Double Bass Looking for quick install non-invasive pickup. Bass Max?

[tbassist4]

I've used both the Bass Max and the Underwood. The Bass Max sounds bottom heavy but good (the "Sometime Ago" clip on my site was recorded live using a modified Bass Max many years ago), while the Underwood tends to sound brighter and more detailed. Based on your situation, I'd probably go with the Underwood because it's thinner than the Bass Max, meaning that it's more likely to fit in a normal bridge and/or will fit with a shim. The Bass Max, which is a good deal thicker, will often require filing/shaving of the bridge wing in order to fit.

Good luck, either way.

Thanks for the warning on the width of the Bass Max, I didn't know it would be that thick. I'll look more into the Underwood, it looks like Lemur has some good prices on that right now.

The BassMax is thicker than the underwood and the Planet Wing. I have used the Bass Max on quite a few rental/borrowed basses. If the bass has not previously been fitted with a wing pickup it will almost certainly need to be shaved/sanded down to fit. I bring a fingernail file (the kind with sandpaper on a stiff foam backing) with me to file out the wing slot to fit. I hate having to do covert lutherie! Also I have run across some bridges where the wing comes to a point and doesn't fit the pickup well at all.

I forgot about oddly shaped bridges - and who knows what I'll run into. I'd like to avoid taking a shop's bass under the knife as much as possible.

Well, it looks like its between the Barcus Berry and the Underwood right now.

Thanks so much guys!

 

[tbassist4]

Anyone have any experience with the Barcus Berry? The setup looks great with the clamp on design with screws to control optimum tightness. The other thing that seems like a plus is that one piezo pickup is located on the bridge wing and one is located on the upper part of the bridge foot (I assume it has two?). This seems like it would give a wider scope of the tone of the instrument, offering some good body, but also a little definition and string noise.

Any thoughts?

 

[Michael Glynn]

The new Vektor pickup sounds great and is an easy and non-invasive install. The only downside is that it can start to feed back at high volumes.

The only one that I found looked like it required some drilling. Are you talking about the one listed on their main site? That's all I could find.

The new version of the Vektor is held in place by pressure, no drilling required. It might leave a tiny dent on the underside of the bridge, though. Also, if the varnish is old and flaky, it might take off a tiny bit where it sits on the top. Here's the website:

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[tbassist4]

The new version of the Vektor is held in place by pressure, no drilling required. It might leave a tiny dent on the underside of the bridge, though. Also, if the varnish is old and flaky, it might take off a tiny bit where it sits on the top. Here's the website:

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Thanks for the correction. This is an interesting concept for a pickup! I'm a little worried about the damage that can occur, but I suppose if you're careful it would be pretty minimal if any at all. I assume this would be a good bluegrass/jazz pickup - does she bow well too?

 

[tobytimber]

So far I have had no complaints or any occasions where the Vektor pickup left any damage, imprints or any traces on the bass. The side that touches the front is rubber, and the pressure is minimal, so there should not be any damage to the varnish unless it is extremely soft. On the bridge there is a tiny line which is hardly visible, and it is on the inside arch, so I doubt anyone will see it and it is very unlikely that it will have any impact on the sound.
For anyone who would like to try the pick-up, you can do so without much of a risk, I offer a refund if you don't like it, there is only postage and paypal fees to pay if you send it back.

 

[tbassist4]

So far I have had no complaints or any occasions where the Vektor pickup left any damage, imprints or any traces on the bass. The side that touches the front is rubber, and the pressure is minimal, so there should not be any damage to the varnish unless it is extremely soft. On the bridge there is a tiny line which is hardly visible, and it is on the inside arch, so I doubt anyone will see it and it is very unlikely that it will have any impact on the sound.
For anyone who would like to try the pick-up, you can do so without much of a risk, I offer a refund if you don't like it, there is only postage and paypal fees to pay if you send it back.

Great! Thanks for clearing that up, I'm glad the pickup hardly leaves a trace. If I wanted more information, such as total price and all of that, would it be best to contact you through your website or through the forums here?

 

[tobytimber]

Any form of contact is ok, email me, pm me here, or fill in the contact form on the website. You can skype me when I'm online.
During the week you should get a reply within 24 hours, mostly quicker.