Double Bass Magnets?

[LouisF]

Somewhere, I think, I saw an ad for a set magnets that sit on the top or the back of the bass and that you can slide around to optimize sound (not a pickup, just a plain magnet)

It seems like Lauren Pierce is using one in the attached photo.

Anyone? Or is just old-timers disease?
Thanks
Louis

 

[LouisF]

Found it -- I think:

Modulator - Krentz String Works

also:

THE WOLF TERMINATOR FOR BASS

 

[LouisF]

I obviously have nothing else to do this morning except get dog food and pick up the wife's dry cleaning:

krentz modulator, wolf terminator

Might even practice, too!

 

[Don Kasper]

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Silevesq]

Around here there is Frédéric Alarie who use one of these thing. He said that he can control wolf-tone more easily with that. He actually did a demonstration when we had the Bass Day in Montreal and it work... He took it off the wolf tone was loud and clear replace it. It was gone... Not sure how many sacrifice needed for it to work.

 

[neilG]

Has anyone tried just magnets, without the moving modulator gizmo?

 

[Heifetzbass]

I've got a client with the Krentz, and it seems to work!
BG

 

[bassdivad]

Has anyone tried just magnets, without the moving modulator gizmo?

yes I did, my open G string was way louder and jumped out a lot and I could not control it with the bow. I putted magnets like 10cm below the right f hole. The Bass is way more even but I have the feeling it also lost volume

 

[turf3]

It's just adding mass to a specific location (found by trial and error) and securing said mass with magnets, rather than glue, screws, nails, or duct tape.

 

[lurk]

I have seen several cellists with these devices. They sounded great to me, and they were wonderful players who presumably liked the effects of the magnets, but of course I have no before and after info.

 

[Don Hergert]

Yes, and you can also keep your post-it notes there.

It would seem like a challenging task to decide where to most effectively put these magnets, there is a lot of real estate on a double bass...

But the theory is, if you add mass, it changes sound.

 

[the_Ryan]

Yes, and you can also keep your post-it notes there.

It would seem like a challenging task to decide where to most effectively put these magnets, there is a lot of real estate on a double bass...

But the theory is, if you add mass, it changes sound.

The manual for the Krentz says to start with the resonator in a consistent horizontal position relative to the bass-side F hole, move it down the bass in 1-2 inch increments, when you find a spot where it sounds pretty good you fine tune it by moving it in much smaller increments, and then once that’s all set you change the horizontal position to change how much the wolf tone is dampened.

On my bass it was very finicky about placement for the wolf dampening, and I couldn’t find a vertical position where it actually improved the overall sound of my bass, so I switched back to a brass wolf eliminator, which moves my wolf from being really bad on G#/A to manageable at G half flat. While there is some muting on the open A string, it doesn’t really affect the audience perception of volume compared to without it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Mark_T]

The manual for the Krentz says to start with the resonator in a consistent horizontal position relative to the bass-side F hole, move it down the bass in 1-2 inch increments, when you find a spot where it sounds pretty good you fine tune it by moving it in much smaller increments, and then once that’s all set you change the horizontal position to change how much the wolf tone is dampened.

On my bass it was very finicky about placement for the wolf dampening, and I couldn’t find a vertical position where it actually improved the overall sound of my bass, so I switched back to a brass wolf eliminator, which moves my wolf from being really bad on G#/A to manageable at G half flat. While there is some muting on the open A string, it doesn’t really affect the audience perception of volume compared to without it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That’s similar to my experience. I also found that it was occasionally easy to knock the magnet off and it is very cringe-inducing to hear that heavy weight drop into your bass. Some if the accidents happened if I was adjusting the magnet and hit a cleat or feature on the inside of my bass, but I think I also had it happen once or twice when messing with something else.

I just use a brass weight now.

 

[Povl Carstensen]

Yes, and you can also keep your post-it notes there.

It would seem like a challenging task to decide where to most effectively put these magnets, there is a lot of real estate on a double bass...

But the theory is, if you add mass, it changes sound.

Oh yes, and a drawing by my daughter

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Oh yes, and a drawing by my daughter

If your daughter draws directly on the bass top you don‘t need the magnet any longer.

 

[s van order]

Krentz was the only product that eliminated the machine gun wolf on my wood cello. It also richened up the low end. It took a while to find the right place, my luthier found the best spot pretty far down on the cello. Other cellists I know move them a bit with the seasons.

 

[james condino]

For $2.99 you can get a 10 pack of neo magnets at Harbor freight (and similar at almost all of the other hardware stores) that will allow you to achieve the same results.