I’ve started using my Underwood after many years with the Full Circle. It sounds good on my main bass but would like to get a similar wing style pickup for my other basses. There are so many to choose from. Planet Wing, DB-1, Bass Max, Revolution Solo, Shadow etc. I’m liking the single wing on the E string side. Simple and easy to put on and take off a bass. Any suggestions?
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Double Bass Underwood pickup style back up recommendation
- Thread starter peskatore
- Start date
Earl
Supporting Member
@rickwolff gets a great sound out of his KNA DB-1, although I suspect he gets a great sound out of most pickups.
I’ve heard good things about the DB-1. And it’s a good price. Definitely in the running. Thanks!
I'm not well versed for comparisons, but I've heard people say that Vic's tone is in the same ballpark as the K&K offerings. That said, no double bass is completely the same as another, and the way a wing piezo pickup is installed and setup can make a huge difference in how it sounds.
I use the Vic's Model C (wing and slap pickups) feeding through a K&K Dual Channel Pro ST pre-amp and I really am pleased with it.
Vic's Model B, with its dual piezo design, may not require a pre-amp, depending on what it's being plugged into.
I use the Vic's Model C (wing and slap pickups) feeding through a K&K Dual Channel Pro ST pre-amp and I really am pleased with it.
Vic's Model B, with its dual piezo design, may not require a pre-amp, depending on what it's being plugged into.
I got two Vic's pickups (single wing) but both don't sound the same.
They may be inexpensive, but perhaps at the cost of lack of consistency, at least in my experience.
They may be inexpensive, but perhaps at the cost of lack of consistency, at least in my experience.
I don't want to throw a wet blanket on the Vic's and KNA enthusiasts, but if you really need a backup for your Underwood then just buy another. It will give you the same sound you become accustomed to and will last for years. Mine is probably 3 decades old and might even outlive me! My Underwood now serves as backup to the Wilson K4 and Realist Lifeline that are currently installed on my most often used bass. It's actually been sitting in a box with some of the others I've tried and didn't sell off. My current collection consists of a Schertler Stat B, Fishman BP 100, an original Realist Copperhead and a Krivo Magnetic. It and the others haven't seen the light of day since I've more or less settled on the Wilson and the Lifeline. But I was recently feeling nostalgic and tried the Underwood on a couple of gigs this past weekend. It sounded great and performed flawlessly! I could make my entire career in jazz with just an Underwood. Many better bassists than I managed to do exactly that!
I hear you, Mike. I too have a collection of pickups that sit in a box along with all the strings that I’ve tried and taken off! My Underwood is probably as old as yours. Still works perfectly. It’s just that I’ve heard from other bassists that the single wing pickups have a nice sound and are so easy to install, especially on a rental. Thought I’d do some research and try one
Did you have to do any filing on the bridge to get it to fit? Or did it not need it?
No.
I may even have needed a thin shimming. (piece of business card or the like)
My band released our latest album (Grace for the Journey) in 2019 and it has my DB -- with essentially a Vic's Model B -- in all the songs. This was plugged directly into the studio system. There are a couple of links in my signature line (below) that point to songs from that album and to the Youtube.
Caveats:
- I played banjo, not double bass on this album, but it was my double bass.
- I have no idea what hardware and software were used in the studio.
- At that time my DB had a complete set of SBW Deluxe "Dirty Guts" strings on it. I've since swapped the E and A strings with Innovation Silver Slaps E and A. I've also added a mounted Sennheiser e-604 tom mic for more acoustic tone.
- My DB is an Alcoa aluminum DB that has been heavily modified to sound less metallic, but it is still aluminum and may sound different than most wooden DBs; my observation, which is shared by a lot of people I play around, is that it sounds about as metallic as a wooden DB with Spiro strings.
- Every DB is different and potentially sounds different than every other DB, both acoustically and plugged in.
The thickness of the piezo element can vary a lot among the various bridge pickups. My Shadow SH-950 has very thick elements compared to an Underwood.
But even from the same manufacturer the thickness might vary a bit, at least enough for a different pressure on the element and therefor a different sound.
So if you want the pickup(s) on your other bass(es) to be a simple slip-in backup for your main bass, you might get a bit disappointed.
But even from the same manufacturer the thickness might vary a bit, at least enough for a different pressure on the element and therefor a different sound.
So if you want the pickup(s) on your other bass(es) to be a simple slip-in backup for your main bass, you might get a bit disappointed.
