Double Bass Anyone changing up their setup for this year?

[neddyrow]

Last year, we went to in-ears and I went ampless in my bluegrass/fiddle band. I made a nice pedalboard with a Sarno Black Box and Alix Preamp plus tuner.

During the summer, we switched to the one-mic "old school" set up with an Audio Technica 4033. We've had great success and the sound of the instruments is much more natural. I am still using the same rig which sounds great but I'd like to have a similar natural sound as my bandmates instruments through the condenser on stage.

I got a Nadine and a Rex mic preamp and plan to possibly add an additional HPF and/or include my blackbox through the effects loop. We don't have any gigs where we will be using this setup soon so I've got time to experiment.

But I am curious as if any of you are changing you rig for this coming show season. Anyone going ampless? new preamps? others mics or pickups being added this year?

 

[Jared Houseman]

I play in a few different bands that range from classic to jamgrass

One them runs a single mic. I recently switched to a prodipe mic for that group. We may be switching to in ears but it shouldn't make a difference.

I usually go amped with my other groups sometimes w/ ears, sometimes w/ monitors. I'm planning to swap my tc Bam for a genzler Magellan 350 to pair with my genzler cab. I also have a noble style preamp in the works that will come with me to every gig.

I'm working on building out a whole pedal board but it's not really gear that I need. It's just fun to have

 

[Old Blastard]

If things stop breaking around me -- dog surgeries, car troubles, storm damage -- and I can replenish my music fund, I'll move to lighter amp/cab set up from my Genz Benz Contour combo to a Magellan and 210 bass array.

came close 3 times since November

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I’m kind of going in the opposite direction. My “A” gear is still FC—>Noble—> RedEye—> PJB Super Flightcase. It sounds great, and is about a bullet and idiot proof as anything I’ve ever played through. But I’m also working on taking a few moments to tweak any amp I plug straight into and adjust my RH technique to get a good sound through it.

By that I mean that the Noble/RedEye/PJB thing allows me to just play. Maybe because it’s a great chain (and I think it actually is), but also maybe because I’ve learned to play through it. I’ve had students and others sit in on gigs and jam sessions on it and sound very pedestrian and pretty muddy. It made me realize that it requires a certain kind of RH attack to make it work. That made me think, “well, who controls that, exactly?” Which made me think, “ok, if that’s true, then maybe that same entity could learn to adjust to any backline in the same way”.

So no new gear, but working on that instead.

 

[neddyrow]

I’m kind of going in the opposite direction. My “A” gear is still FC—>Noble—> RedEye—> PJB Super Flightcase. It sounds great, and is about a bullet and idiot proof as anything I’ve ever played through. But I’m also working on taking a few moments to tweak any amp I plug straight into and adjust my RH technique to get a good sound through it.

By that I mean that the Noble/RedEye/PJB thing allows me to just play. Maybe because it’s a great chain (and I think it actually is), but also maybe because I’ve learned to play through it. I’ve had students and others sit in on gigs and jam sessions on it and sound very pedestrian and pretty muddy. It made me realize that it requires a certain kind of RH attack to make it work. That made me think, “well, who controls that, exactly?” Which made me think, “ok, if that’s true, then maybe that same entity could learn to adjust to any backline in the same way”.

So no new gear, but working on that instead.

interesting take.

I always wonder how my bass sounds in the mix when I’m playing. I usually have someone plunk on my bass during sound check and I know I don’t sound like that. We have been doing more live recordings but most of them have been acoustic. That’s why I’m leaning toward using a mic this upcoming season.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

@neddyrow I hear you. On the other hand, the same applies to the mic, or indeed, to the acoustic sound of the bass itself. Having someone else play your bass at sound check to try to discern what you will sound like is a low percentage proposition at best, IMO. As always, EEMMV.

 

[Jared Houseman]

I’m kind of going in the opposite direction. My “A” gear is still FC—>Noble—> RedEye—> PJB Super Flightcase.

