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Double Bass Micing a double bass

Hy,
I'm a new to playing bass, my first double bass arrived 2 months ago. I played, and play electric bass for about 3 years now, but I'm just in love with DB sound. :D
I own a Strunal 50/4 H 3/4 model, and am looking for something to mic/sound it (don't know how is it called in english). Anyway I was reading lot of posts on this forum and only thing I thnik I want is, it must be mic, because I want my base to sound as real as possible.

Now what to buy, do or not to use a preamp with it, should it be a kick drum mic or something else?
 
Anyway I was reading lot of posts on this forum and only thing I thnik I want is, it must be mic, because I want my base to sound as real as possible.

I think it's fair to say that the majority of posts here would lead you away from using a mic in many live amplification settings. While a mic is superior in terms of recording, there are many drawbacks to using a mic in live settings with susceptibility to feedback being chief among them.

I have greater success using the Ehrlund and its pre-amp than with any other device I've used. That doesn't mean it's right for you but it seems to have been a fine choice for quite a few members here.
 
I just remembered that I read a kick drum mic is a good solution. So is it?

Mile 741,

Your 3/4 50/4 H 3/4 Strunal bass is a laminated instrument, and in my experience from playing this type of bass, you'd be much better off buying a pickup like the Full Circle, Revolution Solo II, or Underwood. Instruments with this construction are better suited to pickups IME, IHMO. I played one all through my high school years. Instruments with solid tops and backs will produce more sound for a microphone reproduce.

If you wanted to experiment with a microphone then the Ovid CC100 T Bone is available from Thomann music at 82 Euros. It's a copy of the DPA 4099 B, and sounds quite good relative to it's cost. You would need 48 volt phantom to drive it like the ART.

Ric
 

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What did u mean with "You would need 48 volt phantom to drive it like the ART.". What is ART? I sound like a newbe now, al I played untill now bass electric bass right into a amp :D

The Ovid CC100 is a condenser microphone, so it needs a "power supply" to work. ART is a company who builds them and they are relatively inexpensive.

Here's a link to to the product. ttp://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/art-tube-mp-studio-mic-preamp

Just let me gently remind you, that with your laminate bass, and relative in experience with pickups, microphones, and the way they react with an amplifier. You'd be much better served getting a pickup. It's much less complicated, easier to use, less prone to feedback, an simpler to set up. :)

Ric

P.S. if you're not studying with a teacher, then all this is a mote point. My recommendation is to take the money you would invest in a pickup or microphone, and start taking lessons from someone who loves to teach. It's a much better investment IMHO.
 

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yes, I wanted to get a teacher, but there aren't any of them around here. So I'm left by my self, I asked in the music school, and they said if a few more guys aske them to have that class they will hire a tecaher to be here, so i hope it works.
And, thanks for explaining, I'm now looking at this revolution solo II pick up, but I'm not sure aboute the place it should be placed on. Is that piece of bridge the same size on every DB, because I'm afraid it will be to tight or to loose
 
yes, I wanted to get a teacher, but there aren't any of them around here. So I'm left by my self, I asked in the music school, and they said if a few more guys aske them to have that class they will hire a tecaher to be here, so i hope it works.
And, thanks for explaining, I'm now looking at this revolution solo II pick up, but I'm not sure aboute the place it should be placed on. Is that piece of bridge the same size on every DB, because I'm afraid it will be to tight or to loose


Mile 741,
The pickup has to be sanded down to fit into the bridge wing. I would recommend having a Luthier (Bass Repair Technician) do the installation. You have to be careful not to sand off to much wood, as it can expose the crystal and damage the pickup. You can do it yourself, if you have a little experience with wood working. There are instructions with the pickup on how to install it.

Ric
 
thx, but I'm afraid it would be to loose in the beginig(factory made). that there is goinog to be to much free space on taht piece of bridge and that rev solo II will not fit.

But oke, and by your opinion is rev solo better then Underwood or SHADOW SH965 NFX ? Because all reviews I found about these two are about the same.
 
The Shadow NFX is better for bowing (at least in my opinion) than the bridge wing pickups Rev solo II (never tried it) and Underwood.
The bridge wing pickups have a more direct sound sitting closer to the string. They may work better for plywood basses, since less of the body resonance gets to the pickup.

The Underwood may (!) cause phasing effects because of the two piezo elements, but some instruments need them to get the same amplification strength from each string. You have to try that. The Rev Solo II may sound a bit woodier.
I have a Shadow bridge wing pickup, but use it rather seldom. For me it is either the NFX, a Full Circle or a mic close to the top. For the Full Circle you need either adjusters installed to be replaced by the Full Circle or need to let a luthier install the Full Circle into your bridge (so you have adjusters after that). So you may need to make changes to your bridge to be able to use a Full Circle. (There are different threads for adjusters, so get the right version of the Full Circle if you already have adjusters.)

