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Double Bass Yamaha DBR10 w/ Headway EDB-2

Michael Drost

Michael Drost

Supporting Member
Oct 16, 2009
591
861
Grand Haven, MI
www.youtube.com
#1
Folks,

In the never ending quest for double bass amplification, I have discovered a new, and yes, affordable setup that I really enjoy. Excuse my long winded preface.

I have been dealing with tonal consistency issues with my Ischell and AI rig. I play a steady gig that has awful stage coupling. The only answer I have found is elevating a speaker. I have owned a whole litany of cabinets and amplifiers. Acoustic Image has actually been my favorite for many years, and I still love Rick's gear and his customer service. I have even gone so far as to create an add-on appendage to pole mount the AI cabinet .

Through this journey of inconsistent amplified tone I have found that I prefer the following:
1) I like having my cabinet elevated.(ala Larry Grenadier)
2) I like having the preamp controls nearby, or to my right for quick adjustment.

I have a tour this spring of Germany and will be playing a Chadwick. The Ischell just isn't convenient in this application as I have to tear the bass down everyday. So, I will be using a Full Circle(which I used to use). I decided to purchase a Headway EDB-2 for the tour as well and absolutely love it. Enter - my curiosity to find a good powered speaker. I heard Larry G. play my bass for a Mehldau trio show a few months ago and his amplified sound was "it". So, I did a quick internet search, and performed my due diligence on Talkbass, and found the Yamaha DBR10.

The DBR10 is 23lbs. The frequency response is similar to the QSC speakers, and the DSP is very friendly to the double bass.

All said, I purchased the EDB-2 for $320(open box) and the DBR10 for $308 (open box). I do mount it on a mini pole mount stand(recommended by Rick Wolff). With the Full Circle this rig sounds great to my ears. Super consistent. I really enjoy the natural sound, and the flexibility of this little rig. I haven't used it with the Ischell yet. I know it will make it even better.

I just thought I'd share my findings with you all.
 
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#2
Michael Drost said:
Folks,

In the never ending quest for double bass amplification, I have discovered a new, and yes, affordable setup that I really enjoy. Excuse my long winded preface.

I have been dealing with tonal consistency issues with my Ischell and AI rig. I play a steady gig that has awful stage coupling. The only answer I have found is elevating a speaker. I have owned a whole litany of cabinets and amplifiers. Acoustic Image has actually been my favorite for many years, and I still love Rick's gear and his customer service. I have even gone so far as to create an add-on appendage to pole mount the AI cabinet .

Through this journey of inconsistent amplified tone I have found that I prefer the following:
1) I like having my cabinet elevated.(ala Larry Grenadier)
2) I like having the preamp controls nearby, or to my right for quick adjustment.

I have a tour this spring of Germany and will be playing a Chadwick. The Ischell just isn't convenient in this application as I have to tear the bass down everyday. So, I will be using a Full Circle(which I used to use). I decided to purchase a Headway EDB-2 for the tour as well and absolutely love it. Enter - my curiosity to find a good powered speaker. I heard Larry G. play my bass for a Mehldau trio show a few months ago and his amplified sound was "it". So, I did a quick internet search, and performed my due diligence on Talkbass, and found the Yamaha DBR10.

The DBR10 is 23lbs. The frequency response is similar to the QSC speakers, and the DSP is very friendly to the double bass.

All said, I purchased the EDB-2 for $320(open box) and the DBR10 for $308 (open box). I do mount it on a mini pole mount stand(recommended by Rick Wolff). With the Full Circle this rig sounds great to my ears. Super consistent. I really enjoy the natural sound, and the flexibility of this little rig. I haven't used it with the Ischell yet. I know it will make it even better.

I just thought I'd share my findings with you all.
Click to expand...

M....(redacted),
Happy to hear of your questing success. It's great to find a setup that works well for you.

I'll let you know how my new micro-rig works out - it's a headphone amp and an earbox.









Come on, folks. I'm kidding.
 
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#4
Michael Drost said:
Through this journey of inconsistent amplified tone I have found that I prefer the following:
1) I like having my cabinet elevated.(ala Larry Grenadier)
2) I like having the preamp controls nearby, or to my right for quick adjustment.

