Double Bass Preamp

[ishalleatyou]

I've been playing acoustic upright for a while now after playing the electric bass for many years and finally feel confident enough to start using the upright in gigs etc.

However I'm currently looking at buying the Rev Solo II or similar for my acoustic and naturally assumed I needed to buy an external preamp. However, I have head a few cases of people (rightly or wrongly) just running the pickup into their combo amps and it running fine.

I have a Hartke Hydrive 112c combo (Invalid Link Removed) which I use as my bass guitar amp, so my question to you is do you think i'll be able to get away with using this amp without a separate preamp? And even if I do get a preamp, can I still use my hartke for double bass?

I'm on a budget and don't want to end up spending horrific amounts on new gear ya see, so it'd be great if people could voice their opinions

I would have posted in the "do i need a preamp thread" but this question is more tailored to myself, so I thought i'd make a new thread.

Thanks Guys.

 

[drurb]

The low-end response of virtually all piezo pickups benefits from being "loaded" by an input impedance of 1-10 Mohms. That's true for the Rev Solo. If one has a rig with such an input impedance, then going straight into the rig provides what's desired. I took a look at the Hartke manual and couldn't find the spec for the input impedance.

So much for the low-end response. Piezo pickups can also transduce infrasonics (do a search here on that term) that can rob you of power and produce wild excursions of the speaker cone. That's solved by having a high-pass filter.

We're fortunate that we have available Invalid Link Removed that also provides a phase-inversion function useful for taming feedback in many situations.

I suggest that you go right to the link above and order a Series 2. It will be the best $70 you ever spent on a piece of gear. You, your Rev Solo, your amp, and your speaker will love it!

Note that I am not affiliated in any financial way with this product.

 

[Ric Vice]

..... I'm currently looking at buying the Rev Solo II or similar for my acoustic and naturally assumed I needed to buy an external preamp. However, I have head a few cases of people (rightly or wrongly) just running the pickup into their combo amps and it running fine.

I have a Hartke Hydrive 112c combo (Invalid Link Removed) which I use as my bass guitar amp, so my question to you is do you think i'll be able to get away with using this amp without a separate preamp? And even if I do get a preamp, can I still use my hartke for double bass?

I'm on a budget and don't want to end up spending horrific amounts on new gear ya see, so it'd be great if people could voice their opinions .......


Thanks Guys.

Gavin,
I also believe that the HPF/Pre Version 2 would be the best investment you could make for $70.00. Using it with a Revolution Solo II will get you a good pre amp and pickup combination. A word of warning though, with the Realist pickup I could never get a decent sound from the older Hartke Kickback's, in fact they sounded terrible. Hopefully the HyDrive sounds better.

Ric

 

[Macher]

+2 to the above. I'd recommenf the fishmann pro platinum eq for bass bass.I find the EQ and compression to be very useful since most amps are not as well voiced, and i use it very often straight to the PA on small gigs, allowing more control over the sound.

 

[Matt Ides]

I use to have success with a kickback and realist w/ a ply bass. I would also recommend a pre-amp as well.

 

[drurb]

+2 to the above. I'd recommenf the fishmann pro platinum eq for bass bass.I find the EQ and compression to be very useful since most amps are not as well voiced, and i use it very often straight to the PA on small gigs, allowing more control over the sound.

Indeed, the EQ on the Fishman is a plus if you don't have adequate tone-shaping elsewhere in the chain. The OP mentioned being on a budget. The Fishman does cost twice what the fdeck unit does.

 

[iiipopes]

+3 on the fdeck. My Carvin MB12 has two bands of parametric in addition to the shelving bass and treble and all the other "standard" features such as passive/active & onboard compression, as well as level controlled & optional ground lifted line out, and tuner out, so I'm flush on tone shaping. The fdeck is a must. I also went for the $70 version as well. This should be voted the #1 accessory of all time.

 

[Feral Feline]

What the fudgsicle are you shouting for? And who said anything about a mic? The OP has a Piezo transducer, the Rev Solo II. Zombie thread...

 

[Lo-E]

I've had very good luck with the LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI, but I seriously might be looking into one o' them Fdeck puppies for a back-up or just as another option.

And, yes, you really should be using a preamp for all the reasons stated in drurb's first reply. Gotta have a buffer in there if you want it to sound decent.

 

[drurb]

also thought I'd add that I am finding great happiness with this mic into a BBE Acoustimax set nearly flat. The BBE really smooths it out and helps me dial out problem Q's.

I have the mic placed on the back of the bass, lower C corner, E string side.

Care to try again? Maybe the third time will be the charm.

 

[Ric Vice]

I've had very good luck with the LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI, but I seriously might be looking into one o' them Fdeck puppies for a back-up or just as another option.

And, yes, you really should be using a preamp for all the reasons stated in drurb's first reply. Gotta have a buffer in there if you want it to sound decent.

Lo E
+1 On getting FDeck's HPF Preamp. I've both models, and am looking forward to purchasing the Series 3 when they become available. You'll find that they are quite different than the Baggs Para Acoustic. The HPF doesn't boost the signal, it just allows you to match the input impedance with your pickup, reverse the phase, and filter out troublesome low frequencies. It's also very quiet.

Ric

 

[GrowlerBox]

Lo E
+1 On getting FDeck's HPF Preamp. I've both models, and am looking forward to purchasing the Series 3 when they become available. You'll find that they are quite different than the Baggs Para Acoustic. The HPF doesn't boost the signal, it just allows you to match the input impedance with your pickup, reverse the phase, and filter out troublesome low frequencies. It's also very quiet.

Ric

IIRC, the first and second versions of the fdeck boost the signal by some 2dB (not a whole lot, to be sure); version 3 does/will not.

 

[drurb]

IIRC, the first and second versions of the fdeck boost the signal by some 2dB (not a whole lot, to be sure); version 3 does/will not.

That's correct. On version 2, the boost is about 2 dB with the volume control set at maximum. You can always lower it to achieve unity gain. I actually prefer the opportunity for a slight boost at the top end. It makes the device that much more versatile.

 

[Lo-E]

Lo E
+1 On getting FDeck's HPF Preamp. I've both models, and am looking forward to purchasing the Series 3 when they become available. You'll find that they are quite different than the Baggs Para Acoustic. The HPF doesn't boost the signal, it just allows you to match the input impedance with your pickup, reverse the phase, and filter out troublesome low frequencies. It's also very quiet.

Ric

Very cool. Thanks!

Next time I have a little extra in the fun money stash I think I'm going to check one out.