I have been getting a lot of feedback with my Hartke 12" Kickback combo amp. I have a Cremona bass and a K & K pickup, and if I turn my amp up more than a quarter of the way I get some nasty feedback. I have tried changing the EQ and the Shape with no luck. As a result I have been playing with hardly any volume. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix this problem, short of buying an amp specifically for acoustic basses?
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Double Bass Please help - Having Feedback Issues w/my amp!
- Thread starter blackoleander
- Start date
Yeah, welcome to one of the horrors of DB. Its almost had me running for a slap sometimes.
Try a couple things:
Roll down the bass on your EQ.
Put the speaker beside you and point it the same direction you are looking. Not behind you nor in front of you facing you.
If your amp is tilt up, DON'T. Have it either pointing at floor level or raise it up to shoulder level.
If none of these work, you might look at a pre-amp that has a "notch filter" feature.
Another big difference is the room you're playing. If you're in a tiny room with no carpets in your basement, its going to be a problem.
Good Luck.
Try a couple things:
Roll down the bass on your EQ.
Put the speaker beside you and point it the same direction you are looking. Not behind you nor in front of you facing you.
If your amp is tilt up, DON'T. Have it either pointing at floor level or raise it up to shoulder level.
If none of these work, you might look at a pre-amp that has a "notch filter" feature.
Another big difference is the room you're playing. If you're in a tiny room with no carpets in your basement, its going to be a problem.
Good Luck.
Definitely try a pre-amp. Borrow one if you have to. I use to get feedback from a Fishman BP-100 running through a Polytone Mini Brute III. After using the pre-amp? No feedback at higher volume levels.
Blacko -- welcome to the wonderful world of DB feedback. I'd venture to say most DB players have been (or are going) through this.
Therre is only so much you can do about this. Here are the things I've tried that have helped me.
1) Position yourself and your amp so that the amp can't "see" the pickup. In other words, make sure that your body, or the bass itself, or both, or other musicians, are in between the pickup and the amp. One of the previous respondents suggested putting the amp beside you rather than behind you; I've had better luck with the amp behind me. So try it both ways and see which works best.
2) A preamp may help, but it may not. Keep in mind, before spending the dough, that there are mixed results as far as a preamp's ability to reduce feedback and increase volume. They work for some basses, and some pickups, with some amps, but not others. You won't know until you try, so perhaps you could borrow someone's preamp before you buy one. In my case, I use a Fishman Platinum Plus EQ preamp, and it does help me get a little more volume before feedback starts -- not a lot more volume, just a little. It's much more useful for its five-band EQ than for feedback/volume issues.
3) Play around with the EQ on the amp for the optimal (least-feedback) settings, which it sounds like you've already done.
4) Try raising the amp by putting it on a stand, or on a chair. This won't fight feedback but it may make the bass seem louder, depending on the room.
Good luck with it. Let us know if you discover anything else that helps.
Therre is only so much you can do about this. Here are the things I've tried that have helped me.
1) Position yourself and your amp so that the amp can't "see" the pickup. In other words, make sure that your body, or the bass itself, or both, or other musicians, are in between the pickup and the amp. One of the previous respondents suggested putting the amp beside you rather than behind you; I've had better luck with the amp behind me. So try it both ways and see which works best.
2) A preamp may help, but it may not. Keep in mind, before spending the dough, that there are mixed results as far as a preamp's ability to reduce feedback and increase volume. They work for some basses, and some pickups, with some amps, but not others. You won't know until you try, so perhaps you could borrow someone's preamp before you buy one. In my case, I use a Fishman Platinum Plus EQ preamp, and it does help me get a little more volume before feedback starts -- not a lot more volume, just a little. It's much more useful for its five-band EQ than for feedback/volume issues.
3) Play around with the EQ on the amp for the optimal (least-feedback) settings, which it sounds like you've already done.
4) Try raising the amp by putting it on a stand, or on a chair. This won't fight feedback but it may make the bass seem louder, depending on the room.
Good luck with it. Let us know if you discover anything else that helps.
Remember that feedback involves the whole system- sound from the amp makes the bass vibrate, is picked up by the transducer, and is amplified again. What greitzer suggests are ways to keeop much of the sound from amp from making the bass vibrate, which is good. Put the amp beside you, or in front of the bass. Try to get as much distance as practical between you and the amp.
Often the feedback involves the room, too; there might be some frequencies at which the room resonates, and that's where feeedback will be worst. A notch filter, like that on the AI amps, can help identify and knock out one troubling frequency.
Often the feedback involves the room, too; there might be some frequencies at which the room resonates, and that's where feeedback will be worst. A notch filter, like that on the AI amps, can help identify and knock out one troubling frequency.
