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Double Bass Revolution SOLO Pickup Reviews

#81
Eric Jackson said:
A couple questions for Gary or Eric, if I may:

1- If one found the Revolution Solo pickup too thin due to different bass, new bridge, dryness, oversanding or whatever, could one glue a small square of spruce to the non- R side then resand to fit? (Hide glue, of course.) This instead of shimming.

2- Because the pickup body is spruce, is its fit liable to change due to climate, i.e. winter dryness causing the pickup and bridge to shrink, resulting in a looser fit?
Click to expand...

1) I suppose if the joint/fit were good, it could be done...however I believe it would void the warranty. As an alternative, please see the following link as Clef offers a reconditioning service that keeps the warranty intact: http://www.clefmusic.com/Revolution_War.htm

2) Although I cannot say wood will not have any effects to seasonal changes, the pickup is configured in such a way that it is at one of it's most stable positions. By this I mean that the hard, winter grain offers tremendous support. Think of the hard grain as you would of joists in the floor of a house.

If I were to rate wood in order of position stability, I would say the following:
a) end grain - most stable
b) verticle grain - stable
c) horizontal grain - least stable

It would be my opinion that the pickup would have minimal seasonal expansion/contractions that would effect its fit. Take into context that the bridge itself is made of wood, and is aligned in it's least stable wood position in regards to seasonal expansion/contraction, any seasonal changes the pickup may exhibit would actually be compensating for the changes in the bridge. It's not a far stretch then to say that other wing mounted pickups that are made of materials other than wood would be effected MORE than the RS as they offer ZERO compensation (fit would be VERY tight in dry, winter months). This was actually one of the considerations in the material choice when the pickup was in it's development.

I hope this answers your questions.
 
#83
I sanded my solo revolution pickup down to 5 mm and filed the
bridge so it would make a good fit. I dont own an amplifier but
my school has several. I have plugged it in a polytone, roland bass cube and into my iriver mp3-player(to record) and got the same results:

* it sounds very nasal bright

* lots of finger scrath-sounds. Turning it over doesn't seem to make any difference

* an annoying hum, not so loud but still

* weak output

As you can see, nothing is right. Where should I start? I live in Sweden so I dont think Clef will send my another one.
 
#87
Adrian Cho said:
I know nothing about the Revolution Solo but most similar pickups absolutely do need a preamp depending on the output level and the impedance. I'd be surprised if you can plug it directly into your MP3 player and get anything reasonable.
Click to expand...

Mine works just fine with no pre-amp, as does my Underwood that i've used since they came out.
I get a good sound too.
 
#89
One thing I forgot to mention.
I had to try some slightly different positions to find the sweet spot on this pickup. Varying how tight it fits can change the sound too. In order to do this I use a small spruce wedge which sounds best on the string side of the pickup, on my bass anyway.
It's a great pickup once it's setup.
Hope you're able to make it work for you.
 
#91
Adrian Cho said:
I know nothing about the Revolution Solo but most similar pickups absolutely do need a preamp depending on the output level and the impedance. I'd be surprised if you can plug it directly into your MP3 player and get anything reasonable.
Click to expand...

The RS needs no pre-amp. Being a pizeo pickup, however, one should plug it into a hi-Z input.
 
#92
Hello everybody in bass community,
I feel that it is time to share my experience with R-Solo with you. My name is Panos, i live in Greece and play Double bass for about 10 years. Mainly pizzicato with small jazz groups. All these years i used a Shadow pickup (style Underwood) and never searched to try anything else. When i discovered the forum pages of Talkbass, after reading and reading, i was tempted to try other pickups, and entered to the game of searching the better...
My first great improvement (many thanks to Bob Gollihur, he is an excellent dealer) was the Bass Master Pro. After this, and reading all the reviews of RS, i decided to order one. I purchased it end of April, and played with it during May, June and July. For me it was a kind of reveal, and almost the most reviews that i read were verified. I placed it with the "R" facing the strings and cutting most of the mids and the trebles. I have to mention its characteristics like woody tone and transparent, warmth, miclike, and the most important for me: Definition! I always had problems to hear clearly myself (i think all URB players have), and was turning up the volume or often changing the combo's place. Now i can hear myself much better, even at lower volumes, i really enjoy it and be very happy of this!
But at the end of June, and after many gigs, suddenly i experienced an extremely low output level. Till then the output level was OK, not as hot as Bassmax but decent. I can't find why, it remains a mystery to me, and i emailed Gary Upton for this problem, now i'm waiting his answer.
Generally i have to say that is an excellent pickup for those who play pizz, and is really not expensive. I think that G.Upton managed to make a pickup having a very good proportion between quality/price. I wish that other manufacturers do the same, because i believe that there are products which are x times more expensive than RS and without propably being x times better.
Thanks to Talkbass to let me describe my experience (it's my first time i write about my impressions), Panos Siasios.
 
