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Double Bass Advice on miking for gigs

D

dbass87

May 16, 2010
224
4
#1
I've got a more general question, as far as miking your upright at different gigs. A trio/quartet group i'm playing with is looking to do some wedding gigs, that sorta thing, and I'm thinking for that I wouldn't need too much power, so I thought about just miking my bass through an amp. I don't have a PU in my upright, so I would just be relying on the mic. For bigger gigs, ones that have a PA, I'm thinking I could probably just mic through the system, and hope they have monitors, which it seems most any place with a PA would have monitors. If not, just crank the amp I guess. Given that I don't have the most extensive equip. setup at this time, does this sound like a reasonable plan, providing the mic/ amp are decent?
 
#2
Not to me; I'd advise putting a pickup on your bass. You'll have much more control over your sound and will be able to get the volume you need. I can count the number of wedding gigs I've played where PA was provided on one hand, and that's thirty years worth of weddings. When there's a bride, her mother, and a maitre d' breathing down your neck, you want to be able to get a respectable sound quickly without having to depend on anyone else and get to work.
 
#4
I don't have any experience with it, but maybe this? Invalid Link Removed

Do a search on this pickup using the search option (click "advanced" search so you can search only within the amps/pickups section of the double bass forum) to find out other's experience with it. You can also search out different kinds of amps.
 
#7
I've tried 80% of the bass pickups on the market in the last 15 years. I use a Fishman Full Circle on all my basses. It's got a lots of range as a pickup and has a great sound both arco and pizz. It's not to picky about the bass. If you have adjusters that are the same size as either offering that Fishman provides it is hard to beat.

If you don't have adjusters or they aren't the same size and volume isn't going to high the Realist works great. Not as good on some basses when volume goes up. Very nice arco tone, possibly the best arco pickup.

I prefer either of those over the K&K on a great sounding bass. Neither of them are easily removable.

If you want a wing pickup that is easily removable I think the Rev Solo sounds better than the K&K. If the bass is stiff plywood or not very resonant the K&K might give you something more useful on a removable wing pickup. If the bass sounds great acoustically the Rev Solo does a better job capturing that than the K&K in a removable pickup.
 
#9
It's pricey at $400 but the new Gage pickup, the SoundClip is a great pickup that sounds similar to the Realist but it is easily removable so if you don't need a pickup, it is off your bass. There is a recent thread about it on here that goes into lots of detail.

mark
 
#10
All right, sounds good, thanks guys, especially Uncle toad for the advice there. I've never really explored bass PUs, never really had the need to. But thinking about gigging brings it into more of a need. One last thing-- Is there a mic that eliminates the need for a PU, ie one that gives you a good, full quality sound going through the amp, as opposed to a PU?
 
#11
dbass87 said:
All right, sounds good, thanks guys, especially Uncle toad for the advice there. I've never really explored bass PUs, never really had the need to. But thinking about gigging brings it into more of a need. One last thing-- Is there a mic that eliminates the need for a PU, ie one that gives you a good, full quality sound going through the amp, as opposed to a PU?
Click to expand...
If there was we'd all be using it.
 

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