Double Bass Help! Sound Issues=Despair

[Roger Davis]

Can I tell you a story that might have some bearing on the matter. Five years ago I bought a Bryant at a reasonable price. With new Spiros it sounded very nice, it was not a large 3/4 and it had endearing qualities that I was attracted to. I fitted an Underwood that had always been my pickup of choice and it sounded Ok in my room, with a Clarus and 12" Wizzy. Until I gigged it. It had no focus or strength of sound. So I went out with a Wizzy 10, then a Realist, then a 10" Shuttle, then a Puma 500, then a Crazy 8, then a Lifeline, then the Underwood and Lifeline mixed.

Then I went up the road to Tom and George Martin and bought a new 3/4 Solo with a Full Circle for an unreasonable price and it sounded great on gigs and attracted a lot of admiration. ButI felt I couldn't abandon the Bryant and did what I should have done from the get-go. I went to a luthier who put in a new sound post some 20mm from its original position, planed the fingerboard and fitted a new bridge that sat on the bass bar this time. Result, I have a sweet, gorgeous sounding bass, with a Lifeline that sounds good through any of the amps and now does all the gigs. And I also have a nice expensive bass that stays at home.

I suppose the point of all this is make sure your bass is properly set up and working correctly before you start swapping electronics about.

 

[Decomposer]

I own a Markbass CMD 121. Until recently it's all I used. Sounds great set flat. Sounds best for me with all the low mids rolled off. I heard Brian Blades bassist, Chris (Swerve) Thomasin LA. And that's how he EQ'd the Markbass.

 

[wottsup]

I own a Markbass CMD 121. Until recently it's all I used. Sounds great set flat. Sounds best for me with all the low mids rolled off. I heard Brian Blades bassist, Chris (Swerve) Thomasin LA. And that's how he EQ'd the Markbass.

What do you consider "set flat"?????

 

[wottsup]

I also use a Full Circle, CMD-121P,and Fishman Pro EQ II with good results. I can also plug straight in, skipping the preamp altogether, and still get good results.

I agree, something is rotten in the state of Denmark!

Denmark?

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

There isn't a HPF on the Fishman...

Actually, there is. I don't know which model Fishman preamp you have, but on the Platinum Pro EQ it's a knob labelled "low cut" and on the Platinum Stage it's a switch on the side labelled "low cut" that has three settings. The higher the frequency, the more low end is reduced. I would think these would help clear the mud.

- Steve

 

[Decomposer]

Flat is all standard EQ controls 12noon. VPE and VLE at zero/all the waycounter -clockwise (I like the VPE and VLE at noon with a P-BASS). Master about 11 (clock face). Then raise the input as needed. This is with a full circle.

 

[wottsup]

I've been chatting with this guy out here in Colorado who makes a tail piece that has 1 individual knob (volume or tone; I'd have to ask again) for each string on it. Bertolini products. It connects to my FC pickup and it has 1 or 2 input options so you can put a 2nd pickup into it if you want....The options are endless in electronic world!...

 

[DoubleMIDI]

I hope that is a powered device. Putting non-powered electronics directly behind a passive piezo always degrades the sound quality.

 

[elgecko]

Denmark?

Its a Hamlet/Shakespeare reference.

Plug straight into the amp. If the tone knobs on your amp are at 12 o'clock and the V knobs are completely off (CCW) and the problem persists, something is wrong with your pickup or its installation.