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Double Bass Eminence--Ehrlund

#2
mikejdexter said:
Has anyone tried the Ehrlund pickup on an Eminence EUB? Results?--did it add more to the acoustic amplified sound?
Have you tried other pickups on the Eminence other than the 'Realist'?
Click to expand...

Here's my take (so far):

I've used the smaller realist designed for the Eminence (which I couldn't find on the Realist website), the regular Realist, and the Fishman Full-Circle (FC). Honestly, they sound fairly similar, but I did notice that rotating the wheel on the FC (per Fishman's recommendations) had a more noticeable tonal change than it did when I rotate the wheel on my real upright. The FC can be more focused...which might not be a good thing on the EUB, especially since you're looking for a more acoustic sound.

That said I think the FC is a little more versatile on the Eminence than the Realist because of this. I could reach down and change the pickup response on the FC for softer/arco passages. Bowing on the Eminence can be challenge when the bass has been to 30,000 ft and back, since one doesn't always have time to reassemble the bass and warm up or get the bass settled in before downbeat. The Realist is a good pickup, and so is the FC. I'm a firm believer in different pickups for different basses/players/styles.

You may already know this, but it really helps to dampen the afterlength on the Eminence bass. It takes out some of the harshness and ring...not the good kind of ring; the harsh kind you get from a EUB with an aluminum neck joint and metal tailpiece. This might help a bit too.

I wish Upton still made a smaller version of their pickup that would fit under the wing of the Eminence bridge...I feel like that's a pretty woody sounding pickup.

Haven't tried the Ehrlund on anything, so sorry if I'm not helping you out with that specific part of your question. -DK
 
#4
I've used foam, but a good ole plain cloth will work. Just alternate over-under the strings so that the cloth touches each string...or, the foam I used was about 4"x2", with vertical slits cut in it for the middle strings (D, A). Push the foam down onto the middle strings and then push the wings of the foam below the outer strings so it touches them from the bottom. That sounds more complicated than it is.

Anything will work. Leather works well, rubber. Upton makes this dampener (see pic) they send out with their Revolution pickup. You might could email them and see if they'll sell you one separately, or get the gist and make one of these yourself with some rubber tubing. -Dk

install4.jpg
 
#7
mikejdexter said:
Has anyone tried the Ehrlund pickup on an Eminence EUB? Results?--did it add more to the acoustic amplified sound?
Have you tried other pickups on the Eminence other than the 'Realist'?
Click to expand...

I tried the Ehrlund on my Eminence. Moved it around a lot to find the best location, but at its best the sound was on par with, but not better than, the Realist. So I didn't keep it.
 

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