I've been playing my new Blast Cult One4Five a lot lately, working with the Channel Blaster pickup/preamp setup. The preamp is very cool and uses filtration instead of a boost/cut type of eq. I wrote about it in the recent issue of BP, you can get more details there.
I've been mainly using the dual pickups... bridge and fingerboard transducer, and it sounds great for some things, but I think I may not be a "clicky" kind of guy. The fingerboard trans really does grab the slaps and clicks nicely, but I find that the nature of the tone sounds very separate from the fundamental. So, I started experimenting with using just the bridge pickup. Through the Blaster preamp, you can darken it, or open it up, but then you have to eq the pickup at the amp. If I wasn't going to slap, I'd use the Channel Blaster and turn the Bass control all the way down for a super dark thumpy tone that kicks for honky tonk or blues. But I decided to try the bridge pickup through a Fishman Platinum bass preamp, and was happily surprised. I'm finding that I prefer the sound of just the bridge pickup with the mids scooped out on the Fishman, and just a touch of the compressor.
There are several single element pickups on the market, no doubt as a response to the old standard half-Underwood thing most of the roots guys use. The thing that really makes the Blast Cult work better than most (IMO) is the tension adjustment screw. By subtly changing the tension on the element, you can really dial it in for the room. The looser the tension, the bigger the bottom, so it's possible to control the sub frequencies quite a bit from the screw. Also, the element is encased in wood... now, I would have to a/b it with one that isn't in wood to really say if it makes a difference... but it sounds much less brittle and clacky than many of the other pickups I've tried in this category.
They do sell the bridge pickup alone... the Monolux I think it's called? If you're not a clicky kind of guy, you might want to check this out. You do have to drill a small hole into your bridge for the tension screw... they provide instructions... but any luthier could do it in 3 minutes. I'm just saying... this pickup sounds awesome by itself when coupled with a Fishman preamp - the mids are tuned just right for cutting out the dreck, and the HPF controls the low end well, the highs are set nicely for the slap, and a little compressor really tightens up the sound.
Disclosure: I am not an endorser, but I am preparing to do a video demo of the bass, and yes... I receive compensation for this task. If you think this post violates your policies... then delete it.
I've been mainly using the dual pickups... bridge and fingerboard transducer, and it sounds great for some things, but I think I may not be a "clicky" kind of guy. The fingerboard trans really does grab the slaps and clicks nicely, but I find that the nature of the tone sounds very separate from the fundamental. So, I started experimenting with using just the bridge pickup. Through the Blaster preamp, you can darken it, or open it up, but then you have to eq the pickup at the amp. If I wasn't going to slap, I'd use the Channel Blaster and turn the Bass control all the way down for a super dark thumpy tone that kicks for honky tonk or blues. But I decided to try the bridge pickup through a Fishman Platinum bass preamp, and was happily surprised. I'm finding that I prefer the sound of just the bridge pickup with the mids scooped out on the Fishman, and just a touch of the compressor.
There are several single element pickups on the market, no doubt as a response to the old standard half-Underwood thing most of the roots guys use. The thing that really makes the Blast Cult work better than most (IMO) is the tension adjustment screw. By subtly changing the tension on the element, you can really dial it in for the room. The looser the tension, the bigger the bottom, so it's possible to control the sub frequencies quite a bit from the screw. Also, the element is encased in wood... now, I would have to a/b it with one that isn't in wood to really say if it makes a difference... but it sounds much less brittle and clacky than many of the other pickups I've tried in this category.
They do sell the bridge pickup alone... the Monolux I think it's called? If you're not a clicky kind of guy, you might want to check this out. You do have to drill a small hole into your bridge for the tension screw... they provide instructions... but any luthier could do it in 3 minutes. I'm just saying... this pickup sounds awesome by itself when coupled with a Fishman preamp - the mids are tuned just right for cutting out the dreck, and the HPF controls the low end well, the highs are set nicely for the slap, and a little compressor really tightens up the sound.
Disclosure: I am not an endorser, but I am preparing to do a video demo of the bass, and yes... I receive compensation for this task. If you think this post violates your policies... then delete it.
