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Double Bass Can a Stage itself contribute to feedback?

H

HT Paul

Mar 3, 2008
66
2
#1
Played last night in a little bar, with a small stage. Had more feed back problems than I anticipated. The stage itself is small, probably 10-12'' high, probably just 2x4 or 2x6 frame with ply or OSB sheets, and then carpeted. My rig was a 1/2 bass with a Hurley pickup into a Traynor Bassmaster (combo converted to head) into an SWR Workingmans 2x10.

Wound up not being able to turn up much at all due to feed back problems. Could the resonating of the amp, into the stage carry back through the bass and make feedback that much quicker? Any fix ideas?
 
#3
+1 with what Troy said. I've played more than a few places where the stage acts like a speaker box to the bass amp and kick drum, to the point that you can feel it resonating in your feet. Though most of those situations involved me playing bass guitar in a blues rock band, so feedback wasn't a problem like it is on my upright.

My experience with feedback is that its usually more to do with the way (i.e. orientation) that you're setup? I like the idea of getting the speakers off the floor. You maybe able to adjust the EQ to reduce some of the stage noise?
 
#6
Yes.

The floor/stage vibrates, the end pin of the bass picks up the vibrations, the bass vibrates with the floor, the pickup and amp make it louder, the floor vibrates even more. Not to mention the sound system feeding sound to the bass which is amplified as well. Sounds like feed back. Sometimes it's desirable, (some players even like to point the amp at the back of their bass) but more often it is problematical.
 
#9
I played a large, high wooden stage last month and had awful feedback with my AI Coda combo. If the floor resonates, then it stands to reason so too will a double bass standing on it, exacerbating the feedback problem. Least ways that makes sense to me!
 
#12
Thanks for all the feedba..... er responses. So far my the best ideas I've had to deal with it are:

Make a "dead shoe" for the end of the end pin, something dense and rubbery that could stop some vibrations.

Make my own deadening pad for under the cab, I have an old army pad for under a sleeping bag, that plus a little scrap wood might do the trick. Several layers of pad, a couple layers of wood might work....

Start using my SWR Workingmans 2004 for upright giging. More tonal control to fight the feed back, but more importantly an XLR line out that could be sent to the board when I have to keep stage volumes way down.
 

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