Double Bass Headway EDB1 preamp

[Roger Davis]

For one, the PJB Flightcase/Headway combination sounds so good that the mic doesn't really add much. For two, the issue I'm having with all mics at the moment is that up to a point, they help your sound. Beyond that point, they make you sound worse. If you set your sound at the beginning and the volume creeps up from other sectors of the bandstand, you're pretty much shagged, baby... at least until you have time to adjust again. With a pickup, you find the best sound you can and just play.

I agree with that very much. It just seems such a hastle to set up and continually adjust a mic. With plug and play you can enjoy the music more.

The only exception, for me, would be if there is a good FOH rig and a competent sound guy. Just give him the lead from the mic and let him do the rest. Then use your pu into back line as a monitor.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

There isn't one jazz bassist working much in town using a mic. Maybe I saw an RE20 in a large hall but for club dates? Forget it.

The guy in town I most admire shows up, plugs into his Ampeg portabass (Realist only) and plays his *&& off. I've seen him use the first tune of the night to get in tune and adjust his amp for a workable tone. He doesn't mess with mics or anything more than changing strings every couple of years. Owns one bass and has had it for over forty years.
One night, he sat in on my bass (strung with new Animas) and I was using a mic blended with pickup into my Focus. I was loving the tone that night, but when he got behind the bass he sounded like himself and I didn't give a rip about the tone because HE sounded so good.This guy didn't become the first call by messing with mics.

After listening, sitting in and comparing notes I've been on a mission for the past year to put the effort into improving the tone of the bass, plugging it into the amp and playing the gig.

Mics do work for some people but that's my take on it.

 

[Ric Vice]

I agree with that very much. It just seems such a hastle to set up and continually adjust a mic. With plug and play you can enjoy the music more.

The only exception, for me, would be if there is a good FOH rig and a competent sound guy. Just give him the lead from the mic and let him do the rest. Then use your pu into back line as a monitor.

For the most part. I'm a plug and play guy. Bass>Pickup>Amp, but recently I discovered something. If I use a blended mic with my Mirecourt 5/8 bass, it's much easier to solo because it puts a distinctive edge on the sound in the middle and upper register and clears up the sound. Just my experience though.

Ric

 

[Phil Rowan]

Just got back from a little tour.. Kay bass, Realist/Audix D4 blended through Headway EDB1 into an EA Micro300/Wizzy110 =
Yeah, I'm pretty high on the "my natural sound, but louder!" sound this set up made. And then I look over and it's this tiny little cab.. so cute!

 

[Jazzdogg]

Funny turn of events on my end: I finally got fed up with the whole mic-blend-through-the-amp thing, and am moving away from that for awhile if not for good. This should make the Headway an expendabe piece of gear for me, but it doesn't at all: I discovered that if I run pickup only through the Headway and the FX return of the Super Flightcase, I can get a really great sound that's more articulate and flexible EQ-wise than using the onboard preamp, so that's the new setup.

OCD nutcase that I am, I've even mounted a short mic stand pole (complete with telescoping arm) onto the back of the Flightcase so I can have the controls right where I need them and can leave the unit plugged into the FX return for travel. I sounds great and is very convenient, but sometimes I wonder if I need psychiatric help for my obsessive gear shenanigans.

Sounds interesting, Chris. Got a snapshot or two of your setup?

 

[Ric Vice]

I do something with the Headway EDB-1 just like Chris. Instead of connecting it to the input stage of the either of the Walter Woods amps I own, I run it into the line in on the power amplifier. The Headway has plenty of juice to drive the power amp section and puts the controls at your fingertips. There's something about the voicing of the Headway that put's it heads ( sorry for the unintentional pun) and tails above every pre amp on the market. The Walter Woods pre amp definitely sounds as good, but it doesn't have lo cut, variable input loading, phase reverse and a notch filter. It's very liberating.

Ric

 

[oystein]

I do the same with my Fishman Full Circle through The Platinum Pro and into the effect return of my Focus.
I think that sound is far superior to the input stage of the Focus.
My biggest concern to play with pick-up only is the thin-sounding g-string and upper register. Any suggestions Chris? I love the combination of Full Circle and mic( AMT/ Shure 58 or Beta 57) but it is a hassle. Will going for the Headway enable me to dial in a better g-string sound?

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I do the same with my Fishman Full Circle through The Platinum Pro and into the effect return of my Focus.
I think that sound is far superior to the input stage of the Focus.
My biggest concern to play with pick-up only is the thin-sounding g-string and upper register. Any suggestions Chris? I love the combination of Full Circle and mic( AMT/ Shure 58 or Beta 57) but it is a hassle. Will going for the Headway enable me to dial in a better g-string sound?

