Earl
Supporting Member
When I use the two bridged together my G string has always been lower volume. Not so when I just use the bass side. I have not tried flipping them. I would ask Yamahiko about this.
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Double Bass Yamahiko Double Bass Pickup
- Thread starter Mike Arnopol
- Start date
In my case with a two-sensor bridge wing sensor (like the Underwood) the treble side sensor was sounding a bit hard and quieter. Needed both sensors on my (high-C) 5-string to get all strings equally well represented.
The soundpost was too long and too close to the bridge foot. After repositioning it more away from the bridge foot even ssingle sensor pickups worked well for all five strings.
So, maybe it is a instrument problem rather than a pickup problem.
BTW, acoustically all five strings on my instrument worked well from the beginning, so this is not an indicator.
I would swap pickups and check if they behave equally at the same position. If so they are OK.
The soundpost was too long and too close to the bridge foot. After repositioning it more away from the bridge foot even ssingle sensor pickups worked well for all five strings.
So, maybe it is a instrument problem rather than a pickup problem.
BTW, acoustically all five strings on my instrument worked well from the beginning, so this is not an indicator.
I would swap pickups and check if they behave equally at the same position. If so they are OK.
Once again, getting the cable with the proper resistors really cleans up a lot of problems. It changed the game for me. Now, everywhere I get to play, it sounds great each time. But, I'm just the monkey yanking the strings and not an electrical engineer. YMMV
Earl
Supporting Member
So I don’t have to go through 71 pages - where does one get this cable with the proper resistors? Thanks!
He has a few different values available, there is more info on his website. It’s probably a good idea to read the few pages regarding the various resistance options.
Earl
Supporting Member
Thanks! Would this do a similar thing?
10 Foot - Mogami 2524 - Neutrik Gold Plated Variable-Timbre Plug – Guitar Bass Instrument Cable | Reverb
Earl
Supporting Member
I do not see anything on the Yamahiko website about this. Could you link me to it? Thanks!
Hmm, I thought I ordered my 2n2 (10db attenuated) from the website but it looks like I emailed directly, sorry for the misdirection. The email conversation was prompt and the transaction was easy though.
I tested a few and found 3.3nF to be perfect and a complete leveling solution for this pickup. I put mine in a female-to-male cable that I plug into the amp and then a regular instrument cable into it. That way, I didn't mess with the Yamahiko fitting and I could use any instrument cable I happen to grab.
I ordered all 3 values from Mouser for like... pocket change, but this is what I needed. It's really a cheap and easy solution and worked perfectly for me and I don't feel like there is anything fragile or a failure point in there anywhere.
By the way, technically these are not resistors but capacitors.
Just to clarify this.
Just to clarify this.
Thanks @TroyK . Bookmarking again as a reminder that if I ever poop for a Yama, I’m going to also poop for a 3.3nf. I trust you!
You are getting really funny in your dotage, Chris!
IMFO, of course.
I once had a problem with my single element Yamahiko in combination with an amp at the location. So I went home, measured the capacitance of the Yamahiko, checked my film capacitors and went with an axial 1.8nF in the jack. (I also calculated the attenuation.) Tried some larger values around 3 to 6 nF but they attenuated the signal too much for my taste and also influenced the sound more than I liked.
Closing the loop here on my Yamahiko pickup story. I’ve been using my new dual sensor Yamahiko pickup for about 3 months now on sessions, gigs, and concerts. I’m thrilled by this pickup-it’s the best piezo pickup I’ve ever used, surpassing the FC and Lifeline piezos I’ve had on my upright for the last 15 years. Those pickups also sounded very good, but to my ears the Yama presents more sonic content on each string and up and down the fingerboard. As others have commented, to my ears the Yama isn’t MBOL, but it offers a nuanced, complex, and ultimately more satisfying tone palette to choose from, particularly when using it through a preamp like the FELIX2. My luthier, Matt Bohn, did a fantastic job installing the Yama.
Through the FELIX2, I’ve used the Yama with the dual sensors bridged and blended with a mic (bridged mode) and with the dual sensors in stereo without a mic using the TRS output cable Kiyohiko made for me (stereo mode). In bridged mode, I use an Audio Technica ATM350 mic attached under the bridge along with the Yama. My bass sounds fantastic using both modes, but I needed to configure the FELIX2 differently for each.
Similar to others here, there was definitely a learning curve on how to eq the Yama to get good sound. First thing I noticed is that there is a noticeable drop in lows from my bass when using the Yama compared to the FC and Lifeline, no matter which mode I used. Embarrassingly, I first noticed this at a concert soundcheck (yikes!) using the Yama in bridged mode-my bass tone was noticeably mid forward, honky, and bass shy. After some quick EQ adjustments on the FELIX2, my bass sounded better but the tone was still a bit thin and nasally. Luckily, I had a brainwave and thought to place my bass cabinet closer to the ground for better coupling-this solved the problem, my bass sounded incredible. Now my cabinets always sit closer to the floor no matter which mode I use.
I’ve also used the Yama in stereo mode through the FELIX2, with the FELIX2 assigning one sensor to CH1 and the other to CH2 for tone shaping and blending (pretty nifty feature!) This is a fantastic method for getting each sensor to balance well (the G string sensor is consistently a bit softer and thinner than the E string sensor on my bass-all fixed by eq’ing and blending on the FELIX2.) My bass sounded wonderful using this method-warm, punchy, and easily cutting through the mix. One benefit of the TRS approach is not having to use a mic and avoiding mic bleed and feedback. The only minor drawbacks of this mode to my ears are a slight lack of air and sweetness to notes particularly in upper register, and a small bit piezo quack, but not much.