#93
I've been very happy with my K&K Bass Max for a long time, but I recently installed a Revolution Solo. I really like the nice woody and natural tone I get on my NS Cleveland, but I ran into one problem that is really giving me fits. My Cleveland generally has very even response across the board (both acoustically and with the Bass Max), but with the RS I find the freqs in the lowest B and C range have a serious volume and low-end reduction...it's almost like having a dead spot. I can hear that acoustically, this "dead spot" isn't there, but it is apparent in my amplified tone.

The wing slots on my bridge are small enough that I had to sand the pickup down near the limit of what is recommended in the instructions, and the fit is still a little tighter than what my Bass Max fit...which is tight enough to stay in place, but can be moved with reasonable finger pressure. Would the difference in fit be suspect?
 
#94
Mike,

I had to sand down the wing slots of my bridge to make it work. No problem. It has to be snug, but not too tight. Not too loose either. Then finding the sweet spot. Mine was on the E side, R down. Had to file down both wings. It was worth it.

I finally used my new Solo on the job. Man, did it sound good. Once I tweaked the amp settings, it was working well. Big, clear sound. I'm glad I brought my preamp. Needed the boost, despite what has been said, and I have a 700w amp and 4x10 cab (the acoustics were absolute sh*t in there). I like the preamp sound better anyway. Those gut strings thumped all night without a problem.

I did notice that it was easy to tell when I was out of tune - it really produces what's actually going on. Lots of clarity. There was some fingerboard noise, but I eliminated most of that. This really is a good Pup. Next time, I'll bring my 15 along and stack the cabs. :eek: That combo has made the best sound at home. Time to try it on the job. (yes, I need lots of volume).

Speaking of volume, I had the solo cranked up way beyond what I tried at home. I also had foam in the f holes, and a foam block/sock damper under the tailpiece. Had to stand right in front of the cab all night. No problem. Not even a hint of a problem. I think I could have maxed it out with no feedback. Life is good.

Bill
 
#95
panos said:
...i emailed Upton for this problem, now i'm waiting his answer...
Click to expand...

Panos, Got your eMail and I will write you back on Wednesday when I am back in the shop. Honestly, your encounter is a first for us...I have not had one returned for volume loss after several months of good performance. Did something about your setup change? Do you remove the RS when not in use?

I know when we first launched the RS here on TBDB we had a run of miss sized elements that gave really low output...but after we nailed it down and made a few minor changes we have had no complaints in some time now.

mchildree said:
...I had to sand the pickup down near the limit of what is recommended in the instructions, and the fit is still a little tighter than what my Bass Max fit...which is tight enough to stay in place, but can be moved with reasonable finger pressure. Would the difference in fit be suspect?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. You can have the RS too tight, and it will give limited tonal range and lower output. If you are near the max/minimum...perhaps a few minor sanding passes on the "R" side of the pickup will allow you get a better fit. BE VERY CAREFUL THOUGH...don't sand so much that the brand is gone. If you trash it in the process...write me back and I will be happy to send you a custom thinner one n/c as I am telling you to sand from the side I don't normally reccomend anyone sand on.

We have always agreed and will always state that the RS is perhaps one of the lower output PU's out there...but to us that is fine as that is one of the successes of its accurate tonal sound. We played with ways to make it "hotter", and succeded...but found that it colored the sound to do so and sounded more like a Pickup and less like your bass or a mic. We hoped, and have had players say to us as well, that the accurateness of the tone is more important than being able to kill your amp.
 
#96
eroy said:
Panos, Got your eMail and I will write you back on Wednesday when I am back in the shop. Honestly, your encounter is a first for us...I have not had one returned for volume loss after several months of good performance. Did something about your setup change? Do you remove the RS when not in use?

I know when we first launched the RS here on TBDB we had a run of miss sized elements that gave really low output...but after we nailed it down and made a few minor changes we have had no complaints in some time now.
Click to expand...

Eroy, thanks for answering, i'll send you an email with details, i'm not quite sure if i did a kind of non-proper installation.


mchildree said:
I've been very happy with my K&K Bass Max for a long time, but I recently installed a Revolution Solo.
Click to expand...

Mike, if i remember well, i had read in one of your posts in another thread that you are using the Sansamp Acoustic DI. Have you tried it with the RS? How it works with? I'm asking this because i intend to purchase the Sansamp Para driver DI (the Acoustic has been replaced).
 
#97
Panos,

Yeah, I used it with my Acoustic DI and it sounded great. I was able to add midrange that had previously been cut to reduce the "piezo thonk", and got a more present and growly tone as a result. All in all, with the RS, I was able to use the Acoustic DI as more of a simple preamp and less of an equalizer.
 
#100
T-Bal,
Thank you for welcoming, i feel already addicted to talkbass.com, i like learning from you, and discover new things, ideas and knowledge i didn't have before. It is an amazing place for a doublebass player!
I wait Eroy's reply and then i'll post all the details of my RS situation.
 

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