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Double Bass Yamahiko Double Bass Pickup

#581
Good point, I’d rather save up for that well designed preamp or try and wait to buy it used. With the Felix it took me well over a year’s worth of gigs to

be able to afford one. You hardly ever see one for sale used, which is a real testament to how great they are! That doesn’t mean that everyone needs to

get one, there are more affordable options out there, the new Headway EBB-2 H.E. Is a third of the price.
 
#582
Yeah I had the first Headway EDB1 in the USA. John is amazing....First one with a 20Mohm Imp. Blew everything else away, and not to expensive. THe new one looks like it is exceptional small and not to expensive...no tubes though but just a ton of usable features in a micro package.
 
#584
flatback said:
Yeah I had the first Headway EDB1 in the USA. John is amazing....First one with a 20Mohm Imp. Blew everything else away, and not to expensive. THe new one looks like it is exceptional small and not to expensive...no tubes though but just a ton of usable features in a micro package.
Click to expand...

They have changed a few things between the EDB-2 and the EDB-2 H.E. Both the of the 1/4" inputs are fixed at 6.8 Meg Ohms. It has dual 5 Band EQ controls for each channel. The Phantom is 48v vs 18v. I had a EDB1 very early on. It took

them a few months to fix several technical issues with the EDB-2. Having two full channels and a 48v Phantom on the the new H.E. is a big jump forward for that little box.
 
#587
K
Yeah I am using the two of the same polarity. I think now, it is easier to eq.
I love this pickup and into a tube preamp it sounds fantastic. Even if you only use one pickup (because that sound is great) by buying both sides you can quickly have 2 bridged or either side to use with just unscrewing the little wire and changing sides or bridging. It is very versatile.
 
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#588
flatback said:
K
Yeah I am using the two of the same polarity. I think now, it is easier to eq.
I love this pickup and into a tube preamp it sounds fantastic. Even if you only use one pickup (because that sound is great) by buying both sides you can quickly have 2 bridged or either side to use with just unscrewing the little wire and changing sides or bridging. It is very versatile.
Click to expand...

Ok, you’re using the one with the same polarity now? Then I’ll for sure get the same one.

I’ll let you all know when I have it installed!
 
#590
yeah Maple,
I love that set up too. very elegant and excellent set up. with the stereo cord it makes the most out of that (and then the polarity can be whatever you want)
I am addicted to the tube preamp so I don't use that set up anymore but it is so good. But now that you remind me im going to try it again. Dude we have to hang sometime
 
#592
Yeah I love the BB. And it sounds great with the Y. The stereo into the Felix is rockin too. It comes down to the blend knob. On the gig with that set up I found that I didn't have to fool with any of the knobs other then the blend. 70/30 toward on side or the other counter acts any phase issues and is for me like a clarity knob.
I also tried having the Wilson and Y go in the Felix. That is really good to. It puts 6 different pickups to work. (totally crazy) But if you look at many piezo guitar setups they do just that. With the Wilson it favors (in terms of the hotness of signal) whatever string is being played (so phase isn't really an issue) and then blending with the (much hotter) Y was great. All still really simple despite how complex it sounds.
But in the end to me either one or the other into the Sarno V8 (which has a presence all its own) makes up for all the complications.
And in fact a single Y on either side thru the tube pre sounds utterly fantastic on my bass.
I have the V8 and Felix velcrod to the top of my powered speaker and wired together and a studio slips bag the whole thing goes into so at the gig it is like plugging in a combo amp but with all the advantages of the Felix right on top. I think I am done with new gear, this set up is super flexible, small, powerful, and sounds just great....There is that new Schoeps micro amp to go with the HyperCardoid capsule though....
 
