- Jul 19, 2000
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- 2,224
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- Owner/President, Gollihur Music LLC
Understood - that's why I qualified it; it's easy to misinterpret, and I didn't want to step on your toes. Thanks for clarifying!
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Double Bass Realist LifeLine
- Thread starter Adagio
- Start date
The pickup is between the wheel and the foot in which the threaded side of the adjuster slides freely (no thread in the foot). So in my opinion you cannot get more pressure....
I don't understand how turning the wheel would make any difference???
The best way to find out if the pickup or the amp is to blame is trying another amp I guess. So I'll think about the easiest way to do that..
I don't understand how turning the wheel would make any difference???
The best way to find out if the pickup or the amp is to blame is trying another amp I guess. So I'll think about the easiest way to do that..
No. The non threaded sides are glued in the top part of the bridge. The large ebony wheels are the only moving parts. The threaded sides slide in the bridge feet.
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This picture is of similar adjusters
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This picture is of similar adjusters
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That may be why it isn't working. I don't understand how your adjusters work, but for aluminum adjusters, the Lifeline should
be installed between the wheel and bridge (either foot or crown) on the unthreaded side for maximum pressure.
be installed between the wheel and bridge (either foot or crown) on the unthreaded side for maximum pressure.
You have to turn the wheel to raise the bridge, so the wheel must bear on something. Put the Lifeline between the wheel and the part on which it bears. Then turn the wheel until the bridge starts to rise.
EDIT: Can you provide pictures of your bridge and adjuster, with and without the Lifeline installed?
Other than that, consider a bridge-wing pickup.
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Erik has two-piece adjusters -- they come in wood and aluminum -- either way, I do not like them because the shaft end gets glued into the leg or foot and the threaded end does NOT thread into the bridge -- it slides in as snug a hole that would allow the threaded end to pull in/out of the bridge.
Now the wheel rides up the threads thus pushing up the bridge. Note that all the weight is therefore bearing upon just 2 or 3 threads in the wheel!
The life line pickup should work with this type of adjuster -- but I wonder -- is this pickup tested to work with wooden adjuster wheels?
Now the wheel rides up the threads thus pushing up the bridge. Note that all the weight is therefore bearing upon just 2 or 3 threads in the wheel!
The life line pickup should work with this type of adjuster -- but I wonder -- is this pickup tested to work with wooden adjuster wheels?
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This are some pictures before installation. The ones with the pickup installed are still on my camera card...
EDIT: just popped downstairs and took a few shots with my phone:
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This are some pictures before installation. The ones with the pickup installed are still on my camera card...
EDIT: just popped downstairs and took a few shots with my phone:
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Okay, what I see is that there is not much of the Lifeline being compressed beneath the wheel, due to the diameter of the threaded shaft. That could be the problem, and the Lifeline might never work with this bridge.
That's all I can imagine. My Lifeline is in contact with more wood on both sides of it. Here are some pics:
That's all I can imagine. My Lifeline is in contact with more wood on both sides of it. Here are some pics:
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You have a point there and that is exactly what I thought when I installed it. You seem to have the normal narrow lifeline installed. The XL does not only have a wider slot but is wider as a whole too.
But this is the way the pickup was designed (an tested) so I guess it should work nevertheless... Or at least produce some sound...
But this is the way the pickup was designed (an tested) so I guess it should work nevertheless... Or at least produce some sound...
I just tried a piezo pickup I made as an experiment a while back wedged in the bridge wing. It did not have a very strong signal but worked fine on my PJB. So I tend to think even more that the Lifeline is to blame...
You might try the Lifeline with some shims in the bridge wing to check if it would work at all or put a washer between foot and Lifeline to enlarge the pressure area.
It might be possible that you have damaged the Lifeline XL because of the small pressure area at the foot, but I don't think so.
Good luck!
It might be possible that you have damaged the Lifeline XL because of the small pressure area at the foot, but I don't think so.
Good luck!
