Double Bass Fishman Full Circle vs. Rob Allen

[DonBox]

The FC is a piezo that is part of the bridge.

So is the lone pickup on my Rob Allen slab.

The Rob Allen sounds great through an amp (late 90's Woods + EA VL110) - really broad and even frequency response.

In contrast, the FC (threads up, no preamp, carved top/plywood back instrument) has very attenuated highs and is super nasal to my ears (and yes, I've spent a lot of time tweaking EQ on the woods).

My question is why does the Rob Allen sound so good relative to the FC and (here's the hard one) which DB PUP will get me closest to actual sound of my DB?

I expected the FC to be "the one" - is it just a matter of getting a threads-down installation?

Will a Fishman pre help?

Should I blow off piezo altogether and go DYN-B or AMT?

Can you tell I'm frustrated?

DB

 

[Huy Nguyen]

Attempting to compare apples to oranges will only make you more frustrated. You can't compare a Rob Allen to a DB.

Good luck finding the perfect pickup/setup. Seems like nobody is ever completely satisfied.

 

[Aleph5]

I love my FC, and I have a Rob Allen too. I agree with hdiddy that not only are the instruments and physics a lot different, but the pickups too. The FC piezo is in one bridge foot, as you know. The Matrix Natural II piezo used in the Rob Allen ("Bob") I believe spans all the way across the saddle. My Fishman preamp doesn't really help either, at least very much, though it should if I had a lower input impedance input.

Bob always sounds good, but I don't know how natural it is the actual sound of the bass, because it DEFINES the actual sound of the bass. The FC comes pretty close to its goal to my ears for my Cleveland, but not as close as a good mic. That's a common belief, but mics have their drawbacks too, as I'm sure you know. Some players aren't as keen on the FC, but it may be their bass/setup or their more favorable experience with another contact pickup. I guess what I'm saying is that someone who has used an FC and other contacts should comment, as opposed to trying to understand why Bob's pickup works so well. Though I agree it does!

 

[DonBox]

Thanks for the replies.

Since posting this I've done a few things:

1. Swapped out my EA VL-110s for a Berg HT112 (BassNW was out of EX112 but I'll pick one up next week). I spent time at BassNW comparing my 110s to the Bergs, the Epi UL112, and the Ag GS112 and preferred the 12" cabs a lot to my EA boxes. This helped a lot.

2. I found a teacher. This helped a lot more I now am much happier with my pizz sound (and getting happier every day) and am hoping not to drive my family crazy as I learn arco for the first time.

DB