I have both and I prefer the Lifeline. Keep in mind you're reading a Yama thread so the opinions may lean a way. Something about the Yama is too articulate for me, like an EUB. I really dislike the sound of fretless bass and the Yama gives me those vibes. That's with Labella 7710n's though and I find the string has a distinct impact on the pickup sound. It's been a while though so heck, I should try the Yama again on a gig
The Lifeline is a good pickup, I bought the Yamahiko when mine failed after many years of great use. I feel the same about the Full Circle. Great pickup with a durability issue, but for the years that it worked, I was happy. Copper Realist before that.
What I will say about the Yamahiko is that's not as plug and play as most or all of those. The classic Realist is the best example of "it sounds how it sounds and it sounds pretty good", but the great advantage of that pickup is that you can plug it directly into a $1,500 boutique acoustic DB amp or a circa 1983 Peavy TKO and it's going to work. Similar to lesser degrees with the other two mentioned.
Conversely, The Stat-B, the Ehrlund, ... other stuff... might get you a better sound, but in my personal experience what I had to go through to manage those pickups through an amp wasn't worth it and because I'm not great at it, I didn't always pull it off to the satisfaction of myself and whoever I was on the gig with. So, I'm more of a plug and play guy.
The Yamahiko as it comes, is a little hot. He will install some type of capacitor or resister in the lead wire that softens that. I didn't go that route, but what I found is:
1) You have to get the input impedance right. If you plug it straight into that 80s Peavy or the GK Backline combo that was in the practice space for me last weekend, it's going to sound more brittle. Optimally for me, so far, a preamp with appropriate input impedance and a HPF completely solves that problem. I do miss going right into the amp and for that matter, any old amp, but it's worth it.
It's not fiddly like the Ehrlund or Stat-B. If you get the impedance right and can filter out the sub-range fundamentals, it's 100% as stable as those others.
2) I've never been great with eq and part of that is because with pickups like the original Realist, eq just doesn't seem to have that big of impact. It does with the Yamahiko. It is hi-fi, there is a lot of information and with a good eq and a little bit of informed twiddling, I can can dial in the sound I want in the room I'm in without being distracted by the process the way that I was with the Stat-B (for example).
Thanks! Have you done much arco with it?
Yes. I'm not taking Paul Chambers or John Claytonesque arco solos, but I use the bow more than ever post pandemic and the Yamahiko in my experience is at least as good as those other pickups. I may not be the best judge, but yes. It's good. Then again, I'm bowing Spircores and think that's okay too, so YMMV.
I actually think that the Yamahiko is kind of the Spirocore of the pickup world. Stable, robust, looks like it's going to outlive cockroaches, but they are both full of sonic information and you have to be ready to deal with that. When I play a bass with dark hybrid strings for example, I'm never sure if my intonation is on or off that day and I feel like if it's off a little bit, I might get away with it. With Spirocores, if you're not in tune, you're going to know and so will everyone else. But, I think they help me play with better intonation as a result. With a copper realist, I can thump away behind a quintet and maybe I'm felt more than heard. With the Yamahiko, it's going to amplify what I'm doing in a pleasant, but very clear way, similar to playing unplugged in a small room with a guitar or piano player with good control of their dynamics.
