Double Bass Myers Pickup with flexible mic & preamp

[jim rosario]

I'm Jim Rosario and like my good friend Bennie Sims said you can check me out also . We just know we've been looking for that natural bass sound and we found it thru Myers gooseneck pickup ,mic whatever you want to call it ? To us it works and we love it . Thanks

 

[VegasGutPlucker]

so that's what that thing is! My student has one on her bass from school but it had no name or markings on it. Haven't had a chance to hear it yet. Might prove interesting.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

Watts sent me the goose-neck equipped model to check out. I must say it's a neat little package. The suction cup worked better than I though it would, although it did fall off once when I had the pickup mounted at an angle, probably due to the way the cord was positioned. The first thing I noticed is that this mic does not have a lot of gain. Even with the built in volume control turned all the way up, I had to set the Gain and Master controls on my Markbass CMD 121P at noon to get a volume level that was noticeably louder than the acoustic sound of my bass. This same setting would be very loud with my Full Circle plugged in. I tried the pickup over both f-holes and found that I got better string-to-string balance over the E string side. Placing it anywhere else on the bass did not yield enough sound to make this mic useful...it's just not that sensitive. I will say that the sound was very natural, about what you'd expect a mic through a bass amp to sound like. I tried increasing the gain but I encountered problems with feedback, which leads me to agree with Watts' assessment: this is a good choice for low-volume situations where you just need a little boost. This is probably the case any time you rely solely on a mic through an on stage amplifier. It might be a good choice for running though a PA where you can increase the gain before feedback and get a more natural sound that you could from a piezo pickup. This unit works a lot better than the Radio Shack mic that was referenced here and chronicled on another thread. I never had any luck with that one.

The Myers mic was less successful through an Acoustic Image Contra Series III. I really had to crank the gain and unless I engaged the notch filter I got feedback around the frequency of the open D string.

All of this is based on experiments conducted in my music room. I'll report back after I test this mic on a gig.

- Steve

 

[Jay Corwin]

Watts sent me the goose-neck equipped model to check out. I must say it's a neat little package. The suction cup worked better than I though it would, although it did fall off once when I had the pickup mounted at an angle, probably due to the way the cord was positioned. The first thing I noticed is that this mic does not have a lot of gain. Even with the built in volume control turned all the way up, I had to set the Gain and Master controls on my Markbass CMD 121P at noon to get a volume level that was noticeably louder than the acoustic sound of my bass. This same setting would be very loud with my Full Circle plugged in. I tried the pickup over both f-holes and found that I got better string-to-string balance over the E string side. Placing it anywhere else on the bass did not yield enough sound to make this mic useful...it's just not that sensitive. I will say that the sound was very natural, about what you'd expect a mic through a bass amp to sound like. I tried increasing the gain but I encountered problems with feedback, which leads me to agree with Watts' assessment: this is a good choice for low-volume situations where you just need a little boost. This is probably the case any time you rely solely on a mic through an on stage amplifier. It might be a good choice for running though a PA where you can increase the gain before feedback and get a more natural sound that you could from a piezo pickup. This unit works a lot better than the Radio Shack mic that was referenced here and chronicled on another thread. I never had any luck with that one.

The Myers mic was less successful through an Acoustic Image Contra Series III. I really had to crank the gain and unless I engaged the notch filter I got feedback around the frequency of the open D string.

All of this is based on experiments conducted in my music room. I'll report back after I test this mic on a gig.

- Steve

This was my experience as well when I was making my own. Although I experimented with several amps and preamps - it always behaved the way you would expect a condenser mic to behave. There was no magic bullet to make it behave like a pickup while sounding like a mic.

Having said that, there are some guys out there that are in love with them. There was a big thread about the Radio Shack mic which is more or less the same thing. There was the "Geoff Mic" here by another TBer (which I bought to compare to mine). I came to the conclusion that everyone is using the same mic elements. Myers definitely has the best looking package out of all of them that I've seen. But I doubt that there is anything profound going on in that preamp. Half of that little box is the phantom power circuit and battery.

Instead of hard-wiring the mics the preamps, I was putting 3.5mm plugs on mine so you could mount the pre to your tail piece (hint hint), and route the cable however you needed to. That suction cup deal looks hokey at best.

I would be interested in hearing how well they blend with pickups, and how well they work on other string instruments.

