• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Simple Hack for Headway "The Band" pickup

matt holt

matt holt

Apr 5, 2005
613
599
Cincinnati OH
www.mattholtmusic.com
#1
I have found a pretty simple hack that greatly increases the reliability Headway's The Band pickup.

I've been using The Band for a number of years, and for most of that time have had a love/hate relationship with it. It can sound really good, but it is also very finicky. Getting the piezo element placed in the right spot, and with the right amount if pressure, makes a night and day difference in the sound. The fact that the only thing holding the piezo in place is the tension on the tubing, and the tension on the tubing is held by velcro, means that it is quite easy IME for the tubing to lose some of its tension and/or slip a little bit (by, say, accidentally stepping on the your cable while it is pluggedinto the pickup).

Also, my understanding is that if your bass doesn't have enough arch to its top, it can be almost impossible (or actually impossible) to get the proper pressure on the piezo. I have kind of experienced this; as my bass has aged (I bought it new about 6 years ago) I think it has lost some of its arch, as I have found that it is harder and harder to get the piezo over the "sweet spot" without also introducing buzzez and flutters that result from the the tubing not being solidly tensioned against the top.

Well, a few months ago I found a simple solution that has worked brilliantly for me.
I think pictures will explain it better than I possibly could with words:

20220604_223339.jpg

20220604_223349.jpg


Basically, I used velcro cable ties through the F holes to help secure the tube against the top. I have had zero issues with the pickup since I did this, and have been very happy with the sound on all the gigs I have played. If you have a Band, and have had similar issues to the ones mentioned above, I highly suggest you try this out.

I hope someone finds this helpful! :bassist:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jason Hollar, Eric Hochberg, s van order and 9 others
#3
Matt, you prefer the sound of this "band" piezo to other pickups (like the bridge "wing" insert piezos sold by Upton and Kolsteins), or the Fishman full circle?

I've only ever used the wing-style pickups, but I recorded a violinist that used 'the band' and I was impressed with the recorded sound.
 
#4
fu22ba55 said:
Matt, you prefer the sound of this "band" piezo to other pickups (like the bridge "wing" insert piezos sold by Upton and Kolsteins), or the Fishman full circle?



I've only ever used the wing-style pickups, but I recorded a violinist that used 'the band' and I was impressed with the recorded sound.
Click to expand...


I have used 3 different bridge wing pickups (Underwood, Shadow, and Revolution Solo) and IMHO The Band blows them out of the water, especially when the piezo and tension are set right (even with the piezo not sent right, I think it sounds better than the pickups I mentioned).

I had a full circle for a number of years, and did like the sound, but I had problems with the connecting lead coming out of the bridge wheel; I'm super picky about my string height, and so make frequent adjustments, and that cable was always in the way of that (also I had one short out on me). Sound wise, if the Band is set right, I still like it a little better than the Full Circle, but that is a much closer contest than with the other ones I mentioned, and I could definitely see someone having a different opinion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fu22ba55
#6
I had the opportunity to demo the Headway Band along with the Headway EDB-2 that was new at the time. Matt’s solution is genius, that said,
I’d have to try it on my own instrument before I ever invested in that particular pickup. My sense is that as the rubber band is used over time
It will continue to stretch out of shape, whether or not the fix will compensate for that is anyones guess. The Ehrlund EAP achieves the same thing on my bass without the band. Just my take.
 
#8
Ric Vice said:
I had the opportunity to demo the Headway Band along with the Headway EDB-2 that was new at the time. Matt’s solution is genius, that said,
I’d have to try it on my own instrument before I ever invested in that particular pickup. My sense is that as the rubber band is used over time
It will continue to stretch out of shape, whether or not the fix will compensate for that is anyones guess. The Ehrlund EAP achieves the same thing on my bass without the band. Just my take.
Click to expand...

I've never used The Ehrlund, but it definitely has a reputation as a great pickup. If anyone wants to loan me one, I'd love to do a side by side;)

I don't think the Band "streaching" needs to be a concern. It's not really a "rubber" band, more like a very flexible plastic. I've had mine for almost 10 years, and it doesn't seemed deformed at all-I would think any streaching or deformation would be visible in the lettering/logo. I DO think there is a design issue is that the velcro on the back has a tendency to work itself loose over time (my little hack does seem to have alleviated this issue though) IMO Headway would do well to find a different "connection" system.

I'm not by any means saying the Band is the end all be all of pickups. In fact, before I figured out the cable tie thing, I probably wouldn't have recommend it to someone looking for a new pickup: it was just to persnikity. I think this small tweak really does make a huge difference, though, and turns The Band into an option I think is worth serious consideration.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ric Vice and bassically_eli
#11
By clamping the Band to the f-holes the pressure of the sensor on the top changes and the Band is less loose.
That might work for some basses but might not be enough for others. But it definitely makes it better.

I think most violins have a higher curvature of the top than basses and the higher frequencies might get picked up easier from the piezo than the lower bass frequencies.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ric Vice
#12
DoubleMIDI said:
By clamping the Band to the f-holes the pressure of the sensor on the top changes and the Band is less loose.
That might work for some basses but might not be enough for others. But it definitely makes it better.