Ultimately, I’ve come to prefer the Yama in bridged mode. Blending the Yama with a mic adds the airiness and sweetness I was missing in stereo mode and my bass still has that fat focused tone with the Yama. I have not noticed any distortion or hot signal coming from the Yama using either mode going into the FELIX2, so I’ve had no need to order or make a modified output cable with different capacitors (I always use the FELIX2 and don’t plug my upright directly into an amp). I’ve used the phase reverse switches on the FELIX2 in different ways for both modes depending on the room to find the right sound. For impedence settings on the FELIX2, the Yama works best on my bass with the CH1 set to medium/1megΩ and CH2 for the mic set on high/20megΩ.
It took only 7 days for the Yama to arrive at my door from Japan and total costs were relatively reasonable for such a stellar pickup coming from so far away. If you’re on the fence about the Yama, I’d highly recommend giving it a try-the Yama sounds awesome and provides so many variations in how you can use it.
Through the FELIX2, I’ve used the Yama with the dual sensors bridged and blended with a mic (bridged mode) and with the dual sensors in stereo without a mic using the TRS output cable Kiyohiko made for me (stereo mode). In bridged mode, I use an Audio Technica ATM350 mic attached under the bridge along with the Yama. My bass sounds fantastic using both modes, but I needed to configure the FELIX2 differently for each.
Similar to others here, there was definitely a learning curve on how to eq the Yama to get good sound. First thing I noticed is that there is a noticeable drop in lows from my bass when using the Yama compared to the FC and Lifeline, no matter which mode I used. Embarrassingly, I first noticed this at a concert soundcheck (yikes!) using the Yama in bridged mode-my bass tone was noticeably mid forward, honky, and bass shy. After some quick EQ adjustments on the FELIX2, my bass sounded better but the tone was still a bit thin and nasally. Luckily, I had a brainwave and thought to place my bass cabinet closer to the ground for better coupling-this solved the problem, my bass sounded incredible. Now my cabinets always sit closer to the floor no matter which mode I use.
I’ve also used the Yama in stereo mode through the FELIX2, with the FELIX2 assigning one sensor to CH1 and the other to CH2 for tone shaping and blending (pretty nifty feature!) This is a fantastic method for getting each sensor to balance well (the G string sensor is consistently a bit softer and thinner than the E string sensor on my bass-all fixed by eq’ing and blending on the FELIX2.) My bass sounded wonderful using this method-warm, punchy, and easily cutting through the mix. One benefit of the TRS approach is not having to use a mic and avoiding mic bleed and feedback. The only minor drawbacks of this mode to my ears are a slight lack of air and sweetness to notes particularly in upper register, and a small bit piezo quack, but not much.
Ultimately, I’ve come to prefer the Yama in bridged mode. Blending the Yama with a mic adds the airiness and sweetness I was missing in stereo mode and my bass still has that fat focused tone with the Yama. I have not noticed any distortion or hot signal coming from the Yama using either mode going into the FELIX2, so I’ve had no need to order or make a modified output cable with different capacitors (I always use the FELIX2 and don’t plug my upright directly into an amp). I’ve used the phase reverse switches on the FELIX2 in different ways for both modes depending on the room to find the right sound. For impedence settings on the FELIX2, the Yama works best on my bass with the CH1 set to medium/1megΩ and CH2 for the mic set on high/20megΩ.
It took only 7 days for the Yama to arrive at my door from Japan and total costs were relatively reasonable for such a stellar pickup coming from so far away. If you’re on the fence about the Yama, I’d highly recommend giving it a try-the Yama sounds awesome and provides so many variations in how you can use it.
You just have to email him. No link on the site directly. A lightning fast special order.
The 3.3 is what I got. Sorry for any confusion. Yes, you are correct. That value seems to be the perfect sweet spot.
Earl
Supporting Member
I just need some clarification: what is the story with a bridged Yama and the resistor thing again? I know I can go plug it in and listen but I am unsure swuedo scientifically what that does to the signal...I seem to remember that bridged is correct using them as singles is where the caps come in?
The thing with a bridged two-sensor Yamahiko is that some energy from one sensor is absorbed by the other one, so the output is a bit lower.
The single sensor misses this energy loss and has a larger volume which might overdrive some amp input stages. Turning down the gain control does not help because the overdriven stage is in front of it.
Resistors would have a bad influence on impedance so a capacitive divider using a capacitor is used instead.
I installed a 1.8nF from hot to ground inside the pickup TS jack. The typical recommendation is between 2.2 to 4.7 nF. Use a Film capacitor for best sound. You can also make short jack-plug cables where you can try different capacitors.
The single sensor misses this energy loss and has a larger volume which might overdrive some amp input stages. Turning down the gain control does not help because the overdriven stage is in front of it.
Resistors would have a bad influence on impedance so a capacitive divider using a capacitor is used instead.
I installed a 1.8nF from hot to ground inside the pickup TS jack. The typical recommendation is between 2.2 to 4.7 nF. Use a Film capacitor for best sound. You can also make short jack-plug cables where you can try different capacitors.
