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Double Bass magnetic vs. contact... or both.

radapaw

radapaw

Mar 22, 2000
242
333
47
Canada
#1
I'm mostly a guitar family bassist, but I've been getting more into upright through experiments in building 'em. It's amazing what a few inches and 900​ can do!

I'm feeling around for some opinions on pickups.... I've toyed around with contact pickups as they seem to be 'the standards', but I'm looking for pros and cons in general of magnetic pickups (besides the obvious string limitations, and actually finding one). I notice Bob Gollihur's got the Schaller Upright pickup now, any others I should know about out there?

While we're on pickups, is there a reason I'm missing as to why so few EUB's use a multi pickup configuration? Those crazy guitar player put 3 of em on there!
 
#2
I suspect that builders typically use only one pup system as a cost-saving measure. Additionally, combining different pup systems requires a little more electronic know-how than some luthiers may be comfortable with; it's not as simple as combining two pups of the same type. Also, while setting multiple pups in a guitar is just a matter of routing and wiring, on a DB/EUB there are only so many places to install a pup: under the bridge, at the end of the fingerboard, in an endpin, or mounted aerial over the body; and it requires more ingenuity to select and design in those different options.

My BSX only has a piezo with a preamp; I think it would benefit tremendously with a small condenser mic mounted/aimed near the fingerboard and near a soundhole.

Also, check out the NSD's, they have some interesting pup design ideas and combinations.
 
#4
Could you do it effectively with a curved bridge? On a guitar, since the neck is flat all of the strings are the same distance from the pickups, and you get an even signal the same distance from each string. That wouldn't be possible on an upright, unless you did a flat bridge/fingerboard which, IMO, isn't an actual upright. Might as well put frets on it at that point.
 
#6
Actually a P-Bass pickup can work quite well and has been used on many EUBs and DBs over the years. Since each half of the pickup can be tilted independently, the fingerboard radius is less of a concern. If you mount it up high enough, the pole spacing can be fudged well enough. This can be a cheap and effective method of add a mag pickup.

Peace,
S
 
#7
At a blues/roots festival a while back I heard lots of badly amplified upright basses and just one that sounded great - it had a P-Bass pickup hung off the end of the fingerboard.
Here's another option: Link Removed
I'm hoping someone will try them and post some feedback!
 
#8
After a lot of time trying pickups on my URB and gigging with my EUB, I'm beginning to think that if the gig requires much volume, the EUB is going to be the winner, sound-wise. A piezo works just fine in that situation with the EUB.

I remember reading that Lee Rocker uses a plywood bass with a mag pickup for gigs because a piezo is unmanageable for his gig situations. He then switches to a carved bass with pickup and a nice mic out front for recording.
 
#9
I hadn't even really considered using a p pickup or modified bass guitar pickup.... hmmmmm. Toss a few magnets of varying heights on there for the curve/spacing, double hmmmmmm.,...

At $16 bucks a pop that Spot Pickup looks like a great possibility!
 

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