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Double Bass Pick Up Pick up the world

#21
Mine just came yesterday. After a quick, easy installation, it was off to a gig where I was able to do some preliminary AB-ing with the Full Circle.
Initial impressions are:
Very good sound, but definately "your bass only louder", so any uneveness in your bass will be amplified that way. Great Arco!!
Different from FC. I'll elaborate when I've had a few more gigs with it.
Right now, I'm so used to the FC's response that it's hard to make a judgement about PUTW, except to say it works very well.
I'm going to try splitting the signal today so I can run each element through it's own channel on the preamp, and maybe experiment with different strings soon. This is so exciting!
 
#22
Got my PUTW today, very impressed with initial results, kind of what i thought it would sound like, very even, good bottom but more top than realist, which was my preferred PU at this point. I've never been a fan of PU with elements on the bridge but i found this more enjoyable then i thought, it's nice to hear some string attack through the amp. Super clean look on the bass too, less noticable then anything i've seen. My bass is definitely happy to be rid of the realist under the bridge foot (which has those two bumps in the foil), this is much less intrusive, enough that i can hear a difference acoustically. I moved the bridge element as far away from the strings as i could get it to minimize the "bridgyness" factor, which i liked better. also tried it through my K&K pre with bullet mic, made the K&K and the mic seem unnessecary, i think i liked it better without, which is what the PUTW people had said i would think. Tonight i have slab gig but will report after my jazz gigs wed, thursday, and friday in some different scenarios to let ya'll know how it works.
 
#23
Just curious if any of you cats have any reports...I am interested to hear how this pick up sounds on others basses...My bass is very dark and I am still really digging the sound...but I've owned bright sounding basses that I would be curious as to how they sounded with this pick up. Also any reports with gut or velvets would be cool...and amps...
 
#24
Robin Ruscio said:
I moved the bridge element as far away from the strings as i could get it to minimize the "bridgyness" factor, which i liked better.
Click to expand...
I'm curious exactly where you've located the bridge element since it sounds to me like you are looking for the same type of woody sound that I am. I'm assuming you mean on the back surface between the bridge heart and top of the arch between the legs. I'm thinking about trying to mount the small element on the bottom of the leg arch since that would have the element located on lowest possible position without being on one of the legs. So far, I too like the sound coming out of the pickup. My only real concern now is shortening the excessively long wires between the elements and the jack. I think I'm getting a little bit of noise from them. I plan to eventually attach the jack similar to the Realist method rather than using the two clips they include.
 
#25
bob,

Check out putting the second element in the slot where an underwood went or actually on the back arch itself...that direction of vibration seems (at least on my bass) to be less finger noise and more wood...also try it with the other element just hanging there in the air to hear what just the foot element does...I ended up just putting it back on the leg of the bridge, but I imagine that different basses will sound entirely different with this pick up.
 
#26
I've now tried the small element on the edge of the arch and couldn't hear any difference from just mounting on the back face above the arch. The sound of the foot element alone is similar to the Realist but not exactly. It sounds a little bit dryer to me than the Realist. I may try the leg as you suggest, but with other of pickups I've tried, the treble leg has a harsher sound to it and the bass leg is too boomy. I've got an appoint with my electronics guru to shorten the pickup wires next week (I'm not about to tackle those tiny little wires). I suspect the wires may be producing some unwanted sounds since I had to coil them to temporarily shorten them.
 
#27
just spent an hour experimenting. Bob, i did have the bridge element below the bridge heart as close to the arch as i could get it, but upon flatback's suggestion, i've got it one the side of the bridge between the wings, which does seem woodiest. I tried puting it closer to the bass foot, and actually found i lost some lows on the g string which made it sound thin.

Also tried it some more with my K&K pre, doesn't seem to sound better, with or without the mic.

I'm thinking i should try the PUTW stereo preamp, i'd like to blend the bridge element a little lower in the mix, that seems appealing. i wasn't sure if you guys were using either their mono or stereo pre with the PU, and if so, do you think it sounds better then without? My amp (glockenklang) seems OK with lots of different impedences.

I am wondering why they made the wires so long, especially when they're microphonic. I think i may rig the jack like the realist as well, but want ot be sure i'm sold before i do so.
 
#29
I just tried the suggestion to try the small element on edge of the side at the G side wing. I like that best of what I've tried so far. I think I'll just leave it there and play on it this weekend. I'm pretty sure that I'll keep it since it is getting close to the sound I'm looking for. Thanks for your help.

