Double Bass ExplorAudio Customer Service

[bolo]

The customer service that I’ve received from ExplorAudio warrants a rave. I purchased their mic clamp for DB as described here and here. (Thanks again Vunz.)

To start with, every email that I’ve sent to them has been dealt with patiently, and has been answered very, very thoroughly and professionally.

The kicker was that I accidentally damaged part of my mic clamp called the boom grip. I sent an email asking for a replacement part, admitting that I messed it up, and offering to pay for the replacement. They sent me a really long really nice email and a new boom grip free of charge. And they sent me a self-addressed packet so that I could mail the part that I mangled back to them, so that they could have their engineers take a look at it just to be thorough in terms of QA for their product.

As far as superior customer service goes, I have traded emails with both John Dong and Larry Ullman at EA. I’ve talked to Bob Gollihur over the phone and via email. And I have talked to Rick Jones at AI via email, on the phone, and in person. The fellow named Robert Aitchison at ExplorAudio is IMO absolutely in the same league. The customer service and personal attention I've received has been exceptional.

 

[christ andronis]

The fellow named Robert Aitchison at ExplorAudio is IMO absolutely in the same league. The customer service and personal attention I've received has been exceptional.

+1

..and that mic holder is a great piece of equipment. So simple but really effective.

 

[Monte]

Can anyone tell me how wide the clamp will go? I've e-mailed Exploraudio but keep getting bounce messages.

With my deep ribs on the Solano, I'd hate to ship this far and not have it work.

 

[bolo]

Monte,

I was going to measure the clamp for you later today. But I decided to email Robert as well. Here is what he said:

>>> Robert Aitchison <[email protected]> 01/22/07 8:03 AM >>>
Hi Steve,

Good to hear from you again. The LiveBass H-clamp should fit anything up to 228mm wide. If anyone needs something wider still, there are adapter shaft options that may fit the bill. There is no theoretical limit to the maximum width with these adapter shafts but the best combination depends on the particular width and adjustment range required. The bottom line is that if the standard LiveBass H-clamp is not wide enough, we may be able to supply a bespoke H-clamp for a similar price (depending on the adapter shaft combination required).

Hope that helps and thanks for passing on the enquiry.​

 

[flatback]

I've used the H clamp in a number of situations now from recording to live gigs and it continues to impress me. It does its job. It is beautifully made. It does not harm the bass. Different mics can be used easily. Can't ask for much more.
I leave the mini mic attached and keep the whole thing folded in my gig bag. If the gig can handle a mic on it goes. For recording, I really dig it, It keeps the mic in exact placement, no matter where you move.
Robert told me that they are developing a small shock mount, for mini mic's.

 

[Monte]

Update:

Great customer service again from Robert. My bass is just too big for the regular shaft on the H Clamp, so Robert took my measurements and brainstormed. It was an in between size, and the new adjustable shaft they were developing is not in production.

So, he found a way to put 2 cello shafts together, and sent that along with the regular bass shaft. It fits perfectly, and in a brief test in my living room, supports my moderately heavy AKG C3000 pretty well. I don't have room yet to hook up my Bose PA to see how it sounds, but with the many possibilities, it should work well.

My only concern is how much the mic on the end of the shaft seems to vibrate as I play, which I assumed would be a problem only on small light mics. I will take it up to work after Valentines is over and my life slows down and see if it affects the sound any.

 

[bolo]

Monte, glad to hear your dealings w/ Robert worked out well.

I need to email him. I have a bit of a problem with the mic clamp "drooping" with a Beyer M 88. I like to position it with the head of the mic halfway in between the bridge and the bottom of the FB, w/ the barrel of the mic parallel to the table and the head pointing up toward the FB and scroll. This means the boom is fully extended. I think the larger disks of the clamp jaws are slipping, not the boom grip. The clamp jaws are attached in the middle bout, and of course the top of my bass is round or domed (w/ a flat back). The graduation of the top there at the middle bout starts to increase very close to the edge, and I think maybe that's part of the issue. The disk isn't lying and pressing flush on the top I think, if that makes any sense. If it were a roundback, I guess I could have the same problem on both sides.