I don't know whether it would help or not. Through the PJB combo, the G string sounds fatter than through the other amps I've owned, but i couldn't say how much the Headway has to do with that. In the case of the PJB, it's a little too "thick" sounding, so I use the Headway into the FX return to sort of thin it out a bit.

 

[Ric Vice]

I do the same with my Fishman Full Circle through The Platinum Pro and into the effect return of my Focus.
I think that sound is far superior to the input stage of the Focus.
My biggest concern to play with pick-up only is the thin-sounding g-string and upper register. Any suggestions Chris? I love the combination of Full Circle and mic( AMT/ Shure 58 or Beta 57) but it is a hassle. Will going for the Headway enable me to dial in a better g-string sound?

Well,
I've never had a problem with the G string on any of the amps I've owned ( GK 200MB, Walter Woods MI-400-8, Walter Woods Ultra). But I do think that Headway EQ section is able to dial in just about anything that your bass already has acoustically. The Five Bands of EQ overlap just a little. If your G string sounds good acoustically then blending the mic with the pickup might help. It has improved the sound I get with just the Realist alone. Whether or not you will get the same results is hard to say.

 

[Gary Lynch]

Has anyone installed one of these Headway DB pickups? If so, how did it sound? I could not find a post regarding it.

Headway

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Ric Vice]

Has anyone installed one of these Headway DB pickups? If so, how did it sound? I could not find a post regarding it.

Headway

Invalid Link Removed

Gary,
Gordon of Nova Strings tried to interest me in one of those, and frankly I didn't want to compromise the feet of my bridge to demo a pickup. Hopefully one day Headway will design one of those Band pickups for Double Bass. That interests me.

Ric

 

[Gary Lynch]

The interesting thing to me is how little sound or vibration actually gets past the adjusters. I know many say they do not take away tone but I did an extremely no brainer yesterday. I have a wing pickup on the bridge and tapped around all areas above the adjusters. The pickup can detect those taps easy and with a lot of volume. Then I tap my finger below the adjusters on the bridge feet and the volume level goes down so low, it was like the pickup could almost not get much sound at all. I then thought the wing pickups are hearing strings to adjusters but little below the adjusters.

Pickups that are located below the adjusters would hear the DB top resonating not just strings on the bridge. After all, it's the top and body moving air that gives a lot of the tone, or it would seem. So when I saw this pickup it looked liked it may be a good one if the element is quality which I would suspect it is. A luthier who can cut bridges on their time should A/B one of these for a report we could trust.

While my experiment was low brow, it certainly opened my ears.

 

[flatback]

Gary,
Gordon of Nova Strings tried to interest me in one of those, and frankly I didn't want to compromise the feet of my bridge to demo a pickup. Hopefully one day Headway will design one of those Band pickups for Double Bass. That interests me.

Ric

I had a long talk with Gordon about this pickup and personally I am willing to give it a go if they need a guinea pig. If that cat who makes the EDB1 makes a pickup it is at least worth a listen. I mean he sure nailed the preamp (to the point where I really dont mind using a bunch of different pickups now from the Underwood to the Aptflex and Vektor and of course the FC. In fact I am digging the Underwood right now and really liking how I seem to be able to dial in rooms much quicker with a mid-dy pickup (underwood or Aptflex) and the Headway.
There is also this other Bass pickup from Headway the rubber tire one that goes around the bass...they were gunna send me one to try a while ago but I haven't heard anything...anyone try either one of their bass pickups?
Gordon I'll give it a go if you send me one....

 

[Ric Vice]

I had a long talk with Gordon about this pickup and personally I am willing to give it a go if they need a guinea pig. If that cat who makes the EDB1 makes a pickup it is at least worth a listen.

Let us know if you get one installed. I'm not going there for the same reasons I didn't go for the Barbera.

I mean he sure nailed the preamp (to the point where I really don't mind using a bunch of different pickups now from the Underwood to the Aptflex and Vektor and of course the FC.

Yes he did, It even works with the pickup on my Clevenger EUB-1 it's never sounded as good as it does with the Headway operating as a interface, between the bass and my amps. I would think that the Vektor and APTflex would be an great sounding combination.

In fact I am digging the Underwood right now and really liking how I seem to be able to dial in rooms much quicker with a mid-dy pickup (underwood or Aptflex) and the Headway.

