• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Pickup/piezo choice with my setup ?

E

epoxyjazzbass

Oct 28, 2007
65
3
#1
I would like a pickup or piezo to amplify my new upright

I have :
- a christopher db403 upright bass (fully carved 3/4 chinese bass)
- a swr baby blue bass combo (the old one, 2x8' + 5' bag end speakers)
- a sadowsky preamp (the old one)

I play jazz stuff

So what pickup do you suggest considering my setup ?
 
#5
macrotone said:
Concept thought it is perhaps a bit ugly. I have yet to try it with my Baby blue ext cab, but will do so this evening and try to report back.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's ugly and you haven't even tried it, so why recommend it? There are many tried and true PUs out there, no point in jumping in on something oddball like that for a first try. My 2 cents - Underwood or Fishman Full Circle are good starting points.
 
#8
You play "jazz stuff." Can you be a little more precise as to the ensemble and repertoire, and whether you are resident somewhere or on the road for gigs? And what is your budget? When it comes to pickups & onboard mics, there are some that are great for tone, others that are durable for transport, and all with different budgetary constraints.
 
#9
Thanks for everyone,

iiipopes said:
You play "jazz stuff." Can you be a little more precise as to the ensemble and repertoire, and whether you are resident somewhere or on the road for gigs? And what is your budget? When it comes to pickups & onboard mics, there are some that are great for tone, others that are durable for transport, and all with different budgetary constraints.
Click to expand...

I play jazz standards in small/medium ensemble. But if I have the opportunity I will play in a big band

In every case, I prefer a solution that is easy to install/remove and requier no alteration on the instrument

My budget ? Well I don' t want to spend a lot with no reason. But I can put the money if it worth it:bassist:

Based on what I heard on youtube, I' m not a big fan of the realist (seems muted on the treble), the full circle seems compressed on the medium, and I feel it' s a lot of money for a piezo...
The bp-100 is not that bad to my ears ! Strange because it is generally not well reviewed:confused:

The dpa4099 looks great as a real pickup. But pricey and I have no idea of how it will perform with my setup. I will probable buy a mackie 402vlz, in this event I have the 48v to match

My concern is also about my sadowsky belt clip preamp. Where to place it ? On me, but I don' t like the idea of these cables connected. Also I know how important it is to reduce the cable between the pickup and the preamp to take the full benefit of a preamp (with an electric bass)
 
#10
I use a full circle, threads down (upside down to what is usually installed), for my 9-piece jazz/dance band on my ply w/ Spiro weichs into an fdeck then a Carvin MB12, adding a 1X15 ext cab if needed. We play the entire range of trad, standards, various latin styles, pop, etc., to support the ballroom dance clubs we play for. I have found upside down installation has a "rounder" tone, as set forth in the manual that comes with it, and is a tone that, at least for me and this installation, takes the edge off so there is really no piezo "quack," and really supports the band well.

Cable length is not as much as an issue with low impedance. Yes, as short as practicable without tripping over it from pickup to preamp is good, but the lower impedance of the output of an active preamp allows using longer cables as necessary so you can run them where you need to without causing trip hazards.

All you do with a Full Circle is replace your adjusters with the pickup and clip the jack onto the backlength of the strings. Bonus: I had what turned out to probably be a wolf with some peaky response about midline D, and clipping the jack onto the E & A strings instead of in the middle on the A & D strings actually helped tame it, so I didn't have to drop $$ on one of the wolf-tamers.

Remember, YouTube videos are insanely compressed to fit into the bandwidth allowed, and may not have been recorded on the best equipment in the first place. I don't know what you listened to, so I don't want to insult any demo video producers, but you do not get a true "picture" of what anything sounds like, just a general characteristic.
 
#12
epoxyjazzbass said:
Thanks for everyone,



I play jazz standards in small/medium ensemble. But if I have the opportunity I will play in a big band

In every case, I prefer a solution that is easy to install/remove and requier no alteration on the instrument

My budget ? Well I don' t want to spend a lot with no reason. But I can put the money if it worth it:bassist:

Based on what I heard on youtube, I' m not a big fan of the realist (seems muted on the treble), the full circle seems compressed on the medium, and I feel it' s a lot of money for a piezo...
The bp-100 is not that bad to my ears ! Strange because it is generally not well reviewed:confused:

The dpa4099 looks great as a real pickup. But pricey and I have no idea of how it will perform with my setup. I will probable buy a mackie 402vlz, in this event I have the 48v to match

My concern is also about my sadowsky belt clip preamp. Where to place it ? On me, but I don' t like the idea of these cables connected. Also I know how important it is to reduce the cable between the pickup and the preamp to take the full benefit of a preamp (with an electric bass)
Click to expand...

I think you tube is not doing justice since the BP 100 tends to sounds horrible, and the realist and full circle usually work.

I did just see Ranaan Meyer w/ a bp100 and he sounded great, but I was in the third row so I think I was hearing more acoustic bass than amp.
 
