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Double Bass Planet Wing pickup

#42
hdiddy said:
Adrian... there's only one real way you'll ever truly find out. Otherwise, you're just speculating.
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Yeah, he knows that. I was not trying to be negative in any way toward Adrian. I have learned a lot from his posts. I apologize if my post has led to a bit of piling on.

I think I was just posting mostly for the benefit of others who might not have as much experience trying different p/u's. Adrian knows all that, and he has posted a lot of well written information re: all his experiences w/ a variety of pickups and other gear. I think my main point for those readers that might follow was that for me, the wondering and speculating and reading posts on TB is more costly in a way than just trying it out and hearing it for myself w/ my bass.
 
#43
jrlynch said:
at the end of the day a pickup is a pickup and by definition can never truly capture the sound of the instrument, 'cause, last time i looked, it's acoustic ... no pickup on earth is gonna pickup the sound of air moving ... that's why god made microphones.

i'm rather fond of the wing, but they're all compromises.
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Yeah sometimes I get to thinking my p/u(s) sounds pretty good. Until I A/B it with one of my mics.
 
#44
Roger Davis said:
I must have strange ears, but I just like the sustain and consistency of the Underwood.
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Yeah you must. :D Just kidding of course.

Roger Davis said:
One clue to those of you going to try the PW - and you must - is to consider preamp buffering. The PW instructions clearly say not required, but I got a warmer sound when I tried mine.
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Agreed. The instructions say 1 Mohm is fine, but I hear a noticeable improvement w/ 10 Mohm inputs. But maybe I just have strange ears.
Roger Davis said:
... the only time in my life I chose right was when I found my wife.
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:)
 
#45
I also use a PW pickup at Barries recommendation. I have a Kolstein bridge which was cut to fit the pick up without any shims. My guess would be that the shim since it is the portal connecting the pu to the vibrations of the bass would effect the tone.

I do not have allot of experience with different pick ups but I do like this one very much. I have spent allot of time trying different preamps, Millennia TD1, Summit TD100 and 2BA221, as well as amps Focus 2RIII, IAMP350, Thunderfunk, Epifani, Markbass LMII and F1, probably some others but nothing beats running the PW pick up through a Glockenklang, I happen to have a Heartrock for slab but the Bass Art Classic pre and Soul top also sound superior to me with my bass and this pick up.

It goes without saying but every bass reacts differently to a pick up, I think it is hard to aniticipate if it will fit the bill for everyone, but I think it is worth a try. It's so easy to install, take off etc when compared to a full circle or realist.
 
#46
This has caught my interest as well. For those who have found the PW to be the new hot thing, how about a tone comparison recording against the full circle and realist?

Please?
 
#47
PW is weird. It has less of a piezo type sound. The lows are LOUD. My guess is that it may be a little too much for some ppl. Also it picks up some very distinct qualities in a way no other pickup has IME. The growls have a touch more definition than other pickups including the FC. It might get a touch thinner in the mids/highs so you have to toy with the placing just to get an appropriate sound. I wonder if it has to do with being in the wing which dampens those frequencies.

If they made a "drill in the bridge" type pickup I'd certainly buy it.
 
#48
On my bass, the PW senses less growl than the Rev Solo. Overall it has a smoother sound. I like that smoother quality in the upper register and up in TP, but I don't like it in the lower register. To my ears it has less definition than the RS. Less hit on the initial attack, less bloom and blossom as the note is held. Again, the smooth thing, a little too much for my tastes. And on my bass the low-mids are a little tepid. All that said, there are things about the Rev Solo that irritate me too.

It may seem I am contradicting some of what hdiddy said. That's not a personal thing. Just tells me that each bass is going to react a little differently. It's apparent if you read all the threads on the PW that lots of people are having success with it. It does install very easily, and seems a like "safe" choice in that it's kind of hard to mess up.
 
