Double Bass Searching for pickup biased toward strings vs. body

[lowfreqgeek]

I've got a BSX 5-string EUB project that I'm working on right now and I'm looking for a piezo pickup that is heavily biased toward picking up the sound of the strings and not so much the "body".

I use a Full Circle in my primary DB, and I would go with the same in this project, but the bridge will need to be replaced, or heavily modified, to make that work. I'm interested in trying out the Realist Lifeline on this project and also on my new backup bass. However, I like the idea of a Wilson ($$$) or K&K or other pickup that is physically closer to the strings and will hopefully be more directly influenced by the strings than the "body" (it's hollow and sounds pretty bad with an ear to it...). The bridge does have the traditional wings, so I could potentially fit an Underwood or something into it. Not sure how far the gap is, but it's wider than my DB, so shims may be required.

BTW - the bass came with a magnetic pickup, but the E and B coils have some serious static sound that happens when the strings are in motion, so the magnetic pickup assembly will come off.

 

[robgrow]

lowfreqgeek,
I was thinking a magnetic pickup such as a Krivo until I read your last paragraph. Nevertheless I think a magnetic pickup would pickup mostly the strings. For a piezo pickup, the Fishman BP-100 and the Underwood would mostly pickup the strings.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Thanks, Robgrow.

I certainly wouldn't mind augmenting with a magnetic pickup, but I definitely need the option of using a bow, so a piezo is pretty critical for that.

I'm going to borrow a friend's Lifeline, but if that picks up too much body, I'll look at the Underwood and BP-100. I think K&K makes a 5-string pickup with sensors at each string. That might be another option.

 

[Huy Nguyen]

I tried a BP on my Yammy. It was meh. I'll 2nd the mag pup idea. Doesn't get much stringier than that, although you might risk sounding even more like an EB. I once had a CR4 and though the pickup on it was so so. Every clip I've heard of the CR4 with mag pups sounded great that if I were to ever buy an NSDesign instrument, that's what I'd want on it.