Double Bass Yamahiko question

[fasternak]

I’ve just replaced my Realist Lifeline with a Yamahiko single. EQ nobs on my AI Clarus SL are all 12 o’clock for the first time ever - wonderful! However, the extreme sensitivity of the Yama sensor really surprises me. Staging gain well is a bit of mystery to me. I normally set gain to one o’cLock - sub distortion. But I now find my usual one o’clock is crazy high for the Yama. I’ve been dialing it in to as little 8 o’clock to avoid blowing my brains out with master volume nob. I’m getting an enormous amount of volume out of this thing. And I’m not complaining. Just wondering - is this normal? Also wondering how other Yamahiko users are dialing it in. Thanks!

 

[Earl]

I’ve just replaced my Realist Lifeline with a Yamahiko single. EQ nobs on my AI Clarus SL are all 12 o’clock for the first time ever - wonderful! However, the extreme sensitivity of the Yama sensor really surprises me. Staging gain well is a bit of mystery to me. I normally set gain to one o’cLock - sub distortion. But I now find my usual one o’clock is crazy high for the Yama. I’ve been dialing it in to as little 8 o’clock to avoid blowing my brains out with master volume nob. I’m getting an enormous amount of volume out of this thing. And I’m not complaining. Just wondering - is this normal? Also wondering how other Yamahiko users are dialing it in. Thanks!

Normal

 

[Grant the Canuk]

I’ve just replaced my Realist Lifeline with a Yamahiko single. EQ nobs on my AI Clarus SL are all 12 o’clock for the first time ever - wonderful! However, the extreme sensitivity of the Yama sensor really surprises me. Staging gain well is a bit of mystery to me. I normally set gain to one o’cLock - sub distortion. But I now find my usual one o’clock is crazy high for the Yama. I’ve been dialing it in to as little 8 o’clock to avoid blowing my brains out with master volume nob. I’m getting an enormous amount of volume out of this thing. And I’m not complaining. Just wondering - is this normal? Also wondering how other Yamahiko users are dialing it in. Thanks!

This was also my experience going from a Full Circle to a Yamahiko. I found that the gain is so high on the Yama that I had to put a device with volume control in my signal path before the amp. Luckily I have a Fdeck and it is perfect for dialing the back some of the input gain while getting a nice impedance boost. With a HPF too it works great. I set the vol on the Fdeck to about 75% -80% and my typical amp EQ/gain works perfectly.

 

[richhansen]

You want tonal bliss, try that Yamahiko with a ToneDexter trained with a nice condenser mic. On my bass, the combination of the Yamahiko, ToneDexter, my Clarus, and a my Audiokinesis Thunderchild gets me an amazing tone, plenty of output that cuts through the mix. The Tonedexter apparently doesn't work with every pickup, ut it does work great with the Yama. I've used everything there is out there, and I've finally tamed the gas monster.

 

[wathaet]

This is why I cannot fathom why most of the better bassamps do not have some simple four-led level indicator after the preamp.
Say -3, -9, -15, -25 with clipping defined as 0.

 

[flatback]

one interesting explanation for the hotness, the hotocity, of the E side pickup is that this pickup was meant to be bridged with a G side pickup. That is how it is designed. Played thataway, there is a phase cancelation that isn't, you know a complete null of certain frequencies which would kill it, but an overall phase cancellation that makes the pickup sound more midrangy. THe phasing part of it attenuates the signal considerably so you have to turn it up .
Incidentally, lots of people say it sounds terrible, but it can be eq'd really easily (the bridged version) to take out the honk. The bridged sound cuts like butter in a group and while from the bandstand its like sucking lemons, out in the audience it kicks. I like it bridged in loud bands. Also I am still waiting for Kiyohiko to build me one with one of the pickups phase reversed (and used bridged) just for kicks.

 

[fasternak]

You want tonal bliss, try that Yamahiko with a ToneDexter trained with a nice condenser mic. On my bass, the combination of the Yamahiko, ToneDexter, my Clarus, and a my Audiokinesis Thunderchild gets me an amazing tone, plenty of output that cuts through the mix. The Tonedexter apparently doesn't work with every pickup, ut it does work great with the Yama. I've used everything there is out there, and I've finally tamed the gas monster.

I have not added my ToneDexter to the mix yet. Was thinking I might not need the TD anymore. And was half expecting to sell it to cover the cost of the Yama. I’ll do some training tomorrow. Looking forward to the results. Thanks, Rich.

 

[fasternak]

one interesting explanation for the hotness, the hotocity, of the E side pickup is that this pickup was meant to be bridged with a G side pickup. That is how it is designed. Played thataway, there is a phase cancelation that isn't, you know a complete null of certain frequencies which would kill it, but an overall phase cancellation that makes the pickup sound more midrangy. THe phasing part of it attenuates the signal considerably so you have to turn it up .
Incidentally, lots of people say it sounds terrible, but it can be eq'd really easily (the bridged version) to take out the honk. The bridged sound cuts like butter in a group and while from the bandstand its like sucking lemons, out in the audience it kicks. I like it bridged in loud bands. Also I am still waiting for Kiyohiko to build me one with one of the pickups phase reversed (and used bridged) just for kicks.

I confess, most of what you wrote is over my head. However, I once had Underwood pickup that sounded a lot better and perhaps a little louder when I pulled one of the two sensors out of the bridge. So if this is the sort effect you’re referring to here then it is easy for me to imagine this is why I am getting more bang than expected out of one Yama sensor. Thank you, Flatback.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

There is a capacitative attenuator in the jack adapter of the Full Circle, so the element itself is hotter than what you get into your amp.

 

[fasternak]

Thanks, DoubleMIDI. I got it. I expect the same is true for the jack on my Lifeline.

 

[fasternak]

I have not added my ToneDexter to the mix yet. Was thinking I might not need the TD anymore. And was half expecting to sell it to cover the cost of the Yama. I’ll do some training tomorrow. Looking forward to the results. Thanks, Rich.

Dexter via line audio cm3 and Yamahiko sounds good. I guess I’ll keep the Dexter.