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Double Bass Buying a mic! But which amp?!

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Darrenmcbass

May 17, 2005
27
1
#1
I think I'd like a new sound, I need some clarity and my gk isn't giving me that.
I'm planning to buy a dpa mic but I'm not sure what amp would work well with it ? Ideally something that I can plug buth my pickup and mic into so I can blend the two. Any advice ?
Thanks
 
#2
Darrenmcbass said:
I think I'd like a new sound, I need some clarity and my gk isn't giving me that.
I'm planning to buy a dpa mic but I'm not sure what amp would work well with it ? Ideally something that I can plug buth my pickup and mic into so I can blend the two. Any advice ?
Thanks
Click to expand...


Darren,
This question comes up pretty often, so here's what I've learned after spending a few dollars. The DPA is a fantastic FOH microphone. They recently redesigned the mic so that the connection cord, is entirely removable and provided an extension for the gooseneck. IMHO they should have done this with the original bass versions, but they waited for customer feedback, and certainly responded to it. I used the Headway EDB-2 to blend a Ehrlund EAP pickup with my DPA 4090B, and it works very well. Acoustic Image has the Flex pre amp that will work for this, it is twice the price of the Headway, but it's a full two channel pre amp, so it's going to be more expensive. There is also the Acoustic Box Live, that costs less than the AI Flex. Whether or not a microphone will get you the sound you're looking for, is hard to say. Mark Gollihur recently wrote a very nice article in his newsletter giving all the pros and cons of microphones and pickups. I've sent it to you in a private conversation.



Ric
 
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#4
Personally I've never had tons of luck with blending pickup/mic. It changes things a little but not enough to make it worth the extra hassle for me. Increased setup time and then the limitations of the mic (feedback, bleed) made me give up on trying to bland the two into an amp. That said I ALWAYS send a mic signal when FOH is available. I'll usually send both a DI and mic to FOH and politely ask the soundman to err on the side of more mic with a little pickup to beef it up.
 
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#5
I ran different mic, mic/pup setups for a while into a bunch of different amps. I even made my own mics for a little bit. Without boring you with the details of each I will say this based on my experience - Mics into bass amps equal a giant pain in the ass. They sound great at volumes that aren't practical (again IME).

The D-Tar solstice is a nice dual channel preamp I used. I like it because it's very swiss-army like in it's features. Even though I've gone back to a traditional PUP setup for my amplifications, our band still uses the D-Tar for all kinds of stuff (condenser setups, mandolin, violin, recording, etc.) So if you try and it isn't for you, at least you have a piece of gear that can still serve a purpose down the road.
 
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#8
Marc Piane said:
I did it with a two channel AI head into a EA Wizzy 12 cab. Don't get me wrong. It works and there are some benefits to it. It can be a pretty costly and maddening experiment though. I don't want to necessarily discourage you but just be prepared.
Click to expand...

+1 for a majority of my gigs in clubs and concert halls, it's just less of a hassle to send the mic FOH and the pickup back to the amp. I have used the Headway EDB-2 to send a blended signal out to the house.
Occasionally, I'll send the combined signal back to the amp, but as Mark says it's not "plug and play". You have to futz with it.

Ric
 
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#10
Love the sound of blending a PU ( I have an Underwood) & microphone.
I own the Fishman Blender-good sound, but lots of spaghetti-w/cables everywhere, & do not like the mic 1/4" jack attachment to my strings below the bridge.
The Underwood PU has one under the bridge already.
Best results- blending for me in the studio w/recordings-different mics in different studios.
Suggest you try a good EQ before spending the $ for microphones.
I also have the Fishmen Pro Platinum EQ-lot of potential for improving your sound. $160.
Less costly than spending several hundred for a mic.....which is fine also.
Lately been going direct in all of my amps-less stew-great sound, when knowing how to use an amp EQ.
Good luck.
 

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