Double Bass Pickup comparison page with soundclips

Great link! Thanks!

I think the bottom line is: No pickup beats a microphone for a natural sound, especially for arco

ToR-Tu-Ra said:

Great link! Thanks!

I think the bottom line is: No pickup beats a microphone for a natural sound, especially for arco

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+1
I was surprised by the lack of lows in the Underwood Pizz, that's not been my experience, but I think what we are getting here is the straight from the pickup sound, not the overall sound that I'm used to.
I thought the Shadow and the Revolution Solo sounded particularly good on pizz. The Solo sounded better on arco then the Stat-B though they are similar technology. Anyway, a fascinating site, thanks Chris!

Yea. They all sound like sh-t.

Sombody should do that with preamps. All those through preamps sound very different.

I think the bassist doing the playing needs to forget about pickups and work on intonation.

But in all seriousness, that's a great resource to have. I agree that they all sound "less than great" and I own 2 of them.

That site persuaded me to buy a DYN-B, because I thought it sounded SO much better than anythng else.

I still think so, altnough it's far from perfect

PB+J said:

That site persuaded me to buy a DYN-B, because I thought it sounded SO much better than anythng else.

I still think so, altnough it's far from perfect

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I was surprised at the sound. How is it on louder gigs?

Still making up my mind. It's much more like a double bass, but I had one gig where feedback was a real problem. it was partly my fault, because I got there late, breaking my cardinal rule, and didn't get my rig set up right

It has a lot of midrange, and if the band mix is sparse it can sound a little harsh. In that case I take out some of the mids with eq. In a bigger mix it sounds great with the avalon set to flat

It sounds more like your bass, but as several people here pointed out, when things get loud an acoustic sound kind of goes by the board, and maybe the piezo sound of a realist is more effective?

These sound files have really been on my mind, and I am glad Chris OK'd them because there are certain aspects with the whole thing where I could see potential problems arising. But all in all I think it is a very good resource for us.

Also regardless of the player/setup, etc., the playing is quite consistent track to track even if they are not the same 'takes' like the realist vs. full circle thread done earlier by a TB'er. For me that means that differences in the pickups response on the tracks can be gauged fairly accurately although of course YMMV.

The tracks of two pickups I own, Realist and Rev. Solo, convinced me that if nothing else the tracks do hint at of 'some' characteristics of those pickups. They do seem almost exaggerated compared to how I think of them responding for myself, but the basic characteristics are there and evident. So therefore consequently, by listening to the tracks of pickups that I am not familiar with, I felt I could; with an open mind of course, perceive each pickups merits and weaknesses.


The One that really struck me was the STAT-B, with the DYNA-B coming in second. To me they did sound "more acoustic" than the others but to me the stat-B seemed although colored, That it could be something that would work well in a live situation with a fairly flat amp. the DYNA-B seemed to have an odd mid bump that could work also very well for some amps/speakers.

I had really been mulling over this and even getting ready to order one when it struck me that those are the only two that are with a supplied with a preamp. So as far as I know they went from the Schertler preamp to the PreSonus TubePre in these tracks. I don't know if this is an unfair advantage since Schertlers are different from PIEZO's. So now I don't know if the Schertler pickups have been represented in the same light as the others.

But this weekend I am going to burn an audio CD of the tracks and listen to them again on some good studio monitors, keeping in mind how different the Realist/Full Circle comparison from the earlier thread sounded on different computer speakers at home. Anyway I really think the idea of this is great, and maybe someday there could be a belchfest just for pickups and (as uncletoad suggests) preamps.

It's useful to consult these clips as comparative information in their own context. When it comes to in the trenches day to day use I'd trust the observations of the working stiffs here who use them all the time over what those clips sound like.

For instance the full circle sound on that clip is not very flattering. On my gigs in a mix it sounds much more authentic than on that clip. The realist and the underwood sound much better on gigs than on those clips too. I prefer the full circle of those three but the clips wouldn't make those distinctions as obvious as they are on the gig.

Another example is Peanut Butter Sandwich's comments about the Dyn B. What you hear on the clips and his on gig perceptions are very different.

So once again YMMV.

bassame said:

The Solo sounded better on arco then the Stat-B though they are similar technology.

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Not trying to nitpick here, but I think the Schertler p/u's are both unique in terms of their base technology. If I misinterpreted your post bassame, I apologize.