I have a tour this spring of Germany and will be playing a Chadwick. The Ischell just isn't convenient in this application as I have to tear the bass down everyday. So, I will be using a Full Circle(which I used to use). I decided to purchase a Headway EDB-2. I heard Larry G. play my bass for a Mehldau trio show a few months ago and his amplified sound was "it". So, I did a quick internet search, and performed my due diligence on Talkbass, and found the Yamaha DBR10.

The DBR10 is 23lbs. The frequency response is similar to the QSC speakers, and the DSP is very friendly to the double bass..........


I just thought I'd share my findings with you all.
Click to expand...

I find it interesting that you have to remove and re-install the Ischell each
time you breakdown the Chadwick. Is is because you have the X-Jack attached to the tailpiece? I never have to be take the Ehrlund off, but my current bass dosen’t collapse. Part of Larry Grenadier’s signature sound is the Schoeps CMC6/MK 47 condenser and the “Really Nice Preamp”. The Headway EDB-2 should power the Ischell. Which would allow you to eliminate the XJack.

Ric
 
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#7
Gents,

The Ischell version that I use is the X48. No x-jack. However, I mount the XLR jack on the underside of the tailpiece. When tearing the Chadwick down, the tailpiece stores inside the body. If I mounted the XLR inside the body or on the back, it might work. For my situation on tour, the pickup seems to be a more simple solution.

Incidentally, I brought my Thompson Hybrid out with this rig, and the Ischell. I loved it. The sound was fantastic. It was one of those gigs when you "forget about the amplification" and just play music.

The Ischell is powered just fine by the EDB-2. This will be my regular rig for a while, I am sure. For bigger gigs I may find a good 12" speaker. I had a nice chat with Larry Grenadier about this subject. He has a very simple, and effective approach(which has been covered in TB extensively). However, the simplicity and versatility of his rig is exactly what I am going for. With the elevated speaker and a great preamp, I can tackle most rooms without worrying about my sound and being able to hear myself. At least this is how I feel now....The experiment continues.
 
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#11
Ric Vice said:
Good to know, it's apparent that the Ischell or C411 are very low drain mic's
Click to expand...
They are both electret condensers which means that only the FET needs power to make the low current capsule signal more loadable.
Think of it a simple impedance buffer like the mint box buffer or the quick'n'dirty preamp from Francis Deck. The only difference is that the input impedance needs to be a lot higher for the condenser capsule than for a piezo transducer.
 
#12
DoubleMIDI said:
They are both electret condensers which means that only the FET needs power to make the low current capsule signal more loadable.
Think of it a simple impedance buffer like the mint box buffer or the quick'n'dirty preamp from Francis Deck. The only difference is that the input impedance needs to be a lot higher for the condenser capsule than for a piezo transducer.
Click to expand...
The phantom also has to drive the inline 'preamp' which sits inside the XLR connector and provides balanced output in each case - obviously very efficient circuit designs!
 
#13
Happy Steve said:
The phantom also has to drive the inline 'preamp' which sits inside the XLR connector and provides balanced output in each case - obviously very efficient circuit designs!
Click to expand...

Indeed they are, provided the XJack
suits your tailpiece. On my smaller 5/8’s Mirecourt bass it’s a very tight fit I’d preffer the single XLR with either the Headway or Grace Felix supplying the 48v Phantom Power. I realize this isn’t an option for everyone. The XJack is a good option for them.
 
#14
Happy Steve said:
The phantom also has to drive the inline 'preamp' which sits inside the XLR connector and provides balanced output in each case - obviously very efficient circuit designs!
Click to expand...
The phantom power (48 volts) has too much voltage for an electret (9-10 volts), so the main thing the adapter does is separating phantom power and signal, reduce the phantom power to 9 volts and re combine that with the signal. That could be done on various levels of sophistication. Such adapters are available inside an XLR jack and could even be found on eBay. An additional mic preamp would help to get an amp-friendly signal out of a mic capsule.
 
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#15
Double Midi
The Ischell X48C description indicates that it will run from 9/48 volts Phantom power, so the circuitry inside the jack apparently steps the voltage down to 9 volts as well as providing different EQ configurations.

Ric
 
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