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Double Bass EQ pedal to tame resonant notes?

devnulljp

devnulljp

Supporting Member
Oct 13, 2009
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BC, Canada
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#1
My Shen bass has a quite pronounced bump in resonance around the open A (and conversely the C# is kinda dead) with a Gage Lifeline pickup, so I need to be conscious of how hard i hit those notes. I've got a compressor in line, but figure an EQ pedal of some sort might help, just to tune those frequencies.
Anyone recommend a good EQ?
 
#4
devnulljp said:
My Shen bass has a quite pronounced bump in resonance around the open A (and conversely the C# is kinda dead) with a Gage Lifeline pickup, so I need to be conscious of how hard i hit those notes. I've got a compressor in line, but figure an EQ pedal of some sort might help, just to tune those frequencies.
Anyone recommend a good EQ?
Click to expand...


I agree with @DoubleMIDI , a sound post adjustment might be a choice.

I have had good results using both 31-band graphics and parametric EQs. 31-band graphics are meant more for studio use and tend to run at line level. I used to run an SWR Readhead, which had an auxilliary rack space built into it. I installed a 31-band Rane EQ and ran it in the effects loop. I doubled on upright and bass guitar and using an ABY switch to select which instrument was active. I used the amps EQ to get a basic tone, and used the graphic as a utility EQ for the upright.

If I needed a suitable pedal for this, I would start hunting for a V7 Empress ParaEQ (which has been discontinued). The V7 has a white label and earlier versions had black . The reason I prefer V7 is it has a 1 meg input impedance, which is about the minimum you want for a piezo pickup. The earlier black label versions had 500K input impedance. I find the Empress ideal because it has bandwidth switches that can be set to wider medium, and narrow. A semi-parametric where the filters are fixed at a fairly wide bandwidth is far less useful for controlling feedback problems.

If you have a frequency that wants to ring, you can control it with a deep narrow notch. In my experience notch filters generally do not have any perceivalbe negative impact on your tone until you have added several. Somewhere between 4 and 6 will typically start to degrade your tone a bit.

If you have a range of frequencies that want to jump out use a wider band with just enough of a cut to restore balance.

I suggest taking the compressor out of your signal path. The reason is because the compressor actually adds gain, which tends to increase feedback problems.


The louder you need to run the amp the more corrective EQ you tend to need.
 
#6
DoubleMIDI said:
I think a repositioned soundpost might get you a better starting point than an electronic gadget that at best can go half the way.
Click to expand...
Wasnex said:
I agree with @DoubleMIDI , a sound post adjustment might be a choice.
The louder you need to run the amp the more corrective EQ you tend to need.
Click to expand...
Antonio Abete said:
Sound post adjustment first then eventually Fishman Dual Parametric
Click to expand...
Wow, really, I never thought of that. I don't want to mess with the soundpost myself, guess I should take it back to the luthier. Thanks all.
 
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#7
To me, whether you adjust this in the electronics or in the bass should depend on where the resonance is.

Does this phenomenon exist playing unamplified? If so, probably a soundpost adjustment is in order. If it's only an artifact of the pickup/preamp/amp/speaker? then adjust it in the electronics.

I believe in having a great sound acoustically (on whatever instrument, or a whole band) and then doing your best to amplify that great sound, rather than using electronics to try to install good sound where it isn't.
 
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#11
turf3 said:
To me, whether you adjust this in the electronics or in the bass should depend on where the resonance is.

Does this phenomenon exist playing unamplified? If so, probably a soundpost adjustment is in order. If it's only an artifact of the pickup/preamp/amp/speaker? then adjust it in the electronics.

I believe in having a great sound acoustically (on whatever instrument, or a whole band) and then doing your best to amplify that great sound, rather than using electronics to try to install good sound where it isn't.
Click to expand...

^^^^ Great advice here - I agree.

My main bass has a whoppingly resonant open D. It rattles the track lights in my studio. But other than that, it's remarkably even as currently set up. I use a McGyvered mute on the D, but even then, part of playing that bass comes down to understanding that that note is louder than the rest and trying to compensate with the built in technique of pulling the punch when that note is part of a line. It's mostly a subconscious thing at that point.

For the rest, in my experience the more i fiddle with electronics, the less I end up focusing on the music. Outside of a HPF, which is a good choice for reasons too long to go into here, I've found complicated surgical EQ to be a rabbit hole best avoided. My best advice to anyone would be to find the pickup that gives you the most even response that you need to futz with the least, and then get about making the best music you can with the always imperfect sound from the pickup that is your best option. As always, EEMMV.
 
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#13
shwashwa said:
Yes don't touch the sound post if this does not happen when you're not plugged in.
Click to expand...


Good advice. It could very well be where or how the pickup is attached to the bass.

The bass, pickup, amp, and speaker combine into sort of a new instrument or system. As you increase the gain, it tends to exaggerate the resonances in the system. So a resonance that makes the bass feel more lively and responsive acoustically may quickly get out of control as you turn the volume up. In many instances, corrective EQ can be applied progressively as your volume requirements increase to keep the resonance from getting out of hand.

You might also consider the room part of the system, and gain tends to exaggerate room resonances as well.

I pretty much redo the EQ on my bass at every gig. My gain requirement my be different, spacing between the amp and bass may be different, and the acoustics of the room will be different.

One final comment. A bass that is extremely resonant acoustically, may simply be a poor choice for amplification. I have played some very fine instruments that were so resonant that it was impossible to get a great sound through an amp. This sort of bass may be a real cannon acoustically. Sometimes the answer is you need to choose a different bass that is better suited for amplification.

In my case, I probably could have improved the amplified sound by choosing a different pickup. I used one of the original Realists and it picked up too much of the resonance of the bass's body. A bridge mounted pickup, would be likely to focus more on the vibrations of the strings. The Realist worked fine on multiple other basses I used over the years.
 
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#17
Zbysek said:
Notch filter should help. I am not aware of any simple standalone notch filter though...

You can use parametric EQ instead.

Broughton Parametric EQ will become available on 8th October.

https://www.broughtonaudio.com/

Or you can try to find the discontinued Empress Para EQ.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

I didn’t know they discontinued the Empress Para EQ, that’s a shame. Good to hear about the Broughton though.
 
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#18
devnulljp said:
My Shen bass has a quite pronounced bump in resonance around the open A (and conversely the C# is kinda dead) with a Gage Lifeline pickup, so I need to be conscious of how hard i hit those notes. I've got a compressor in line, but figure an EQ pedal of some sort might help, just to tune those frequencies.
Anyone recommend a good EQ?
Click to expand...
Grace Designs Alix is great for this. I am considering selling mine if you are interested.
 
#20
turf3 said:
To me, whether you adjust this in the electronics or in the bass should depend on where the resonance is.

Does this phenomenon exist playing unamplified? If so, probably a soundpost adjustment is in order. If it's only an artifact of the pickup/preamp/amp/speaker? then adjust it in the electronics.

I believe in having a great sound acoustically (on whatever instrument, or a whole band) and then doing your best to amplify that great sound, rather than using electronics to try to install good sound where it isn't.
Click to expand...
I don't notice it unplugged, but it's quite pronounced with the Gage Lifeline
 

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