Hollowbody without drowning in feedback? How does BRMC do it?

[stranded horse]

From some Black Rebel Motorcycle Club site on Robert Been and his Epiphone Rivoli:

"Rob's amp is an Ampeg Svt-II 300W tube amp, which drives two Ampeg 8x10 speaker cabinets. Sometimes he adds an Ampeg Svt Classic (also 300W) for the second cabinet.

Rob's pedalboard contains several hard to identify distortion pedals. The big one on the right seems to be an Electro Harmonix Tube Zipper. He likes to run several pedals at once in order to achieve different layers and shades of distortion.

Rob plays with a pick. This, the shortscale instument, using distortion, etc, it all reflects his way of playing the bass more like a low-tuned guitar.

TWO 8x10 cabs with a hollowbody bass?
I've never seen them live, because I'm not too much into their music, I just happen to be very into this bass.
A friend of mine has been to a concert though and said they had an excellent live sound.
On the plus side, it is hollowbody and shortscale, so it doesn't have too much sustain, which certainly should help against feedback, but then again two 8x10 cabs should blow this plywood box to the moon!

Can anyone give me some advices on how to make a hollowbody bass make useable at very very high volumes?

regards,
s.h.

 

[hbarcat]

Many acoustic-electric guitarists (or bassists) use soundhole covers.

http://www.guitartips.addr.com/tip129.html




I had a jam last week and I busted out my acoustic-electric bass and couldn't stop the feedback on some notes just using a 100 watt combo bass amp only turned up to 3. It was pretty awful.

 

[stranded horse]

Ok, I admit, I made a mistake there. It is of course semi-hollow and not hollowbody. The Epiphone Rivoli (and Gibson EB-2) have the same body as an ES-335

 

[JimmyM]

ya, semi-hollow is easier to control than total hollow. but it can be done. don't aim the bass at the cabs, always be between the bass and the cabs, aim the cabs completely away from the bass, things like that. also, his rig is loud, but it's not impossibly loud for a hollowbody in a big enough venue. distortion makes it tougher, though. but if they have an excellent sound live, that tells me that maybe he's not blasting from his rig.