I could be wrong, but I think the SOLO is a piezo inside a spruce casing. The STAT-B is not a piezo according to Invalid Link Removed. It is an electrostatic (huh?) transducer design. I guess one trait these two pickups do share is that they are both mounted in the bridge wing slot.

I think the DYN-B's design is also unique - an electrodynamic (huh?) transducer.

Whatever, I am not a techie - Pricing aside, the sound is what matters to me.

[ Edited - Durn. Can't spell. The Schertler link should work now. ]

Thanks univac jr. and Chris for starting this thread. Very cool indeed.

what would be very useful on there would be the Vektor pick up made by Toby Timber, a pick up like the Dyn B but fitted into the bridge leg. I think that the Vektor has one of the very best natural and yet feedback resistant sounds and placements.
I also think that hearing clips of these pups through various preamps would be almost more informative about their sounds then hearing them straight.

TOADIEPHIL is right, compared to the real thing, they all sound like crap. *sigh*

Having listened to all the clips, I think my future plans will be to:
1) Continue using a decent pickup like an RS or Dyn-B or figure out how to use a mic.
2) Buy a bigger/louder/better bass. 7/8 basses don't sound like such a bad idea after learning to those clips. Nothing beats the real deal. I'd rather having most of the sound coming from the instrument, and not the pickups/rig.

The Dyn-B is a mic--it's a dynamic mic that mounts to the top with putty, so it's sealed off. it doesn't need phantom power. It's not unlike putting a vocal stage mic on your bass-it doesn't have the wide dynamic range ofa condenser, in fact it probably deosnt have as wide a dynamic range as a piezo, which, IMHO, is why it sounds middy. But it sounds much more like your bass does acoustically than any of the pickups I've used (realist, full circle, bass max, rev solo). But once the volume gets loud, it just seems like maybe the more familiar, less acoustic sound of something like the realist mmight be better--still making up my mind. I like the dyn-b a lot--probably the best idea is to have a realist or a rev solo also installed, and switch from one to the other as needed. or a bllender preamp....not again....

Also i have a 7/8--I'm no Ray Brown, but it's still real easy for a ham handed drummer and a guitarist with a modest amp to make it so you have to work WAY too hard to be heard. Wish it wasn't the case...

bolo said:

... The STAT-B is not a piezo according to Invalid Link Removed. It is an electrostatic (huh?) transducer design.

Click to expand...

Like a condensor microphone- two metal plates whose distance varies as it is "squeezed" ever so slightly in the bridge.

I think the DYN-B's design is also unique - an electrodynamic (huh?) transducer.

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That just means it has a coil moving in a magnetic field- like a dynamic microphone. I could be wrong, but I think it's designed to act like an accelerometer. It's attached to the table of the bass, and senses the vibration of the table by sensing its actual movement.

Is it possible to find out if the Full Circle was mounted
with the "hot" side facing the bass, or the strings? To
me it sounds like the pickup is facing the body. That
pickup sounds very different depending on placement.

B String said:

Is it possible to find out if the Full Circle was mounted
with the "hot" side facing the bass, or the strings? To
me it sounds like the pickup is facing the body. That
pickup sounds very different depending on placement.

Click to expand...

How so? Sorry, I don't have any experience w/ the FC. But I am interested. Thanks.

There is a difference in tone between the piezo elements pointing up at the strings vs. down at the top. Just what you would think, it's stringier pointing up and more ambient pointing down.

I've got one one each of my basses, one pointing up and one down. They sound a lot closer than you'd think. I couldn't pick em out of a lineup.

Until it gets real loud I'd probably prefer the sound pointing towards the top. The Cleveland that I play on all my gigs is pointing at the strings. I'd love to hear it going the other way, but I'm thankfull it points that way when the bandstand gets jumpin.

Uncletoad said:

There is a difference in tone between the piezo elements pointing up at the strings vs. down at the top. Just what you would think, it's stringier pointing up and more ambient pointing down.

Until it gets real loud I'd probably prefer the sound pointing towards the top. The Cleveland that I play on all my gigs is pointing at the strings. I'd love to hear it going the other way, but I'm thankfull it points that way when the bandstand gets jumpin.

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This is exactly my point, just stated more eloquently.
My pickup faces the top of the bass. At lower volume
it sounds deep and full. When it gets louder, I wish it
faced the strings.