Double Bass Old Realist vs New One

[Robin Ruscio]

I own a '99 Realist and have heard from one of my students that the pickup has been redesigned slightly and sounds different. Any care to tell me how? Should I get a new one? I'm going to call Gage later but wanted your opinion.

 

[robgrow]

I own a '99 Realist and have heard from one of my students that the pickup has been redesigned slightly and sounds different. Any care to tell me how? Should I get a new one? I'm going to call Gage later but wanted your opinion.

They do sound different. I liked the older Realist, but the new version doesn't sound as good to me.

 

[Robin Ruscio]

In what way do they sound different? Just not as quality? maybe i shouldn't worry about getting a new one. I was hoping they had improved.

 

[neal davis]

how new are the never ones, does the input jack look different, does the old one look like this

http://www.ghservices.com/products/pickups/
(scroll down on page)

or like this


Invalid Link Removed

check out the input jack look, I like the first one better myself but I'm not sure if it is a new or old one.

 

[Robin Ruscio]

Mine looks like the first post, and my students seem to have the second one. But that's just the jack, how's the sound?

 

[neal davis]

I have both, the one in the first link I have on my day to day bass and it sounds great across all registers, a very even pick up. The other I have on my travel bass and it isn't as nice across all registers, doesn't pick up the g string as well as the others. I have tried both the pickups on my A bass and really like the one in the first link better.

 

[shwashwa]

the main difference is in construction. the origional has a piezo disk in between the foil layers that would damage the face of the bass. the bridge foot pushing down on it would actually leave an indentation in the wood. they redesigned it to have either a piezo film or piezo crystals that are somehow smaller so as not to do this. i'm not sure if the new design avoids the problem totally.

 

[bolo]

This comment appeared in another thread a while ago. I have not tried the Realist but I think other people who have compared the two versions and posted in this forum had similar things to say. Several people seemed to think the newer one is "brighter" from what I can recall.

I have a new Realist on one bass and an old one one. They are definitely different but both have strengths and weaknesses.

The main thing is the newer one has a bit more edgy of a sound but is much more feedback resistant.

 

[Jefenator]

...maybe i shouldn't worry about getting a new one.

Apparently the Realist will eventually die (mine did) so sooner or later you'll probably be forced to make the leap. Enjoy the old one while it lasts!

 

[Jaromir]

It's even worse: there are two kinds of the Realist: one sounding the way which attracted so many bassplayers, including myself: woody, no offensive trebles, warm.
Later came the other version, sounding much hotter and brighter.
However, both version of the Realist are now produced simultaneously and it is total mystery why is that. And of course, you don't know which one you happen to buy.
Somebody should really make David Gage to explain this...

 

[papa bajo]

How can you tell when your realist is dying? Mine is circa-2000, I'm starting to worry it might fizzle out (hopefully not on a gig).

 

[Jefenator]

Mine started distorting. Sounded like clipping when I attacked lower notes hard. (Looked everywhere else before I realized it was the pickup! )

That was after about 10 years and many, many gigs.

 

[pdbass]

I bought my Realist in 1999 from David Gage's shop while in NYC for a gig after hearing all this commotion about it. It's been on and off of my bass for almost 10 years and it's like the Energizer bunny. I don't always care for it, but when I need to go to it, it hasn't disappointed.

 

[Bijoux]

yeah I got mine an 1999 also, I think...
anyway, I sold it recently because it was just too boomy and dark, prone to feedback, etc. i figured it just didn't like my bass.
I got a Revolution Solo II , and I never found the sweet spot for it. so I just had to go back to the Realist. So I got the new one and I like it a lot more than the old one. It is brighter, but it's a lot more clear sounding. It's got real nice output signal with no preamp an I actually found myself adding a little bit of lows on the amp!!! I mean, it's still a pick sound, I blend it with a mic, but I am really happy with the new Realist. This one likes my bass!

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I have one around here someplace that has a much larger jack with a red button that releases the cable from the jack. Serial # 228 sticks in my head. The sound is very middy without much low end, so I suspect it's dead or dying. The new one I use sounds great.

 

[wilferbass]

I bought a realist over ten years ago. I have noticed that the higher frequencies started to disappear over the last 4 years, now it's just low end. I heard from a friend of mine that he went through 3 of them because the same thing was happening, now he has the full circle.

 

[Ric Vice]

I bought a realist over ten years ago. I have noticed that the higher frequencies started to disappear over the last 4 years, now it's just low end. I heard from a friend of mine that he went through 3 of them because the same thing was happening, now he has the full circle.

Wilferbass,
Several years ago we ran a thread on TB about Realist failure. A person from David Gage's Shop came on to the thread to state that the Realist on some basses will start to fail at around the 4 year mark. It has something to do with the angle of the bridge. Here is what Sam Findlay from David Gage Said.

"An answer from David Gage String Instruments
It has been a long time since I’ve searched the buzz on TalkBass, so please excuse our delay in responding to your questions.

First, we’d like to make clear that the vast majority of our clientele DO NOT experience a drop-off in sound or response from The Realist. That being said, we do recognize that The Realist, after 5 or so years, will start to degrade gradually. As some of you have said, the pressure applied by the bridge feet is substantial and over time, it can take its toll on piezo ceramic elements. We have also decided, however, that the realistic sound the pick-up produces is a result of the unique combination of piezo size, quality, and the specific stimulation the element is afforded because of its placement under the bridge foot. –For us (and most of our customers, it seems,) the sound The Realist has become famous for is more important than durability beyond 5 years.

Why does it drop-off or degrade? Most of the evidence we’ve gathered is simple and empirical. It seems that certain bridges wear the element more intensely than others. We suspect that taller bridges, bridges that press with greater force against the top, wear the elements at a greater rate. Beyond that, we are not sure what the exact cause of the increased wear is, so we asked a couple of experts.

Rich Brooks, a piezo engineer at the American Piezo Coorporation, says, “there is a logarithmic deterioration or amelioration of a piezo’s properties over time.” Mr. Brooks says that there are many different reasons for this. He says, “[Deterioration] will be mitigated by the effects of temperature, other materials and mechanical interface.” He agreed with what we had hypothesized and didn’t see any way of avoiding the drop-off without substantially changing the element, an action that would alter the output and clearly diminish the true value of the pick-up.

As soon as we have more information, I’ll post our findings on this site.

If any of you have any additional questions, please feel free to call or email me directly.

All the best,

Sam Finlay
David Gage String Instrument Repair, Inc.
[email protected]
Ric