Double Bass Did NHOP use magnetic pickups?

[PBandJazzBass]

Whether or not you're a fan of his sound, a good recording to listen to is the album he did with Sam Jones. The contrast in their sounds is really interesting.

 

[Kristian]

Also a great clip from 1968 (seems he had changed to metal strings by then) :

Love the sound on this recording! Sounds like something between gut and steel...

 

[Fat Fret]

I talked to a luthier about approaching the sound of NHØP, and he told me to keep a low action and to try these strings out: D'addario Helicore Hybrid Medium. I can’t remember if NHØP used them or not though.

 

[Sam Dingle]

I talked to a luthier about approaching the sound of NHØP, and he told me to keep a low action and to try these strings out: D'addario Helicore Hybrid Medium. I can’t remember if NHØP used them or not though.

I wouldn't use helicore hybrid. nhop used Spirocore lights (sometimes with a dominant G or flexocore G). Use a spirocore set for that bright sustaining sound.

 

[Fat Fret]

I wouldn't use helicore hybrid. nhop used Spirocore lights (sometimes with a dominant G or flexocore G). Use a spirocore set for that bright sustaining sound.

Thanks. I’ll try them next time..

 

[Martin Spure]

Thanks. I’ll try them next time..

Also, as mentioned earlier in this thread: The Wilson K4 was a huge part of his sound as well. It's almost impossible NOT to sound like him if you have low action, spirocores and the Wilson K4... Just listen to (almost) any other great Danish double bass player from the 80's and early 90's (Jesper Lundgaard, Mads Vinding, Bo Stief springs to mind, as well as quite a few other great, but lesser known players). Most of them used the Wilson back then, and they all shared the same sonic qualities of NHØP (whether they liked it or not - mostly due to the Wilson)

That said, the Wilson's popularity declined in the mid 90's, and most players began to strive for a more acoustic sound and approach..

Personally, I always preferred NHØP's sound ind the 60's when he was younger and played unamplified (listen to the 2 clips Povl Carstensen an yours truly posted earlier). He was a truly amazing bass player already back then.

 

[leonard]

Pickup or not, I had a blast listening to some Oscar Peterson and Sonny Rollins on this thread!

 

[Povl Carstensen]

Pickup or not, I had a blast listening to some Oscar Peterson and Sonny Rollins on this thread!

Saw NHØP with Oscar Peterson and Martin Drew at the Montmartre club in Copenhagen in the early 80's. And when he kicked into walking after some choruses of two-beat in the opener, Autumn Leaves - fasten your seatbelts...

 

[Kaspar Vadsholt]

When I studied with NHØP in the 90’s he used Spiro reds with a orig. Flexocor G. He expressed that the weich weren’t punchy enough. And he was concerned that Pirastro changed the formula for the Flexocor (to “92”?). He kept a bottle of isopropyl alcohol used to wipe his strings with after playing. Kind and helpful person, especially to “underdogs” like students. To somebody who thought a lot of themselves, not so much.

he was totally cool about me stating that, as much as I loved his sound and playing, I didn’t want to pursue that direction. He even encouraged me to try and find my own way.

 

[flatback]

Also, as mentioned earlier in this thread: The Wilson K4 was a huge part of his sound as well. It's almost impossible NOT to sound like him if you have low action, spirocores and the Wilson K4... Just listen to (almost) any other great Danish double bass player from the 80's and early 90's (Jesper Lundgaard, Mads Vinding, Bo Stief springs to mind, as well as quite a few other great, but lesser known players). Most of them used the Wilson back then, and they all shared the same sonic qualities of NHØP (whether they liked it or not - mostly due to the Wilson)

That said, the Wilson's popularity declined in the mid 90's, and most players began to strive for a more acoustic sound and approach..

Personally, I always preferred NHØP's sound ind the 60's when he was younger and played unamplified (listen to the 2 clips Povl Carstensen an yours truly posted earlier). He was a truly amazing bass player already back then.

just a clarification ... While all these cats had Wilson’s and shared a certain sound I would say ( having recently bought a Wilson K4. ) that their sound was the K4 thru mismatched impedance amplifiers ( and or jacking the mids up ) with bad speakers...the Wilson can make surprisingly natural tones.... or 70’s spank depending on what you plug it into

 

[Martin Spure]

just a clarification ... While all these cats had Wilson’s and shared a certain sound I would say ( having recently bought a Wilson K4. ) that their sound was the K4 thru mismatched impedance amplifiers ( and or jacking the mids up ) with bad speakers...the Wilson can make surprisingly natural tones.... or 70’s spank depending on what you plug it into

I have no doubt you are right. But back then, the vast majority played through low-impedance amplifiers (Roland cube's, GK MB150's, etc. ) and hence the sound of these players would sometimes be hard to discern from one another. The luckier ones would play through Walter Woods amps. And still the Wilson-sound would be unmistakable.

