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Double Bass Wing, under bridge, adjuster type??? What piezo do you like?

Slapstyle

Slapstyle

Dec 3, 2009
336
196
Maine
#1
Alright, so I got a bass from Upton shipped with their wing pickup. I don't know if it's just the pickup I got, but damn it sounded terrible. TONS of finger and string noise, thin sounding and just plain not good. I had to turn ALL the treble off and set the high mids to 2 K and turn that all the way off to get a usable tone from this thing. This was weather it was on its own, through a K&K rockabilly preamp, or through the FDeck HPF pre. Didn't matter, sounded like poop. This combined with feedback issues led me to go with a krivo mag, which I like ok. No feedback problems but of course, a fairly unnatural sound. Someone handed me a feedback destroyer pro for free today, which led me to wonder about going back to piezo and trying some different flavors. I dont want to invest a lot without knowing what the results will be but it is what it is I guess. Anyway, wondering what peoples experiences have been and their preferences would be. I suppose a mic would be the most natural sound but in a loud ass rockabilly band, I don't think that's really an option for me. So I wondered about the realist, full circle, and others that people like. I want a natural sound that will mix well with my clicky and serve me well for old school rockabilly tone. I really like the sounds people are getting from the blast cult setup but it's cost prohibitive at this point. I was kind of leaning toward the K&K bassmax since its a companion to the K&K preamp and clicky that I already have and like quite a bit.

Thoughts? Thanks!!!
 
#2
It sounds like a problem with the pickup or the fitting. Have you spoken with anyone at Upton about this?
I used their Rev. Solo wing pickup for a few years and never had the problem you describe.
The pickup does need to be well fitted, and if it slips out of the sweet-spot it won't sound as good.
 
#4
I think newer designs like the Realist and Full Circle sound better than any bridge wing pickup, and I've used the Underwood, Revolution Solo and K&K Bass Max.

- Steve
 
#5
ctxbass said:
It sounds like a problem with the pickup or the fitting. Have you spoken with anyone at Upton about this?
I used their Rev. Solo wing pickup for a few years and never had the problem you describe.
The pickup does need to be well fitted, and if it slips out of the sweet-spot it won't sound as good.
Click to expand...

Yeah, ive tried shifting it around, removed and reinstalled several times. it fits in there snug as a bug and was fitted by upton themselves so I dunno what the issue is.
 
#6
You say it fits "snug as a bug", but from the sound you describe, perhaps too snug. Squeeze a piezo and they quack. Give it some more breathing space, you can always buildup the gap again with veneer, popsickle sticks or what have you if you make the gap too big.

Designs such as the Realist and Full Circle (as well as a mic) are thought by many (if not most) rockabilly players to be a poor choice for high-volume situations, ie most rockabilly/psychobilly/etcetera-billy environs. YMMV. Of course, it'd be a great way to test your free feedback destroyer pro...

I've been using an Underwood for my rockabilly/swamp blues/country/bluegrass/roots endeavours with success even at high volumes. My pre's HPF, notch filter and a sweepable mid EQ help. I've used the Underwood on three different basses (including carved & semi-solid) and been satisfied with the tone I was getting from it (amp? that's a different backline story. blech). Oh, and enough slap-click for my taste without resorting to a clicky piezo. I'm not saying the Underwood is the be-end-all pup, but it's worked such that I've never needed/wanted anything else. What works for you, your bass, amp, stage volumes etc... well...

YTMV, YMMV, YBMV, YNMV. (Taste, Mileage, Bass, Needs)

I suggest you buy a [pickup-du-jour] used, try it, sell it if it isn't cutting it, rinse repeat, till your tone is shiny, wavy and manageable...
Also, perhaps ask the same question in the Rockabilly sub-forum, or check out ghost-town archives of RABB nee doublebasschat.

Best of luck getting it sorted!
 
#7
Feral Feline said:
I suggest you buy a [pickup-du-jour] used, try it, sell it if it isn't cutting it, rinse repeat, till your tone is shiny, wavy and manageable...
Click to expand...
That's hilarious. I'll slap some of my beard conditioner on there too. My facial hair is full of body and soooooo managable. :)

Feral Feline said:
Also, perhaps ask the same question in the Rockabilly sub-forum, or check out ghost-town archives of RABB nee doublebasschat.
Click to expand...
Yeah, what's up with that. Where is everybody??? I don't even go on there any more.
 
