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Double Bass Advice needed on pickups for EUB build

Big B.

Big B.

Dec 31, 2007
1,725
2,306
Austin, TX
#1
Hey guys. I am a long time DB an BG'er but I would be lucky to claim 10 minutes of time playing an EUB in my life. I have been playing in a more modern jazz trio with guitar and drums but I find volume is becoming an issue with the DB, and BG just isnt quite the sound I want for this group. I build nice bass guitars and have become intrigued with the idea of building an EUB.

I want to build a 6 string EUB that has the neck shape and string length of my DB (41.5). My DB is a five string with 1" spacing (at the bridge) and I want to have the 6 strings spaced the same for arco playing. I use spirocores on my DB and wouldnt change unless given a good reason. I want the feel of a DB but I am looking for a true EUB sound. I want to be able to use this bass for a dinner party or for playing arco with screeching distortion in a rock group. Something along the line of an NS bass with a larger, more sculpted body.

I have made plans and drawings for everything but the pickups and electronics. Please offer your suggestions for pickup solutions. Piezo, magnetic, whatever you think will work well. My goal is to build a bass that is comparable to any on the market so sound and quality construction are very important. Thanks for your input and I will post some pics as I get things done.
 
#3
Definitely more of the low profile bridge like the NS basses have. A solid but thin bridge with little or no decorative cutaways. I expect the strings to be about 2"-2 1/4" above the body. The more I look at it I am reminded of the bridge saddle of an acoustic guitar.
 
#5
Thanks. The under saddle strip sounds like a good direction. Is that a product that can be bought complete or does it need to be assembled? I would also like to look into magnetic pickups for occasions that are more rock oriented. I assume that I would mostly use the piezos but the magnetic pickups would be a nice twist to have. The EMG pickups on the NS bass look interesting but I dont know if they are available separately.

I very much appreciate the advice. I consider myself quite good at the woodwork but wiring and electronics are not a strength.

Out of curiosity, is there a functional difference between the low profile bridge and the more traditional designs that some EUB's use? It seems a more traditional bridge would make more pickups available for use.
 
#6
There are already some under-saddle piezos available; Fishman, LRBaggs, etc.
They may not be long enough to cover all your bridge's width though.

A traditional bridge indeed gives much more choices, but you'll need to get some neck angle.

As for mag pickups, I'm not a fan, really.
I tried a Krivo once, but was very disappointed and rapidly sold it.
 
#7
As far as I know you can cut the fishman under-saddle pickup's to lenghth. So If you want to cover the whole saddle you can use two, cut to the exact size. I'm not sure If you will need to cover the whole bridge though. On my NS WAV I almost always only use the bass side pickup.

A lower NS-style bridge might be more difficult for creating a bow-able curve. The NS basses have less of a curve compared to a standard DB, and the strings being so close to the body also doesn't help. No big problem, the feel's just different from bowing my DB.

I'm contemplating using my experience with my NS-WAV in building a EUB and I'm leaning towards using a traditional bridge and maybe a Full Circle pickup.
 
#8
Piezo cable is an another option for EUB, LRBaggs, Artec and Headway do these which may have sufficicent length.
I have also wound my own mag pups for EUB just dont expect any acoustic 'thump' from them.
The NS mag pups can be bought directly from EMG i think...

IanM
 
#9
scojack said:
Piezo cable is an another option for EUB

IanM
Click to expand...

+1 Ian, I have used piezo cable in 2 instances, found out the cable is not exactly as "tinny" as straight up element strips.

It's about $1 per inch.... Depending on the pressure used against it, you can get a pretty strong signal, but you'll still probably need a pre/buffer....

Link Removed
 
#11
Matthijs said:
A lower NS-style bridge might be more difficult for creating a bow-able curve. The NS basses have less of a curve compared to a standard DB, and the strings being so close to the body also doesn't help. No big problem, the feel's just different from bowing my DB.
Click to expand...

I have had to deal with this in my planning and decided to build a radius body that will fall away from the string allowing for better bow access to the outside strings. I do intend to use a traditional DB arch for the strings so that will require a certain amount of tweaking as well.

Thanks for all the replies. I assume that I will be using piezos mostly but I would like to be able to get the BG sound of the magnets as well. The EMG mags have a very pleasing appearance compared to most of the funky looking mag pickups I have seen and I know that EMG makes quality products. I have noticed that NS design's pickup has variable settings for arco and pizz. Is this a common thing or is it exclusive to NS design? It sounds like an intriguing option but is there any actual increase in performance over standard pickups?
 
#17
Sorry to bump a year old thread by my PM to the OP can't be sent; full mailbox.

I'm at a place where I need to go with some form of under-saddle pickup for my EUB and am wondering how this turned out???
 
#18
Hey Nate, sorry for the late reply and the full inbox. I've been busy building basses and furniture for other people and oddly enough just started working on this bass about the same time you posted. I've got the body finished except for bending my top to fit over the arch of the body. Once thats done I'll start tackling the bridge and electronics. Unfortunately my only online access for now is a mediocre cell phone so I cant really post any pics yet but I wouod like to post some soon. I've adjusted the neck angle to get more clearance for the bridge and the bow so my bridge will be a little taller than I originally expected. Not sure yet how this will affect my pickup choice but I'll be sure to post when I make some more progress on the bass.
 
#19
No worries at all. I'll look forward to seeing your build as it comes along. As for my issue, I finally got a bridge design worked out. The final product can be seen here:


http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f101/bridge-design-issues-eub-project-need-help-833256/

It was a long and winding road, but I couldn't be happier now with how my first EUB build is sounding. In fact, I'm so pleased with it, and perhaps more importantly with all the things I learned, I'm designing my second build. I love the first one, but there are a bunch of things I want to improve upon...

Let's compare notes (and pix) in a few months :)
 

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