Double Bass ehrlund contact pu-mike

[gvb1]

As a quick fix I coiled the excess cable and put it in a soft cloth bag that hangs off the bridge by a very small soft drawstring and clipped the pre amp on my Bow holder which is soft leather. No microphonics and quick breakdown for gigs and I can walk away from the Bass between sets without unhooking from anything.

 

[al808]

I've been using a Realist for about 5 years and when I AB the EAP with the Realist I'm amazed at what I've been missing. The EAP sounds so much more "natural", like my Bass unplugged only with more volume.

+1

 

[Ric Vice]

My Flightcase doesn't get a whole lot of volume with the EAP but it sounds really good. On the other hand I get more volume from my A I Contra but it doesn't sound as clean as the Phil Jones.

gvb1
Treyser had the same problem with the Superflight Case that you are experiencing. I can't for the life of me put my finger on what might be causing that signal loss. Frankly I'm at a loss. I do know that the amps I use are more powerful than the Superflight Case.

I've been using a Realist for about 5 years and when I AB the EAP with the Realist I'm amazed at what I've been missing. The EAP sounds so much more "natural", like my Bass unplugged only with more volume.

I had the same experience. I used a Realist for nearly 10 years.

Ric

 

[BassJunkie]

I can get plenty of volume with the GK MB150 going through a Fishman BII preamp. I really like this mic, and I've received some good feedback about it. (by feedback I mean compliments)

 

[Ric Vice]

I can get plenty of volume with the GK MB150 going through a Fishman BII preamp. I really like this mic, and I've received some good feedback about it. (by feedback I mean compliments)

BJ,
That's encouraging. It's kind of interesting that you're using a BP II instead of the Ehrlund Pre Amp. I have one of the early Fishman BP II's they really helped with the Underwood. I have no problem getting enough usable volume from my amps either.
I did run into an interesting situation last week at Webster University Jazz Camp though. The Ehrlund with it's pre amp sounded pretty good into a Gentz Benz Shuttle 3.0 10T, but really nasal into a Shuttle 6.0 12T with the same EQ settings. I'm totally stumped on that one.

Ric

 

[engedi1]

Just used my Erhlund for the first time on Saturday at a gig. The band was drums, elec guitar, acoustic guitar, and me doubling on upright and electric. The venue was a smallish room where they didn't run the the guitar or bass in the mains (they should've) but just used the mains for vocals. I thought the Erhlund did a pretty good job although I don't think I have found its sweet spot or the best eq on my amp (TC rh450) I found it to be quite midrangey, but after dialing the midrange and bass out with my Radial Tonebone I was able to get a pretty good tone. I am mostly please to report there was NO feedback at all, ever, at any point. The one tune that I used bow on got the best live arco tone I have ever experienced.
I do understand what some players have reported that its tone is a little on the ambient side and it lacks the direct punch of a bassmax or full circle. I feel that I am using the wrong strings (bel canto) and once strings are switched and I figure out the eq better I will get a punchier, more cutting tone.
I also want to try blending it with my bassmax to provide that thump, has anyone tried this? I don't have a preamp that can blend two signals, so I won't be able to do this any time soon...
Also, I got around the microphonic cord issue by simply attached the preamp to a music stand in front of me which angled the pickup's cord away from the bass. I have acquired a switchcraft jack and intend to shorten it up soon although this worked ok.

 

[al808]

For the ambient tone problem, I have found that I get a better and more punchy tone simply by using very small amounts of the blue tack provided with the Erhlund, and pressing it rather firmly, so that it's very close to the surface of the bass.

Cheers, Al.

 

[engedi1]

Thanks for the tip Al. Mine came with a white substance called Tack It which looks like a thin bar of nougat that you cut little peice off. I have heard of better success with other puttys.

 

[Ric Vice]

For the ambient tone problem, I have found that I get a better and more punchy tone simply by using very small amounts of the blue tack provided with the Erhlund, and pressing it rather firmly, so that it's very close to the surface of the bass.

Cheers, Al.

I also used the blue tack that came with my Ehrulund pickup from Front End Audio, I think I still have that putty around somewhere, but it's been carried of by gremlins. That turquiose putty was packaged with those pickups, along with the 1/4" female jack (not a extremely popular item) attached to the end of the cable. The less putty you use the better off you are. I did like the color.

Thanks for the tip Al. Mine came with a white substance called Tack It which looks like a thin bar of nougat that you cut little peice off. I have heard of better success with other puttys.

If you purchsed the pickup directly from Goran Ehrlund it comes with the white Tack It. I know this because I ask Goran about it, when I couldn't find my little left over chunk of turquoise putty. I don't there's any difference between the turquoise Tack It and the white Tack It other than it's color.

My personal solution was to get a tin of Schertler putty. Typical of Schertler products it's pricey, but it has a different viscosity than Tack It making it thinner and easier to form. Now, I'm certainly not reccommending that everyone run right out and purchase a tin of the Schertler putty, Tack It is perfectly fine, I just personally happen to like the way it works on my bass and it's turquoise.