Luckily, these days we're fortunate to have a lot more gear to chose from, and some top notch boutique manufacturers like Rick Jones, Brad Sarno, etc.

 

[Kaspar Vadsholt]

NHØP used not one, but two Polytone amps as his preferred setup. Definitely a not a “natural” sound, whatever that is. I like Polytones for jazz guitar. Double basses not so much.

 

[Ric Vice]

I’ve heard many great players using the Wilson K4, but they already were great players ( George Mraz, Tommy Kennedy, and NHOP) The Wilson K4 was an important step in the development of bass pickups. It was a transitional pickup between the Underwood and current favorites like the Realist and Full Circle. My objection to using one is the installation, that requires you to tap four holes into the bridge. No matter how great it sounds it’s got to compromise the structure. Just my preference however.

 

[Martin Spure]

NHØP did an album with Danish trumpet player Palle Mikkelborg in 1990 called 'Hommage/Once upon a time'. I'd played EB for about a year and was totally into Jaco, and couldn't care less about DB. Then I heard this album and I was gobsmacked. This cat was playing Jaco-stuff on the big 'doghouse'! He even played the full 'Chromatic Fantasy' on the DB (@ 33:50 in the video below).. And it sounds better than J.P's version, I think. And there's some quite groovy stuff as well.

This album completely opened my eyes, ears and world regarding DB, and when I got my first upright a year later, I wanted to sound just like that (with my cheap Shadow/Underwood PU). I think it's safe to say, that most Danish DB players (and perhaps also quite a few Norwegians and Swedes - Arild Andersen and Palle Danielsson, amongst others) have some amount of NHØP influence, 'cause in our countries he was - and still is - a Giant.

Although I'm not particularly fond of Mikkelborg, and the atmospheric overall theme of this album, I do think that it is a stellar representation of the Wilson's sonic qualities and NHØP's playing, and fits this particular music perfectly (much in the same way as Jaco's beautiful sound on Joni Mitchell's 'Mingus'). Granted, it doesn't sound 'acoustic', but I don't think that was the idea, either. It was simply the NHØP sound anno 1990, and Mikkelborg/NHØP based their ideas around that particular sound.

 

[Ric Vice]

I distinctly remember that album, great playing by both and with astounding chord outlines and references on NHOP's part. With all the texture and thickness the arrangements an chord voicings the K4 doesn't stand out as much as it would

in a traditional jazz trio. Interesting, by comparison if you listen to Chris Minh Doky who definitely followed in Neils' Path, for studio recordings they no longer use the pickups.

 

[morrie louden]

Yes,
Four individual elements into a 4 channel mixer. The tone quality was weird, but no one cared because it was NHOP. He also used a Wilson 4 Element.

Yes, magnetic pickups but, what brand were they? Does anyone know?

 

[morrie louden]

At some point, the URB, amplified, is just an electric instrument. But when is that line crossed, and does it really matter?

Yes, it's crossed when you use a magnetic pickup...

 

[Don C]

Yes, magnetic pickups but, what brand were they? Does anyone know?

I believe he used a Pierre Joseph String Charger at one point and then went on to Wilson pickups.

 

[winston]

Call it sacrelige, but...
As a youngster, the first 2 jazz bass tones to grab my ears were NHOP's and Ron Carter's tone at the time (early '80s).
Unabashedly amplified (and apparently impedance-mismatched), but growly, singing and musical all the same!

 

[MrSidecar]

During the lessons, we all played acoustically, fo sure, and i remember that i´ve been a little bit disappointed about the somewhat poor acoustic sound of one of my heroes.

When I had him as my teacher in 2003/2004, that was not my experience at all. To the contrary, his acoustic sound (and overall beauty of what he played in our lessons) made me swear I’d never ever again say anything remotely bad about his sound

Kind and helpful person, especially to “underdogs” like students. To somebody who thought a lot of themselves, not so much.

he was totally cool about me stating that, as much as I loved his sound and playing, I didn’t want to pursue that direction. He even encouraged me to try and find my own way.

That has been the same with me exactly. Truly amazing experience that’ll stay with me forever.

best
Sidecar