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Double Bass Clef Revolution Solo II---best pickup ever!

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JimmyM

JimmyM

Apr 11, 2005
127,257
125,180
Plymouth NC
Disclosures
Endorsing: Yamaha, Ampeg, Line 6, EMG
#1
Sorry, folks who use something else, but with all due respect to everyone else who makes pickups, the Rev Solo really is the best pickup ever :D I've used them most of the major piezo pickups in my humble 10 years of playing upright, and while some are pretty good and some are absolute ripoffs, I've yet to play one that sounds as good as the Rev Solo.

Got a dramatic example of that, too (bit of a long story but what else do you have to do today?). A couple weeks ago, I had an accident with the bridge on my 05 Upton Hawkes. I was trying to slide it over a little with full tension on the strings and it fell on me (yes, I am a big dummy), and in the process, it whacked my previous RSII that I'd been using for 9 years and took all the bass response out of it. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it till last Wednesday because the soundpost also fell, and I reset it myself and thought I merely had it placed poorly. But I reset it again and the bass sounded great until I plugged it in, and I determined that the hit it took ruined it.

Unfortunately, this was at 5 pm on a Wednesday, and I had gigs backing up Frankie Avalon on Friday and Saturday and really wanted to use my upright. So I called all the local stores, and nobody had anything but the Realist, which is a pickup I am not fond of at all. So I put out a call on Facebook hoping to find something locally, and Nekroman from the Nekromantix suggested I try a Shadow SH-951 for like $95, and he sent me an Amazon link, and since I have Amazon Prime, I could get it with free overnight shipping. It arrived Thursday night and I installed it. After hearing it, I immediately got on Upton's website and ordered another RS II :D

It's not that the Shadow is a bad pickup...it's actually pretty good for the money, and I used it with Frankie and it did a pretty good job after I took out the mids that it overproduces with my little MXR 6-Band EQ. I will definitely keep it as a backup, but it just isn't in the same league as the RSII. Quite frankly, nothing else is in its league as far as I'm concerned.

Just wanted to publicly thank Eric Roy at Upton for the awesome service and quick shipment. And since I know the rule here is "pics or it didn't happen"...

IMG_0809_zps6wyytjfx.jpg
 
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#2
I think it also has to do with how long you've been fussing with a particular piezo. I've had love/hate relationships with several and it seemed I liked them the longer I had them on - probably me tuning it in to acceptability.

I've been on a FC for some time now and it's working. Before that I had decent results with others if I was patient enough with conditioning it.
 
#4
pnchad said:
I think it also has to do with how long you've been fussing with a particular piezo. I've had love/hate relationships with several and it seemed I liked them the longer I had them on - probably me tuning it in to acceptability.

I've been on a FC for some time now and it's working. Before that I had decent results with others if I was patient enough with conditioning it.
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That may be true to a certain extent. I've used the FC before and it's pretty good, BTW. Certainly better than the BP-100. I've yet to be able to get a good sound out of it, or the Realist.

grapevine said:
Any specific sound qualities that you get with that pick up that you don't get with others?And how does it compare to all the other popular choices?
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I don't know that I'm getting anything with it that you can't get with other pickups, but I like its tonal balance better than the others. Like the BP100 is all mids, the Realist has very reduced highs, etc. Sure, you can make any pickup sound good with enough EQ and time on your hands, but some make it much harder than others. Plus I seem to be able to get more volume before feedback with it than a lot of other pickups.
 
#5
I found the RS II to be, perhaps, the best bridge-mounted pickup around. It's my backup for the Ehrlund which, to my ears, does a much better job. The Ehrlund also costs a bunch more and requires more tweaking. Oh, but once you've got it right--- wow!
 
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#6
drurb said:
I found the RS II to be, perhaps, the best bridge-mounted pickup around. It's my backup for the Ehrlund which, to my ears, does a much better job. The Ehrlund also costs a bunch more and requires more tweaking. Oh, but once you've got it right--- wow!
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Yeah, I saw you discussing the Ehrlund in another thread. Looks very sharp. But I so don't want to spend $600 to amplify my bass. Maybe if I had a nice carved bass I would.
 
