Double Bass troubleshoot Realist bass pickup

[JazznFunk]

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.

This is exactly the issue that the Woodtone version of The Realist rectifies perfectly.

 

[Paul New]

i’ve had two under the bridge Realists. One failed after a couple of years and the other is well beyond ten years old now and still working. I prefer the Realist Lifeline design though. It’s a more robust design and less instrusive.

 

[turf3]

This is exactly the issue that the Woodtone version of The Realist rectifies perfectly.

I rather doubt that a piece of 0.035" wood veneer (Gollihur gives total thickness as .070 or so) is going to be more resistant to denting than the spruce top of a bass.

Now if it were aluminum or tool steel, maybe.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Any piezo pickup needs full contact pressure to work correctly. Check to be sure the bridge foot fits with no gaps. If that doesn’t solve your problem throw it away and get another pickup. Although some Copperheads can last many years, in my experience the average lifespan is under five years. The wood version isn’t much better. The Lifeline is my favorite Realist.

 

[JazznFunk]

I rather doubt that a piece of 0.035" wood veneer (Gollihur gives total thickness as .070 or so) is going to be more resistant to denting than the spruce top of a bass.

Now if it were aluminum or tool steel, maybe.

I have 10 years of physical and audible proof with the Woodtone version to show it does, but I guess that actual, concrete evidence doesn't matter in these discussions. I had to reposition my bridge slightly a whole back and there is no evidence of denting at all in the veneer, or in the top of my bass after a decade of using the wood version, and the piezo elements are not visible in any way, as they tend to be on the Copperhead after extended use. The veneer, in practical application, appears to spread out the pressure from the bridge foot over the element's total surface quite well. At this point 10 years ago, my old Copperhead was losing volume and overall definition and quality of sound. The current version hasn't lost a step yet. Maybe I'll get 15 years out of it!

 

[Ric Vice]

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.

I’ve never had the opportunity to try a wood veneer Realist. So I really can’t comment on that, nor have I compared to the Life Line, so no experience there either. After I went through two Copper Realists I went with the Life Line as my backup. The Ehrlund EAP is my primary pickup on both my Mirecourt 5/8ths (circa 1912) and my Kolstine Busetto Travel Bass. With the RedEye Twin Preamp.

 

[JazznFunk]

I’ve never had the opportunity to try a wood veneer Realist. So I really can’t comment on that, nor have I compared to the Life Line, so no experience there either. After I went through two Copper Realists I went with the Life Line as my backup. The Ehrlund EAP is my primary pickup on both my Mirecourt 5/8ths (circa 1912) and my Kolstine Busetto Travel Bass. With the RedEye Twin Preamp.

They seem to fly under the radar for a lot of folks, although I'm not sure why. When they introduced it, it seemed like the perfect compromise/solution to ensure longer lifespan and more even tone/response since the overall 'platform' for the element(s) was stabilized from the start from bass to bass with the veneer. Been very satisfied with mine. I tried wing/adjuster mounted pickups in the past and never liked how 'pingy' and direct they were in general, so I'm a Realist devotee.

 

[blakelock]

wow. great info everyone.
i should clarify that i have the realist lifeline. i replaced it with same and all is good now. i guess the cable got yanked somehow causing the failure. i would actually love to try all of the options you've suggested (copperhead, wood, full circle, etc.) but don't have the time, money, patience.

 

[Ric Vice]

Interesting! I think for my money the Realist Life Line is the easiest of all the commonly used pickups ( Full Circle, Realist Copper Foil, Reallist Wood) to
install and remove. I would have thought that the Life Line would have been most "bullet proof" of those three. Just goes to show you that
there's always an exception to the rule. Sorry about that.