What is the red eye doing in your chain? I thought the advantage of the red eye is that it loads piezos in a nice way. If it's not first in line then you're not getting that loading.

I'm moving to a noble because I have a sushi tube compressor that makes my pickup come alive. I think it's the piezo/tube pairing. I also have a tube buffer I'm wanting to try.

 

[Jmilitsc]

also keeping my rig the same - pretty much sounds exactly like i want

gage realist lifeline > redeye twin > fdeck hpf > PJB suitcase compact channel 2

for electric it’s the redeye > ebs compressor > tech21 vtbass > suitcase ch 1

love it all

i’m now obsessed with recording gear - new mics and interface all in place. i’ll share sounds one day later this yr for TB opinions.

 

[Core Creek]

I’m selling off 3 of the 5 Carvin BRX cabs I got last year. While they sound great, they just weigh too much. I already purchased a Markbass 3x10 and 2x12, and combined, they’re 20 pounds lighter than my lightest BRX (1x15).

Of course I’m still keeping the two I love… they’d be hard to replace.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

What is the red eye doing in your chain? I thought the advantage of the red eye is that it loads piezos in a nice way. If it's not first in line then you're not getting that loading.

I'm moving to a noble because I have a sushi tube compressor that makes my pickup come alive. I think it's the piezo/tube pairing. I also have a tube buffer I'm wanting to try.

Don’t want to hijack this thread, but that whole discovery started with this post in the RedEye thread and continued for a bit.

 

[Ed Fuqua]

It made me realize that it requires a certain kind of RH attack to make it work. That made me think, “well, who controls that, exactly?” Which made me think, “ok, if that’s true, then maybe that same entity could learn to adjust to any backline in the same way”.
So no new gear, but working on that instead.

Hearing Andy Simpkins playing an Underwood through Polytone 115 and getting a GREAT sound gives one a certain perspective…

 

[Don Kasper]

Changing my setup...?
Nope.

 

[Bruce Calin]

It's rather ridiculous but I'm getting as good or better sound than I've had for many years with a 40+ year old amp, a 20+ year old cab, a really cheap pickup, and the Redeye. The older I get, the less I want to schlep and deal with equipment-wise on the gig. It's simple and I know it will work. I can relax and concentrate on playing music.

 

[neddyrow]

I like not schlepping a heavy cab around myself. I can carry my bass and pedalboard in a suitcase in one trip from my vehicle

 

[Jeff Kissell]

Actually planning on selling off the amps, cabs and other accumulated stuff and running a simple preamp/DI into a powered speaker again. I’m a huge fan of the Yamahiko, it is such a simple, neutral and solid pickup.

 

[atlbassist1987]

Neddyrow, how are you liking the Nadine? I used one for a couple of years and wanted to love it but alas I did not. I'm playing mostly jazz or hot club and found that a mic can work, especially for hot club, but I relented toward the end of last year and installed a full circle on both basses. I felt foolish having gone the mic route for so many years and struggling in different settings. I keep a shure beta 98 in the bag in case, but the full circle sounds great especially with the felix which I am still figuring out but enjoying thoroughly.

I also put a set of evah slap synthetics on the hybrid and I am loving them! To sum it up, new evah slaps and back to using pickups for me.

 

[DrayMiles]

Yes.

 

[DrayMiles]

And this is coming today.

 

[DrayMiles]

I’ll spend a year figuring it out.

 

[AGCurry]

In my 10-piece "little big band" rehearsals I've been using a small-diameter condenser mic, plugged into a resident hi-fi/PA. Sounds pretty good, and I can hear it fine, but the drummer says he can't hear me well enough.

So, looking for a sort of swiss-army-knife device, I just ordered the Headway EDP-2 from Gollihur. That has an XLR input and phantom power for the mic, as well as XLR out for the PA and phone-jack out for the Rumble 100, which will be the drummer's monitor.