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Double Bass Krivo pickup and an HPF?

mlwarriner

mlwarriner

Nov 8, 2003
1,734
41
51
KC, MO, USA
#1
So in the constant ongoing reorganization of my upright rig, I'm thinking about putting my Krivo pickup back on to run as a supplement/enhancement to the piezo I have in the bridge wing.

I know with piezo pickups, a high-pass filter is generally a good idea as it blocks the ultra-low frequencies that the bass makes but the amp can't really reproduce (at least i think this is what i know - feel free to correct me *gently* if i'm off base (bass?) here).

My question is this. Does the Krivo also benefit from running through an HPF before the amp? Or is it less of an issue due to the Krivo being magnetic instead of piezo?
 
#2
Generally speaking, I can run a Krivo through a 410 cab with a Marshall head and it will still sound good; not great, but good enough to get the job done well and the whole room will hear me fine. They are tough and reliable and trouble free. Mixing with a piezo can be a challenge because they completely separate in what and how they do it. I definitely like the idea of giving the sound a bit more air, but I think they would require very different mixes. If running two channel head like an Acoustic Image, try separate inputs for each pickup.

The sad thing is that for all of that extra work, it will still be just you and one other bass player in the audience who can tell a difference...
 
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#3
if i end up using it, the krivo would really only be for cases where i can't get loud enough with the piezo pickups because of feedback issues or whatever. i would likely run it through its own separate amp/cabinet rather than trying to mix it through a preamp or something.
 
#4
I don't think mag pickups need HPFs because they don't go as low and aren't as susceptible to feedback as piezos. Feedback is the #1 reason I use a HPF after years of struggling with all kinds of complex EQ band-aids that never really worked.

As far as a separate amp for your Krivo, that's a lot of work esp. if you aren't even sure you will need it on any given gig. If you don't have a two channel head to allow mixing, then consider going without the piezo. On my Juzek I have a Pierre Josephs String Charger mag (endorsed by NHOP :thumbsup:) and a Full Circle piezo. I run one or the other, but never both.

Another time to go mag only is when you are using a supplied amp that just sounds like crap with a piezo no matter how you EQ it.
 
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#5
I now use a Krivo exclusively on my Eminence EUB. I tried blending it with a Lifeline but it was not worth the effort, as others have noted I was probably the only one who noticed the slight tonal difference. I do still use the HPF on occasion, no for feedback control but for the occasional boomy room or hollow stage that needs some taming.
 
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#7
The nice thing about a HPF is that unlike a parametric EQ you have to have tin ears to really **** up your sound with it. My experience using a HPF with a Krivo was that didn’t always do anything super noticeable but in some **** sounding rooms or when really pushing the feedback threshold it was a lifesaver.

The danger of not using one playing loud is that trying to control low end feedback with just the eq on your amp can force you to totally gut your low end and give you that tinny 70’s Underwood straight into the recording console sound. It’s really the same thing as what happens using a piezo except that you’re dealing with a higher feedback threshold. It’s more about the fundamental nature of amplifying the double bass than the exact kind of pickup you choose.
 
#8
I would probably do what I always do any time I have a new pickup / amp pairing: A/B it on a gig with & without my fDeck buffer/HPF and let my ears decide.
My hypothesis would be that it might not be as crucial as it is for piezo, but it might add a bit of sparkle and reduce rumbling in ways that might jibe with my DB tone objectives.
I've never tried the Krivo pickup yet, but I have thoroughly enjoyed blending signals with a Biesele onboard unit. It was really cool to have the acoustic nuances of the piezo, then dial in some magnetic "punch" as needed. (The audience may not notice any difference, but I sure did!) I am on a different path at the moment [with gut strings on the 4-string DB] but would surely love to get back to that capability in the future.
 
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#9
after all of the fiddling and figuring and diagrams i've been drawing on the 437 ways i could set things up...

at band practice the other night i ran the krivo into one side of my headway pre, and the bridge wing piezo into the other side. set the volume with the krivo and dialed in enough piezo to mask the "just another electric bass" sound and it's heavenly. and more volume than i'll likely ever need :D

FWIW - i'm also using the built-in HPF on the headway, but not sure how much it helps or doesn't help (as far as i know there's no way to not use it, only different frequencies at which to set it based on the instrument you're using)
 
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#10
mlwarriner said:
after all of the fiddling and figuring and diagrams i've been drawing on the 437 ways i could set things up...

at band practice the other night i ran the krivo into one side of my headway pre, and the bridge wing piezo into the other side. set the volume with the krivo and dialed in enough piezo to mask the "just another electric bass" sound and it's heavenly. and more volume than i'll likely ever need :D

FWIW - i'm also using the built-in HPF on the headway, but not sure how much it helps or doesn't help (as far as i know there's no way to not use it, only different frequencies at which to set it based on the instrument you're using)
Click to expand...
I have a Headway EDB-2, and it has an "in or out" switch for the notch and frequency settings. Maybe the 1st model doesn't have that switch?
 

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