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Double Bass Revolution SOLO Pickup Reviews

#221
RobG said:
Nobody has commented on the RCA jack with an RCA to 1/4 adaptor set-up. IMHO this is not a very good design. The RCA isn't captive and prone to weakening. Adaptors are just another thing to go bad or disconnect at the wrong time. Current users - what are your experiences?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Well, I have commented before and I like the design. The RCA jack makes for easy removal of the pickup when and if desired. As far as the RCA plug/jack not being "captive" and being "prone to weakening," I believe decades of use and thousands of audiophiles and professionals (including me) would disagree. The connection, in terms of security and/or surface area, of an RCA plug is certainly better than a 1/4" phono plug which relies on a sprung contact. In addition, the RCA is a true coaxial connection. Sure, over decades, contacts can corrode but twisting the RCA around now and then (as in every year or so) usually keeps them going for virtually a lifetime. The only connection-type I prefer for laboratory use (where the integrity of the contacts is paramount) is the coaxial BNC connector.

If anyhting. the weakness of the Rev. Solo's adapter is in the 1/4" jack end. Regardless of any re-design, the pickup would most certainly terminate with such a connection. So, the RCA end might as well be kept because, in my opinion, the benefits of the convenience it offers far outweigh any shortcomings.
 
#222
Just got a Rev Solo (thanks, jflojazz!) used and it's *significantly* too big for my bridge wing. I had an Underwood in there before and it's larger than 4mm (I did the 3 penny thing to check -- ther'es room to spare.) Now, in the instructions, it says use "fine grit" sandpaper. On the way home, I picked up some 320 grit -- it's taking *forever* to get it even close. I'll probably have this fitting well before I could get into town tomorrow, but just for future reference (and anyone else who picks one up,) what grit sandpaper would you reccomend for sanding the pickup?
 
#223
MOLL FLANDERS said:
Just got a Rev Solo (thanks, jflojazz!) used and it's *significantly* too big for my bridge wing. ... in the instructions, it says use "fine grit" sandpaper. On the way home, I picked up some 320 grit -- it's taking *forever* to get it even close. I'll probably have this fitting well before I could get into town tomorrow, but just for future reference (and anyone else who picks one up,) what grit sandpaper would you reccomend for sanding the pickup?
Click to expand...


I'm curious about these pickups: Why wouldn't you just sand the bridge wing instead of the pickup? That way, you wouldn't be in any danger of sanding too much and ruining the wired connection. (curious minds want to know...)
 
#224
Chris,
When I had mine installed that's what my local luthier suggested we do, but when he actually got into the heart of the matter he found he had to do a little sanding on the pickup surface as well to get a nice snug fit. Unfortunately, mine now has a distinct 60 cycle hum that won't go away,
so I contacted Upton, and they asked me to send it back to them. After All,
no company's got such great quality control that one of their units won't occasionally have to be serviced. It's not exactly a "plug and play pickup" at least not in my specific case.


Ric
 
#225
Chris Fitzgerald said:
I'm curious about these pickups: Why wouldn't you just sand the bridge wing instead of the pickup? That way, you wouldn't be in any danger of sanding too much and ruining the wired connection. (curious minds want to know...)
Click to expand...
DURRL, getting a flat surface on a bridge probably requires getting the appropriate file and sanding the wing without damaging the rest of the bridge. Meanwhile, sanding the RS just requires a piece of sandpaper and a flat table. Plus, if you screw up on the pickup - Upton will recondition it. While if you screw up on the bridge... well you're stuck with it. :hmm: It's easier for us DIY'ers.

And if you do have it done by a professional on the bridge wing, your old Bass Max or underwood might not fit anymore.
 
#227
Chris Fitzgerald said:
I'm curious about these pickups: Why wouldn't you just sand the bridge wing instead of the pickup? That way, you wouldn't be in any danger of sanding too much and ruining the wired connection. (curious minds want to know...)
Click to expand...
Because if you've got it sanded to fit an Underwood (as per my own) and you're dis-satisfied or (god forbid) screw up the sanding job and make it too wide, you're buying a new pickup and not a new bridge. As I've never bought a bridge for my bass (will have to do that in the next few months though) I'm not sure how much they'd cost, but I'd imagine it's somewhere up around the cost of the pickup.


grooveguru -- Possibilities: Poor fit, loose wire? I'm pretty sure this has been addressed several times in this thread. In the 10 minutes I used my solo tonight, it worked completely fine.
 
