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Double Bass Help - I need a magnetic Pick up - I Think....

bluesdragon

bluesdragon

Mar 23, 2010
118
2
#1
Hi All,
Looking for a little advice. I have a Plywood Upton bass. I am using the Rev II Solo Pick up. It sounds great and it is problem free. However, I started playing my upright in a fully electric blues band with a B3. My bass is "almost" completley lost in the mix. I think a magnetic pick up will help, but my bass has a tear drop type of cut at the end of the fingerboard. All the magnetics I see connect to the end of the fingerboard. Anyone have a suggestion on a different type of pick up system??
 
#2
Are you having problems with feedback? If so a magnetic pickup that is not attached to the top could help. If not, have you tried working with the amp or mixer's EQ and/or volume? One more question, do you feel lost in the mix (possible issue with the monitors) or are people listening in the venue telling you? It can be hard for a monitor to give an accurate feel for the mix in an electric band with a DB if the engineer is not used to working with them.
 
#3
One thing my bass friends and I used to do was mount a magnetic pickup on the bridge, using some household putty (maybe available at office supply or home centers??) to "stick it" in place. The pickup is then grabbing the string sound very close to the bridge...really nice J-Bass balls to the sound. And yes, as with any magnetic, huge volume, no feedback, etc. Of course the downside is that it doesn't sound like a nice acoustic instrument anymore. But in your situation you might want to try.

I think any magnetic pickup you can find should be mountable in putty on the bridge. We used Schaller(?) magnetic pickups (stainless steel cover, like most steel covered regular guitar magnetics) that were designed to mount to the bottom of your fingerboard (which you say you can't do). Try puttying it up right on the bridge, and let us know if you have any success.


thooom
 
#4
The Pierre Josephs connects via "super Velcro" to the underside of the fingerboard, but you might have to extend the mounting bracket.

I actually used a homemade magnetic pickup for many years on my Kay.

Short of going magnetic, a lot of things have to come together in order to play loud music on DB, such as probably dropping the overall stage volume of the band and letting the PA do most of the heavy lifting.
 
#6
bluesdragon said:
Thanks for all your suggestions.. I will try some of them..I will return with som pics and let you all know what I have decided to do..
Click to expand...

Blues Dragon,
Personally, the last thing I'd ever do is use a magnetic PU on my upright. When pickups were very primitive I used a 4 element Tonengies magnetic, it made the bass sound like my Fender Precision. If I'm playing that loud then I move to my Lakland 55-94, because it actually sounds better than my upright with a magnetic pickup. Have you tried sending a mic FOH and using the Rev Solo to monitor yourself?
 

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