Double Bass String balance with pickup

[BassDaddy11]

Yes, I agree James. The bass side is very boomy in comparison. Are you suggesting swapping the two adjusters on the FC- putting the wired side on the treble?
Btw, do any of y’all mute the tailpiece (foam,towel,pillow,teddy bear??) or use a bridge mute when amplified at higher volumes? The trend in bluegrass seems to be these wire bridge mutes to cut down the sustain and reduce feedback potential. They also seem to give a nice clarity and core to the sound unamplified. . Just curious….

 

[Ric Vice]

That’s all very helpful. I might try a few gentle taps and see if it makes a difference.
I’ve been wondering which wheel of the FC has the microphone- or do they both? Is it beneficial to adjust both or just the G side? I do realize it’s best to keep them the same as much as possible.

The Full Circle has Piezo elements mounted inside the adjuster. It's not a microphone it's a piezo pickup

As I understand it Fishman used the Yamahiko pickup for "inspiration" and "re-designed it" the Yamahiko has it's piezo element mounted in the shaft of the adjuster, thus

avoiding

 

[james condino]

Yes, I agree James. The bass side is very boomy in comparison. Are you suggesting swapping the two adjusters on the FC- putting the wired side on the treble?
….

It is worth a try & should only take about 15 minutes- lay bass down, loosen string tension, switch adjusters, tighten back up.

When I play at high volume (usually every weekend!), I stuff a tennis bass between the tailpiece and the top of the bass to dampen it, regardless of what bass I'm playing that night.

 

[james condino]

For clarity: I've posted it before, but this is what I mean by "playing loud", not an anemic little hipster 8" cabinet that fits in your manbag at the coffee shop...!!! Yes, I play arco a lot at those volumes- it is KILLER with the pedalboard. Pink rubber ball mashed under the tailpiece for dampening. I use a similar rig with several of my other basses. A KRIVO rides on this one all of the time but I also have several other pickups that I either use in tandem or separately. That's a 2000 watt Wayne Jones head...

 

[Don Kasper]

So, you play in a Blue-DeathMetal-Grass band?
(jk, James!)
(Dude, you need to mount a Fire Extinguisher to the side of your stack...& not just for show!)
Thx.

 

[plong123]

For clarity: I've posted it before, but this is what I mean by "playing loud", not an anemic little hipster 8" cabinet that fits in your manbag at the coffee shop...!!! Yes, I play arco a lot at those volumes- it is KILLER with the pedalboard. Pink rubber ball mashed under the tailpiece for dampening. I use a similar rig with several of my other basses. A KRIVO rides on this one all of the time but I also have several other pickups that I either use in tandem or separately. That's a 2000 watt Wayne Jones head...

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James, I also am playing rather loud gigs with my upright/Krivo every weekend. My problem is my D string is noticeably weaker than the others. Have you had to adjust your individual pickup poles to have a more well-tempered sound or just leave it as-is? And do you run a preamp pedal with the Krivo or straight in? Thanks

 

[james condino]

Yes sir, I messed around a bit with the pickup pole screws and also the string gages. I typically run Spiro mitts for my amplified rig, but bumping up to a Stark G string made a big difference- more boom & confidence.

I have a couple of preamps, but most often I use an ancient old Baggs Para acoustic DI that has had a permanent spot on the pedalboard for decades; more out of convenience than anything else. Without the preamp, the KRIVO that I have is very quiet- too quiet, so anything helps. I use it mainly for a boost. Occasionally if I'm not using the board, I'll do the exact same thing using an old tube screamer- turn the gain off but boost the volume. I almost bought a Redeye yesterday, but it looks like prices have raised to $400 now.