Double Bass Countryman DI, great piezo buffer?

[Jay Corwin]

I picked up a countryman DI for a good deal on ebay. I figured it's one of those tools that I could always use in the gig box. It also happens to have a 10 mega ohm input impedance which is perfect for piezos.

I hooked it up to my Fishman Sa220, which isn't a bass amp. Much to my surprise it sounded really good, and made the EQ on the SA220 easy to work with. So much so I'm considering using the setup as a monitor for my next gig with PA support.

It's also silent. I know a lot of DI'S and preamps claim that, but it's difficult in the real world with bad electrical systems in bars and such. This thing is dead quiet in my practice room. If it was humming, I'd hear it standing two feet away.

So I'm going to experiment a bit more with my ampeg, but so far it's impressive for a piezo buffer.

 

[B String]

I used the Countryman with all my Piezo's for years both live and in the studio. The ten megs work well for vintage Fender basses too. My 1960 P sounds better through an amp using the Countryman. Only negative is all the sound companies or sound men kept taking mine, no matter how I marked them.

 

[Les Fret]

Is there much difference in sound and noise floor between that Countryman and the Fishman Platinum pro (which also 'uses' 10Mohm)?

 

[vin*tone]

I used the Countryman with all my Piezo's for years both live and in the studio. The ten megs work well for vintage Fender basses too. My 1960 P sounds better through an amp using the Countryman. Only negative is all the sound companies or sound men kept taking mine, no matter how I marked them.

Try putting an "I love Justin Bieber" sticker on it.

 

[B String]

Is there much difference in sound and noise floor between that Countryman and the Fishman Platinum pro (which also 'uses' 10Mohm)?

When I used the pro platinum years ago there was much more noise than the DI box, but this should be expected. Unless you're in the studio it shouldn't be an issue. The Countryman does pretty much one thing really well. The Fishman does a lot of things. There's usually a trade off somewhere.

 

[neddyrow]

loved my country man DI!

don't know why i sold it....so clean. so simple.

and i used it for everything.

switched to the orchid mute DI for awhile so i wouldnt have too many things in my signal chain. now i just plug straight into my ten2 head. pretty much covers it all.

 

[Jay Corwin]

Equally good results in front of the B100R. Not much cutting needed - some Mids and Highs which is pretty normal for me. I'm gonna love not having to fuss with two EQs. This little box just seems to open up the pickup and in turn make my EQ on the amps easier to tweek.

 

[Les Fret]

I have that same combo. I like it. Although I use it mostly for my electric bass. It a has a certain mid boost honky 'wooden' sound though. Sounds great for electric bass slapping. This amp goes really loud without breaking up. Have tried it a few times with my double bass but didn't particularly like it because it is no 'flat' amp.

 

[Jay Corwin]

I have that same combo. I like it. Although I use it mostly for my electric bass. It a has a certain mid boost honky 'wooden' sound though. Sounds great for electric bass slapping. This amp goes really loud without breaking up. Have tried it a few times with my double bass but didn't particularly like it because it is no 'flat' amp.

In recent months I've given up on the idea of flat or the super hifi transparent amps. Spent thousands on some of the big brands out there. My goal when plugging in with a pickup is simply good amplified tone regardless of if it's MBOL.

With regards to the mids, I engage the ultra mid switch which cuts them by 12db or something like that. It makes a huge difference.