For larger bridge wing distances than pickup thickness, you may use some hardwood or paper shims so that the pickup sits in firm enougth but not too firm (then it sounds less good).

The Shadow NFX can be used with a single or both foils, so you can experiment what sounds better and if one foil is enough, you have a spare one (and the battery could be used about twice as long before empty).
You don't need a preamp for the NFX, because it has a impedance buffer (making the signal more loadable by low impedance inputs) built-in. But this is also the reason you need a battery all the time. (Holds for a long time as long as you remove the plug from the battery adapter after playing.)
The NFX is probably not the best one but not bad, not too expensive (at least in Europe) and solves a lot of problems for beginners. If you would like to pay at least twice as much, and have time for experiments, somebody may tell you you should get an Ehrlund, but you need at least some, maybe a lot of time, to get the good sound out of your bass with it. The NFX is simpler to handle, but also more limited because of that.

The passive bridge wing pickups will sound best with an external impedance buffer/preamp. They work without (i.e. if the battery of the preamp is empty), but with less good sound quality.

Bowing often sounds rather harsh with bridge wing pickups. You can adjust the EQ trying to compensate, but with mixed pizz/bowing (without the time for adjustments) one of them doesn't sound good.

The truth is you have to try it for your bass, playing style, kind of music etc., so better get a used one first (perhaps not a Rev Solo II if already sanded down), so you won't loss too much money if you need to sell it again later.
 
thx, but I'm afraid it would be to loose in the beginig(factory made). that there is goinog to be to much free space on taht piece of bridge and that rev solo II will not fit.

But oke, and by your opinion is rev solo better then Underwood or SHADOW SH965 NFX ? Because all reviews I found about these two are about the same.

Mile 751
I think for the most part the Revolution Solo usually has to be trimmed slightly, rather than shimmed. I have no experience with the Shadow Nano Flex. My expertise only covers, the Underwood, Realist, Revolution Solo, and the Ehrlund EAP. I also own and use a DPA 4099B. Based on Double Midi's experiences with the Shadow, you might want to give it a try. I did hear one last year at concert and thought it sounded good.

Ric
 
I just remembered I red that tke kick drum mic is a good solution. So is it?

Hi
Yeah. This can work. I use a 'Blue' (it's actually red) kickball condenser mic straight into my acoustic image head. I play mainly arco. I set it up about 20-30 cm in front of the bass. When I was playing a lot of pizz I used a k and k pick up in the wing of the bridge with a sans amp bass driver di. This sounded ok, arco was not too pretty. I also used the little RS mic too and got some great results with that with recording but not so much live. You really have to try different things. Depending on what/ where and who you play with you will get different results.
I'd be happy to sell my k and K, if your interested PM me.
 
actualy based on review I red yesterday, Ehrlund EAP sounds the best, except that sensitive wire that produces noise wheb touched. So I think I'll give that one a try, just going to contact my dealer. If it turns out to expensive for me because I just gave all my money for DB, then I will go for NFX.

Will let you know what happend,
thanks all
 
actualy based on review I red yesterday, Ehrlund EAP sounds the best, except that sensitive wire that produces noise wheb touched. So I think I'll give that one a try, just going to contact my dealer. If it turns out to expensive for me because I just gave all my money for DB, then I will go for NFX.

Will let you know what happend,
thanks all

The issue with the microphonic cable is very easily solved. Check this thread.
 
actualy based on review I red yesterday, Ehrlund EAP sounds the best, except that sensitive wire that produces noise wheb touched. So I think I'll give that one a try, just going to contact my dealer. If it turns out to expensive for me because I just gave all my money for DB, then I will go for NFX.

Will let you know what happend,
thanks all

Mile 741,
Even though I dearly love the Ehrlund, I wouldn't recommend it as my first pickup, especially on a laminated instrument. It costs $600.00 here in the United States, with it's accompanying Pre Amp. I think you'd be better served with something less expensive the first time around.

Ric
 
If you're in Europe check out the Aptflex. It's easy to install and sounds decent with the bow. It will need a pre-amp. Actually, in my opinion, every pick up needs a pre of some sort.

I would second not starting with the Ehrlund, it sounds really good but it's a bit tricky to get that sound.

-Jeff

FWIW I have great luck with a mic on my ply bass...