Double Bass An Ehrlund blog, sort of

[drurb]

Wow, the positive reviews keep rolling in. Mine arrives on Friday, first gig with it on Monday.

I think you'll be just fine!

Ehm, I wouldn't count on having it ready by Monday, unless, maybe, you've got all weekend to mess with it.

I'm moving super-cautious with mine--and I'll have the old pickup as a back up when I do take it live...

It took me a couple of hours of playing before I zeroed in on the area that was best. One more tweak after that and I was finished.

...I used the Ehrlund on 6-7 gigs and just couldn't get a solid bass response without it being too boomy. The articulation is awesome and on the gigs I could get a really articulate, accurate bass sound but there was just not enough bass response. ...The other thing was output, because the Ehrlund had relatively low output in my case, I had to really tweak the DTAR to get a usable volume from it. I guess if you can find the right spot on your bass, it's a pretty sweet option, I just couldn't find the spot. The quest continues...

Jeff, were you using the Ehrlund preamp?

That's my question as well, Jeff, were you using the Ehrlund pre? Also, I find that the Ehrlund is a pickup that ends up, through the rig, sounding very much like my bass. If you're looking for the deep, sustained, low end like that more akin to a BG, the Ehrlund will not give you that. That's not characteristic of the acoustic output of a DB. It's the temporal attack/decay profile characteristic of the DB that the Ehrlund transduces so well. I get plenty of deep bass as part of that sound. On the other hand, bridge-wing pickups (and many others) will give you a sound that's more like a BG along the BG-DB continuum. That's what I didn't like about them. Specifically, they always sounded a bit too much like a BG and not enough like a DB.

...Overall the EAP sounds best ,the lower the volume.

I've found it to sound quite good at low and moderately high levels (I never need really high levels). In fact, that's part of its charm-- the fact that, unlike other pickups, the tonal balance doesn't become objectionable as the level is increased.

 

[Thumpie]

It took me a couple of hours of playing before I zeroed in on the area that was best. One more tweak after that and I was finished.

Yeah, but you still have to clip the wire and install the new plug. I still haven't gotten around to that yet because I want to figure out the best wire length to work with multiple basses with multiple sweet spots. I don't want to rush this and I'm giving myself plenty of time to experiment and even try some unorthodox positioning...

 

[Robin Ruscio]

Yeah, but you still have to clip the wire and install the new plug. I still haven't gotten around to that yet because I want to figure out the best wire length to work with multiple basses with multiple sweet spots. I don't want to rush this and I'm giving myself plenty of time to experiment and even try some unorthodox positioning...

I have bought one used and that is done already! saved time and $ by going with Jeff's.

 

[Chris Symer]

I have not cut the cable short yet on mine, just been routing it between the afterlenghts and over the tail piece to the preamp on the floor. Works fine for now, I'll get around to cliping the cable in the next few weeks. Get out and gig with the thing!

 

[Thumpie]

I have not cut the cable short yet on mine, just been routing it between the afterlenghts and over the tail piece to the preamp on the floor. Works fine for now, I'll get around to cliping the cable in the next few weeks. Get out and gig with the thing!

You're trying to push me in the pool, but I'm afraid of the water!

 

[Jeff Kissell]

I guess the best why to describe it is that I could get a great transparent representation of the high end of my bass or a defused and boomy sounding low end and I didn't have enough EQ to compensate in either case. I'm not looking for an artificial sound but it seems that this pick up my bass requires more effort than I'm willing to put in on a regular basis.
I'm gigging a lot more these days (transitioning into full time) and so I'm hearing my bass in (and having to deal with) a lot of different reinforcement situations. While Ehrlund is a quality piece of gear, it's not for me.
YMMV
-Jeff

 

[Thumpie]

I'm gigging a lot more these days (transitioning into full time) and so I'm hearing my bass in (and having to deal with) a lot of different reinforcement situations. While Ehrlund is a quality piece of gear, it's not for me.
YMMV

I hear you. I have similar concerns right now, hence part of my desire to test more before gigging...