 

[Robert Strickland]

Watts sent me the goose-neck equipped model to check out. I must say it's a neat little package. The suction cup worked better than I though it would, although it did fall off once when I had the pickup mounted at an angle, probably due to the way the cord was positioned. The first thing I noticed is that this mic does not have a lot of gain. Even with the built in volume control turned all the way up, I had to set the Gain and Master controls on my Markbass CMD 121P at noon to get a volume level that was noticeably louder than the acoustic sound of my bass. This same setting would be very loud with my Full Circle plugged in. I tried the pickup over both f-holes and found that I got better string-to-string balance over the E string side. Placing it anywhere else on the bass did not yield enough sound to make this mic useful...it's just not that sensitive. I will say that the sound was very natural, about what you'd expect a mic through a bass amp to sound like. I tried increasing the gain but I encountered problems with feedback, which leads me to agree with Watts' assessment: this is a good choice for low-volume situations where you just need a little boost. This is probably the case any time you rely solely on a mic through an on stage amplifier. It might be a good choice for running though a PA where you can increase the gain before feedback and get a more natural sound that you could from a piezo pickup. This unit works a lot better than the Radio Shack mic that was referenced here and chronicled on another thread. I never had any luck with that one.

The Myers mic was less successful through an Acoustic Image Contra Series III. I really had to crank the gain and unless I engaged the notch filter I got feedback around the frequency of the open D string.

All of this is based on experiments conducted in my music room. I'll report back after I test this mic on a gig.

- Steve

My interest in this is not as a mic to run through my amp. I haven't had success with that arrangement with any mic. I think that's a problematic arrangement for many reasons that are probably beyond my ability to explain due to my very limited technical knowledge of electronics. My interest in the mic is as a reinforcement to run through the PA. Steve Boisen points that out above. If anyone tries it in that manner, I'd be very interested in the results, because if it worked under those circumstances, it would sure be a lot less expensive than other mic options out there!

 

[Earl]

I thought I would give this a try so I bought one last week. I play a lot of my jazz gigs without an amp, have focused on getting a big acoustic sound and use gut strings. Of course there are also times where I need to amplify. I have tried many mics in the past (DPA, AMT, AT 35, Troll etc.) and wound up selling them all. I have also tried nearly every pickup out there. A few months ago I decided to forget about mics and just use a pickup when it was needed. Believe it or not I settled on the Bassmax as it sounds the best on my 7/8 Juzek. So now this comes along...

I experimented at home with it for an afternoon and then did two gigs. The first one in a noisy restaurant with sax, guitar, bass and drums, through a Phil Jones Double Four using the Headway preamp (It seems that for this mic a preamp is needed to get the most volume). I could not have done this gig without an amp, so this mic gave me the extra boost to be heard loud and clear. The amp was on the floor tilted up - no feedback at all. The second gig was at Smoke - playing into the Headway through an AI head & Epifani cab with a direct out to the house PA. Piano, bass, drums trio with singer. I could get plenty of volume through the amp without feedback (as long as I stood in front of the amp). The sound was clean, clear and very natural. And best of all it just feels so good not having anything muting the bridge, and the mic allows the natural attack/decay of the instrument.

The suction cup did not work on my bass, it would fall off after five minutes or so, so I took it off and attached some black Command click/lock tape to the box and the top of the bass which works fine. Also, pointing the mic at the F hole does not work - feedback and boomy sound. The best place on my bass is between the legs of the bridge with the mic pointing north of the bridge very close to the top (see attached picture).

All in all I like this very much so far and will keep experimenting.

 

[Robert Strickland]

I thought I would give this a try so I bought one last week. I play a lot of my jazz gigs without an amp, have focused on getting a big acoustic sound and use gut strings. Of course there are also times where I need to amplify. I have tried many mics in the past (DPA, AMT, AT 35, Troll etc.) and wound up selling them all. I have also tried nearly every pickup out there. A few months ago I decided to forget about mics and just use a pickup when it was needed. Believe it or not I settled on the Bassmax as it sounds the best on my 7/8 Juzek. So now this comes along...

I experimented at home with it for an afternoon and then did two gigs. The first one in a noisy restaurant with sax, guitar, bass and drums, through a Phil Jones Double Four using the Headway preamp (It seems that for this mic a preamp is needed to get the most volume). I could not have done this gig without an amp, so this mic gave me the extra boost to be heard loud and clear. The amp was on the floor tilted up - no feedback at all. The second gig was at Smoke - playing into the Headway through an AI head & Epifani cab with a direct out to the house PA. Piano, bass, drums trio with singer. I could get plenty of volume through the amp without feedback (as long as I stood in front of the amp). The sound was clean, clear and very natural. And best of all it just feels so good not having anything muting the bridge, and the mic allows the natural attack/decay of the instrument.

The suction cup did not work on my bass, it would fall off after five minutes or so, so I took it off and attached some black Command click/lock tape to the box and the top of the bass which works fine. Also, pointing the mic at the F hole does not work - feedback and boomy sound. The best place on my bass is between the legs of the bridge with the mic pointing north of the bridge very close to the top (see attached picture).

