddy

Well, I used masking tape to tighten the fit. To each his own!

Masking tape?! Well, in a recent study from Bulgarslovia, it was demonstrated pretty clearly that masking tape does not transmit long wavelengths nearly as well as does scotch or cellophane tape. If I recall correctly, you have to use the "disappearing" frosted variety and not the clear stuff.

[bolo]

Originally Posted by DRURB

Although I leave my RS on all the time, over time it became a bit looser. Eric Roy recommends a piece of a sax reed if shimming is required. The change was so slight on mine that two pieces of scotch tape did the trick.

Interesting. The first SOLO I bought stayed perfectly snug for about 4 months of steady gigging, then just loosened up a little. That's why I bought a second one, so I could install it and use it while I sent the first one off for the reconditioning service. When it came back, I sent the second one off for recon ... Sort of a cyclical thing you see ...

I attributed the change in fit to either seasonal changes in avg. temperature and humidity, adjustments to my bridge height, or both. Wasn't really sure to be honest.

Is it possible the spruce casing actually compresses (in tiny amounts) somewhat over time from the pressure in the wing slot, thus loosening the fit?

I know Eric dealt with a question like this before in the monster RS thread. But our experiences seem similar Doc.

I never took my first SOLO off the bass for the first several months either. I was so tired of futzing with positioning and fit and shims with my BassMax, I didn't even want to touch the RS because the fit was real snug and the sound was great.

[bolo]

Originally Posted by DRURB

Masking tape?! Well, in a recent study from Bulgarslovia, it was demonstrated pretty clearly that masking tape does not transmit long wavelengths nearly as well as does scotch or cellophane tape. If I recall correctly, you have to use the "disappearing" frosted variety and not the clear stuff.

Well I tend to trust those Bulgarslovians. My Dad's family is from the former Czechoslovakia, and so is my bass, but I think he once told me I have cousins in Bulgarslovia.

[Bobby King]

Originally Posted by bolo

Is it possible the spruce casing actually compresses (in tiny amounts) somewhat over time from the pressure in the wing slot, thus loosening the fit?

I know Eric dealt with a question like this before in the monster RS thread. But our experiences seem similar.

This is absolutely true. All wood contracts and expands so both the bridge and the casing are going to change over time.
Shims will solve the problems. Paper or wood works fine.

[drurb]

Originally Posted by bolo

Interesting. The first SOLO I bought stayed perfectly snug for about 4 months of steady gigging, then just loosened up a little. That's why I bought a second one, so I could install it and use it while I sent the first one off for the reconditioning service. When it came back, I sent the second one off for recon ... Sort of a cyclical thing you see ...

I attributed the change in fit to either seasonal changes in avg. temperature and humidity, adjustments to my bridge height, or both. Wasn't really sure to be honest.

Is it possible the spruce casing actually compresses (in tiny amounts) somewhat over time from the pressure in the wing slot, thus loosening the fit?

I know Eric dealt with a question like this before in the monster RS thread. But our experiences seem similar Doc.

I never took my first SOLO off the bass for the first several months either. I was so tired of futzing with positioning and fit and shims with my BassMax, I didn't even want to touch the RS because the fit was real snug and the sound was great.

Hmm. My experience matches yours. I also attributed it to seasonal changes but we are now back around to the season in which it was installed. It still needs the scotch tape. Indeed, there seems to be some permanent compression as you suggest. Fortunately, the change is slight and easily solved with a small shim. Eric recommends a piece of a sax reed for this. Alas, sax reeds were not included in the Bulgarslovic study.