 

[Robin Ruscio]

I'm gigging a lot more these days (transitioning into full time) and so I'm hearing my bass in (and having to deal with) a lot of different reinforcement situations.

Oh man, going pro, eh? I'm going to the opposite . . . should be working on my new business right now instead of TB. This way, I'll always enjoy my bass sounding great at home instead of getting talked over playing background music gigs for audiences that don't know I'm there . . .

 

[Jeff Kissell]

Oh man, going pro, eh? I'm going to the opposite . . . should be working on my new business right now instead of TB. This way, I'll always enjoy my bass sounding great at home instead of getting talked over playing background music gigs for audiences that don't know I'm there . . .

I'm lucky in that sense, a lot of what I do is acoustic, house concerts, small venue concerts, etc.
Life's a helluva thing!

 

[drurb]

I guess the best why to describe it is that I could get a great transparent representation of the high end of my bass or a defused and boomy sounding low end and I didn't have enough EQ to compensate in either case. I'm not looking for an artificial sound but it seems that this pick up my bass requires more effort than I'm willing to put in on a regular basis.
I'm gigging a lot more these days (transitioning into full time) and so I'm hearing my bass in (and having to deal with) a lot of different reinforcement situations. While Ehrlund is a quality piece of gear, it's not for me.
YMMV
-Jeff

Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification. There's no single pickup that's right for everyone.

I have not cut the cable short yet on mine, just been routing it between the afterlenghts and over the tail piece to the preamp on the floor. Works fine for now, I'll get around to cliping the cable in the next few weeks. Get out and gig with the thing!

Just repeating my words of caution and advice:

...I don't mean to sound like a soldering elitist but, if you don't have experience and really good soldering skills, you may not want to tackle this. The wire is very fine. I used a temperature controlled soldering iron, a desktop vise to stabilize the work, a scalpel, a hemostat to hold the wire in place, heat-shrink tubing and a heat gun. Just an FYI.

...I'm now using the Switchcraft 121 TS mounted in the same fashion as was the Gollihur jack. I use the nylon strap, screw, and nut that came from Gollihur...

A word about the Gollihur-supplied jack. Many might find it surprising that the specific dimensions of 1/4" jacks are not completely standardized. With the Gollihur jack, there are some cables that just don't seat into it well. I commend the Gollihurs for supplying the conversion kit that they do and with some cables it'll do just fine. The Switchcraft is definitely of higher quality but it's more costly (~$8.00).

 

[Chris Symer]

Thanks for the heads up DRURB, most of my soldering involves belgian ale, clothes pins and duct tape. It aint pretty but it usually holds. It will get gigged a lot though, so any problems show up pretty fast.

 

[PB+J]

I had a goofy gig last night--out band got roped into a "battle of the bands" contest and we won. First prize was seven hours of time in a local recording studio.

I was teaching last night and had to leave class early. I got to the gig just as we were supposed to go on. Took the bass out, plugged the Ehrlund and preamp into a DI, and BOOM! No sound check, no nothin. We're supposed to get a tape of the performance, but from what I could hear the Ehrlund sounded too bassy. I had no eq on it at all, it was all up to the sound guy, and god only knows what he was doing, because it; wasn't in the monitors

When I run the Ehrlund pickup direct into Logic Pro, it doesn't sound too boomy or bassy, but a couple times I've heard "boomy" as a comment at live events, and I usually use the hi pass filter on the Headway to lose some low end. This isn't an Ehrlund problem, I think it's more of a pickup problem. I'd ideally like to get a big room and have a friend stand back a ways and listen as I move the pickup around. It would require an extremely patient friend though.

 

[engedi1]

I definitely have to tame the low end when I use the Ehrlund. Not by a whole lot, I just put the bass knob on my amp down to 11 oclock or so. Every room, bass, and rig is different of course.

 

[Mark Gollihur]

We're supposed to get a tape of the performance, but from what I could hear the Ehrlund sounded too bassy. I had no eq on it at all, it was all up to the sound guy, and god only knows what he was doing, because it; wasn't in the monitors

This is not a defense of the pickup at all, but rather a statement about house soundmen... it's pretty common for sound guys to "boost" the bass on the bass channel(s) because a lot of them think that's what they're supposed to do. "It is bass, right?"