#8
Feral Feline said:
You say it fits "snug as a bug", but from the sound you describe, perhaps too snug. Squeeze a piezo and they quack.
Click to expand...

I filed her down a hair and she sounds SO MUCH BETTER! Still a thin piezo sound but much easier to eq and get a good natural sound, much more natural than the krivo mag I've been using. If I could just deal with the feedback issues I'd be pretty happy. For a minute. Then I'll start shopping for strings.
 
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#9
Great! Now that it's filed down a bit, try some more repositioning and fiddling with the HPF. You might be able to use your Krivo blended with the piezo to get the volume you need and (closer to) a more natural tone. Piezo fit is fussy, too loose is NG, too; they're like Goldilocks, everything has to be just right.

Other non-electronic remedies may be necessary if your bass is simply prone to feeding back more than others, such as ff-hole-foamies (foam stuffed into the ff-holes, looks better when they're actually the shape of the ff-holes, and you can either draw attention to them with bright-coloured foam, cloth, paint etc – or go stealth with black. Sometimes a balled up sock, towel or similar behind the tailpiece to dampen it will help reduce feedback. Beware of hollow stages/flooring, find a joist on which to put your endpin etc.

What are you using for amplification?
 
#10
Feral Feline said:
What are you using for amplification?
Click to expand...

Mostly I use a GB shuttle 6.0. I have the most trouble (obviously) in tiny clubs and restaurants where the amp is pointed directly at the back of my bass. Outdoor gigs and large stages I use either my Mesa m6 carbine or a GK MB 500 with a Carvin 4x10 but I can get far enough away in those situations to not feed back, usually. It's been a while since I've had to think about it though. I played an outdoor gig the other day with my 4x10 3 feet behind me and didn't have any issues. What really sucks, is this is all a lot of work, when nobody... not even the band, will notice that my tone sounds a hundred times better. Maybe I'm wasting my time being a tone snob.
 
#12
Not a waste of time to being a tone snob. If you're uninspired by your own tone, how can you expect to play something anybody else will want to listen to? The lay person may not understand or be able to tell the difference between a boomy low mids sound to a forward upper mids sound... to them it just sounds like bass, maybe a few might even be able to say "Yeah, they both sound bassy, but different" but not fathom why they are different let alone explain. What the audience will know is if your tone is utter crapola, or whether you are grooving or not.

Having said all that, there is the law of diminishing returns. Don't get so caught up in tone chasing that you forget to PLAY!
 
#13
Slapstyle said:
I'd like to go all piezo though, so I can switch to guts, or an acceptable set of weedwhackers if there is such a thing.
Click to expand...
I made my pickup from a universal tuner pickup available in most music stores for around $20. Popped the piezo out of th the clamp on and place it in the bridge wing. I cut off the cable just long enough to reach the mounting point of the jack.solder, and there you go.you may want a preamp/eq my 2 cents.
 
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#14
The problems you describe with the Rev. Solo sure do sound as if you still don't have the proper fit. Which side of the pup is facing up? The "R" side or the blank side? With the blank side up, it will sound a bit "thinner" and will yield more finger noise. As has been mentioned, if you file it a bit too much then you can use a wedge. A single layer of cellophane tape can sometimes be all that's needed. Sax reeds seem to work well if you need something thicker.

ctcxbass asked the crucial question-- Have you spoken to the folks at Upton? That would seem to be the best place to start. They may even be willing to swap out the pup. You could measure the thickness of yours with a caliper, tell them the measurement, and then they could file down a new one for you. Check with them-- just a suggestion.

When the Rev. Solo is fitted properly, it really works well.
 
#15
It all depends on the bass. My bass loves the Realist. Bridge wing pickups sounded good on the Chinese bass I once had. They sound terrible with this one. I'm now using a mic (DPA) with it and not looking back. The two get may or may not get mixed depending on what the room demands.
 

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