Double Bass sound/gear poblems

[Matthew Stein]

hi,

i'm an upright/electric bassist and i have recently started playing my upright in a rock band (both bowed and pizz.) and i am having some real sound difficulties.
i'm looking for a new rig that i can play my upright and electric through that can be real loud but not lose too much of the real sound of my bass and also not have feedback problems with my upright.

i know there are lots of options and things to consider but i was wondering if some people could throw out some gear that i should check out or any of your own experiences with this....amps, cabs, pickups, preamps, etc.

thanks a bunch, matt

 

[anonymous0726]

Get an EUB.

 

[glivanos]

Try keeping your stage volume as low as possible and rely on the house PA system to provide bass to the audience. You may need to invest in some type of ear monitor system so you can hear yourself.

Otherwise, I agree with Ray Parker about using a EUB. I would recommend a solid body EUB vs a hollow body EUB which you will end up having the same problems as your acoustic upright.

Try a Clevinger Deluxe, Azola Bug Bass or BSX solid body EUB.

The Clevinger especially is bowable. I have one with a magnetic pick-up which I have played loud with absolutely no feedback problems. I don't know if they still make them with the magnetic pickups.

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Good Luck!

 

[greitzer]

...i'm looking for a new rig that i can play my upright and electric through that can be real loud but not lose too much of the real sound of my bass and also not have feedback problems with my upright.

I don't think this is possible with a DB. Ray is right -- get an electric upright. I did. It's the only thing that's gotten me loud enough in situations like rock, rock/jazz, etc.

Others on TB have many more years of experience than I do, so they may have a different view on this. There are several threads (maybe a lot of them) that have covered this topic in the past (how to get maximum loudness from an amplified DB). If you do a search on terms like "volume," "loudness", check the preamp threads, etc. you should be able to find some of these past threads.

I still use the DB for non-rock-level situations. A few of the basic tips for getting your DB a bit louder would be trying a preamp, getting your amp up off the floor onto a stand (or a chair), and positioning yourself as far away from your amp as you can to avoid feedback.

Good luck.

 

[fdeck]

A magnetic pickup has a much higher feedback threshold, though it doesn't sound quite as authentic. One model is the Pierre Josephs String Charger.