1966 Ampeg B-18N distortion question

[beans-on-toast]

The first Gibson manufactured pickup was introduced in 1935, it used bar magnets. It worked with steel stringed instruments. These pickups couldn’t be used with a gut stringed bass.

Before an internal pickup was available for upright basses, people would put a mic on a short floor stand on the floor in front of the bass. If you turned the bass, the mic would be off axis. Picking up foot noise and leakage was a problm. The Ampeg innovation was to place the mic inside the body to avoid this issue. They used a crystal mic because it was small.

There are current upright bass products that employ high quality miniature mics in much the same way that Ampeg did, by attaching the mic to the body. That technology has a long standing track record and has not gone away. These days mics can be placed inside the body, outside attached to the bridge, tailpiece, the top, attached onto the strings behind the bridge, etc. An alternative is a piezo pickup.

 

[JimmyM]

I guess you had to install the endpin mic via an f hole (since the mic won't fir any other way), and use some special fishing line and a flashlight to guide it through the end block. I'm beginning to think that Ampeg's engineers had eaten sandwiches laced with ergot when they designed this puppy at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon.

Ampeg's "engineers" at the time it was invented were limited to one Mr. Everett Hull, the founder of Ampeg. He experimented with it in his house. I don't think it would be THAT hard to install, though. Like you said, f-hole, fishing line...add a steak knife and sub out a shoelace for the fishing line and and that's how I re-installed the upright soundpost that fell a couple years ago. Sometimes the simplest ways are the best.

Agreed that it didn't sound the greatest, but it's what they had in 1948. And you'll be happy to know that upright pickups have gotten better

 

[MR PC]

I forgot Jimmy, you are a company man when it comes to anything Ampeg. Yeah I guess he saw a market for amplifying the bass at the time...pre Fender I see, but there were other small builders doing bass guitars as far back as pre WWII.
My guess is that anyone who tried the Ampeg pickup/mic contraption soon realized that a mic on a stand in front of the bass worked way better, warts, howls, screeches and all. There are some great photos of Ray Brown playing live with Charlie Parker some where with a mic real close to the top of his instrument. Others as well...Pettiford, Wendell Marshall. Mingus, the list goes on and on once you research upright bass players. Heck I read an old interview where Charlie Haden was bragging on helping Ampeg develop the flip top. So yeah, the development of upright bass pickups continues, and Ampeg wasn't the pioneer in that area. Lloyd Loar with Gibson invented the first commercial upright bass pickup, and out of a genuine desire to make a beautiful sound.

 

[JimmyM]

I forgot Jimmy, you are a company man when it comes to anything Ampeg.

Right...because I happen to know a little history about Ampeg and share it, that means I care deeply about whether the Amplified Peg was the greatest way to amplify upright bass in 1948. Totally a company guy.

eah I guess he saw a market for amplifying the bass at the time...pre Fender I see, but there were other small builders doing bass guitars as far back as pre WWII.
My guess is that anyone who tried the Ampeg pickup/mic contraption soon realized that a mic on a stand in front of the bass worked way better, warts, howls, screeches and all. There are some great photos of Ray Brown playing live with Charlie Parker some where with a mic real close to the top of his instrument. Others as well...Pettiford, Wendell Marshall. Mingus, the list goes on and on once you research upright bass players. Heck I read an old interview where Charlie Haden was bragging on helping Ampeg develop the flip top. So yeah, the development of upright bass pickups continues, and Ampeg wasn't the pioneer in that area. Lloyd Loar with Gibson invented the first commercial upright bass pickup, and out of a genuine desire to make a beautiful sound.

Lighten up, Francis. Who cares? I'm the first to admit there are better ways of amplifying upright than the Amplified Peg. Not like I get commissions.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Some interesting details in this TB thread: Kay factory installed Ampeg pick up.

 

[MR PC]

i was jus' fine until lil' jim threw the punch in about me being happy to know about upright bass pu's being better now than before. since he's calling me "francis" here, all is fair...

 

[JimmyM]

i was jus' fine until lil' jim threw the punch in about me being happy to know about upright bass pu's being better now than before. since he's calling me "francis" here, all is fair...

Didn't think of that as a "punch" so much as a gentle reminder of how primitive things were for upright bassists in the late 40's.