- Dec 9, 2003
- 369
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- Kontrabass-Atelier, Lando Music (Germany), "The Double Bass Book"/"Das Kontrabass-Buch"
Unless I missed this, nobody has asked if DickVanDyke's lifeline pickup slot fits around the adjuster shaft, and that the pickup is "in" as far as it can go.
Assuming you mean me with "DickVanDyke..." Yes the pickup is all the way "in" and it fits nicely around the shaft without too much play.
@jonas: I'll try turning it 45 degrees. I'll also try it with another amp on Tuesday.
@jonas: I'll try turning it 45 degrees. I'll also try it with another amp on Tuesday.
A long time original Realist user here, I tried the LifeLine a few months ago, the XL model, because I have wooden adjusters, threads down. What I was looking for was a higher volume before feedback and I found the LL not any better than the Copperhead in that comparison. My initial impressions, compared to the Copperhead, were higher gain, more front end attack, somewhat more piezo sounding. Most of my "test drive" with the LL was at home and I found the sound to be underwhelming. I tried the LL at a few gigs but only briefly. After trying it for a song or two, I always went back to the Copperhead, perhaps because that's what I'm used to. A band member commented the LL sounded more piezo like and less pleasing to his ear. Perhaps the LL is just not a good compliment to my instrument.
Recently, I had some work done on my bass which required bridge removal, and shortly after, the Copperhead started to fail in typical fashion. I decided to replace it with a new one and maybe try a Full Circle at the same time. Unfortunately, my wooden adjusters are too large to allow installation of the Full Circle without bridge replacement so I'm using a new Copperhead.
Since I haven't had any luck selling my LL and I've just read this thread, I think I might give the LL another try even though I'm pretty happy with the Copperhead. My one complaint about the Copperhead is that it doesn't work in high volume situations. I get feedback long before I can get enough volume to cut through a large electric band. Unfortunately, I don't think the LifeLine is going to solve this challenge for me either.
Recently, I had some work done on my bass which required bridge removal, and shortly after, the Copperhead started to fail in typical fashion. I decided to replace it with a new one and maybe try a Full Circle at the same time. Unfortunately, my wooden adjusters are too large to allow installation of the Full Circle without bridge replacement so I'm using a new Copperhead.
Since I haven't had any luck selling my LL and I've just read this thread, I think I might give the LL another try even though I'm pretty happy with the Copperhead. My one complaint about the Copperhead is that it doesn't work in high volume situations. I get feedback long before I can get enough volume to cut through a large electric band. Unfortunately, I don't think the LifeLine is going to solve this challenge for me either.
I think that not enough pressure is being applied to the LL because of the way your adjusters work. I believe LL
is designed to work with the full pressure of the strings bearing down on it. Can this happen with your threaded
wheel?
is designed to work with the full pressure of the strings bearing down on it. Can this happen with your threaded
wheel?
If I understand correctly, ErikVanD, when you turn your adjusters to raise the bridge (without the pickup installed), the wheel will stay on the foot of the bridge and pull the threaded shaft up. If this is the case, and you keep the adjusters completely closed anyway, you might get a different result this way. Open the adjuster enough to slip the pickup in on top of the wheel and then back it all the way off, closing it as much as possible.
Also, open the other adjuster to the same thickness as the pickup. This might provide more even pressure on the piezo.
Also, open the other adjuster to the same thickness as the pickup. This might provide more even pressure on the piezo.
Hi all,
I borrowed a a spare amp yesterday evening and have tried all of the following options:
So, if I am not doing anything horribly wrong here I tend to think the LL might be faulty after all. Or it just does not work on my bass. Perhaps a normal Realist would be a better option...
Cheers,
Erik
I borrowed a a spare amp yesterday evening and have tried all of the following options:
- turning the LL 45 degrees
- placing the LL above the adjuster wheel tightening it as best as possible
- wedging the LL in one of the bridge wingslots with some shims
- all of this on both amps (tried all settings on the amps)
So, if I am not doing anything horribly wrong here I tend to think the LL might be faulty after all. Or it just does not work on my bass. Perhaps a normal Realist would be a better option...
Cheers,
Erik
