Double Bass Realist Docking Station

[powerbass]

This is could be a useful thing to have
http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2012/0...-for-realist-docking-station-for-double-bass/

Link Removed

 

[Huy Nguyen]

That's pretty cool. I wish they didn't make it so you HAD to run it through a ball end. Attach all my pickups using a velcro strap and some zip ties. They can all be removed without messing with the strings. I just run the strap through the E string tailpiece hole and wrap it around the plug tightly. My solution is so much simpler, effective, and less "invasive".

 

[RBrownBass]

Saw the thread title, had visions of a bass preamp/iphone charger. Didn't need one, but was curious. Carry on...

 

[jdepriest]

Has anyone got their hands on one yet?

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Just seen on Musikmesse Frankfurt.
But I doubt it makes sense with piezo pickups. The pot needs to be an a MegOhms range to make sense, but these are not available as far as I know. So the buffer/preamp needs to be in front of the volume knob (probably having a volume knob itself).
So I expect it to have a similar impact like a low impedance amp input. It doesn't help to put a buffer/preamp behind the volume knob. The signal reaching the buffer/preamp is already bad then.

 

[Vic Koler]

Just seen on Musikmesse Frankfurt.
But I doubt it makes sense with piezo pickups. The pot needs to be an a MegOhms range to make sense, but these are not available as far as I know. So the buffer/preamp needs to be in front of the volume knob (probably having a volume knob itself).
So I expect it to have a similar impact like a low impedance amp input. It doesn't help to put a buffer/preamp behind the volume knob. The signal reaching the buffer/preamp is already bad then.

+1

 

[tstone]

The pot needs to be an a MegOhms range to make sense, but these are not available as far as I know.

1 Meg pots are readily available, in either audio or linear taper (link). They're commonly used in various electric guitars. The ones shown aren't in the mini form factor, but I don't doubt those could be had too.

http://www.allparts.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=1+meg+audio+taper+pot&x=0&y=0

 

[John Crosley]

I would be interested in a review. The Sam Ash video didn't show the thing in action.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

As I know the Realist and many other piezos should have an amp input impedance of at least 1MegOhms, which some popular amps used for double bass provide.
But if you connect the volume pot in front and expecting a 1 MegOhm pot in there, the two loads (1 MegOhms volume pot and 1 MegOhms amp) are in parallel resulting in a total load of 500KOhms with full volume for the piezo.
I think this will affect the sound more or less (but at least more than you want) in a bad way.

If they would have integrated a battery and a impedance buffer in front of the volume pot this might have been a nice thing.

 

[robobass]

Yeah, it seems like if you're going to do this in the first place you could design a small preamp into it which would be worth the extra cost and weight, and eliminate impedence issues.

 

[Baleen]

I think this will affect the sound more or less (but at least more than you want) in a bad way.

So I just got a Docking station. I found one with the jackpot pot/switch (it looks like the new ones don't have that anymore). My old Realist does like 10MOhms much better than 1MOhms, and I did hear a lowend cutoff. BUT, the value of having a passive volume switch on my upright, means I don't have to bother FOH or the monitor mixer with muting when I set the bass down. Totally worth the convenience, especially when I'm really only sending a mic to FOH and using the pickup for monitoring. Passive is nice for not having to deal with power.