#7
JimmyM said:
Yeah, I saw you discussing the Ehrlund in another thread. Looks very sharp. But I so don't want to spend $600 to amplify my bass. Maybe if I had a nice carved bass I would.
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Oh, I hear you! I bought it before the big price hike.
 
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#9
The MSP is a good low cost replacement for the Ehrlund. I also find it easier to attach, because you don't have to deal with the putty (ball size, thickness after pressure etc.) that influences the sound. Just keep your credit cards, hard disks and floppy disks (in case you still use them) away from the MSP.
A good preamp helps with the sound, the Ehrlund preamp was a tiny bit better than my FDeck Quick'n'dirty (HPFpre without the HPF).
 
#13
drurb said:
I found the RS II to be, perhaps, the best bridge-mounted pickup around. It's my backup for the Ehrlund which, to my ears, does a much better job. The Ehrlund also costs a bunch more and requires more tweaking. Oh, but once you've got it right--- wow!
Click to expand...

+1
Although I purchased a Revolution Solo 1 a while back, it didn't have what I was looking for, the pickup just sounded and felt like a upgrded Underwood. That's not necessarily a bad thing mind you, but I do quite a bit of soloing with a bow. In that instance, the Ehrlund doesn't require you to reach back to the amp and change the EQ when switching back and forth from pizzicato to arco.

Ric
 
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#14
JimmyM said:
That MSP looks more interesting to me for acoustic guitar, quite honestly. Anyone ever try it on acoustic?
Click to expand...

Jimmy,
I have one, so I'll let you know how it works on both Double Bass and my sons Simon&Patrick six string. Based on the demos I've heard so far the MSP sound pretty impressive. As Stevie Wonder said " You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover.

Ric
 
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#15
Ric Vice said:
Jimmy,
I have one, so I'll let you know how it works on both Double Bass and my sons Simon&Patrick six string. Based on the demos I've heard so far the MSP sound pretty impressive. As Stevie Wonder said " You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover.

Ric
Click to expand...
Ric-- how does the MSP compare to the Ehrlund?
 
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#17
Ric Vice said:
+1
Although I purchased a Revolution Solo 1 a while back, it didn't have what I was looking for, the pickup just sounded and felt like a upgrded Underwood. That's not necessarily a bad thing mind you, but I do quite a bit of soloing with a bow. In that instance, the Ehrlund doesn't require you to reach back to the amp and change the EQ when switching back and forth from pizzicato to arco.

Ric
Click to expand...
Well there you go, then. When I bow, it sounds like a buffalo and a cat getting it on. So I'm exclusively pizz unless nobody's around.
 
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#18
Bought a new Realist Lifeline recently & haven't been disappointed yet. Played the first gig with it plugged I nto my Fishman Platinum Bass Preamp and from there into a mic cable & direct into the PA, no amp. My bass sounded better in the venue than ever, and I've played at this venue multiple times with every conceivable amp / pickup placement configuration and still could not get my old BP100 to sound anything like a bass.

The coolest thing about the Lifeline; you can set the tone controls on an amp almost anywhere close to flat, and it still sounds like a bass. It doesn't do highs very well, but after several years trying the BP100 in every possible location and configuration, it's so nice to just plug in and play, and have BASS. Disclosure; didn't try the BP100 on the scroll or the end pin, but did try it pretty much everywhere in between.

Realist Lifeline lives on the bass side of the bridge leg. It is designed to work with your adjuster wheel, so it won't work on a fixed bridge. I had to get the "Large" model due to having rosewood adjusters with a large diameter shaft.
 
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#19
Haven't got to try the Lifeline yet, but I don't think I like the idea that it has to mount under the adjuster wheel. I've got my adjuster down all the way on that side, and that means I'd have to get used to higher action or shave down the bridge on that side, and I'm not qualified to do something like that. Glad it's working out for you, though.
 
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