Ric

 

[MrSidecar]

Hi all,

finally, I got my fingers on an Ehrlund. And I'll most certain never look back to the dyn-b I was using. The Ehrlund, to me, is MILES ahead. In short, (although I have yet to test it extensively with an amp, as of now I have primarily done direct-recordings) this thing is THE THING. It does an extremely good job of transmitting my bass's sound, it has sufficient amount of "ambience" to really sound good when recording direct, and it is NOT nosy, honky, midrangey at all.

I found it, contrary to others on this thread, rather "plug-and-play"-ish: Stick it on somewhere in the area Göran (and instrument´s physics) suggests, and it'll sound very useable even without eq'ing. (If you want to obsess, search infinitely for the most ideal of two dozen good spots ) For the record, the preamp does make a difference (impedance-wise, likely, and level-wise- without it, the output seems too weak for a mic-in), even though it does almost nothing frequency-wise (I sent a sweep through it and discovered some freq modification in the low register, but nothing more).

I can safely say that for recording a bass in situations where a big mic is not adequate (due to cross-talk with drums and other noisers), this is the thing. I am looking forward to testing it on an amp...

Best

Sidecar

 

[Ric Vice]

Hi all, ...... as of now I have primarily done direct-recordings) this thing is THE THING. It does an extremely good job of transmitting my bass's sound, it has sufficient amount of "ambience" to really sound good when recording direct, and it is NOT nosy, honky, midrangey at all.

While I've never actually used the Ehrlund to record with, I have used it into a set of headphones through a Fedora Practice Amp. I'd take the headphones off and compare the sound of my bass to the sound of the Ehrlund. The sound the Ehrlund was virtually identical.

I found it, contrary to others on this thread, rather "plug-and-play"-ish: Stick it on somewhere in the area Göran (and instrument´s physics) suggests, and it'll sound very useable even without eq'ing. (If you want to obsess, search infinitely for the most ideal of two dozen good spots )

Same experience here. Once I found the sweet spot I never moved it.

For the record, the preamp does make a difference (impedance-wise, likely, and level-wise- without it, the output seems too weak for a mic-in), even though it does almost nothing frequency-wise (I sent a sweep through it and discovered some freq modification in the low register, but nothing more).

None of the other pre amps I tried with it sounded as good as Goran's own box and I tried several. I think the frequency modification is different depending on where you set the low/high switch.

I can safely say that for recording a bass in situations where a big mic is not adequate (due to cross-talk with drums and other noisers), this is the thing. I am looking forward to testing it on an amp...

Best

Sidecar

Thanks for this.

 

[engedi1]

I am doing a demo session on Sunday and I plan to use the Ehrlund as well as what ever mics he has. I'm interested to hear the comparison of the mic vs Ehrlund.

 

[reverendrally]

well, I just ordered mine from Gollihur's. Hope it's as good as you guys say. Looking forward to hearing the sound of my own bass for once.

 

[MrSidecar]

Hi,

I have tested the thing now with my Phil Jones Flightcase.

It is a little more tricky than for recording- but still, 7 minutes of futzing about for getting the best sound ever is quite plug-and-play in my book. I wasn't too sure about where I placed the pu while I recorded, so I had to find a good spot, and so I tried with and without preamp.

Without preamp was clearly inferior and nothing to write home about- close to a disappointment, really. It sounded surpassingly midrangey, was a little on the weak side, and got boomy when playing a little loud.

With preamp, however, it's a different story- no midrange-honk, nice and round, but not boomy, much better evenness and transparency. Great pickup. You almost don't hear it because, like someone else wrote, it's pretty hard to tell if the amp is on or not. But yes, it is, and the ehrlund/flightcase combination works good with I guess any drummer that plays sane levels. I am not missing my dyn-b at all.

Plus, I really like the jack that Jonas attached to it, and the jack-holder that gets fiddled to the tail piece with the g- (or e- ?)string. Doesn't damp the bass as the other jack-attachments (in the string afterlength) do. I would go so far as to say, that this is clearly the pickup with the least interference with how the bass looks, works and sounds (with maybe the exception of the full circle at least IF you have adjusters on anyway, which I don't have). Underwood-types are really damping the bridge, others damp the after length, require you to drill holes in the bridge (yuck!) or sit under the bridge foot- this thing does not make a difference whether it is on or off.

It's of course a different approach and thus a different philosophy and sound you get than with f.ex. piezos, wherever they sit. The sound is much more ambient and less punch-focused, and some note that as a problem, but since that is exactly what I was looking for, I am happy and satisfied. My pick-up search (that lasted a mere 12 years) seems to be over.

Best
Sidecar

 

[Ric Vice]

Hi,

I have tested the thing now with my Phil Jones Flightcase.................


Without preamp was clearly inferior and nothing to write home about- close to a disappointment, really. It sounded surpassingly midrangey, was a little on the weak side, and got boomy when playing a little loud.

I've had a little better results without the pre amp into the Walter Woods, it's adequate in an emergency when I forget the pre amp, but the Ehrlund pre amp just takes things to a whole different level tonally, and it doesn't interfere with the EQ section of your amplifier.

