Double Bass I'm going in

[Slaphound]

I've made up my mind. I'm going in for the magnetic pickup. This is my plan.

I'm getting the Krivo magnetic pickup and the K&K "Upgrade Transducer" set. Total of $320. The transducer set is a fingerboard clicky pickup wired to a stereo jack input that I can plug my magnetic Krivo pickup into and send both to the K&K Bass Master RB 2 channel pre amp. I already have the K&K pre amp and I've got the steel strings. So...... Here I go.

Now. I did not order anything yet but before I do. Can anyone say there is a better way for me to go in order to stay strong in the mix at a very loud volume Rockabilly band?

My two biggest problems so far has been volume and Feedback. I want to be heard better and I have to get rid of the feedback when I turn my volume up. And I want to have my click. Hey!! Its Rockabilly/Rock & Roll. I believe that this is the path for me to go. But..... I'm still learning and if you have a better idea?......let me know. Please. I am not concerned with 'my upright sounding like an upright'. So that can be eliminated.

thanks.

 

[Joshua Pickenpaugh]

I’ve been using the Krivo for about 4 years now and love it. I’m not a rockability guy so I can’t answer to your slap questions, but I’ve never had an issue with feedback. I also can’t answer to the kandk stuff since I’ve not used those devices.

 

[bherman]

Another thumbs up for Krivo. Loud, articulate, no real loos of URB tone. Maybe try it first without adding the fingerboard pickup? The Krivo by itself might be all that you need.....

 

[Doggie Hauser]

I've played rockin' blues, rockabilly and rock'n'roll with and without drummers and 99% of the time slap. I never needed more than my Bassmax direct into my amp usually because I covered the f-holes to fight most if the feedback and no transducer because my amp had a strong tweeter. The Bassmax was more than enough for traditional rockabilly and rnr. Maybe the psychobilly players would be more inclined to run a trans/clicky? I've always hated the clank of steel strings when slapped (not to be confused with the sweet click of gut or synthetic strings hitting the fingerboard) so those were never an option for me. When we played bigger rooms and festivals I ran a Tonebone AC Driver in line to the amp and out to the house' board. I was able to dial out any feedback causing frequencies and get the volume way up. Sounds like you have your mind made up though. Best of luck with your new set up.

 

[Stewie]

Been using a Krivo through a big Ampeg stack( switched to a little Ampeg Rocket Bass 210) for blues/roots. Not all steel strings work with the pickup. I am using a Jargar E along with 3 Daddario orchestral. The Daddario E’s internal compounds didn’t excite the Krivo. Call Gollihur for advice on strings if the ones you are using don't work well. Let us know how the two pickup system works for you. Maybe I should be saving my pennies for an upgrade.

 

[Stewie]

Just went downstairs and checked. I don’t slap. I get a pretty sharp tap when my hard calloused fingers hit the strings, but not a lot of string on fingerboard sound. Buy the set up, but don’t unbox the clicky til you try the Krivo alone

 

[bassburner]

I added a second sound post, switched from a K&K to a Shadow and added a compressor. With those things I don't get any feedback anymore. I can even face my bass directly at my cab only a foot away and nothing feedbacks.

I also went the Krivo and K&K route for a while. It also eliminates feedback but I couldn't find strings that I liked enough to keep using it. If you don't want a crazy loud click sound the Krivo might be enough but I definitely wanted more.

 

[Slaphound]

I added a second sound post, switched from a K&K to a Shadow and added a compressor. With those things I don't get any feedback anymore. I can even face my bass directly at my cab only a foot away and nothing feedbacks.

I also went the Krivo and K&K route for a while. It also eliminates feedback but I couldn't find strings that I liked enough to keep using it. If you don't want a crazy loud click sound the Krivo might be enough but I definitely wanted more.

I've been holding off purchasing the Krivo because they give you a 7 day tryout period and I'm not getting together with the Rockabilly Trio for a little while. Especially now since I got the Covid. I tested positive at home on Sunday and again at at the local testing site yesterday. So It'll be another week at least. But. In my mind, I'm going to like the pickup for what I do now with the bass (playing in a loud Rockabilly band). But to proceed with caution, unlike my cat who went out last night in the 18ºF temps and who hasn't returned yet at 6:30am. Thats another story.