Anyway, I just wondered how you were using the clamp to orient your AKG. It looks from the specs like it weighs 320 grams, exactly the same as the Beyer.

 

[Monte]

I have been way busy this week but I am going to try to take my bass, mic, clamp, and Bose PAS system up to work this afternoon and try it out.

 

[Monte]

I had the same problem with my AKG. The table of my bass is too arched, and it slips downward under the weight of the mic. I am able to get it to work by attaching it under a busetto corner and putting the end of the boom in the notch. This positions it about 12" in front of the bass, a few incches below the bridge.

Kind of a bummer that I cannot put it really close to the bass, but it does sound pretty good there.

 

[bolo]

Okay, thanks. Robert gave me some ideas about ways to try and prevent the disks from slipping due to the arch at the edge of the table like you said. If any of them work really well, I will let you know.

I will try an arrangement like the one you suggested too. But it has occurred to me that it might be kind of a drag to have the clamp and the mic protruding about a foot in front of the bass in a crowded setting. I would think it could get wacked on stage if people around you aren't careful, or even when you lay the bass down on break.

 

[flatback]

The EA (Not EA but EA) clamp works perfectly for me. I think it is the best solution for mic'ing the bass I've seen. But like anything it has its limitations. I keep mine on the bass with a small mic on it on the inside bout so I can bow and with the mic just under the fingerboard. You can pretty much look at the thing and see how much it'll take, and there are mic's that go beyond its capabilities, for sure. I really like having the KM 184 way out at the end of the boom (for recording) so its locked in. Cord management is real important. But I don't think I would hazard a large mic on it on a gig...just too many possibilities for the finish of my already scarred bass to get grilled. And I think for a vocal mic its hard to beat the protection and ease of the between the bridge feet placement. I'm pining for a Senn 906 and if I find one I'll prolly be tempted to put it on the clamp but I'll bet it will end up in hair tie bondage between the bridge feet.

 

[Peck_Time]

Flatback: My Sennheiser 906 is in 'bondage' with rubber-bands, and it works very well for me. But I've been thinking about getting the Exploraudio clamp to experiment with different mike placements.

Maybe you could be the guinea pig?

 

[flatback]

Flatback: My Sennheiser 906 is in 'bondage' with rubber-bands, and it works very well for me. But I've been thinking about getting the Exploraudio clamp to experiment with different mike placements.

Maybe you could be the guinea pig?

I don't know...If it ain't broke why fix it? Seems like the 906 like you have it is not going to be $150.00 better a few inches away. And I'm not totally convinced about the 906 either...This little Audix blended with the FC is sounding really nice. I had a gig on a big stage the other day and had a Meyer Dynamic on there and it way really hard to get a sound. The thinner sounding Audix doesn't do that...I am really going to try and find a 906 used somewhere...I like the way the element is flat to the surface of the instrument, where a vocal mic always has to be at an angle. Off angle on a Dynamic can be really uneven, and the 906 is made to mic a flat surface very close...Seems like the perfect mic for between the feet.

 

[bolo]

The EA (Not EA but EA) clamp works perfectly for me. I think it is the best solution for mic'ing the bass I've seen. But like anything it has its limitations. I keep mine on the bass with a small mic on it on the inside bout so I can bow and with the mic just under the fingerboard. You can pretty much look at the thing and see how much it'll take, and there are mic's that go beyond its capabilities, for sure.

I think like you've outlined the problem with my situation and Monte's is that the mics we're trying to use are both 320 grams. In comparsion, the Senn 906 is less than half that at 140 g. And the Neumann KM 184 is one fourth the weight at 80 g.

The documentation that comes with the clamp (which IMO is extremely well done) says the clamp can handle mics up to 500 g without having to use the "captive boom" feature. But ... that's if the surfaces you are dealing with are flat, like say an acoustic guitar. Obviously, the table of a DB starts to curve up as you move inward from the edge. With a roundback bass, you've got the same problem on the back of the bass w/ its domed shape as well . I think that's why things start to get droopy w/ our heavier mics on our DB's even though we are below the 500 g stated limit.