All in all I like this very much so far and will keep experimenting. View attachment 436746

Helpful review. Thanks

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I'm trying to think of what situations I could use this mic. For instance, yesterday I played with a jazz quartet and the keyboard player was relying solely on the small PA system for amplification. I doubt that amplifying the bass by running the Myers mic through the PA would have been sufficient. I'm quite certain the drummer would not have been able to hear me. I suppose I could have it in conjuration with my pickup and amp, but would the gains really have been worth extra set up?

I often sub on a restaurant gig that is a piano trio with vocals. I usually bring and amp and run a line to a PA which is one of those ubiquitous Bose L1 towers that sits onstage. If I ran a mic to the Bose, I suspect I would have feedback issues due to the proximity/placement of the PA. I suppose I could try it, but again would the extra setup warrant the resulting sound?

I also play with Link Removed in an acoustic duo. She usually sings and plays her guitar & ukulele through a Fishman Loudbox amplifier while I use a small bass amp. We bring a Carvin PA system for larger gigs and the Myers might work in that setting, but I wonder how my mic'd bass would blend with her piezo equipped instruments.

- Steve

 

[Robert Strickland]

I'm trying to think of what situations I could use this mic. For instance, yesterday I played with a jazz quartet and the keyboard player was relying solely on the small PA system for amplification. I doubt that amplifying the bass by running the Myers mic through the PA would have been sufficient. I'm quite certain the drummer would not have been able to hear me. I suppose I could have it in conjuration with my pickup and amp, but would the gains really have been worth extra set up?

I often sub on a restaurant gig that is a piano trio with vocals. I usually bring and amp and run a line to a PA which is one of those ubiquitous Bose L1 towers that sits onstage. It I ran a mic to the Bose, I suspect I would have feedback issues due to the proximity/placement of the PA. I suppose I could try it, but again would the extra setup warrant the resulting sound?

I also play with Link Removed in an acoustic duo. She usually sings and plays her guitar & ukulele through a Fishman Loudbox amplifier while I use a small bass amp. We bring a Carvin PA system for larger gigs and the Myers might work in that setting, but I wonder how my mic'd bass would blend with her piezo equipped instruments.

- Steve

Steve - in those situations, I would run the microphone to the PA, and use the amp for onstage reinforcement. That's my interest. Would it be worth it? Good question. For me, the value is in having the truly acoustic sound of the bass being heard by the audience. As you know, that is almost always the way top players do it. Most that I see use an onstage amp, and a mic through the house. The times I have done that, I was pleased with the result and so was the audience.

As far as your gigs with Amanda - I would try it with the mic through the PA and nothing else. You would probably need a small monitor. If it wasn't enough you could then add a small onstage rig like your GK.

Those are my thoughts, anyway.

 

[drurb]

...I have also tried nearly every pickup out there. A few months ago I decided to forget about mics and just use a pickup when it was needed. Believe it or not I settled on the Bassmax as it sounds the best on my 7/8 Juzek. So now this comes along...

Have you used the Ehrlund EAP? If so, how does the Myers compare? No offense intended but if the Bassmax sounds the best to you on any DB when compared to "nearly every pickup out there," then we likely have very different preferences anyway.

 

[Earl]

Have you used the Ehrlund EAP? If so, how does the Myers compare? No offense intended but if the Bassmax sounds the best to you on any DB when compared to "nearly every pickup out there," then we likely have very different preferences anyway.

I have tried the EAP and could never find the sweet spot (and tried for many days. All I ever got was a sometimes boomy, sometimes nasally sound prone to feeding back.

I did not say the Bassmax sounds the best to me 'on any DB', I said it sounds best "on my 7/8 Juzek". I have heard it sound like crap on other basses, it just happens to give me a useable 'loud' sound when I need it (along with the Fdeck).

 

[drurb]

I have tried the EAP and could never find the sweet spot (and tried for many days. All I ever got was a sometimes boomy, sometimes nasally sound prone to feeding back.

I did not say the Bassmax sounds the best to me 'on any DB', I said it sounds best "on my 7/8 Juzek". I have heard it sound like crap on other basses, it just happens to give me a useable 'loud' sound when I need it (along with the Fdeck).

I didn't claim that you said the Bassmax sounds best "on any DB." You misunderstood what I meant but I can see how that happened. To clarify, my meaning was that if there is any DB on which you found the Bassmax to be superior to a host of well-known pickups, then we likely have different preferences.

As for the Ehrlund, it does take some fiddling. Too bad you didn't find a position that worked for you. I've used it under many conditions and, while it is more prone to feedback than other types of pickups, it is not all that prone and it remains the best pickup I've used in terms of the necessary tradeoffs.