With preamp, however, it's a different story- no midrange-honk, nice and round, but not boomy, much better evenness and transparency. Great pickup. You almost don't hear it because, like someone else wrote, it's pretty hard to tell if the amp is on or not. But yes, it is, and the ehrlund/flightcase combination works good with I guess any drummer that plays sane levels. I am not missing my dyn-b at all.

Because of the balanced sound it produces (at least on my bass) it sounds like my bass does without an amplifier. The timbre of the pickup continues to sound the same. without that midrange bump that a Realist or Underwood will start to produce.

The difference between the Superflightcase and the Flightcase must just be enough to change the sound of the
pickup, because Treyser couldn't get it to work with that amp.

.....Underwood-types are really damping the bridge, others damp the after length, require you to drill holes in the bridge (yuck!) or sit under the bridge foot- this thing does not make a difference whether it is on or off.

It's definitely a less invasive approach to mounting a pickup and moving it to another instrument is easy.

It's of course a different approach and thus a different philosophy and sound you get than with f.ex. piezos, wherever they sit. The sound is much more ambient and less punch-focused, and some note that as a problem, but since that is exactly what I was looking for, I am happy and satisfied. My pick-up search (that lasted a mere 12 years) seems to be over.

Best
Sidecar

You're right, it isn't the sound that Full Circle or Realist produces. If you're really comfortable with either of those pickup, particularly the Full Circle with it's great punch and definition, then adjusting to the Ehrlund will take some time. Personally, this is the pickup that I'll be using for some time to come.

Ric

P.S. Goran's customer service is just great. We corressponded several times when I purchased my pre amp. He will answer any questions that you have, and attempt to solve any problems or issues you might have with the Ehrlund.
Just remember that there is 7:00 hour time difference between the midwest and Sweden. He told me personally that he backs all the pickups that carry his name.

 

[engedi1]

I did my session last night, and the Erhlund did a great job. We tried one track with just the Ehrlund, and I thought the tone was a little electric bassy for lack of a better word. We added a nice condensor mic and I though the two of them together were fantastic. The mic had the usual air and natural tone, and the Ehrlund added some presence and punch to the mix. I don't think I would like the Ehrlund alone, but that could be because I smoosh the Erhlund close to the body of the bass to get more attack in a live setting. Maybe for recording to use more tack it and get it a little higher off the bass would get more air in the sound. However, I thought it was a really winner combined with the mic.

 

[Ric Vice]

I did my session last night, and the Erhlund did a great job. We tried one track with just the Ehrlund, and I thought the tone was a little electric bassy for lack of a better word. ....... I don't think I would like the Ehrlund alone, but that could be because I smooshed the Erhlund close to the body of the bass to get more attack in a live setting. Maybe for recording to use more tack it and get it a little higher off the bass would get more air in the sound. However, I thought it was a really winner combined with the mic.

Here's a couple of thoughts. Just my opinions though

1. According to what's come from these threads the less putty you use the better the pickup will sound.

2. The pickup is not like a piezo that has to have total surface contact with the top of the bass.

3. Although using a blended mic is an option the Ehrlund works great as a standalone sound source in live performances.



Ric

 

[engedi1]

Maybe electric bassy was the wrong word. Although I have not noticed this live, on tape it didn't have the thwack of the strings that I associate upright bass with. It also did NOT sound harsh, or midrangey, or have that piezo quack that almost all other bass pickups do when recorded. It was a deep, very nice tone, but just a tad too smooth. Adding the condenser mic brought the air and percussiveness back to the tone. I am still experimenting with it to learn how to get the best tones out of it. overall, I was very pleased with it in the studio.

 

[gvb1]

My Flightcase doesn't get a whole lot of volume with the EAP but it sounds really good. On the other hand I get more volume from my A I Contra but it doesn't sound as clean as the Phil Jones.
I've been using a Realist for about 5 years and when I AB the EAP with the Realist I'm amazed at what I've been missing. The EAP sounds so much more "natural", like my Bass unplugged only with more volume.

After moving the PU to just below the E string F hole I get so much volume out of my flightcase that I barely turn up the pre amp. Amazing how much difference there is in moving the PU. It still sound great with that placement too.

 

[reverendrally]

Hi all, got PU/preamp yesterday and what a difference compared to my Underwood.

The tone is so different as is the shape of the note. Here is a comparo track. I should say I haven't really got the best out of it yet, but already it streets ahead of where I was.

UnderwoodVSErhlund by simpleinnovation on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

P.s. the Underwood was plugged into a LR Baggs Para acoustic DI (set flat). I did this as I wanted to compare note for note the different and give the Underwood it's best chance. You'll hear the underwood first then the ehrlund, alternating every 10 seconds or so.

I listened to the cable tips and did similar to this...

As a quick fix I coiled the excess cable and put it in a soft cloth bag that hangs off the bridge by a very small soft drawstring and clipped the pre amp on my Bow holder which is soft leather. No microphonics and quick breakdown for gigs and I can walk away from the Bass between sets without unhooking from anything.

Works like a charm and I don't have to pull everything apart to put the bass down (which is crucial as I play at church where I'm the pastor too) and it also means I can throw it in the case and run away.