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Double Bass Need Parametric EQ Suggestions

#23
Mark Carlsen said:
May I suggest you dump the Realist and try a Full Circle.... Then report back to us....
Click to expand...

Okay- here is my first report back.

So I added the Full Circle (took it off my other bass) and left the Realist in place (sorry- I ignored the suggestion to dump it). I tried A/B ing them at home (much lower volume than at a gig) but the Full Circle tone was significantly different than Realist- the FC was much brighter in an inaccurate way than the Realist; where the eponymous Realist was extremely accurate. I was surprised how different the PU's sounded- maybe a problem in the installation?

Meanwhile, I will bring the small mixer I have to my gig tomorrow night and see if that persists. I will also try blending the signals to see what impact on tone and volume.

I should note that I added an F-Deck HPF series 3 before my amp (Genz-Benz Shuttle 3.0), and that has helped significantly, but I still feel the frequencies near open G to be too hot, leading me to speculate that a one band parametric could even things out. (I tested the PU's without the HPF).

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.
 
#26
Michael Eisenman said:
Also make sure that the face of the wheel is absolutely flush with the bridge or bridge foot (depending on installation method).
Click to expand...

Hi Michael-

Sorry but I am not quite sure what that means. Could clarify for me? I am not sure what you mean by face of the wheel being flush with the bridge or bridge foot.

(I did try to 90 degree rotation, but that did not seem to help).

Thank you.
 
#27
There is one side on the full circle which is (more) sensitive because the pizoo crystals sit directly underneath. This side will be in contact with the bridge and this part of the bridge must be flat to make good and evenly distrbuted contact with the full circle. If not it needs to be corrected.

Personally I would say that a 45 degree sweep of the full circle angle gives (more or less) all the different sounds you can get out of the full circle, specially if you find unwanted resonances. Inside the full circle there are four crystals in the corner of a square, so the sound changes depending on the bridge foot corner to piezo crystal relation.

You might get some sounds you cannot get with the 45 (or 90) degree sweep if you turn it more, but mostly resulting from an uneven bridge contact area, I assume.

A 90 degree rotation will give the same sound as before, because the piezo crystal to bridge foot corners relation will be the same. Try to start with five or ten degree steps up to 45 degree and if you want further to 90 degree, but I think you will go back to the first sound then.
 
#28
rasbass said:
Okay- here is my first report back.
So I added the Full Circle (took it off my other bass) and left the Realist in place (sorry- I ignored the suggestion to dump it). I tried A/B ing them at home (much lower volume than at a gig) but the Full Circle tone was significantly different than Realist- the FC was much brighter in an inaccurate way than the Realist; where the eponymous Realist was extremely accurate. I was surprised how different the PU's sounded- maybe a problem in the installation?


I should note that I added an F-Deck HPF series 3 before my amp (Genz-Benz Shuttle 3.0), and that has helped significantly, but I still feel the frequencies near open G to be too hot, leading me to speculate that a one band parametric could even things out. (I tested the PU's without the HPF).

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.
Click to expand...

Ras Bass,
In my experience, players generally gravitate to the Full Circle when they want better definition playing at higher volume levels, because it will definitely get louder. The Realist players, usually want a warmer/darker more microphone like sound, and play at lower volume levels using a mix of pizzicato and arco. Comparing the two works on some levels, but in the end they are apples and oranges. I still think that you should compare a Realist equipped bass someone else owns to your instrument, as I still, suspect there is something going on with your pickup.

Ric
 
#30
rasbass said:
...I am not quite sure what that means. Could clarify for me? I am not sure what you mean by face of the wheel being flush with the bridge or bridge foot.
Click to expand...

I like pictures; the attached photo should help to clarify.
 

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#33
rasbass said:
Ah... pic = 1,000 words

Very insightful.

That is not how mine looks... but it will soon.
Now I am impatient to hear what it should sound like.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yours might be upside down (threads up). That's okay; just another way to install it. Just make sure that the pickup face is absolutely flush with whichever part of the bridge (or bridge foot) that it contacts.
 
#34
Michael Eisenman said:
I like pictures; the attached photo should help to clarify.
Click to expand...

Very helpful, and now it's just right. So, I tried the A/B with both p/u's and the FC still does not reproduce as accurately as the Realist- at home, in the quiet, drum-free and horn-free room. However, I can see that at higher volumes, the greater edge of the FC could be more desirable.

I will try it at the gig Tuesday and see how it works.
 

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