Since you mentioned this, what I'm considering is buying an Aptflex to use in combination with the DPA 4099, since from what I gather, that transducer is voiced "brighter" than the Realist and would be a better match with the microphone. Care to comment?

There is also this other Bass pickup from Headway the rubber tire one that goes around the bass...they were gunna send me one to try a while ago but I haven't heard anything...anyone try either one of their bass pickups?
Gordon I'll give it a go if you send me one....

I heard about this as well, but I think it's still in development
so it may be a while before it appears on the market.

Ric

 

[RShew]

So I just picked up a EDB1 recently and had a few questions for those of you using it regularly. For the record I am suing it in conjunction w/a Full Circle and either a PJB Superflight Case or GK combo amp.

Do you routinely use the Notch filter? If so, how do you set it? I don't really understand Q Width. Shuld the impedence be set to active hi or hi+?

Anyway, I like the sound so far. It has especially helped the GK.

Thanks for any guidance.

RShew

 

[Ric Vice]

So I just picked up a EDB1 recently and had a few questions for those of you using it regularly. For the record I am suing it in conjunction w/a Full Circle and either a PJB Superflight Case or GK combo amp.

Chris Fitzgerald has this exact setup, so you might just want to P.M. him since your systems match up.

Do you routinely use the Notch filter? If so, how do you set it? I don't really understand Q Width. Shuld the impedence be set to active hi or hi+?

I have to say that so far I haven't used the Notch Filter a great deal. I'd PM Durb and ask him about it. Basically, it "blocks" ( in actuality, it attenuates the signal 12 db) the frequency where you set the notch, I believe that the Q Width determines how far above and below the center frequency the notch opens to block frequencies just adjacent to the notch's frequency. I prefer the impedance set at 5 meg ohms or 1 meg ohm. 2O meg ohms just sounds thin to me, but that's just my take.

Anyway, I like the sound so far. It has especially helped the GK.

Since GK's tend to be on the brighter side, especially in the midrange, I would think that the Headway would help counter that.

Thanks for any guidance.
RShew

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

So I just picked up a EDB1 recently and had a few questions for those of you using it regularly. For the record I am suing it in conjunction w/a Full Circle and either a PJB Superflight Case or GK combo amp.

Do you routinely use the Notch filter? If so, how do you set it? I don't really understand Q Width. Shuld the impedence be set to active hi or hi+?

I'm running the EDB-1 into the FX return on the Flightcase. I set the input impedance either on "active" or "hi", whichever sounds better in that room on that night, and the HP filter on either "guitar" or "bass", whichever sounds better in that room on that night. I've never had any use for notch filters, even the one on the EDB-1, because so far, IME, the sound has always been better without it than with it in every room on every night for me. YMMV, as always.

 

[RShew]

Thanks guys. Will work on it. Love the Superflight case BTW. I have been using it exclusively. Big bands, combos, etc. All jazz, all upright. Has not let me down once. GK w/EDB1 is actually really nice too.

 

[Ric Vice]

I'm running the EDB-1 into the FX return on the Flightcase. I set the input impedance either on "active" or "hi", whichever sounds better in that room on that night, and the HP filter on either "guitar" or "bass", whichever sounds better in that room on that night.

+1 Usually, I start with the HP filter set at Bass and unless it's too bottom heavy I just back off the Bass EQ control until I get the sound I want. On the occasions where that just won't fix it, I move to the Guitar HP setting and add a little Bass EQ back to compensate for the 80 hz roll off on the Hi Pass Filter. I actually prefer the 5 meg ohm setting for the input impedance, but occasionally I think that the lower 1 meg ohm sounds better, it's probably just my ears playing tricks on me.

I've never had any use for notch filters, even the one on the EDB-1, because so far, IME, the sound has always been better without it than with it in every room on every night for me. YMMV, as always.

+1 as well
It just seems to "suck" all the life out of the sound unless it's set at around 200 hz and even then it's a pretty drastic change.

Ric

 

[Gary Lynch]

Here is some info regarding the Headway pickups if you are interested...........

"Dear Gary,

There would be problems to overcome with making and mounting a Double Bass band and it will not happen soon, if ever, because of this.

The HE2/DB.FEQ is in use by Smutty Smith ( ex Stray Cats), is recommended above all others by Gunnar Tonessen and his luthier of Aaron Import, Norway, who I am sure would let you know what he though: [email protected] Also, it is recommended by German Double Bass specialists: Invalid Link Removed Invalid Link Removed

You may buy via Nova strings Inc USA, as on our website."

Best wishes

John Littler