Double Bass troubleshoot Realist bass pickup

[blakelock]

hi all,
I'm an amateur player but experienced in electric bass building and setup. I installed a realist pickup on my Shen and it worked great for a year (pickup installed under bridge foot, run through Fishman pre, then into amp). now, no sound is coming out? I've tested cables, pre-amp (tried two and replaced batteries) and am getting nothing. I can run an acoustic guitar through same signal chain and it gives good sound (this verifies pre-amp, cables, amp are all working).
I suppose this means the realist failed? how common is it for them to fail after a year or 2?

 

[JBarz]

It’s pretty common. The wire that goes to the piezo element is so crazy thin that if it gets stressed it breaks easily. I’ve had 50% success rate bringing them back to life with a well placed drop of solder.

 

[blakelock]

Oof. I suppose I can try to mount my next one in a non-stressed position?? Or are other pickups better designed? (I know that would be an entire new thread )

 

[JBarz]

Lots of ways to skin that cat. Realist is one of the best out-of-the-box solutions, but tend to be dark and fragile (but aren’t we all?). Yamahiko is my favorite by a long shot, but requires bridge adjusters. Full Circle you’ll be dealing with cable stress again. Vic’s Model C is the cheapest and easiest solution. No perfect solution, just different compromises.

 

[Don Hergert]

Vic’s Model C is the cheapest and easiest solution.

Just for clarification, Vic's Model B is the bridge wing pickup and is probably Vic's least expensive model, and it can often be used directly into an amp. The Vic's Model C is a stereo pickup system combining a Vic's Model A (fingerboard pickup for slap) with a Model B (bridge wing pickup).

Both are great, but the Model C does require a 2 channel blending pre-amp.

 

[Jeff Kissell]

They’re actually pretty robust and have been trouble free in my experience. I’ve never had a failure. Full disclosure, I use a Yamahiko currently.

 

[sean_on_bass]

i have two copper realists that are going strong after many years of use. one of them is over 10 years old. i tried a Vic's and didn't care for it at all compared to the Realist. it was very finnicky and required alot of adjusting while the Realist is pretty much plug and play.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

The Shadow SH-965 NFX works well too. Output level is a bit low, the PCB in the battery adapter can sometimes rattle (screw it open and insert some foam), solder points in the mini TS-plugs may break when stressed, but can be resoldered and it sounds a bit distant (less direct). Can be used with one foil only, then you have a spare one.
I wouldn’t use it for big band or aggressive styles, but for quieter and softer, more acoustic music this pickup is good.
And it has more high frequency content than the Realist.

 

[havnjero]

if you have bridge adjusters, rotate the foot a bit on the pickup -- sometimes mine goes out as well, but adjustment like this brings it back.
hope thats all it is!

 

[JazznFunk]

After 2 years? Nope. That's probably a failure due to installation issues most likely. My first copper Realist lasted at least 10 years. It started having a lower output level eventually, but never failed outright. The piezo element does diminish eventually, and the copper element is pretty soft and can become squished/wrinkled if it's not installed properly. My current one (wood version, not copper) is going on close to a decade as well and has had no issues. I chose the wood version because it made sense that it would slide under the bridge more easily during installation (it did) and would result in less direct impact/pressure on the piezo element over time. So far, my hunch has been correct.

 

[logdrum]

Schertler is what I use now. B-Stat. Since 2017, but they have raised the price now.

Isn't there a face up side on the realist copper, have you installed yours wrongly. Also you installed it under the E correct? Good luck repairing. Non ROHS solder requires lower temp

 

[Steven Ayres]

I've run two copperheads on different basses for many years and have had no issues with them. I think that there may be significant risk of crushing the internal elements, and to address both that and what I found to be the pickup's sensitivity to scratchy highs I place a pad of rubberized-cork gasket material between the pickup and the body.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

My Realist Copperhead is going on 10yrs soon and still going strong. I'm almost certain I would like some other pickups better (I used a Full Circle on my previous bass, would love to get a Yamahiko, but no adjusters on my current bridge), but the Realist has always worked for me and sounds good in context.

 

[Ross Kratter]

My bass, which I got 16 years ago last month, came with a Realist on it. Still works great all these years later. The one issue I had with it giving low output or distorting had to do with the bridge foot not sitting flush on it; the bridge had shifted at some point. David Gage fixed that issue for me and it’s been totally fine ever since, and that was probably in 2014 or 2015.

 

[JBarz]

In The Realist’s defense, when I used and abused them I was moving them from bass-to-bass frequently which I’m sure hastened their premature demise.

 

[jj.833]

I also have two Realists - Copperhead and Lifeline - on two basses for many years, surely more than 10, with no issue. Sorry I can't help with how to diagnose the pickup. From what I hear, the Realist usually dies slowly. In case of sudden silence, it's probably severed cable. Good luck in repair!

If you were to buy new one, do a thorough search on what to buy. There are many good options nowadays. Realist - in my experience - is most reliable and feedback resistant, but too strong in lows and for today's standards not very truthful sounding. You can achieve truer sound nowadays, though usualy at the cost of feedback resistance. I'm using an Ehrlund, which is a contact microphone, and the Realist gets used only in very rare feedback emergency situations.

 

[JazznFunk]

Realist - in my experience - is most reliable and feedback resistant, but too strong in lows and for today's standards not very truthful sounding. You can achieve truer sound nowadays, though usualy at the cost of feedback resistance.

A high pass filter and 2-band sweepable mid setup with a preamp solved that for me with the Realist. It's the 'truest' sound I've ever been able to get with a pickup, for me at least. And I can make pretty much any amp work with that approach. I'd rather have to cut/shape the lows with the Realist than to try and add anything back in with another pickup which lacks them in the first place. YMMV.

 

[Ric Vice]

I think that’s the inherent design flaw in the Realist Copper Foil Pickup. Unfortunately, I think they’re only “under warranty” for a year now.
The warranty used to be 4 years. If truly is kaput, I don’t think I’d go with another Realist Copper foil again. The Realist Life Line is. lMHO a more robust design. Folks here love the Vic’s they’re inexpensive. Personally, I use Ehrlund EAP and the Red Eye Twin Preamp. But that’s a more expensive setup. If you liked the sound of the Realist I’d get a Realist Lifelind provided your bass has bridge adjusters. Just my take however.

 

[JazznFunk]

I think that’s the inherent design flaw in the Realist Copper Foil Pickup. Unfortunately, I think they’re only “under warranty” for a year now.
The warranty used to be 4 years. If truly is kaput, I don’t think I’d go with another Realist Copper foil again. The Realist Life Line is. lMHO a more robust design. Folks here love the Vic’s they’re inexpensive. Personally, I use Ehrlund EAP and the Red Eye Twin Preamp. But that’s a more expensive setup. If you liked the sound of the Realist I’d get a Realist Lifelind provided your bass has bridge adjusters. Just my take however.

The aforementioned Realist 'Woodtone' with the wood veneer on top and bottom is the ideal solution if one wants to stick with the traditional Realist without going in the direction of the 'Copperhead'. I've found it to be much more durable and consistent than the Copperhead version. The LifeLine is a great pickup, but a different sonic profile that may or may not work for everyone. Certainly a more 'direct' sound than the traditional Realist.

 

[turf3]

My experience was that the two little piezo discs printed through the soft copper, and eventually made two divots in the top, thus losing compression on the piezo discs, reducing output, and making the sound increasingly boomy and poorly defined. I expect I could have put a piece of hard material under the pickup, but that would make that bridge foot slipperier on the top - I went with a Full Circle instead, where the piezo element(s?) bear on harder metal.