#228
BIGBUBU said:
Do any of you guys use a preamp with your Solo? I'm having a heck of a time trying to get enough volume out of it. I have my Eden WT800 cranked to twice it's normal electric bass volume and with the band playing I can bearly hear myself. Let me know how you guys get around the low output?
Click to expand...
I'd go back through and read this thread again. I think you need a preamp but more importantly the pickup needs to fit just right.
 
#229
I noticed in Eroy's post that in the shop alot of these are installed in despiuu bridges, which i have- i sanded the pickup down as much as i could while staying in the instructions so i would have to do as little as possible to the bridge- just because i dont trust myself

would you mind explaining a little more about where you place the pickup fit/position wise with these bridges specifically, since they are a 'brand' and you have experience with them-- i will have to see a luthier soon for other reasons, but even some description for him would be very helpful- the surface area of the little feet on these (the part closer to the strings, sorry i dont know the term) is extremely small, then the opposite side- the main body of the bridge- definitely has some curvature. do you do any particular adjustment to either/both sides to get more of a smooth contact? something i can check with a tool/reference?

do you face the R towards the strings on these bridges? I haven't had much luck but there is such a small amount of wood surface in that direction- do you get the R dead center on that surface? right now i have mine the other way because there is so much more wood and i get a much better result than iw as though i think it could be better- it's a much more low end heavy sound, some areas of the neck sound great others (and the g string in general) have some issues.

it fits such that you definitely have to 'work' the pickup in there a little, but once there, i can turn / move it with moderate pressure.

even if it's pretty general terms, any input on this would help me a lot int erms of what to try and what to tell the luthier.

are you guys much out of the way on the trip for new york to boston? it's not a rare trip for me
thanks a lot
 
#230
On my bass the Revolution Solo sounds best with the R facing the body. This is the best pickup I have ever used. I am very pleased with it. I can see how others may not be...it is a little low on output, but the sound is very natural. Not very pronounced in any particular frequency.
 
#231
I used my first RS with the "R" facing the table. Now I'm on my second one, and this time I have the "R" facing the strings. Each way has different characteristics that I like, and they both sound good if you ask me. I think it depends on your bass, your bridge, and what type of tone you prefer.

Also IME you don't always necessarily get the best sound when it is perfectly square in the wing slot, but I’m sure that varies from one bass & bridge to the next.

If you haven’t seen them already, I can point to posts #157 and #199 in this thread for more information about fitting the pickup.

And I like the soundpost analogy in #214 too.
 
#232
Thanks- i have checked out the threads thus far, i just noticed the comment that they have lots of experience with this specific bridge type, and that when they do their thing in the shop they get consistently good results- just looking for some more specific info about what they do in their to these despaiu's, as they have a unique thing to them- i may as well use their expertise as my starting point. i know there is no universal setting but this is bound to give me something much better than just me trying what i think looks most sensible.
 
#233
Hey edge83,

I just got home from the shop...wife is trying to put down the little one while I am supposed to be inventing dinner...so this will be real brief for now (I'll post more later).

RS_TB_640.jpg

These bridges have VERY narrow wing slots. I am sure that is what you are inquiring about. I like to sand a bunch of material off the leg to get a nice fit. I sand the pickup first down to the smallest I am willing to take it, then take the difference off of the bridge leg.

Hope that helps for now.
 
#234
In particular, notice that Eric has flattened the usually curved "wing tip" that sits over the leg (the part contacting the pickup on the right-hand side in the photo). I have an Upton carved bass with a Despaiu bridge. Before the Rev. Solo, I had a K&K BassMax. Gary Upton fit it by sanding the wing tip flat in this manner. It works very well with the Rev. Solo (fit by Eric). The bottom line is that, with the Despaiu bridges, it seems useful to flatten the curved wing tip before fitting the Rev. Solo.


eroy said:
Hey edge83,

I just got home from the shop...wife is trying to put down the little one while I am supposed to be inventing dinner...so this will be real brief for now (I'll post more later).

