Double Bass Countryman DI as buffer

[Jefenator]

Just tried the Full Circle through my new Countryman DI and it sounds much. Much. Different than what I've been using all these years for a buffer. (Biesele magnetic P/U built-in blender.)

Thru the Countryman, it has a more natural presence with a LOT more low end. The upper freq's seemed almost muted by comparison. But I could feel and hear everything I needed to.

I tried going back to the way it was and couldn't stand it. It seemed "scratchy" and lacking in depth.

I also tried using the 1/4" "amp" output on the DI, which turns out isn't buffered, so that was like going straight to the head. That was also quite a bit different. (Each note had an exaggerated attack that I found disagreeable.)

I've long known about buffering, but this little A/B/C experiment on the gig was a real eye-opener. That Full Circle sure does some very drastic mood swings, depending on what it gets plugged in to first!

It was just an experiment but I think I'm going to keep working with the Countryman (which interfaces quite well with my Markbass amp head - finally found a use for that XLR input). I'll have to dial in the EQ a bit more and we should be good to go.

 

[MR PC]

The Countryman is a great piece of gear. Since the input impedance is 10meg, it is very user friendly for upright bass pickups. It's designed for studio use and is very quiet noisewise, yet the box it is housed in is built to withstand being dropped of a cliff! So very dependable for gigs, lots of live sound companies use these. Batt drain is very low, and it works well with phantom power. I've got one of these that has been in use 15 or so years on gigs (multiple appilcations) without any problems.

It does provide a very nice presence throughout, it does color the sound that way. It has a very fast transient response. No bells and whistles. Using it in front of your amp eq is an intelligent choice, IMO.