I have a 41 Kay bass and a GK MB150S amp....what pickups will not require a preamp with this set up? Undecided on new strings, but they will not be steel.
Thanx for your help.
Bob Allen
Thanx for your help.
Bob Allen
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass What pickup for upright does not require a preamp?
- Thread starter Hammertime3
- Start date
Piezo pickups generally "require" an input impedance of 1 Mohm or greater. If your head has such an input impedance, then a pre-amp (which typically offers such a high-impedance input) is not required. In this role, the pre-amp acts more as a "buffer stage" than in the traditional role of boosting the level of the signal from the pickup transducer. Piezos also benefit from a high-pass filter because they tend to pass infrasonic frequencies that rob your amp of power and cause wild excursions of the speaker cones (especially in ported cabs). Again, if your head includes a HPF, you're good to go. You can do a search in the amps/pickups forum on "infrasonics" and you'll find more than you may want to know! 
fdeck's device offers a 10 Mohm input impedance, an adjustable high-pass filter, and a phase-reversal switch, all for around $50. The circuit is quiet and it has ample dynamic range. It's a great unit.
fdeck's device offers a 10 Mohm input impedance, an adjustable high-pass filter, and a phase-reversal switch, all for around $50. The circuit is quiet and it has ample dynamic range. It's a great unit.
The Realist pickup should sound fine with your rig without a pre-amp. For whatever reason the realist, of all the piezo pickups, seems to be the least sensitive to the input impedance issue.
Realist, Bass Max and Full Circle. I'm sure there are others...
+1 on fdeck's buffer/HPF: good features, solid design, excellent price, and, with it, you can use any pickup you want.
+1 on fdeck's buffer/HPF: good features, solid design, excellent price, and, with it, you can use any pickup you want.
I talked to a friend of mine yesterday at a little jam. He has an Underwood installed on his Kay and says he doesn't use a preamp, but I've never heard the sound he gets. He's moving to Missouri on Wednesday so I guess I never will. I have a Bassmax that I have never installed (for one reason or another) so I guess it won't hurt to try it without the preamp.
Thanx for the responses so far.
Thanx for the responses so far.
You wouldn't want to use an Underwood without something like the HPF Buffer Preamp IMHO. Your GK MBS was a very good choice, since it already has a 1 meg ohm input impedance. The Bassmax might not need anything else.
Even my fishman bp100 does okay w/o a preamp on modern amps. I use a sansamp bassdriver anyway since I can use it to have different settings for arco and pizz (I roll of some treble and bring down the volume for arco) with a quick stomp.
I've always had better results with a preamp but Steve Gilmore gets a great sound with an Underwood straight into a beat up little GK.
I have a GK MB150S, the Realist, BassMax and Upton all had plenty of signal thru it. The input jack on those amps has a switch to jack up the signal if needed. Much like the other GK's that have a 'passive' and 'active' input jack selection.
I use a pre for tone.
I, as well as several others whom I know personally, have been very, very, very pleased with the Revolution Solo II which produces very realistic results plugged direct with no preamp required: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] Lotsa Bang for the Buck!!! 
Hammertime:
Technically the BassMax does not need a pre-amp. But I have always used a pre-amp in the 12 years I have used a Bassmax ....and more recently the Rev Solo. It's a real advantage to be able to shape the sound you want. And not all amps react the same way to pickups that go in directly. I just prefer giving any amp or board a line-level signal.
One of the guys on this list has a signature line that says "Technically no. Practically....maybe."
So true.
Technically the BassMax does not need a pre-amp. But I have always used a pre-amp in the 12 years I have used a Bassmax ....and more recently the Rev Solo. It's a real advantage to be able to shape the sound you want. And not all amps react the same way to pickups that go in directly. I just prefer giving any amp or board a line-level signal.
One of the guys on this list has a signature line that says "Technically no. Practically....maybe."
So true.
i have an older version of one of these on my upton bass and its nice, simple and seems to work well.
I, as well as several others whom I know personally, have been very, very, very pleased with the Revolution Solo II which produces very realistic results plugged direct with no preamp required: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] Lotsa Bang for the Buck!!!
I ran an underwood for years without a preamp plugged direct to GK amp with no problem and always got a big fat tone !
Piezo's are what they are and the key is matching which the GK amps do well.
Piezo's are what they are and the key is matching which the GK amps do well.
Nic
Steve has always had such a great tone, without the amp, that I'm not sure that it really maters what he is playing into. I'm guessing that his GK amp is a old 200MB which had a great pre amp, voiced perfectly to compliment a Double Bass. Steve with his bass and that particular amp would be a combination that's hard to beat.
Ric
Speedster:
Did you ever try an outboard pre-amp eg Baggs paracoustic DI or Fishman proEq into your G-K? I was wondering if the outboard pre amp had better controls and improved sound over the pre/eq in the G-K.