The Bassmax sure has a hot output and I still carry one for emergencies. I've always found it to have a quite unrefined and, therefore, undesirable sound.

To each his own.

 

[Earl]

I didn't claim that you said the Bassmax sounds best "on any DB." You misunderstood what I meant but I can see how that happened. To clarify, my meaning was that if there is any DB on which you found the Bassmax to be superior to a host of well-known pickups, then we likely have different preferences.

As for the Ehrlund, it does take some fiddling. Too bad you didn't find a position that worked for you. I've used it under many conditions and, while it is more prone to feedback than other types of pickups, it is not all that prone and it remains the best pickup I've used in terms of the necessary tradeoffs.

The Bassmax sure has a hot output and I still carry one for emergencies. I've always found it to have a quite unrefined and, therefore, undesirable sound.

To each his own.

Ah yes, sorry I misunderstood what you wrote!

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I tried to amplify my bass with the Myers through the PA system last night and I barely got any sound, even with the volume cranked. This mic has a weak signal and I don't plan to keep it.

- Steve

 

[Stick_Player]

I tried to amplify my bass with the Myers through the PA system last night and I barely got any sound, even with the volume cranked. This mic has a weak signal and I don't plan to keep it.

- Steve

Hmmm... Plenty of "signal" for me.

I just got the Myers Mic. I have it plugged into the XLR input of my AI Ten2 (Clarus amp). Definitely "louder" than if I plug it into the 1/4" input. Plus, the Clarus has an input boost for the XLR input. The AI is a fantastic rig!

I also have a Realist pickup, with a Docking Station (oh so handy). Both devices have volume controls - don't have to tweak the volume on the amp, it's all right on the DB (just like an electric bass).

Blending/mixing the two together (Myers mic & Realist pickup), sounds good. Rolling off the lows for the mic (200Hz and below). I've placed the mic, pointing DOWN 1/8" above the front/top of the Bass, about 1" from the bridge foot (G-string side) - NOT over the F-hole.

Getting all the good finger noise & woody high-end "stuff" that the pickup doesn't get. And, the bow "zhitz", too!

Suction cup is holding. Just make sure it's "clean" - instructions suggest cleaning with alcohol. Also, make sure the bass top, where you want to place the mic, doesn't have rosin on it.

The Myers mic sounds good on Violin and Viola. I don't have a 'Cello, tho'.

I am actually plugging the Myers into a Line 6 Relay G50 transmitter - wireless Double Bass! Wire for the Realist, tho'.

Not sure that this mic, alone, would be adequate for Double Bass amplification. I think it would be fine with Violin or Viola, though.

I also have and use the DPA 4099, but it needs phantom power (and I roll the lows off, too) - the Myers runs on a battery (more convenient).

 

[Earl]

I tried to amplify my bass with the Myers through the PA system last night and I barely got any sound, even with the volume cranked. This mic has a weak signal and I don't plan to keep it.

- Steve

Were you using a preamp? I used it on a jazz quartet gig last night in a medium size restaurant and got the volume I needed with the Headway preamp into the Phil Jones Double Four amp (there was no PA). However, my bass is set up to be played acoustically so it's already very loud on it's own so the mic just supplements that.

 

[drurb]

I'd still like to hear/read about a head-to-head comparison of the Myers with the Ehrlund EAP. If the Myers folks want to send me one to review, I'd be happy to oblige.

 

[Stick_Player]

I'd still like to hear/read about a head-to-head comparison of the Myers with the Ehrlund EAP. If the Myers folks want to send me one to review, I'd be happy to oblige.

It's only $130. If you don't like it, you can return it.

===============================

"Our company is built on integrity and quality. If you are

not 100% satisfied with this pickup, I will gladly

refund your money...no questions asked."

~ Gregg Myers, President/Owner of Myers Pickups

===============================

 

[drurb]

It's only $130. If you don't like it, you can return it.

===============================

"Our company is built on integrity and quality. If you are

not 100% satisfied with this pickup, I will gladly

refund your money...no questions asked."

~ Gregg Myers, President/Owner of Myers Pickups

===============================

I was trying to help you out by providing a detailed review, perhaps with some objective measurements (see some of my posts here). I don't buy equipment to do that. I'm quite happy with the Ehrlund. Best wishes to you with your products.

 

[Stick_Player]

I was trying to help you out by providing a detailed review, perhaps with some objective measurements (see some of my posts here). I don't buy equipment to do that. I'm quite happy with the Ehrlund. Best wishes to you with your products.

I already have the Myers Mic. I don't need a detailed review. I could write one if I so wished.