Double Bass Pickup suggestions

[Keith Rawlings]

...stop wasting money on all of the hipster synthetic core strings and put a set of Spirocore mediums on it.

...unless you play a lot of slap bass. Slapping steel strings is not conducive to playing 3 hour gigs. Just my $0.02. Best slap sound I’ve ever gotten on my Kay is with Oliv wrapped gut D and G strings and Evah Pirazzi Slap E and A synthetic core strings; second to that was La Bella Wound guts for the E and A and plain gut D and G.

Don’t get me wrong — the spiros are killer for pizz playing and arco (they are a bit scratchy but in a good way); but slapping on them hurts.

 

[MBASSTT]

Although I love the Avalon U5 in the studio, I don’t find it as practical as a preamplifier for live performances. I need more EQ and filtering than it provides. I feel you would be better off with the Headway EDB-2 or something similar. As far as the magnetic pick ups go, standard Precision Bass pickups don’t accurately sense the vibration and travel (excursion) of a Double Bass string. You’re better off with the Schaller or the Krivo. Just my take.

The reason the Avalon came up is because it is one of the preamp on my multi effects pedal. I do have several EQ options and plan to get a dedicated preamp as I move forward. The p-bass pickup thing is just something I am going to try since the time allows seeing as I have no gigs due to the state of everything up here in Western New York. If it works, great, if not I will save up for a Krivo. I realize finding the right elements and combinations is an ongoing quest.

 

[MBASSTT]

...unless you play a lot of slap bass. Slapping steel strings is not conducive to playing 3 hour gigs. Just my $0.02. Best slap sound I’ve ever gotten on my Kay is with Oliv wrapped gut D and G strings and Evah Pirazzi Slap E and A synthetic core strings; second to that was La Bella Wound guts for the E and A and plain gut D and G.

Don’t get me wrong — the spiros are killer for pizz playing and arco (they are a bit scratchy but in a good way); but slapping on them hurts.

I have no idea what's on there now, or how to find out. They sound and play excellent though.

 

[Francois Blais]

Just post a picture of the silks at both tailpiece and tuners ends.

 

[Ric Vice]

All the above is true, especially the further back in the room or hall you sit. Frankly I pick a pickup (pun intended) based on how it sounds to me and works in the band. In fact I select all my gear that way. Just my take though.

 

[Ric Vice]

The reason the Avalon came up is because it is one of the preamp on my multi effects pedal. I do have several EQ options and plan to get a dedicated preamp as I move forward. The p-bass pickup thing is just something I am going to try since the time allows seeing as I have no gigs due to the state of everything up here in Western New York. If it works, great, if not I will save up for a Krivo. I realize finding the right elements and combinations is an ongoing quest.

Nothing wrong with using the Avalon U5 if it’s going into the effects loop on your amp, it just won’t give you control over all the things you’ll need if you’re playing live. If you’re going to use the P Bass pickups hopefully the string spacing on the Kay and the distance between the pole pieces on the pickups will align. If it does the sound should be decent provided those strings have a metal core. You may have to run a ground wire from the pickups to the after length of the strings.

 

[Don Hergert]

Slapping steel strings is not conducive to playing 3 hour gigs.

I'd dearly love to use Spiros on my Alcoa, but my hands already have RA setting in, I like the touch of thick low-tension strings, and I do play 3 hour gigs (in non-Covid19 times). Plus, I'm after a less metallic tone with my Alcoa, so for this DB any kind of metal core strings are not a good choice. That said, if I ever get a "standard" wooden double bass, Spiros will be my first choice in strings, even if my hands don't like them for longer sessions...

I had thought generally about getting a 2nd DB, a wooden one, early last year and was already thinking about Spiros, but tending to some of our friends in Covid19-related financial hardship and later, getting our house re-roofed seemed like a better idea. Maybe someday, but in the meantime I consider myself lucky to have my Alcoa.

To the OP regarding getting a Vic's Model B instead of a Model C, if slapping isn't a large part of your pizz playing I don't think you'll have a problem, but be aware that slapping is getting some popularity again with many genre other than rocka-psycho billy and you may wish you had fingerboard coverage eventually. My first Vic's Model C was actually modified by the previous owner to disable the fingerboard pickup and basically emulate a Model B, and it actually did pickup slap relatively well if I pumped it up a little. (I didn't discover that it had been modified until I got my K&K pre-amp and tried to get both pickups to work -- talk about good service, Vic replaced that older Model C for free even though I wasn't its original owner.)

 

[MBASSTT]

I'd dearly love to use Spiros on my Alcoa, but my hands already have RA setting in, I like the touch of thick low-tension strings, and I do play 3 hour gigs (in non-Covid19 times). Plus, I'm after a less metallic tone with my Alcoa, so for this DB any kind of metal core strings are not a good choice. That said, if I ever get a "standard" wooden double bass, Spiros will be my first choice in strings, even if my hands don't like them for longer sessions...

I had thought generally about getting a 2nd DB, a wooden one, early last year and was already thinking about Spiros, but tending to some of our friends in Covid19-related financial hardship and later, getting our house re-roofed seemed like a better idea. Maybe someday, but in the meantime I consider myself lucky to have my Alcoa.

