shank Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 (edited) Hello all! I am new to the game of double bass, and I managed to get one off a friend (which turns out to be the one that sat in the corner of the music room when I was in school), and now I am in a band and I really love playing the bass! The problem comes to getting a decent noise out of the thing! I have borrowed from a friend an SD Systems LCM 100 condenser mic and preamp for the bass, which is fantastic. But from my research it is an expensive bit of gear! I was wondering if anybody else has or does use a cheaper combination of condenser mic and preamp to play their bass live? I did buy a cheap set of piezo pickups from ebay a while ago which do pickup, but compared to the mic/preamp combo I don't want to go back! Also do the live players prefer using a bass amp, or going right through the PA? There are so many options! Any replies are greatly appreciated!! Thanks a lot Shank. Edited January 8, 2012 by shank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatback Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 (edited) From what folks have said on here, I imagine very few use a mic live. Too many feedback problems. As for piezo pickups, the only answer seems to be a lengthy and expensive process of trial and error to find something that suits your particular bass. On the PA side, again I think most people feel a need to have the option of independent amplification, and even with the pa you'd need some monitoring. Good luck with the never-ending quest. Edited January 8, 2012 by fatback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin spangles Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Welcome to the club . Most players will use a piezo type pick up for the majority of their gigs. While you might not get the 100% acoustic sound that is obtainable with a mic you can get pretty close now with high end pick ups without feedback problems. There are many variables that affect the sound. First you have to get a good quality sound from the bass. The mic or pick up is the next stage in the chain followed by your amp (or preamp if needed) and cabinet. It has always been my view that you should save for the best gear possible but you try out where possible as basses differ in response. You are on a journey that many of us have taken and are still on. Is your band loud? This will have a bearing on your choices. eg you might need a magnetic pick up with steel strings . I personally use a Fishman full circle and it produces a sound that I like in almost all situations. I did however do a gig with 14 other players and this band was seriously loud. My bass vibrated with the sound from the onstage monitors. While a mag pick up would have helped I just don't see the point as you are closer to a bass guitar sound. My amp is an Acoustic Image Focus 2r going in to the Acoustic Image Ten2. This has been my set up now for about 9months and it can cope with all situations. I Di the bass into the PA in bigger venues. As Fatback says you are on a never-ending quest. It is good however to get to a stage where you stop worrying about gear and concentrate on the practice. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 I took my double bass to a rehearsal for the first time on Sunday (I normally use my Eminence EUB), as I had finally got around to fitting a Bassmax pickup, and was pleasantly suprised at just how much of the acoustic tone of the bass came through. It was also much more feedback resistant than expected - more so than my Eminence in fact. Try a Bassmax pickup first - you can often find one secondhand on here or on Ebay. If the sound from that doesn't float your boat, then the next step up is a Fishman Full Circle which is more expensive and difficult to install but generally considered to be an excellent pickup with a very natural sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shank Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 Thanks for your replies, although today I am buying the SD Systems mic and preamp I already mentioned.... What I didn't know was that the guy had upgraded his equipment for his studio and he is selling it really cheap, basically giving it away! So I am feeling rather fortunate and I am very excited to have such good gear to use! After using it the first time I knew I needed something similar so thought I'd ask on here before I spoke to him again, not knowing that it was just gathering dust! I am loving the forum though, lots of great info and lots to read! It's nice to see a place with the answers to everything you want to know about such a rare instrument (well it is where I live anyways!) Cheers Shank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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