Double Bass Pickup for switching between basses

[MarkA]

I wouldn't leave out the Shadow NFX if you haven't decided yet. You get two foils with a 1/10" plug, intended to be used on both bridge feet, but you only need one of the foils. Put one of the foils under the E bridge foot of both basses and only swap the battery adapter. One plug and one wheel that could easily changed in seconds.

I'm sure the sound will be much better with bowing using the Shadow NFX than with the Bassmax. And you don't need an impedance buffer.

On the other side, if the basses are mostly plucked, then the Bassmax might perform a bit better and if the instrument is moved (but not the other) you don't have to care about which bass has the battery adapter mounted.

This is an interesting looking pickup. Playing around with the idea of putting a pickup on a cello (mine, not a school instrument). If there's a cello version of this, might be worth considering. Cello would be bowed and plucked, whereas student basses in the jazz band are mostly plucked. I do worry about anything under the bridge foot marking the top or impacting acoustic sound, though... don't think I'd put this on my primary instrument. The Band looks interesting, too. The cello pickup is not an immediate concern, though.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

There is a cello version of the Shadow NFX. Can't remember the number, probably 955 (bass is 965). The shadow NFX for bass doesn't mark the top and I'm rather sure the cello version won't mark too. This is a piezo foil inside a plastic foil for robustness. No need for anything inside that could mark the top like with the copper Realist. But it works best if the bridge feet are well matched in curvature to the top.
Please have a look the the bridge to top angle often enough, because the smooth plastic around the pickup can make the bridge fall (feet slipping) if the bridge is not perpendicular to the top.
For plucked only basses a bridge wing pickup might be the better solution, but a HPFpre might enhance the sound, depending on the amp used.

 

[MarkA]

There is a cello version of the Shadow NFX. Can't remember the number, probably 955 (bass is 965). The shadow NFX for bass doesn't mark the top and I'm rather sure the cello version won't mark too. This is a piezo foil inside a plastic foil for robustness. No need for anything inside that could mark the top like with the copper Realist. But it works best if the bridge feet are well matched in curvature to the top.
Please have a look the the bridge to top angle often enough, because the smooth plastic around the pickup can make the bridge fall (feet slipping) if the bridge is not perpendicular to the top.
For plucked only basses a bridge wing pickup might be the better solution, but a HPFpre might enhance the sound, depending on the amp used.

Thank you -- I will keep what you said about the plastic and slipping feet in mind.

 

[Federighi]

I'd recommend the fish man clip-on. Relatively inexpensive & on/ off in 2 seconds. Produces a reasonable good sound paired with their preamp but will still get the job done on it's own.