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Double Bass An Ehrlund blog, sort of

#421
My attitude towards sound guys is sort of buddhist: let it go, don't let your desire to sound like yourself master you, play the instrument and hope for the best, etc. etc.


In this case they had an ampeg SVT up on stage for basses--a really old school ampeg SVT. I haven't played through an SVT is a loooooong time. Made me wish I'd brought the slab. But the Ehrlund sounded like a tub of mud in the SVT, and I just turned it off rather than wrestle with it.
 
#422
Got the pickup. Preliminary results are very positive. :)

I'm trying to find the spot with the best blend of low and highs. Some seem to have more volume, though I'm not sure if that's the parameter I want to be looking for necessarily as that also seems to be most bass responsive as well and it could lack some clarity on the gig. Very mic sounding results as I expected and very nice arco as well.

More tomorrow. I wish I had a gig right away!
 
#423
PB+J said:
My attitude towards sound guys is sort of buddhist: let it go, don't let your desire to sound like yourself master you, play the instrument and hope for the best, etc. etc.


In this case they had an ampeg SVT up on stage for basses--a really old school ampeg SVT. I haven't played through an SVT is a loooooong time. Made me wish I'd brought the slab. But the Ehrlund sounded like a tub of mud in the SVT, and I just turned it off rather than wrestle with it.
Click to expand...

So your post went from Buddhist to........ :D
 
#424
Arg, from the ironic timing department, I noticed a rattling on my bass just before the pickup arrived and as I kept experimenting with it, it got worse to the point where I couldn't tell what was going on with the pickup. I have a chip and crack in my tailpiece! :scowl:

Now rather than trying to find the sweet spot I'm hoping to be able to get over to my luthier and get it looked at this weekend before my gig monday. :mad:


Luckily tonight is a slab gig.
 
#425
Robin Ruscio said:
Arg, from the ironic timing department, I noticed a rattling on my bass just before the pickup arrived and as I kept experimenting with it, it got worse to the point where I couldn't tell what was going on with the pickup. I have a chip and crack in my tailpiece! :scowl:

Now rather than trying to find the sweet spot I'm hoping to be able to get over to my luthier and get it looked at this weekend before my gig monday. :mad:


Luckily tonight is a slab gig.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that! I feel your pain.
 
#427
Robin Ruscio said:
Turns out it was not the tailpiece, just a seam. It's a new bass from Nick Lloyd and first winter so not surprised somethings are shifting.

Will get the bass back Monday and am going to try the EAP that night even without more time with it.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear it's that simple. I'm betting it will all work out quite well for you. :)
 
#432
Moved to pick up closer to the bass bar. Seems to be getting less bottom end. One of our regular fans told me it does sound very good upfront.
ImageUploadedByTalkBass1361852248.684553.jpg and he actually asked me to bring some of the low-end back in so it's flat at this point.
 
#433
As I posted here, I use the smallest amount of putty I can and that results in the pickup being very close to the top (<0.5 mm). That seems to work very well. I've never had an issue with "boomy" sound. Moving closer to the bass bar produced a sound that was too thin for my tastes. Here's where it sits. Notice that you can hardly see any putty. If anything, I have even less putty on there since I took this pic.
EHR1_small.jpg
 
#434
Robin, my placement is closer to yours than Drurbs. Whatever works is the rule as each bass is difference. For a boomy bass, the bass bar definitely tames the low end, and I think, adds a little midrange punch that helps you cut through. I haven't applied new putty for months, and the putty has gotten really thin, which is an advantage. I find the closer to the top, the more artifacts like string noise, finger squeaks, and things like that you get. I love those, as it makes the bass sound so natural.
 
#435
engedi1 said:
Robin, my placement is closer to yours than Drurbs. Whatever works is the rule as each bass is difference. For a boomy bass, the bass bar definitely tames the low end, and I think, adds a little midrange punch that helps you cut through. I haven't applied new putty for months, and the putty has gotten really thin, which is an advantage. I find the closer to the top, the more artifacts like string noise, finger squeaks, and things like that you get. I love those, as it makes the bass sound so natural.
Click to expand...

Mine is very close to the top and I don't get string and finger noise. That's probably because the pickup sits a bit more lateral than yours or Robin's.
 
#437
Robin Ruscio said:
What do you mean by lateral? Do you mean that the triangle needs to be aligned a certain direction? Or do you mean its relationship to the bass bar?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I mean lateral as opposed to medial. Mine is placed more toward the outside of the bass; yours is placed more toward the midline (i.e., closer to the bass bar).
 
#438
Yes moving it in further seemed to clear it up. My pianist was not impressed by the sound initially but it got better as I got some more mids in there and less bass. I am usually fighting for some more musical top end and articulation in that room and with the sometimes thick Phil jones rig.

I might go closer to the bass bar next. New venue and group on Thursday so that will be a real test.

Leaning towards keeping my full circle a selling my gage realist since that was my arco pickup.
 
#439
Robin Ruscio said:
Yes moving it in further seemed to clear it up.
Click to expand...

In my case, moving it in made it sound less like my bass does acoustically. That's what I'm ultimately after. Articulation is not much of what I hear when I hear a DB played acoustically. Just a matter of taste. I guess it depends on where you're listening too-- say, 6 inches from the instrument vs. 3 feet. Then there's the differences among basses. One nice thing about the Ehrlund is that you can "tune" the placement to get what you want. I can change the tone-shaping on my rig to add upper partials and more articulation when I want to cut through better. It's easier than moving the Ehrlund. :)
 
#440
I'm still experimenting with mine in the "bass room." For my Kay, I'm probably going to go with a placement similar to what is shown above. But I did find a very interesting place about 4 inches below that might be worth pursuing. I haven't even started to try to find a placement on my Shen.

I have noticed that it is much easier to produce feedback with this than the Full Circle. Hence, my caution. At the crappy venues I often play, having a HPF and EQ onstage seems mandatory to dealing with idiot sound-men.

After a while of playing with it, my ear gets used to it and I don't like the sound (nothing is as good as an un-amplified bass). But then I switch back to the Full Circle and am startled by how artificial the "piezo sound" is. Also, blending the two seems like a waste of time. The Full Circle doesn't add a thing.
 

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