Got to check out the new LifeLine pickup today at NAMM.
The disk is sort of U shaped. Open on one end so it can be slid between the adjuster and the leg of the bridge. Strings are loosened or taken off so as to be able to separate the part of the adjuster that sits flush against the bridge.
The LifeLine slides in between so that when the adjuster is put back in the bridge hole, the pickup sits flush between the adjuster and bridge leg. You can still use the height adjuster with the pickup installed.
To be honest, it was very hard to hear too much of a difference between the Realist and the LifeLine. The action on the Check-Ease bass was (in my opinion) ridiculously high. The bass was just thumpy. Not much tone. For amplification they were using a Bose system that was very smooth and not
very directional. It might have been much easier to hear a difference through a more conventional instrument amp.
I can say this. The LifeLine is one of the most even pickups I've played. Every note was very similar in volume and tone. I could also hear just enough of a difference in tone between the two pickups, with the LifeLine having a bit less of the dark deepness that the Realist has, with a bit more mid articulation. Again, I think you'd hear more of a difference using a more conventional amp.
The obvious comparison would be to the Fishman Full Circle. From what I could tell from the high action and "atmospheric" amplification, the LifeLine sits somewhere between the Realist and the Full Circle. Warmer than the Full Circle and more articulate and punchy than the Realist.
The LifLine could be a very nice option for many players torn between the very popular Realist and Full Circle pickups.
The disk is sort of U shaped. Open on one end so it can be slid between the adjuster and the leg of the bridge. Strings are loosened or taken off so as to be able to separate the part of the adjuster that sits flush against the bridge.
The LifeLine slides in between so that when the adjuster is put back in the bridge hole, the pickup sits flush between the adjuster and bridge leg. You can still use the height adjuster with the pickup installed.
To be honest, it was very hard to hear too much of a difference between the Realist and the LifeLine. The action on the Check-Ease bass was (in my opinion) ridiculously high. The bass was just thumpy. Not much tone. For amplification they were using a Bose system that was very smooth and not
very directional. It might have been much easier to hear a difference through a more conventional instrument amp.
I can say this. The LifeLine is one of the most even pickups I've played. Every note was very similar in volume and tone. I could also hear just enough of a difference in tone between the two pickups, with the LifeLine having a bit less of the dark deepness that the Realist has, with a bit more mid articulation. Again, I think you'd hear more of a difference using a more conventional amp.
The obvious comparison would be to the Fishman Full Circle. From what I could tell from the high action and "atmospheric" amplification, the LifeLine sits somewhere between the Realist and the Full Circle. Warmer than the Full Circle and more articulate and punchy than the Realist.
The LifLine could be a very nice option for many players torn between the very popular Realist and Full Circle pickups.