Try this:

These bridges have VERY narrow wing slots. I am sure that is what you are inquiring about. I like to sand a bunch of material off the leg to get a nice fit. I sand the pickup first down to the smallest I am willing to take it, then take the difference off of the bridge leg.

Hope that helps for now.
Click to expand...
 
#236
grooveguru said:
Do any of you guys use a preamp with your Solo? I'm having a heck of a time trying to get enough volume out of it. I have my Eden WT800 cranked to twice it's normal electric bass volume and with the band playing I can bearly hear myself. Let me know how you guys get around the low output?
Click to expand...
hdiddy said:
I think you need a preamp but more importantly the pickup needs to fit just right.
Click to expand...
grooveguru, IME hdiddy’s remark about getting a good fit for the RS is definitely key.

Re: preamps, I use my SOLO both with and without a preamp. In terms of tone, IMO the RS sounds great into my amps without a pre.

In terms of signal boost, I don’t really feel like I need the preamp either. I get enough signal out of the p/u to generate enough volume for my applications. Granted, I’m running the volume controls in the 8+ range, but both of the heads I use are smaller than your Eden. Maybe your gigs require that you go much louder than I do. I dunno.

The electric bass in your comparison – was that with passive pickups? I guess I could A/B my Lakland BG into an amp and compare it to the output level of the SOLO. Er, I don't know if that's a "valid" comparison or not. Comparing Lindy Fralins to the SOLO. There’s a bizarre thought.
 
#237
I also LOVE the SOLO on my Strunal 5/20 carved top bass, but I'm not getting much gain from the pickup, and I have to run the amps gain at ten, and volume at 7 to get the same volume that I got with the BAssmax (gain at 4, volume at 5). It's fit pretty snug:confused:

(amp being used is a Bassman 135 with a gain, and volume knobs)
 
#238
BassGreaser said:
I also LOVE the SOLO on my Strunal 5/20 carved top bass, but I'm not getting much gain from the pickup, and I have to run the amps gain at ten, and volume at 7 to get the same volume that I got with the BAssmax (gain at 4, volume at 5). It's fit pretty snug:confused:

(amp being used is a Bassman 135 with a gain, and volume knobs)
Click to expand...

Yup-- even a piezo sandwich is not a free lunch. :smug:
 
#239
After trying the rev on several amps and situations, these are my findings:
- It's a really cool looking pu
- the signal is a tad low. A preamp is necessary if you need to be loud. There are also some issues with feedback, but that is not uncommon in this market.
- The sound character is very sensitive of the exact positioning. You need to spend some time moving the pickup around. The quality goes from horrible to surprisingly good. Clean, open and even when at it's best. Certanly more transparent than most other pu:s. Though I've needed to trim the pu in position several times after travelling - not a big trouble but more worry than with other pu that are more plug and play.
- Not very good with the bow

As you see I found both pros and cons. For my needs the cons is not that I can live with. I will stick with my wilson for now and get a realist in near future.

/TD
 
#240
Hi all,
I just got my Revolution Solo last week. I spent a whole evening sanding it (very slowly so as not to damage it) and I put it in the bridge wing as soon as I could cram it in there. Right now it's a nice tight fit.

I'm going with an E side mount with the 'R' facing the strings. Although as Bolo mentioned, I think it sounds good either way, just different. I used it last night in a horrible room with bad sound and loud patrons. Output was low as many have mentioned, but it was nothing that I couldn't deal with using my Fishman Pro-EQ. I was running stupid loud by the end of the night. It thought about feeding back once, but a tweak of the depth knob on the fishman did a fine job of handling that.

I hate pickups, mics and all of that stuff, but when I got it all turned on and kickin', the Revolution Solo didn't bother me at all. Even at high volumes. I guess that's about the best endorsement I can give. I'll use it until it breaks, makes my life difficult, or I find something better... Seems like it's the best thing I've tried up to now!

Jason
 

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