I got a set of Superflexible Solos to use with the Krivo and they are good strings for this set up. Easy to slap. I don't like them with the piezo pickup.

 

[Slaphound]

I bought the Krivo and used it at practice with the Trio last night. I plugged straight into the amp without the preamp. I thought it was loud enough but unbalanced. You can swivel the pickup a little to help or you can raise and lower each individual pole piece. The E and A strings were strong and fat while the D and G were weak. I was able to balance the sound pretty well though. I also noticed that you can absolutely move the pickup too close to the strings to slap. The strings hit the pickup poles if you do raise it too much.
I also absolutely need the clicky pickup. I couldn't get much of a slap sound in the mix unless I pounded the finger board and the snap was weak. So I ordered the part to get the two pickups to work as one stereo output into the K&K pre. I was hoping to ditch the preamp too. No biggie. I just hope that adding the clicky, which is a Piezo, doesn't reintroduce feedback.

 

[Slaphound]

I got the clicky pickup added into the syst4em now. With this I have to use the preamp which is good. I used it at rehearsal last week and I'm going to use it again tonight at rehearsal. We have a gig this Saturday and then again in two weeks. Last week I was experimenting with the preamp, adjusting the gain, bass, mid and treble. I'm getting some good sounds from the clicky and the magnetic pickup really helps me be heard. I very much do like it. I am having trouble finding good settings for the clicky and the magnetic pickup to sound good. Last week I had adjusted it to the point where I could hear the click but it sounded funny. Kinda 'glassy'. Very polished sounding click. So tonight I'll have a chance to try again. Hopefully I'm closer to figuring it all out. Its funny because I think I have it all set and as soon as the band starts, I lose it. Either the click starts to sound buried or the magnetic pickup sounds off balance. The steel strings I am sure make the click sound much different from the guts but it is a work in progress.
I also think that the studio we play in may have something to do with the everything. The drummer is very hard hitting. Very loud. The room is small and maybe my position compared to the amps position is working against me. I'm going to bring my recorder tonight and hopefully I can capture what I sound like. The thing is. I won't remember my settings once I am home listening to the recordings.

OK. Last night has passed and we have come to some conclusions. First. I'm very happy with what I am getting out of this pickup/preamp system. I sound clear and my slap is pronounced. I was able to set all the little pots inside the pre to sound as good as I believe its gonna get. And thats not a bad thing. This Saturday will be at a club in Manhattan with a PA system. This is e-z. The next gig is a stand alone rig. I have my Rumble 500 and a 115 cab. It'll be loud enough and I am excited to try this out in front of a live audience.

I made some recordings last night and they sound good. I'm ready for take off. Hopefully nothing grounds me and I can move forward with this set up and this LOUD! rock and roll outfit.

If you're following my thread here, thanks for listening. I always feel that I can depend on others to chime in when I'm posting my struggles.

*And I hope by keeping a record of this on TB, others that may find themselves in my situation can find some solid info with first hand experience.

 

[Don Hergert]

Congrats on reaching your goal!

The only additional thing I could suggest is if you don't have a personal monitor, you probably should get one so you can hear exactly how you sound. This can be as easy as a small amp pointed directly at you, or as complicated as an IEM.

Of course the other thing is to watch your ears, make sure you're not damaging them. Ear plugs are easy protection, and in Rock, RaB and PsyB they're almost a requirement. Otherwise when you're old, you may have permanent ringing (like me).

Good luck with all this!

 

[nealw]

I’m glad you’ve found a solution you’re happy with. If you ever get frustrated with being limited to steel strings (I hate them for slap), another approach is to use a preamp with a 10Mohm input impedance, phase reverse, and a notch filter. Running through the old, plastic version of a Fishman Pro EQ I was able to use a piezo (first Underwood, then Upton) through an SVT and 8x10+horn at pants-flapping volume for years. A used Fishman like mine runs <$100 these days. You’d still have to combine the clicky with the main piezo (I never felt I needed one) but I can attest that it works for high volume and good, full tone. But if you like your strings, it sounds like you’ve got it covered. Cheers!