Hi - I've been playing electric fretted n fretless for many years, recently started playing standup again. Got a "decent" URB - Christopher's Workshop Busetto style - and some good amps/cabs - Acoustic Image, TC Electronics RH450, Bergantino and Aguilar cabs. I recently bought the Radial PZ Pre, love the way it works.
I currently have a Fishman Full Circle on my bass, mounted "threads up" on the bass side of the bridge, installed by a local luthier.
I want to get a warmer, more "organic" sound than I'm currently getting and the main culprit seems to be the pickup. Over the years I've been pretty mindful about choosing gear that's "hi-fi yet warm" and I work pretty darned hard at getting a tone from each of my instruments that is clear and full yet not harsh. But I haven't yet found a good balance with the URB.
This is my first time having any instrument with a piezo pickup and I feel like I'm spending all my time trying to dial out the scritchy, scratchy sound of the pickup. It's that same sound that you hear if you take a piece of notebook paper and wad it up. It's the same sound I hear if I have the bass plugged in and I run my fingers over the bridge or along the top of the body near the bridge. The Full Circle is picking up WAY too much of the extraneous stuff, not enough of the fundamentals for my taste.
I know my way around a parametric and I've got some pretty effective EQ and filtering between the PZ Pre and the EQ on the amps. But even so, there's only so much you can notch out before the sound of the instrument starts to get muffled. I don't want to EQ the thing to death! It's a very warm sounding bass un-amplified.
So I'm wondering, can you guys recommend some URB pickups that aren't so harsh sounding? Or perhaps some of you are using the Full Circle and have it installed "threads down" and can tell me if that makes a positive difference?
Thanks much.
I currently have a Fishman Full Circle on my bass, mounted "threads up" on the bass side of the bridge, installed by a local luthier.
I want to get a warmer, more "organic" sound than I'm currently getting and the main culprit seems to be the pickup. Over the years I've been pretty mindful about choosing gear that's "hi-fi yet warm" and I work pretty darned hard at getting a tone from each of my instruments that is clear and full yet not harsh. But I haven't yet found a good balance with the URB.
This is my first time having any instrument with a piezo pickup and I feel like I'm spending all my time trying to dial out the scritchy, scratchy sound of the pickup. It's that same sound that you hear if you take a piece of notebook paper and wad it up. It's the same sound I hear if I have the bass plugged in and I run my fingers over the bridge or along the top of the body near the bridge. The Full Circle is picking up WAY too much of the extraneous stuff, not enough of the fundamentals for my taste.
I know my way around a parametric and I've got some pretty effective EQ and filtering between the PZ Pre and the EQ on the amps. But even so, there's only so much you can notch out before the sound of the instrument starts to get muffled. I don't want to EQ the thing to death! It's a very warm sounding bass un-amplified.
So I'm wondering, can you guys recommend some URB pickups that aren't so harsh sounding? Or perhaps some of you are using the Full Circle and have it installed "threads down" and can tell me if that makes a positive difference?
Thanks much.