#13
Tested the Headway Band while using my Baby Blue ext cab finally. A Headway pre and Acoustic Image Focus SA complete the chain. First impressions were great. Nice clear sound, great fundamentals, and overall very convincing natural sound. I plugged in an EA Mline for comparison and I couldn't believe how much better it was. Clarity expanded amazingly with a mic like depth that the Baby Blue just didn't have. The sound went from great to dazzling. Regardless, I think you could be very happy with it.

The DPA is great and I love how it can be blended with the Headway for a truly stellar sound. You can't fool yourself and think of it as a pickup though. It sends a lot of surrounding sounds through to your amp. I've used one exclusively for about a year and I absolutely love how it sounds, but after too many gigs where I found myself listening to the chatting crowd through my amp during a break I decided it was time to get on the hunt for a real pickup again.

Unfortunately it comes down to this. There is no ultimate piezo pickup for all instruments. Something that sounds downright horrible on one persons instrument could be the bee's knees on anothers. I used and truly liked the original Realist for years, but when I got my current instrument I found myself getting rid of it quickly. To me it was just too muddy for a bass with an already big bottom.

Good luck!
 
#14
epoxyjazzbass said:
I would like a pickup or piezo to amplify my new upright

I have :
- a christopher db403 upright bass (fully carved 3/4 chinese bass)
- a swr baby blue bass combo (the old one, 2x8' + 5' bag end speakers)
- a sadowsky preamp (the old one)

I play jazz stuff

So what pickup do you suggest considering my setup ?
Click to expand...

I had the Baby Blue 2x8 and loved the sound of the cabinet, but hated the sound of the pre amp, primarily the aural enhancer circuit. Even when you dial it all the way out, it still influences the tone quality of the amp. So, if you're going to use the amp, which I would assume you are, then there is a modification that can be done to "fix" that control. It will have to be done by a technician. Just my opinion though. Additionally, if you just love the Aural Enhancer, leave it alone as well. Personally, I can't stand the sound of that thing, but that's just me.
Regardless of what you do with the Baby Blue, your old Sadowsky pre amp may come in very hand as it's similar to the preamp that Fishman used to sell in conjunction with their BP-100, keep in mind here that I'm not recommending that pickup, just the pre amp. As to what pick up you should use, I think that when you're just starting out with pickups, you should probably go with either a Fishman Full Circle, Realist, Revolution Solo, or an Underwood. Just my personal opinion though. Starting out with one of the newer pickups, like the Ehrlund, Headway Band, or even the DPA 4099B, may not be the best way to go as they are newer pickups with their own set of quirks and unique set up requirements. The Ehrlund (which I dearly love and use all the time) can be tricky to mount, the Headway Band is interesting, but brand new, so I'd wait that one out for a few month's until the jury is in, and the DPA 4099B has phantom power requirements that you have to address, if your not going through the mains.


Ric
 

Attachments

  • swrmod.jpg
    swrmod.jpg
    86.6 KB · Views: 75
#15
Thanks for all these answers

Now I' m thinking of the realist soundclip :
Seems more open than the normal realist and easy to put and remove
Of course, my opinion is still based on what I heard on the internet in general (not always the mono/compressed thing of youtube)

One thing I don' t like about the soundclip realist : the price for a piezo; but if it' s a good solution for me I can put the money on

Any thoughts about that one ?
 
#16
epoxyjazzbass said:
Now I' m thinking of the realist soundclip :
Seems more open than the normal realist and easy to put and remove
Click to expand...

If you looking for a pickup that's easy to install and remove, and sounds like the Realist, actually much better, then I'd recommend trying the Ehrlund and it's pre amp. I have had excellent results on my bass, and the pickup just sticks to the top. You will have to borrow one from someone and try it out though, but the same would be true for the Realist. Personally, I don't like the idea of hanging all that weight off the E foot of my bridge. Just my opinion though.

epoxyjazzbass said:
Of course, my opinion is still based on what I heard on the internet in general (not always the mono/compressed thing of youtube)
Click to expand...

I don't think you can really go by the sound coming of a YouTube video, since the sound isn't the best. You need to actually try out the pickup, on your bass, on a gig. I can't stress that enough. It's virtually the only way to tell what it will sounds like. Which means borrowing one from a friend.


epoxyjazzbass said:
One thing I don' t like about the soundclip realist : the price for a piezo; but if it' s a good solution for me I can put the money on. Any thoughts about that one ?
Click to expand...

The way I look at it, if you've invested all that money on a instrument, a bow, lessons, and practice, it really doesn't make sense to short change all that on a pickup that can't reproduce your sound. IMHO

Ric
 
#17
If you have bridge adjusters, the full circle will just replace one of them so there is no need to remove it. I use the Stat B, which removes in seconds and works well on my two basses (if you're willing to spend the $$$. Maybe less than the soundclip, which didn't work for me). The Underwood removes easily, is inexpensive and a proven performer.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back