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#594
Been playing thru my looping pedal today with the two Y's going into each ch of the Felix. Then into the tube preamp and the speaker. I think this set up is totally spectacular. The Felix does a great job of imp matching and any relics of piezo whine (and there are some) can be cancelled out by eqing the two different pickups in opposition and then blending them. Huge clean punchy but acoustic (not MBOL) but really a great sound and with the blend knob you can dial it from diffuse to in your face on an arc of really nicly eq'd points in between. As I have said 70/30 gets me this 3D sound. Run straight from the Felix into the Speaker it is really crisp and accurate and I know a lot of people who hear that and really dig it because it sounds more MBOL in a clinical way, but running that mixed signal into the V8 warms and space-alizes that clean sound in such a great way, it's addicting warmth.
The 2 Y pickups>1/4in TRS cable>Felix>V8>speaker, as a pure pickup sound (without trying to blend in a mic...leaving that out of your amp) is like the ultimate evolution of so many years of trying to get a good piezo sound. It's not cheap...
 
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#595
Had a couple gigs last week and used the 2Y>each ch Felix>V8>MAS18 (rather then going into the V8 first). Flat out awesome sound. Using the 2 Yamahikos into their own ch then using the blend knob as the functional eq (G side Highs E side Lows) is just the most useful pickup sound I have ever had. No need to change polarity, no need to mess with anything, just flat out excellence. Running the tube preamp at the end (which does not use it's piezo imp matching) does not matter (with a preamp like the Felix) it just sounds really really good.
I still like the simplicity of going into the V8 but with the Felix there is so much functionality added (HPF, blend, boost, routing, mute) that it makes sense to keep it in line.
I know a sound guy/guitarist who hates when people show up with a Felix, he says most people don't know how to navigate its complexities and it just makes his job harder, and it is complicated...but it aint rocket science.
 
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#597
flatback said:
Had a couple gigs last week and used the 2Y>each ch Felix>V8>MAS18 (rather then going into the V8 first). Flat out awesome sound. Using the 2 Yamahikos into their own ch then using the blend knob as the functional eq (G side Highs E side Lows) is just the most useful pickup sound I have ever had. No need to change polarity, no need to mess with anything, just flat out excellence. Running the tube preamp at the end (which does not use it's piezo imp matching) does not matter (with a preamp like the Felix) it just sounds really really good.
I still like the simplicity of going into the V8 but with the Felix there is so much functionality added (HPF, blend, boost, routing, mute) that it makes sense to keep it in line.
I know a sound guy/guitarist who hates when people show up with a Felix, he says most people don't know how to navigate its complexities and it just makes his job harder, and it is complicated...but it aint rocket science.
Click to expand...
This is what I had been trying to tell you for a while. I don't necessarily think you need to really run directly into the tube preamp to get that tonal magic. I run a very nice high pass filter and preamp into the front of an all tube amp. It's wonderful.
 
#598
I hear you Steve, Without the two Y's in this configuration (going into their own ch) I hear the piezo whine. If they are bridged or single I still much prefer going into the V8 first (also the Wilson K4 has WAY more piezo wank unless it goes into the tube preamp first) so I think it depends on what you are doing, BUT once the piezo wank is in the far backround, the clarity of SS then into tubes sounds great.
I have been into this idea for a long time....20 page ago I was talking about the idea of a Felix> tube AMP as a great sound...A friend has a rebuilt monoblock amp that we used like this and it sounds fantastic.
 
#599
flatback said:
I know a sound guy/guitarist who hates when people show up with a Felix, he says most people don't know how to navigate its complexities and it just makes his job harder, and it is complicated...but it aint rocket science.
Click to expand...

So strange, most sound people love the Felix in my experience cuz it sounds awesome :) I guess I'm usually running it pretty flat though.
 
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#600
I've been getting rid of the piezo honk pretty successfully with a low pass filter. Then eqing back whatever mid-range I need for presence. Sometimes I don't need any at all. Sometimes I do need a little bit to cut through. Depends on the room. I keep the tone controls on the tube amp pretty much flat and use the mid control on whatever preamp I'm using. the fender style tone stack does not make it easy to get a mid boost if you need it which is why I think preamp pedals and active electronics became popular in the first place
 
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