I really want this thing to work with the Beyer. But ... I need more time to experiment. Robert from ExplorAudio has sent me some suggestions to try out. I will post results here after I carve out some time to try them.

 

[bolo]

I am having better luck with the clamp not slipping by attaching it on the corner where the upper bout meets the middle bout. Basically, the top of my bass stays kinda flat there in a small area right near the edge, and the table doesn't start to dome or slope up quite so quickly there.

I really wish it would have worked better in the original spot, in the middle bout. It is easier to reach the vertical centerline of the bass from there w/ the mic. Plus the clamp was somewhat more protected there as the middle bout curves inward forming a large protective pocket if you will. I feel like the clamp is quite a bit more exposed now perched on the corner.

But with this new corner orientation, I managed to kinda tuck the head of the mic under the fingerboard, maybe even an inch or so north of the end of the FB. Now THAT's very close to the sound in my head. Seems logical in a way - it's very close to the sound that reaches my ears w/ the bass in playing position. Sure sounds that way to me comin' thru my amp.

When I set the mic clamp aside and just try the Beyer in between the bridge legs, it does have a definite proximity effect that can get pretty boomy. It helps to angle the head of the mic up toward the scroll in that position. But there is just not as much presence and pluck and shape between the bridge legs vs. up around the end of the FB, at least on my bass.

Anyway, still messin' around with it. With a lighter mic, the slippage thing would probably not be a problem at all, unless the top of your bass REALLY domes up very quickly very close to the edge. I can see how the problem might actually be double the trouble though with a roundback bass.

They are working on a solution to this issue. Some type of adjuster of sorts for arched tops (and backs). More to follow.

 

[flatback]

I'm using the H clamp and leaving it on the bass all the time now. It was kind of a pain but I bound a mic and 1/4" line together and run them to the amp. I wish someone made a single line that branched off into an xlr head and a 1/4" at each end.. The H clamp, I just stopped thinking about because it is so snug and while it isn't inconspicuous its definately out of the way. A few weeks ago I went thru this back and forth with the dynamic, and while the Dynamic sounded better, I kept having problems with it making noise (it was between the legs not on the H clamp) I finally just went with the mini on the H clamp.
The H clamp does seems to isolate the mic and not transfer vibration the way all the other mounts (including the between the bridge suspended thing) do... But I also made a little shock mount thing...I played last night in a boomy room, the HP on the Focus really came thru and made it possible to use the mic where I just would have canned it before...

 

[bolo]

Did you say you used the clamp w/ a KM 184? If so, where did you position it?

I bet that would work well (80 grams) and sound awfully good.

[ Edit - Doh! I know Vunz uses a KM 185 w/ his. That's how all this got started ... ]

 

[flatback]

I have been really into placing the mic under the fingerboard lately. It seems to get this really even sound. It is, on my axe the ideal placement. I have been flirting with the idea of getting a flat facing dynamic like the Senn 906 and trying it in this position. I think that the H clamp will be fine with it especially since there is no cantilevered weight (like with a vocal at an angle)
Right now I have the clamp on the top of the inner bout (just below where the bass rests on me) with this small Audix dynamic. That and the right polarity at the amp (notch on the mic and HP on Pick up) is the bomb.

 

[bolo]

I have been really into placing the mic under the fingerboard lately. It seems to get this really even sound. It is, on my axe the ideal placement.

Same here. I am gonna try the AMT in the exact same position and compare it to the Beyer. I think I know how that is gonna turn out. But it will be nice to have two really decent mic options.

I wonder if placing the mic just north of the end of the FB might protect it in a way from external sources and reduce bleed. In that position it is kind of hiding behind the FB if you will. The M 88 sure sounds good in that spot coming thru my amp. And obviously I can't reach that spot without the clamp.

 

[bolo]

When you say "even sound," I think on my bass too this mic placement gets the most even blend of body, string, and air. For me (so far) this is the sound I've been after.

And w/ the Beyer I can go a good bit louder b4 feedback than w/ the AMT. I know it won't work in killer loud situations, but in most others it would, blended w/ varying amounts of pickup (if needed) like you said.