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Double Bass POLL: Which pickup do you use?

Which pickup do you use?

  • Total voters
    181
#21
Man like a lot of you I've been through a slew of them (most of them listed) and I keep coming back to a focused sound for monitoring (and a mic to the PA) right now that is the Full Circle and a neuman 184.
I love the duos with guitar where a mic really alows the nuances of the sound to be heard (and played).

I just saw Joe Martin with Kurt Rosenwinkel at Yoshis. He was playing a full circle into a GK 150 (velvets) and it sounded a bit pick upy ...but nice.. and you could hear what he was playing...
 
#22
I have pretty much tried them all including mics,and w. all the different rooms and groups I play with from soft acoustic duos to loud rock level big bands, heres what has been consistant for me.....
Acoustic situations[No amp] 7/8s Christopher flatback w. Olives on top and Helicores on bottom 2 strings.- Nice fat tone w.punch.

Amp gigs from trio to loud situations....Small hybrid w.Obligatos[Spiro E string] and Walter Woods and different cabinet choice for venue. Full Circle and Shadow [Underwood Clone] Blended.I get the most consistant amp sound I ever have had because I can dial in either pickup to my taste and the room acoustics.My ear is the judge.The mic thing was nice for a while because it added the ambiance color that you can't get w. any pickup,but the feedback thing was getting to be a drag and the more wires /etc, so I have ditched using a mic for now until something better comes along.
 
#25
hi,

i'm very satisfied with b-band D1, tone is amazing, but i had to add a clean signal booster even if a pre amp was inclued into the system. Arco sound is fine too.
After the boost section i plug into a swr head (send and return for effect didn't get better answer). as cabinet i use a swr goliath jr III.

sorry for my english!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
#26
I use the SD Systems PU-4 pickup. I also have the LCM 100HL mic and the BS-2 blender/preamp box (from the same manufacturer), but I never use it as the blender box distorts the signal very audibly (regardless of output level). I actually get a better sound with the pickup directly into my AI Contra, than using the whole setup with pickup, mic and blender/preamp.

I'll buy a new blender/preamp some day, so I can use the mic. Any recommendations?
 
#27
I love my bass max, simple, reliable. Changing my amp to a SWR WM12 really improved my sound. I once tried it through a EA and the results were stunning.

I gave up my quest for the perfect pickup once I realized the amp made such a difference, my sound was okay, and that I would use a microphone in the recording studio anyway. The sound purity I was looking for in a pickup can get burried under the drums and the horns anyway !

It still makes me smile to see some bass players use an old fishman BP-100 ! :D
 
#29
AMT mic into PA when possible (currently with Marty for repairs/upgrade).

I've been using the Full Circle for quite some time now and have never been completely happy with it -- too honky/middy, not enough bottom. This weekend I used a Realist on my gigs and my sound was much improved -- increased bottom, woodier, more like my bass.

Just purschased a Solstice blender from a fellow TB'er. When that arrives, I intend to try mixing a touch of the Full Circle with the Realist for enhanced clarity.
 
#31
Marcus Johnson said:
Patrick...curious about the upgrade and service on the AMT...mine's been back to Marty once. Didn't make me love it any less :smug:
Click to expand...

Marcus,

I talked to Marty earlier today and he told me the problem is a puncture in the cord which shorted the thing out. No idea what punctured it, but that cord is kind of like an accident waiting to happen.

I really love my AMT, but hopefully in the future they'll rework the physical design to be a bit more practical for the general hazards of gigging.

The upgrade is to the Super Pre.
 
#32
hey guys,

here is an easily approachable ($$$ and time-wise) setup that really makes me smile.

a realist pickup on a new standard cleveland run thru an AI new yorker. the realist was recommended by new standard as matching my bassic (NPI) jazz requirements.

i got my cleveland recommendation from the double bass boards here, as i did my AI recommendation.

while not having the depth of experience as others (i recieved my cleveland 2 months ago!), i would still say that the realist does the job at a great price. granted, i think i have two other great components that make the realist an easy recommendation, but still...

my bass only bigger was the mantra i used and the realist was the recommendation.


YMMV,


cheers!



simon
 
#33
PATRICK STEWART said:
I really love my AMT, but hopefully in the future they'll rework the physical design to be a bit more practical for the general hazards of gigging.
Click to expand...


Agreed. I somehow shorted the wire out on mine about the second week I had it. I ended up taking it to a local electronics guru here in town and had it rewired and worked over. It cost me an extra $100, but it's been worth it since it's been problem free ever since. But yeah, they should make them about 10 times stronger in the first place.
 
#35
Am currently gathering, or have gathered the following components for various size joints, rooms and halls. From one of Arnold's Clevelands (Mittel G & D/ Stark A & E spiros), I've installed a Pecanic compensated claro tailpiece and cable, and a camelopard end pin. I've been using one of "all hail" Bob's double big twins into a Fishman pro EQ platinum bass preamp, coupled to an AI coda and am awaiting an AMT S25B from Bob that will go into the second channel of the Coda. Am now in possession of the truely dangerous set up that I have been seeking. Every piece of the set up has been acquired since discovering the Talkbass forum. This place is killing the wife's house renovation budget. However, I'm very happy. Getting very little these days but, then again, I'm old and don't really care anymore. Love those low frequencies!
Jim
 
#36
Patrick Cowan said:
And detachable from the mic. :)
Click to expand...

No kidding! I suspected that yours may have suffered the same fate as mine. Part of the problem may be the carrying case itself, since it's barely larger that the coiled up mic cord itself, once you get it all stuffed in there. It's fairly easy to pinch the cord in the case.

Marty said he'd ordered a bunch of those cases and didn't want to change them. He also cut the old cord off in 1" increments, testing it each time, just so he could find exactly where the short was!
 
#38
JIMI HENDERSON said:
Am now in possession of the truely dangerous set up that I have been seeking. Every piece of the set up has been acquired since discovering the Talkbass forum.
Jim
Click to expand...
I'm curious, after DMZ's experience with an electrical short the fried all of his gear, are you considering some measure of protection for that awesome rig you have?
 

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