Clark Biesele handmakes these pickups in Eastern Canada. I worked with him in 2002 and explained the problems I was facing with my loud swing band and the feedback issues I was facing - he solved that perfectly with the Biesele DP. I used these pickups primarily between 2002 and 2018 - sound engineers LOVE these pickups as they are incredibly easy for them to mix live - they were often described to me by them as a big full hollow fretless (in a good way!). The Pre-Amp allows you to blend in a piezo or mic so it's great in a smaller setting as well for a nice full sound. Viktor Krauss (Lyle Lovett's bassist) owns a few and has used them for years...check out that sound (google Lyle Lovett Letterman What do you do and watch on dailymotion)
Here is his description from his website:
Biesele Amplification Systems were designed specifically for the upright bass by Clark Biesele. They were developed to provide an output signal from the double bass that is richer and more easily controlled than other systems currently on the market. Those systems include piezo-electric transducers, microphones and other magnetic pickups.
"Piezos" and microphones have a tendency to feedback in highly amplified venues. The tone of a piezo is often described as brittle and harsh while that of a close-miked instrument can be overly boomy and "boxy". The other magnetic pickups that are available on the market provide no convenient way to balance the string to string response of the output signal. None of them provide solid, secure mounting without some sort of modification to the instrument.
The Biesele designs successfully address these difficulties in a clear, straightforward manner.
Here is his description from his website:
Biesele Amplification Systems were designed specifically for the upright bass by Clark Biesele. They were developed to provide an output signal from the double bass that is richer and more easily controlled than other systems currently on the market. Those systems include piezo-electric transducers, microphones and other magnetic pickups.
"Piezos" and microphones have a tendency to feedback in highly amplified venues. The tone of a piezo is often described as brittle and harsh while that of a close-miked instrument can be overly boomy and "boxy". The other magnetic pickups that are available on the market provide no convenient way to balance the string to string response of the output signal. None of them provide solid, secure mounting without some sort of modification to the instrument.
The Biesele designs successfully address these difficulties in a clear, straightforward manner.
