Double Bass my Realist and Full Circle comparison

[AMJBASS]

Agreed. Well said Phil! It is an unfortunate reality that many of us are faced with. I have seriously tried the no amp thing, and while it works for some of the gigs that I play, when the band leader says "can you please turn up" I would rather get called back to the gig than be a purist...

Agreed about the Full Circle as well. I haven't experienced anything near nasal with it. However I have only tried it on a couple of basses that have a darker sound...

 

[Uncletoad]

Yes and to be complete I have heard the Full Circle on basses that sound very nasal and thin. Many times the installation isn't correct but just as often the bass isn't rich and dark enough for a piezo to sound like much at all.

 

[barend]

Nasal is not a word ever used to describe my amplified tone...even arco using spirocores with a full circle.

Huge, warm, fat, these are the usual adjectives. If you like I'll post some sound clips to prove it.

I trust you on your word. But it is always nice and interesting to hear a soundclip of a pickup and hear the differences when someone else is using it.

Yes and to be complete I have heard the Full Circle on basses that sound very nasal and thin. Many times the installation isn't correct but just as often the bass isn't rich and dark enough for a piezo to sound like much at all.

what can be wrong with the installation of a FC you think?

 

[Uncletoad]

what can be wrong with the installation of a FC you think?

A ton of stuff can go wrong. If the holes aren't drilled straight for the adjusters or for some reason the flats on the piece in constant contact with the wheel is askew or not square they can sound terrible. They also break. If you loose one of the four transducers in the wheel they sound terrible but don't quit altogether. String loading across the bridge can affect things, not enough or to much tension. The input impedance of your amp. The capacitance of the cable, the length of the cable run before you hit the preamp.

Lots of little stuff makes a big difference in that pickup. Same with the Realist. Lots of little stuff in that one...although not quite as much as the Full Circle.

 

[Treyzer]

Phil hit the nail one head when he said this :

"The folly is as a professional musician I spend scads of money and time and energy converting that beautiful old instrument’s sound into electricity to keep up with the demands of the people coming to hear me perform. I reduce this glorious old box to 600 watts and a handful of small speakers so it’s loud as hell but sounds like ****. As I sit in the bar and warm up acoustically I inevitably get people coming up saying things like “my god that thing sounds beautiful”. After the show the comments are “you rock”."

Plus 1,000,000
Beautifully stated Phil!