I think most violins have a higher curvature of the top than basses and the higher frequencies might get picked up easier from the piezo than the lower bass frequencies.
Click to expand...

Makes sense and I would think that gravity is working in your favor at least to some extent because it's pushing down on the band :)
 
#14
matt holt said:
I've never used The Ehrlund, but it definitely has a reputation as a great pickup. If anyone wants to loan me one, I'd love to do a side by side;)

I don't think the Band "streaching" needs to be a concern. It's not really a "rubber" band, more like a very flexible plastic. I've had mine for almost 10 years, and it doesn't seemed deformed at all-I would think any streaching or deformation would be visible in the lettering/logo. I DO think there is a design issue is that the velcro on the back has a tendency to work itself loose over time (my little hack does seem to have alleviated this issue though) IMO Headway would do well to find a different "connection" system.

I'm not by any means saying the Band is the end all be all of pickups. In fact, before I figured out the cable tie thing, I probably wouldn't have recommend it to someone looking for a new pickup: it was just to persnikity. I think this small tweak really does make a huge difference, though, and turns The Band into an option I think is worth serious consideration.
Click to expand...
Try replacing the Velcro with 3M Dual Lock. That stuff’s not going anywhere.
 
#15
I'm curious to try The Band because it can be installed/uninstalled so easily, but very skeptical because its hard to find many people using it professionally or enough high-quality sound clips online. Almost everything I've tried can sound decent enough at a low to medium volume. My concern is how much usable volume can you get before feedback? More or less than the Realist, Realist Lifeline, RevSolo, or KNA DB-1, anything you've used? The Realists are solid reliable but I hate the semi-permanence of their install. The wingslot PUs are always a bit finicky with placement and pressure. Playing local venues, more often than not, I'm crammed up against a wall right in front of my speaker and expected to fill the room. I do okay with the pickups mentioned, but it takes a lot more tools and dialing in than I'd like. If The Band was comparable, I would be happy enough. It just can't be worse.
 
#16
matt holt said:
I have found a pretty simple hack that greatly increases the reliability Headway's The Band pickup.

I've been using The Band for a number of years, and for most of that time have had a love/hate relationship with it. It can sound really good, but it is also very finicky. Getting the piezo element placed in the right spot, and with the right amount if pressure, makes a night and day difference in the sound. The fact that the only thing holding the piezo in place is the tension on the tubing, and the tension on the tubing is held by velcro, means that it is quite easy IME for the tubing to lose some of its tension and/or slip a little bit (by, say, accidentally stepping on the your cable while it is pluggedinto the pickup).

Also, my understanding is that if your bass doesn't have enough arch to its top, it can be almost impossible (or actually impossible) to get the proper pressure on the piezo. I have kind of experienced this; as my bass has aged (I bought it new about 6 years ago) I think it has lost some of its arch, as I have found that it is harder and harder to get the piezo over the "sweet spot" without also introducing buzzez and flutters that result from the the tubing not being solidly tensioned against the top.

Well, a few months ago I found a simple solution that has worked brilliantly for me.
I think pictures will explain it better than I possibly could with words:

View attachment 4711383
View attachment 4711385

Basically, I used velcro cable ties through the F holes to help secure the tube against the top. I have had zero issues with the pickup since I did this, and have been very happy with the sound on all the gigs I have played. If you have a Band, and have had similar issues to the ones mentioned above, I highly suggest you try this out.

I hope someone finds this helpful! :bassist:
Click to expand...
 
#17
Thank you for posting that material on the Headway Band Pickup. We are into Band2 now with improved pickups and better definition, detail and slightly better levels. We have sold 37,000 of them over about 20 years, mostly for Violin but quite a lot for Cello. It is more finicky for Double Bass as you say, but for tone, it makes sense picking up from the main producer of sound of the instrument, i.e the top. Bridges are more for transmitting vibration and supporting strings than producing sound and the resonant (dominant) frequency of maple is higher than spruce which influences a harder tone with a greater content of higher frequencies. The size of top compared to bridge also biases more lower frequencies. Of course it is likely to be more prone to feedback than a bridge Pickup perhaps. I like the modification and I wonder if we might use the pic and details on website and credit you? I take it you have used double sided non adhesive velcro? I have another idea for a clamp on dual system involving pickups and microphones plus a tiny pre-amp and minimal controls. Maybe we will have something in a year or two. Best wishes from a UK in record heat. John of Headway
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jason Hollar, vin*tone and bassically_eli
#18
walkerofbass said:
I'm curious to try The Band because it can be installed/uninstalled so easily, but very skeptical because its hard to find many people using it professionally or enough high-quality sound clips online. Almost everything I've tried can sound decent enough at a low to medium volume. My concern is how much usable volume can you get before feedback? More or less than the Realist, Realist Lifeline, RevSolo, or KNA DB-1, anything you've used? The Realists are solid reliable but I hate the semi-permanence of their install. The wingslot PUs are always a bit finicky with placement and pressure. Playing local venues, more often than not, I'm crammed up against a wall right in front of my speaker and expected to fill the room. I do okay with the pickups mentioned, but it takes a lot more tools and dialing in than I'd like. If The Band was comparable, I would be happy enough. It just can't be worse.
Click to expand...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back