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Double Bass Companion pick up with Ehrlund

DB Slidefunk

DB Slidefunk

Guest
Jul 16, 2013
281
41
UK
#1
Hi,
I've had a few problems with feedback recently, sometimes the stage mix is just too loud and sends the Ehrlund into feedback. My carved bass has always been a bit prone to feedback, especially low frequencies like kick drum in the stage mix.

My current set up is Jay Haide carved bass with sonores wrap (gut) > Ehrlund + Band > AI Clarus 4+ > MA45 on a pole.

So I'm interested in suggestions for a fairly feedback resistant pick up to blend with the ehrlund for louder settings. Something with an acceptable tone and not too artificially bass driven ideally?
 
#2
i doubt the problem is actually from the bass. its perfectly normal for any amplified acoustic instrument to have feedback. the issue we have as bass players is that we need high volume, but the feedback frequency can actually be above the notes we play.

so my suggestion would be to experiment having a completely different location for your amp (e.g. listen to your bass fill the room instead of as a monitor for you) and get a Headway EDB-2. It has a notch filter with adjusted Q (width) specifically to deal with feedback.

also the EQ is great to have. as a gut player you can dial down the highs for safety.
 
#4
I feel like i've done everything I can with amp placement, EQ and high pass. I was really after peoples opinions on reasonable pick ups. So far the only bridge mount I have tried is the lifeline which I found a bit muddy. It also distorts when I dig in with the gut.
 
#5
If you want a complement to be able to do loud stuff when the Ehrlund could not be used and to dial in some lows, I would try the Full Circle. It doesn't sound really nice but gets through well and is not too bad with a preamp. At least more highs than the Lifeline. If you want something more similar to the Ehrlund that could be bowed well too, get the Shadow SH-965NFX and use it with only one foil under the bass side bridge foot (sounds better than with both foils). But then you can get into feedback much earlier than with the Full Circle. The Full circle could be bowed too, but is a bit more nasal than the bow-friendly NFX.
The B-Band might be one more option.
 
#6
DB Slidefunk said:
I feel like i've done everything I can with amp placement, EQ and high pass. I was really after peoples opinions on reasonable pick ups. So far the only bridge mount I have tried is the lifeline which I found a bit muddy. It also distorts when I dig in with the gut.
Click to expand...

I've never had any of the issues you're experiencing with the Ehrlund. Fortunately, my 5/8 Mirecourt Bass isn't as succeptible to feedback due to it's smaller size. With the Headway EDB-2 into a QSC K8 I can play loud enough to keep up with a quintet. I'd consider the, Schertler Stat B.

Ric
 
#8
How much should I fiddle around with EAP placement? I stuck it on my bass the first time, with the smallest amount of putty squeezing it down to less than a millimeter, in the area suggested below the E side bridge foot -- and on the outside line of the bass bar...and voila!...it sounds pretty good. The sound I get is a bit brittle and arco sounds a bit reedy.... I can boost EQ around 80Hz, which helps the lower notes, but I'd like to have overall more "body" across the entire range of the instrument. Is this possible by tweaking the EAP placement, or is this as good as it gets?
 
#9
I just bought the EHRLUND, full circle, and shadow twin element..

I also have the lifeline and the realist..

I wanted to answer you about the issue but I have a eminence bass so I wasn't able to use the EHRLUND unfortunately.. It reproduced the sound but just there isn't really a body .. But I will tell you this, when I put it under the bridge bass foot or f-hole, it sounded thin but then when I would touch lightly my finger to the EHRLUND pickup with a tiny tiny amount of pressure, it would all the sudden sound pretty bass heavy and almost a sound I could play with.. But the second I let go with my thumb over the EHRLUND, it would go back to a really thin sound..

So I just installed the full circle and shadow .. But yeah I think the full circle wind for me.. The shadow seems good with only one element, but I feel scared like something will change with the shadow.. So I just gave up the race and the winner is the full circle..

You may like the shadow for what you are looking for though.. It does seem loud..

I can put up sound samples in 2 days if you want..
 
#10
stefaniw80401 said:
How much should I fiddle around with EAP placement? I stuck it on my bass the first time, with the smallest amount of putty squeezing it down to less than a millimeter, in the area suggested below the E side bridge foot -- and on the outside line of the bass bar...and voila!...it sounds pretty good. The sound I get is a bit brittle and arco sounds a bit reedy....
Is this possible by tweaking the EAP placement, or is this as good as it gets?
Click to expand...
You started with a really good point ... but still can find a better one.
If it's too reedy place it a bit lower. BUT, what sounds well at home doesn't need to get through on stage. I started a lot lower which worked well with the bow at home, but needed to place it higher to get through with pizz in a band.

I think even with the contact mic on the top the old thing is still valid: it doesn't sound the same for the listener as for the player, even amplified. So you need a bigger room than your practice or living room at home and a listener at least 5 to 10 meters away from the bass. So we can prepare some scenes at home, but need to check with somebody else. Best you have a third person who can play your instrument, so the listener can give hints to the second player how to play so it sounds the same like you played and you can listen to how it sounds when you play.

Might work in a jam session if it's your bass, but without the correction of sound by a different playing style.
 
#12
Bassfacer22 means that this is the Shadow SH-950 with one element used, so an Underwood bridge wing pickup.

Shadow builds two other kinds of double bass pickups a (multiple) piezo disk one like the Fishman BP-100 and the SH-965NFX bridge foot pickup which is similar to the Realist but with piezo foil, two elements (also could be used with one element only) and an impedance buffer.
 

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