Not only will I be able to really FEEL the bass in my back, but also no more ultrasound treatments to break up those pesky kidney stones! Win-win
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Backbeat
- Thread starter Zbysek
- Start date
Thank you for the update, I have one pre-ordered as well and had not seen that update from last Thursday yet. Last I've heard directly was the email earlier this month regarding the deadline to change shipping address.
- Sep 9, 2007
- 5,309
- 4,977
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
I got mine yesterday; it definitely helps that I live 2hr from them.
I loved the idea of the Backbeat since day one, so I was stoked to try it out today in the office. It definitely does not disappoint! I was playing a couple of basses unplugged (from the amp), and it was great to "feel" the notes at incredibly low volumes (or, in this case, no volume).
I'm gonna try it at my church gig (which is ampless), and at a solo gig next week. But so far, it's exactly what I wanted, and I look forward to using this thing relentlessly.
I loved the idea of the Backbeat since day one, so I was stoked to try it out today in the office. It definitely does not disappoint! I was playing a couple of basses unplugged (from the amp), and it was great to "feel" the notes at incredibly low volumes (or, in this case, no volume).
I'm gonna try it at my church gig (which is ampless), and at a solo gig next week. But so far, it's exactly what I wanted, and I look forward to using this thing relentlessly.
I got my shipping notification today, it should arrive tomorrow. I'm psyched to have it for my gig this Saturday.
- Sep 9, 2007
- 5,309
- 4,977
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
Okay, at this point I've used it about a half dozen times? The bulk have been in the church (an ampless setting) and one was doing a solo gig (with amp).
With the church gig, because I'm sitting down most of the time, I opted to put the Backbeat on my belt (at my back) so I didn't have to use a guitar strap. That was also because I couldn't get the Backbeat on my Gruv Gear Duo Strap; it was just too thick.
However, it did slide onto my regular woven Levy's strap, as well as another leather (non-padded) strap just fine, and it stays put. You're gonna want to play with the placement of where it sits, so it's comfortable and not too intrusive. Also, finding a spot where you can reach back (somewhat) easily and adjust the settings is helpful.
Even on the belt loop, the Backbeat works really, really well. Once the drums and piano (it's a grand) at church start, the bass is pretty low in the mix. And, with how the sound system is, you can't really boost it "that" much before the congregation starts getting uppity. So, to have something like the Backbeat, where I can "feel" the notes I'm playing in addition to kind of hearing them, makes the gig that much easier to do.
With my solo gig, it was just me and an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 and SL212, so hearing myself was NOT a problem. Still, having the Backbeat on the strap made it nicer to "lock in" with myself as I was playing, as I could really feel the groove.
I'm a fan. I look forward to using it in a musical theatre situation, where stage volume is critical.
I would like to use Backbeat with my EUB. EUB is placed on stand so I don't wear any strap... How can I attach backbeat to my body? Any thoughts, recommendations, experience? Thank you.
It's an option...but I kind feel I would want the BB to massage my back (between my shoulder blades), not my kidney...
Intriguing product. Do the vibrations really give a sense of the pitch of the notes being played? Or is it really just more of a "make it feel like it's loud" thing without it really providing monitoring help?
Seems like it could be great for fretless situations; I hate not knowing with 100% certainty I'm playing in tune when I'm on a fretless and can't hear myself enough.
Seems like it could be great for fretless situations; I hate not knowing with 100% certainty I'm playing in tune when I'm on a fretless and can't hear myself enough.
The vibrations do not give a perfect sense of pitch (to me at least, your experience may vary), but it's easy to discern a higher vs. lower note from the rumble. It is also very dynamic and reactive to touch (i.e. the more you dig in, the more rumble you feel).
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I'll disagree with @Dub56 and say that the BB absolutely does give the pitch of the notes being played.
Unfortunately it only gives the fundamental pitch so it will not necessarily provide the clarity you may be seeking to improve intonation. That clarity comes mostly from the mids and highs and so will have to be reproduced by another means - bass cab, monitor, earbud, etc.
I've found that combined with in-ears monitors it gives a very good representation of the full spectrum of each note. I do not own a fretless and have not tried it with my upright so I can't comment on that aspect.
Okay, I should have mentioned that it does give some sense of general pitch (i.e. a lower vs. higher note). I'm still not so sure on being able to use the vibrations to discern the exact pitch to the point where it'd be usable for what he asked about at all. His question was whether it could be used to verify his intonation on fretless with 100% certainty in situations where he can't hear himself, and I'm still doubtful on that. For me personally it would be pretty tough to translate exact notes and pitches from the vibrations alone, especially on the fly in a situation like that. I'm thinking playing with intonation slightly off would feel pretty close to playing with correct intonation. Maybe I'm not adept enough at translating exact pitches using vibrations through my back, but that's just my $0.02 after using one, YMMV
And don't get me wrong, I think it feels very dynamic and responsive to playing, it's great. I guess from my perspective while using it at least, it feels like most of the clarity of the note itself is still coming from the sound or my interaction with the bass, while the rumble follows along nicely and dynamically and supports it. As dynamic as it is, I'm not sure it would be as clear if it was a situation where I couldn't see/hear/feel the bass, just the rumble. Hope that makes sense
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