Double Bass Stagg support

[Per Gaerde]

I bought a second hand Stagg EUB a month ago just to try a double bass. It turned out to be great fun, and I've already made my "debut" on stage. Apart from that I have played fretted and fretless bass guitars for more than four decades, so I see the Stagg as a project to keep my mind fit
As a new member, I'm impressed by the knowhow and the enthusiasm from the active members in this forum. After spelling my way through the 47 pages in this thread, I feel that I know a lot, but not all.
That's why I'm searching for support sites run by Stagg Co. or others for the Stagg EUB.
I've only found this one: Stagg EUB modifications

The issues concerning my Stagg are feedback and generally unwanted mechanical noises from the body. On my "debut" gig I actually had to move away from the monitor speakers, because as soon as I took my hands off the strings, a feedback started making a loud noise/howling through the PA. Generally, it seemed that every kind of mechanical influence was amplified and PA'd.
At the time I had the volume knob on the Stagg turned down to a minimum, the signal was lined from my stage amp to the PA mixer and I used a moderate compressor setting.
Funny enough, standing right in front of my Roland 60 XL Bass Cube (10" speaker) stage amp was no problem. I even played with a realistic sound level (rock music) to use it as a stage monitor.
Rehearsing at home with the Roland or a headset works fine too. I have to tap directly on the body of the instrument to provoke the noise, which is perfectly understandable considering the fact that the mics are piezo elements.

There is no electronic hum or hiss involved, just feedback and mechanical (tap/stage floor) noises.
The end pin is silent as long as I lean the bass towards me.
I have done the foam padding modification under the bridge, and the piezo elements are loops under the bridge.
I have also dampened the strings below the bridge using foam.

What do you suggest?

 

[madbanjoman]

Welcome! I started on the Stagg as well. If I am working with a sound man, I have him take my EUB/DB out of the monitors at least my monitor. My stage amp is all I need and it won’t cause feedback like the stage monitors. We are a small so my stage is usually enough for the whole band. It is a joy to work with a sound man who knows how to work with acoustic groups but here they are a rarity. Rock level bass in the monitors causes massive feedback and that’s often what we get.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

An EUB is more a double bass than a bass guitar.
That means less bass frequencies. The pickup delivers more bass frequencies than the typical acoustic output of a double bass, so the bass needs to be cut. Turn the bass boost at the Stagg off and let the FOH sound engineer take out some bass below 80 to 100 Hz.

 

[Per Gaerde]

The feedback problems did not so much occur in the bass frequenzies. It was more a sort of metallic sound in the upper mid frequenzies. The sound was badly affected during playing, and the sound guy told me it was "awful".
The Stagg did not just pick up its own sound from the monitor speaker, but all kinds of noises.
I moved 2 meters/7 feet away from the monitor speaker and right in front of my stage amp, and that apparently fixed it.
I can live without a front monitor speaker as long as I can hear the backline amp, but I hoped there was a modification I could do to the Stagg itself.

Edit: There may be a simpler explanation. While writing this post, I notice by chance that the rubber knob on the end pin is worn, so the metal shows through it. Hmmm. Standing next to a floor mounted stage monitor could mean that noise and vibrations are picked up by the end pin and transferred to the rest of the instrument.
My backline amp was after all placed on a chair, decoupled from the stage floor.
Hmmm. I'll try a rubber block under the end pin on my next gig, and get back here later.

 

[John Le Guyader]

Try this thread also Stagg EUB megathread

If you really want to contact Stagg support, I had luck reaching them on Facebook Messenger. I bought a B-stock Stagg EUB and the bag it came with had failed zippers. They sent me a new bag after I contacted them. But I don't think they will be equipped to deal with your feedback issue.

I fixed the endpin noise on my Stagg by putting heat shrink tubing on the last three inches or so on the end inside the bass. If you make it too long you will have issues putting the endpin in and out. The heat shrink tubing snugs the endpin in the bass when you pull out the endpin. Trial and error and cutting the tubing to size even after shrunk is easy.

As for feedback, I find cutting frequencies is the most helpful, but I am a relative nubie on upright having picked it up a year ago. Whether it is my Juzek, Engelhardt or my Stagg, I find no matter the preamp/amp combo I am using I am almost always cutting bass, middle and treble frequencies and rarely if ever boost.

I also find using a preamp/amp combo designed for piezo works best. Acoustic Image, Phil Jones, Headway preamp is what I use for upright and it just plain works. These are very uncolored for electric bass but faithfully recreate the natural sound of an upright. They are pricey but worth the scratch IMHO for amplification of acoustic instruments with piezo pickups, which essentially the Stagg is.

Try also running your Stagg first through a preamp suited for a piezo pickup no matter the amp you are using. It improves the overall sound of the Stagg a great deal.

 

[Duanestuermer]

I have a Palatino EU (which may (or may not) be similar to the Stagg(?), and I always had a lot of high end electric interference noise, and rattle (not much feedback but some times high end squeal), and scratchy as all hell with a bow .
I found placing rubber bicycle tube splices beneath the feet of the bridge to help dampen the noise a little.

 

[336v]

Later models of Stagg have a fix for the end pin rattle - the threaded hold on the back about 4" or 10 cm from the bottom meant for the threaded screw with a wingnut head to be screwed in after you've adjusted and secured the instrument height with another stopper screw in the aluminum bushing at the very bottom. Once you' tighten the side screw, it pushes the end pin to its side and against the carved channel inside the body, which prevents the the pin from rattling for good.

I took this and this images show some other mods I've described on my website, dedicated to the Stagg EUB upgrades and modifications, but the screw on the back of the body near the bottom with a triangle wingnut is well visible.