To the OP regarding getting a Vic's Model B instead of a Model C, if slapping isn't a large part of your pizz playing I don't think you'll have a problem, but be aware that slapping is getting some popularity again with many genre other than rocka-psycho billy and you may wish you had fingerboard coverage eventually. My first Vic's Model C was actually modified by the previous owner to disable the fingerboard pickup and basically emulate a Model B, and it actually did pickup slap relatively well if I pumped it up a little. (I didn't discover that it had been modified until I got my K&K pre-amp and tried to get both pickups to work -- talk about good service, Vic replaced that older Model C for free even though I wasn't its original owner.)

Do you need a stereo preamp with the model c?

 

[GlenParks]

I have a Krivo. Worked good enough for 'loud' barn dances. Until... I got a Full Circle (I play loud fusion jam's with drums, electric guitar, mic'd sax, and electric organ since covid) and it hasn't had any problems so far on a ply.

 

[Don Hergert]

Do you need a stereo preamp with the model c?

Everything I've read about it points that way, although a clever tech might be able to figure out a stereo-to-mono converter to make it work without a stereo pre-amp. That said, without either a 2 channel pre-amp or a 2 channel amp there would be no blending of the signals from the 2 piezos, so in order to have that level of control I'd say yes, it's needed.

The K&K Dual Channel Pro cleverly allows a person to send out either a single blended mono signal or two separate volume-controlled mono signals. I've opted to use the single blended mono signal so I can control the blend on the bass -- and so I can use my mono wireless transmitters.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

I'd dearly love to use Spiros on my Alcoa, but my hands already have RA setting in, I like the touch of thick low-tension strings, and I do play 3 hour gigs (in non-Covid19 times). Plus, I'm after a less metallic tone with my Alcoa, so for this DB any kind of metal core strings are not a good choice. That said, if I ever get a "standard" wooden double bass, Spiros will be my first choice in strings, even if my hands don't like them for longer sessions...

I had thought generally about getting a 2nd DB, a wooden one, early last year and was already thinking about Spiros, but tending to some of our friends in Covid19-related financial hardship and later, getting our house re-roofed seemed like a better idea. Maybe someday, but in the meantime I consider myself lucky to have my Alcoa.

To the OP regarding getting a Vic's Model B instead of a Model C, if slapping isn't a large part of your pizz playing I don't think you'll have a problem, but be aware that slapping is getting some popularity again with many genre other than rocka-psycho billy and you may wish you had fingerboard coverage eventually. My first Vic's Model C was actually modified by the previous owner to disable the fingerboard pickup and basically emulate a Model B, and it actually did pickup slap relatively well if I pumped it up a little. (I didn't discover that it had been modified until I got my K&K pre-amp and tried to get both pickups to work -- talk about good service, Vic replaced that older Model C for free even though I wasn't its original owner.)

I’m actually slapping more jump blues and old jazz stuff right now on my own than rockabilly. Big 3 Trio and old Steve Brown and Pops Foster songs like Dinah and Frankie and Johnnie (in particular). It’s a lot of fun and my buddies who play in those genres said gigs were good playing old timey stuff before Covid; so I’m hoping to find some cats to play that kind of stuff once the vaccine is distributed enough for me to feel safe again onstage.

I’ve been messing around with some dead Spiros and I just can’t slap them with the tension they have, but they do sound wonderful with pizz. I’ve found that the Model C not only brings out the slap better, but I find it appears to pick up the fingerboard nuances as well like “growl” and the sounds of my fingers clacking the strings on the rosewood (which I quite like). I settled on this pickup a couple of years ago after hearing a friend of mine play an Englehart set up with a Model C through a K&K preamp and a ToneBone straight through to the PA and I couldn’t believe how good it sounded. It was natural and full. Vic makes great stuff.

 

[MBASSTT]

Just post a picture of the silks at both tailpiece and tuners ends.

Just post a picture of the silks at both tailpiece and tuners ends.

 

[Francois Blais]

Colors are a bit weird, but I guess T-I Superflexibles, if the silk is sky blue and they’re metal wound.

 

[MBASSTT]

Colors are a bit weird, but I guess T-I Superflexibles, if the silk is sky blue and they’re metal wound.

Colors are a bit weird, but I guess T-I Superflexibles, if the silk is sky blue and they’re metal wound.

Thank you, I love the way they sound and play. Do you know how well they interact with a magnetic pickup?

 

[bherman]

Another plug here for the Krivo - until recently I used one on my Eminence EUB. Loud and clear, no feedback, easy to mold the tone. I dont play any slap but since its on the end of the fingerboard, I would think that it would handle that well.

 

[Ric Vice]

TI Super Flexibles should be just fine, with a magnetic pickup they since I believe they are steel.

 

[MBASSTT]

TI Super Flexibles should be just fine, with a magnetic pickup they since I believe they are steel.

They claim to be rope core, chrome steel wound.

 

[Povl Carstensen]

They claim to be rope core, chrome steel wound.

Chrome on steel rope core, according to Thomann.

 

[Ric Vice]

That’s right Tomastick Super Flexible strings worked with my Clevenger EUB’s Bartolini magnetic pickups. Spirocore’s are ideal because they are metal core strings wrapped in metal there is no silk damper wrap in between the metal core and metal wrap.

 

[MBASSTT]

That’s right Tomastick Super Flexible strings worked with my Clevenger EUB’s Bartolini magnetic pickups. Spirocore’s are ideal because they are metal core strings wrapped in metal there is no silk damper wrap in between the metal core and metal wrap.

Being out of upright playing for 20 years, those Superflexibles seem to be easy playing strings.