#51
Pat, the PW is easier to install than the Rev Solo IMO, and less sensitive to placement and fit. You will probably have to build a shim of the proper thickness in order for it to fit snugly in the wing slot of your bridge, unless your wing slot is really narrow. My PW (from Kolstein) came with a thin strip of wood to create a shim with. I cut the wood strip into small pieces and glued them together to get the right thickness. You could make your own shim out of other material too.

The RS is trickier to install, because you can sand the pickup itself as well as sand the bridge. Just introduces more variables I guess.

However, once either of these pickups is installed, they are very easy to take on and off the bass.
 
#52
bolo

Thank you very much.
How about the sound? I've read, that PW is very hot, especially on A and E strings. I'm not sure if I need pickup with very strong signal... I'd rather prefer something more defined, with warmth, but not too "heavy". So, I would be grateful for any opinion - which one is more equal, natural and useful for small combo situation?

Regards

Pat
 
#53
Pat, to me a "hot" pickup means it has a strong output signal. That has nothing to do with whether the pickup tends to emphasize the bass or the treble, at least to me.

Yeah lots of us want a defined, warm, natural, full sound. On my bass the PW sounds pretty even across the frequency spectrum, maybe a little shy in the low-mids. It does not overemphasize the E and A at all on my bass.

For what I need a pickup to do, that is project over the din in louder jazz settings, I like the Rev Solo. But the PW makes a good sound too. Just a little too smooth and two-dimensional when I compare them one after the other, on my bass and in my gigging situations. Like I said, the Rev Solo ain't perfect either. Heck, I've got a big band rehearsal tonight and I will try blending the PW and a mic in that setting just for kicks. If it sounds phenomenal I will report back.

But that's just me and my set up. I would recommend you try it for yourself and see, just like any pickup, mic, amp, etc. Just be sure and check the return policy so you can get your money back (minus shipping if applicable) if you decide to return it. Can't really lose much that way.
 
#54
Yes Bolo, the first PW product was a drill-into-the-bridge plug. Similar to the Wilson PUPs, not like the Vektor. I think you could use it with adjusters unlike the Vektor.

I wouldn't be surprised of some ppl consider the lows coming from the PW a little unnatural. I find that the PW is quite easy to work with using a 4 band preamp. You can get the sound to adjust as need be without alot of fuss. IME, the RS and FC can get a little fussy. Adding too much of one thing leads to another undesired tone. The PW is balanced in that sense for me. Cutting the bass will cut just that. Adding the mid won't bring out some other weird characteristic.

For me, the PW is warmer and has that airy puff that mics can get easily. Not so much with the RS. Don't get me wrong, the RS is a good pickup too, just not on my bass.

For my chrissy it goes PW > FC > RS.
 
#55
hiddy yeah I hear what you're sayin' pal. I did try the PW last night at a big band rehearsal, and it sounded pretty good.

For me both the Rev Solo and the Planet Wing just start to sound ratty when I really dig in. Pisses me off. I like to dig in. I wish I could get either one to puff as you said like a mic.

Big band footnote - Man, I gotta invest in some earplugs. Geez. Finished sightreading the first tune. The leader says "Anybody want to go back over any trouble spots?" I said one word in reply. "Dynamics?" :rollno:
 
#56
I have a question, but I don't want to make a whole thread about it.

I am currently contemplating the thought of buying this pickup. Based on what I've read and heard so far, the Planet Wing is my choice because it fits in my price range and I need something that sounds good for arco and pizzicato. However, I've also heard talk of using a mic, and it sounds like something I would be interested in because it better captures the sound (obviously). My problem with getting a mic is that 1) I don't know which brand/model would be right for me and 2) I think it would be hard to find a quality mic that falls within my price range (<$200). Also, which would sound better if ran directly to a bass amp with no preamp, the Planet or a mic? Yeah I know I should get a preamp but I'm in college and I don't make enough money in a year to buy a cheap one, so don't bother telling me that I need one.

SO...
Given that I want to spend less than $200 and I won't be running through a preamp, which would be better? Planet wing or a mic?
 

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