They told me that if your amp has a 10 mohm input you don't need a pre. I thought about the stereo preamp, but I hate battery operated gadgets on or near my bass. That was one of the things I hated most about the Schertler Stat-B.
 
#30
Well cats . . .

I don't know. Last night i was pleased to here some definition and presence in my sound but it felt artificial again, i was having visions of late 70's Ron Carter. Kind of reminded me of the Barbera sound, too. Has a little less output then the Realist. Also was having some rattling issues because of the sensitivity of the cords, which i thought were pretty isolated, they were coiled up, but every time i played certain noted theres was obvious rattling. I noticed as i backed of my attack i liked the sound better. I also felt like my dynamic range was a little flat. The arco sounded very clear but very pickup, like if you were listening to my bass from thre inches from the string rather then if you were standing back 6 feet as i'd prefer to heawr the bass. I played a few ballads and was not pleased at all on those tunes during my solos, i just couldn't get the sound to be sensitive enough, it was kind of twangy. i do love the sound of the low end on this pickup, the E and A strings sound great, it's mostly the g that was bothering me.


I've got a couple ideas. I'm going try at least a few tunes through the k&k tonight with the mic again, maybe darken the sound up on the PU EQ and rely on the mic for high end. I think the PUTW stereo blender may be a possibility so i can reduce the sound level of the bridge element. I might try the bridge element on the body- i'm sure that would be a totally different sound- although i don't know where to put it. I also thought that maybe removing the second element altogether and using this like a realist might be better then the realist itself. I was pretty pleased with the relaist/bullet mic combo, even though the realist is way dark, the mic added good definition in a positive way, also the k&K preamp seemd to clear it up a little, although the K&K has had the effect of making the PUTW sound more thin.

For reference, i was using my glockenklang soul top head and my bergantino 2x10- very clear, uncolored sound. Pretty high volume, also was going to the PA- it was a noisy and difficult room.

i also have an email pending to glockenklang about whether this PU should need buffering, the US rep is checking on the input impedence.

I have another gig tonight, will see what the band thinks.
 
#34
I just got back from a gig and I'm happy to report that I think I just may have finally found the right pickup to go with my 3/4 German bass. I was using an AI Contra and the sound was very "my bass only louder". Just for grins I pluged my DAT recorder into the house sound system and used the XLR out on the Contra as input for the bass into the system. As I listen to the DAT playback, I have to say it is the best I've heard in the year or so that I've been taping direct from this sound system. It was a noisy room and the volume level was up there for group with singer, piano, bass, guitar, drums. Maybe not as loud like some of you guys have to put up with, but it was probably as loud as I will have to play in a club. Tomorrow will be a different kind of test for it since the room I'll be playing in is a very (dead) quiet room. If it passes that test, the long wires get shortened and I stop looking. Verdict TBA.
 
#35
I've also tried the PUTW some years ago, but I had some difficulties getting a sound as good as with my Balsereit PU. I also disliked the microphonic properties of the cable, so I gave up trying.
There are also two competitors of PUTW, using the same piezo-film material (Polyvenyledeneflouride?, or PVDF): Rice Audio, and TCL. TCL only sells the elements, and no assembled PUs ([Invalid or Expired Link Removed]). But if anyone wants to do some own experiments with this piezo-like PVDF-material, have a look at TCL's site.

Jonas
 
#36
I played the quiet job last night. Our drummer commented that he didn't think he could hear it coming out of my amp and that most of what he was hearing was coming out of my bass. Since the actual level was high enough to be heard nearly anywhere in the room, that's about all I can ask. It probably isn't the right pickup for everyone, but it does look like it is the right one for my German basses. Now I get those damn long wire shortened and mounted ala Realist.
 
#37
Glad you guys like this PU, because i don't. I played a second gig with it and felt kind of wishy washy again, then later that night went to jam session and played through a mic. Hearing that made me realize i was closer to my acoustic tone with my realist/bullet mic combo, so i swapped them out again and was definitely happier on my gig the next day with my old setup, which i'm appreciating more and more. If it ain't broke . . .

On the unintended consequences side, my sound post fell out on one of the PU swaps and i spent a little time with my luth, and we've got my setup way better then ever before, the bass is very happy and easier to play. No PU can compare to a perfectly placed post and bridge!
 

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