Double Bass Pre-amp for my new Double bass

[novo]

Hi there

I am a beginner when it comes to Double bass and I want to amplify my double bass

Can anyone please point me to a proper pickup and pre-amp for my double bass from thomann because where I live there is no double bass shops and on the internet it seems that that's the only place where you can buy gear online in Europe.

Best Regards

 

[Ric Vice]

Hi there

I am a beginner when it comes to Double bass and I want to amplify my double bass

Can anyone please point me to a proper pickup and pre-amp for my double bass from thomann because where I live there is no double bass shops and on the internet it seems that that's the only place where you can buy gear online in Europe.

Best Regards

Novo,
The key thing to remember, is that Double Bass pickups tend to sound different from bass to bass. Thomann carries the two most commonly used pickups which would be a David Gage Realist and the Fishman Full Circle. The Realist is placed under the E foot of the bridge, while the Full Circle replaces one of the Aluminum adjusters, provided your bass has an adjustable bridge. Fishman offers a Pro Platinum EQ, to compliment the Full Circle.

Neither the Fishman or the Realist necessarily require a pre amp, but they can benefit sonically from one, depending on the input impedance of your amplifier. I have used the Headway EDB-1 Blender Pre Amp successfully with the Realist, provided you purchase a padded cable from David Gage here in the U.S. to attenuate the Realists rather hot signal. Jonas Losse offers these pickups and many others. You can get in touch with him through his Double Bass Guide on the web.

I don't think that you necessarily need to go out and spend a great deal of money on a pre amp. One of the best values is the HPF/Buffer Pre Amp built here in the U.S. by Francis Deck (FDeck). Francis doesn't offer them directly for sale in Europe because of the stringent process that is required to have them internationally certified. I have heard through reliable sources that you can purchase one from individuals as a used item.

Ric

Here's the link to FDecks device.
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The Headway EDB-1
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Fishman' Pro-Platinum EQ
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The Realist Pickup
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The Fishman Full Circle
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Ric

 

[novo]

Thank you Ric Vice

I have an Ampeg SVT Vr Head + 6x10.

You think with a Realist pickup I would be fine for a folkish gig (I have a hard hitting drummer if you know what I mean) or I need the pre amp aswell?

Thanks

 

[bssist]

I have used the realist on two basses now and I really like it. I have done ok with it straight into my svt but it has sounded better with a proper pre. For the last 9 months or so I have been running it with the Fishman Pro Platinum and it works great. I have not used the fDeck preamp but I used his straightline/specs (posted online for free) as the basis for one I built which worked very well. Based on that experience I would definitely recommend his pre-built unit. PM me if you would like me to come up with a used one for sale.

 

[Ric Vice]

Thank you Ric Vice

I have an Ampeg SVT Vr Head + 6x10.

You think with a Realist pickup I would be fine for a folkish gig (I have a hard hitting drummer if you know what I mean) or I need the pre amp aswell?

Thanks

Ampeg, is not one for disclosing Input Impedances on their amplifiers. So, I don't know what it is on the SVT VR. Probably either 500 K Ohms, which is two low for a Piezo Transducer or 1 Meg Ohms, which is perfectly fine. With that large cabinet you'll have to be pretty careful with the Realist, because it's likely to feedback. The Full Circle might be a better choice, since it's a little more resistant to feedback. FDecks HPF Pre Series 2 would be a very good match, since it has a High Pass Filter, Volume Control, Phase Reverse and 10 Meg Ohm input impedance.
He's about to release the Series 3 that's got a more refined filtering system, so you might want to wait. Another possibility, down the road, would be a different cabinet to use with Double Bass. Perhaps smaller in speaker surface area. Those are less prone to feeding back.

Ric

 

[drurb]

Fdeck's little gem has a high-pass and not a low-pass filter. Ric knows that very well... just a typo.

 

[Ric Vice]

Fdeck's little gem has a high-pass and not a low-pass filter. Ric knows that very well... just a typo.

Oops!

 

[DoubleMIDI]

You could also get the Shadow SH-965NFX-B from Thomann which is similar to the Realist, but cheaper there and also has a impedance buffer built-in and two foils (for both legs or the bass leg giving you a spare sensor foil). It also does not press a circle into the top which the Realist does.
If your bass sounds rather dark and you have an adjustible bridge, you might better use a Full Circle (but get the right version!) or an Underwood.
For 10" speakers you might want to add an HPF-Pre to dial out the lowest frequencies a bit.

 

[novo]

Thanks for your help you guys!

Ok the feedback thing is what I most dread (and to tell you the truth I was not expecting this)....What do you suggest to get in terms of product to minimize this (except from changing the cab)