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Double Bass Pickup & Amp for louder rooms?

ironfingers80

ironfingers80

May 4, 2004
19
0
#1
greetings! i'm looking for recommendations for an amp, cabinet and pickup setup for louder situations. my realist and gk mb150 combo have served me well for quiet jazz gigs, but in larger rooms with louder bands, this particular setup seems to be a recipe for feedback and muddiness. i play in a more rock-oriented group and cutting through the mix is always a huge challenge...i've had to set the upright aside for these particular gigs and perform all of the tunes with my electric, but i'd like to be able to switch back and forth. i'm basically looking to overhaul my whole setup and would greatly appreciate any suggestions. i'd love to try a new pickup but i don't know whether to go with a fishman, underwood, k & k, revolution solo II or what? i just have too many problems with feedback with the realist. also, if possible i'd love to have a rig that's small and portable enough to suit those smaller gigs too. anybody have any suggestions? thanks!
 
#2
i forgot to mention that i also have a new acoustic image clarus head but i don't have a good cabinet to match with it. i've tried it with some different eden cabinets and an euphonic audio 1x10, but it sounded a bit cold. i've been thinking about selling it, but i feel like it could be great with the right cabinet and pickup...
 
#3
I just bought a Clarus and don't care for it on slab. I've gigged with it twice since Friday and it just didn't cut through. Using the same bass and cabinets in the same room Saturday the little Eden was much better than the Clarus Friday. I haven't gigged the Clarus on DB yet, but I expect it to be better. Maybe it's my cabinets, but YMMV.
A Full Circle pickup would be a good bet for you.
 
#6
I use the GK alone for most but use an extension cab for louder hits. You can use any 8 ohm cab if you plan on using the internal speaker or I have heard of guys using a 4 ohm Wizzy and turning off the internal speaker. I've been happy.

Feedback is another issue and there are countless threads on that. I ise a Realist also. For me the most important thing when it gets loud is amp placement. I never put it so it is shooting at the bass.
 
#8
I have been struggling with the same issue. My EA iAmp 500 and EA VL-110 are great for small rooms but I have been having trouble with louder stages.

My solution was a Full Circle and an LDS 2X12 cabinet. I've got a loud one this weekend so I'll report back.
 
#9
thanks for all the suggestions! i think i might try the fishman full circle and a 1x12 cabinet, possibly a bergantino if i can get the funds together. hopefully it will match up well with the clarus. finding the right sound can be such an expensive experiment, but i guess trial and error is ultimately the only way.
 
#11
ironfingers80 said:
thanks for all the suggestions! i think i might try the fishman full circle and a 1x12 cabinet, possibly a bergantino if i can get the funds together. hopefully it will match up well with the clarus. finding the right sound can be such an expensive experiment, but i guess trial and error is ultimately the only way.
Click to expand...

Ironfingers, did you ever settle on a cab? If so, which one, and how did it work out for you?
 
#12
fingers said:
If it helps I just saw The Bad Plus and Reid Anderson was playing a Full Circle through a David Eden stack. 4x10 and 1x15. I didn't find his tone very natural but at the volume I'm not sure it can be. He was plenty loud and had no pa support I could hear.
Click to expand...

I saw a picture of that. BTW, I love TBP and Reid Anderson. Is his bass stuffed with anything or is there something closing his F-holes? That big stack looks like it'd feed back like a muv.
 
#13
I use one and have been doing some silly loud gigs with it. Out door stages, electric jazz at far more than traditional volumes. It's the best thing for loud situations that I've tried- and miles ahead of the realist in terms of feedback. I play through a stack similar in size and girth to the rig Reed Anderson uses as described above (though I think we should realize that this was most likely a rental and about the best one can do when renting backline on tour).
I also use a Bergantino HT112 and a Woods head with the high pass filter thats been advertized here to help eliminate feedback I'd say I get fairly loud with this rig. It's my go to rig for small and medium-sized rooms

Almost everything I do is doubling these days. Not sure why- but maybe it's because I'm just crazy enough to carry all this k-rap around.:rollno:
It goes without saying that the Walter Woods ultra is a fantastic solution for doubling gigs. But for 2300 smackers I think that it should also make me an omlette in the morning after the gig. With that in mind, don't sell your clarus just yet.
Try the berg cab as it's what many people use, but it might not be what you are looking for as a slab amp. It is a little cold sounding and if you find that already in the Clarus you might not like the combo. The berg cabs are also not terribly efficient, so if you really want a maximum volume rig consider using two of them. Lot's of these for sale on TB right now, so maybe you can get a deal.
One other possibility would be a Bag End S15xd. It's a little bigger and a little heavier than the berg HT112 but very warm sounding but still appropriate for upright in my opinion. It's also really loud and makes the most of lower powered amps. I sold mine a while back and have been missing it lately for these very same reasons. There are certainly many other more expensive possibilities out there but I think that these are two good choices in the $300- $400 range.
 
#14
I use one and have been doing some silly loud gigs with it. Out door stages, electric jazz at far more than traditional volumes. It's the best thing for loud situations that I've tried- and miles ahead of the realist in terms of feedback. I play through a stack similar in size and girth to the rig Reed Anderson uses as described above when I have to, and lately I've gotten great results.
I also use a Bergantino HT112 and a Woods head with the high pass filter thats been advertized here to help eliminate feedback I'd say I get fairly loud with this rig. It's my go to rig for small and medium-sized rooms.

Almost everything I do is doubling these days. Not sure why- but maybe it's because I'm just crazy enough to carry all this k-rap around.:rollno:
It goes without saying that the Walter Woods ultra is a fantastic solution for doubling gigs. But for 2300 smackers I think that it should also make me an omlette in the morning after the gig. With that in mind, don't sell your clarus just yet.
Try the berg cab as it's what many people use, but it might not be what you are looking for as a slab amp. It is a little cold sounding and if you find that already in the Clarus you might not like the combo. The berg cabs are also not terribly efficient, so if you really want a maximum volume rig consider using two of them. Lot's of these for sale on TB right now, so maybe you can get a deal.
One other possibility would be a Bag End S15xd. It's a little bigger and a little heavier than the berg HT112 but very warm sounding yet still appropriate for upright in my opinion. It's also really loud and makes the most of lower powered amps. I sold mine a while back and have been missing it lately for these very same reasons. There are certainly many other more expensive possibilities out there but I think that these are two good choices in the $300- $400 range.
 

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