Double Bass New to upright pickup question

[thomphoto]

I just ordered a K&K bassmax pickup for my new Shen 88. I have a Fender Rumble 40 amp which I use with my electric bass guitar and am wondering how this would work with the upright. Anyone used that combination. Most of my playing (bluegrass) does not require an amp, but occasionally it would be helpful.

 

[jlmorgan84]

I think the Fender Rumbles have an input impedance around 1MegOhm, so should be fine to plug the bassmax straight in. Try it out and see how it sounds. I see a lot of people using a bassmax for bluegrass/folk stuff.

 

[Hubtone]

Plug it in and see what it sounds like. If you feel it's thin or not sending a strong enough signal try using an external preamp. Most folks use a preamp between a piezo pickup and amplifier for upright bass amplification. This should get you a 10MegOhm input impedance. Preamp options are endless. K&K makes varieties as a start. Not a fan of K&K but that's just my preference...

Also, I have a Rumble 25 I use as a practice amp at home. I plug a piezo straight in. It's fine for home. I add a preamp to my mix when playing out.

 

[AGCurry]

I use the Bassmax, straight into a Traynor SB112. Plenty of signal across the frequency range. Yes, the Bassmax does have a tendency to sound a little "rubbery" - like you'll hear in contemporary movies whenever a band-with-an-upright-bass is shown - but I don't think a preamp will help with that.

 

[thomphoto]

Thanks for all the input. I will try it and see if I need a preamp.

 

[Ric Vice]

Fender Rumble amps tend to sound very good with a piezo pickup without any need for a HPF.

 

[Inky13]

I’m running a pickup similar to a K&K into a Rumble with good results.

 

[thomphoto]

Thats good to hear, thanks.

 

[thomphoto]

Got the pickup installed and plugged straight into the Rumble 40. The sound is good, but getting feedback especially from the e string. Where should I place the amp in relation to the bass?

 

[Sam Reese]

Turn your amp around and face it backwards...I usually put it at a slight angle and ricochet the sound off the back wall. Bottom line is face the speaker in another direction. Sometimes I set up and aim at the floor...anything so that you aren't aiming at your instrument.

 

[thomphoto]

Thanks, will give it another try. I was in a very small room.

 

[Trimmo91]

A high pass filter will help. I just received my Sansamp Paradriver with a rumble (HPF) filter and it has removed all of my feedback issues.

 

[John Le Guyader]

My bass max with or without the K&K Power Pack preamp that has volume, bass and treble pots (I've had them since 1999) works remarkably well for me on any amp I've tried it. The Bass Max should work fine with no additional preamp into a standard bass amp. I use mine all the time with a TC Electronic BAM200 running into an Eden 1x10. My Engelhardt with guts sounds great and I'm not running an HPF.

 

[Marty Forrer]

My brother plays a K&K Bassmax through a Rumble combo. Sounds good. He plays bluegrass/Americana.