I hate that all our time and effort carefully choosing and tweaking gear can be subsequently negated by a part-time, half-deaf "soundman." </rant>

I remember a gig I played MANY years ago with several other bands, where I saw that the soundman had set the board (vocals only) master graphic EQ in a giant, almost ridiculous, "smiley-face" curve. As you can imagine, the band on stage sounded HORRIBLE. Just before our set, when he stepped away for a beer or bathroom break or something, I surreptitiously corrected (mostly flattened) the EQ. Our band took the stage, and sounded a LOT better (good thing, we had lots of vocals with three-part harmonies) but after our set, by the end of the night, that stupid EQ was grinning again.

Aaaaannd, unless you're a pro band with clout, there's not a whole lot you can do about this kind of thing.

Just thought I'd share... ;-)

 

[Champagne]

Soundmen can surely be a work of art. I played a CD release gig last year, packed the house. I conveyed to the soundman the sound of the band and he proceeded to do absolutely nothing when we played. He sat there reading a book. The crowd said it sounded horrible after the gig.

More of a reason to bring 2 8x10 cabinets so the soundman doesn't have a choice in the matter, well, or your own soundman

 

[Thumpie]

This is not a defense of the pickup at all, but rather a statement about house soundmen... it's pretty common for sound guys to "boost" the bass on the bass channel(s) because a lot of them think that's what they're supposed to do. "It is bass, right?"

I hate that all our time and effort carefully choosing and tweaking gear can be subsequently negated by a part-time, half-deaf "soundman." </rant>

I remember a gig I played MANY years ago with several other bands, where I saw that the soundman had set the board (vocals only) master graphic EQ in a giant, almost ridiculous, "smiley-face" curve. As you can imagine, the band on stage sounded HORRIBLE. Just before our set, when he stepped away for a beer or bathroom break or something, I surreptitiously corrected (mostly flattened) the EQ. Our band took the stage, and sounded a LOT better (good thing, we had lots of vocals with three-part harmonies) but after our set, by the end of the night, that stupid EQ was grinning again.

Aaaaannd, unless you're a pro band with clout, there's not a whole lot you can do about this kind of thing.

Just thought I'd share... ;-)

You're preaching to the choir. I think this is why it's essential to have a high pass filter on stage to deal with stupid sound-people. No correct that. *Sound-MEN*. All the women I've had at the board did competent work.

My personal peeve is the idiot who lunges for the gain during a ballad. Everything must be as LOUD as possible at every moment!

Anyway, I've a few unplugged gigs coming up. Hallelujah!

 

[Thumpie]

This is not a defense of the pickup at all, but rather a statement about house soundmen... it's pretty common for sound guys to "boost" the bass on the bass channel(s) because a lot of them think that's what they're supposed to do. "It is bass, right?"

I think I've got a solution to this problem. Tell a suspect sound-man that you've got a *cello*. He won't know the difference, and he won't be looking for the "bass" knob if you don't say the word.

 

[Thumpie]

Soundmen can surely be a work of art. I played a CD release gig last year, packed the house. I conveyed to the soundman the sound of the band and he proceeded to do absolutely nothing when we played. He sat there reading a book. The crowd said it sounded horrible after the gig.

I can beat that. On a recent gig, the sound-man was *asleep* (or passed-out?).

Earlier in the day, the jerk had kept the band waiting for 3 hours before announcing, that no, there wasn't time for a sound-check.

 

[Bob Gollihur]

I think I've got a solution to this problem. Tell a suspect sound-man that you've got a *cello*. He won't know the difference, and he won't be looking for the "bass" knob if you don't say the word.

I LOVE IT!

 

[engedi1]

Ah. How I love the sound man bashing. This is why I use a post preamp send from my Amp's DI , and why I always insist on using that DI instead of theirs. That way, I can cut some of the bass they are mostly likely going to be boosting. A soundguy who knows ANYTHING about how to amplify an upright? Worth his weight in gold.