Walker Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 Hello, I've just recieved the Bespoke Basses Superlight that I bought from slobluesine and must admit, I'm pretty impressed after the initial couple of hours I have spent with it. It's exceeded all expectations so far. At the moment, it has a Kent Armstrong mag pup (that I want to retain) but I would also like to try a piezo pup. I'm totally new to upright so please bear with me! As this doesnt have a sound box, do I need to look at special piezo pups or could I use a Shadow SH950 or SH965 NFX? Would it be best to use a bridge mounted pup or something that goes under the feet of the bridge? Actually, thinking about it - will the piezo give me a different tone to the mag anyway? I suppose it boils down to the fact that I'm unsure of how piezo pups work - does the fundamental difference between my Superlight and a 'real' upright make a difference to pup choice or doesnt the sound box have a role to play if going through a pup? Thank you and sorry for this 'brain dump' post! Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 I use the Shadow SH950 on my acoustic upright and it gives a very true representation of the acoustic sound. I've also used the Realist (which packed in too quickly) and the Fishman BP100 (not the best of sounds and certainly not good for bowing). The Shadow is very easy to fit as it just slots in between the wings of the bridge. I had to slip in some veneers of wood to give a tight enough fit but that was no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 As long as your bridge vibrates with the strings any piezo will do the job. I have a Baby Bass which is effectively a foam-filled EUB in the shape of a downsized DB and the previous owner (Mr_Bassman aka Keith) wedged a Revolution Solo pickup in the bridge assembly http://www.uptonbass.com/Double-Bass-Pickup-Revolution-SOLO-II-RS2/ Its very similar to a Shadow but enclosed in wood and does the job well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slobluesine Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 welcome to the dark side Chris, the KA is a monster of a pup hey the Schatten RB1 is my favourite Piezo, others will tell you different tho and good news the Superlight turned up in just the two pieces Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker Posted January 21, 2012 Author Share Posted January 21, 2012 Thank you all. Will a peizo give a more authentic upright sound than a mag pup, or is a mag pup just louder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slobluesine Posted January 21, 2012 Share Posted January 21, 2012 (edited) yes, piezo will be more of a Double Bass tone, less sustain and it will pickup off the bridge, plus you can try some hybrid strings... chrkelly has a set of Ivah-pirazzi orchestral tuning, low tension, stupid low price... £20 [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/159154-evah-pirazzi-full-set-standard-gauge-orchestral-tuning/"]http://basschat.co.u...hestral-tuning/[/url] Edited January 21, 2012 by slobluesine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 [quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1327150423' post='1507008'] As long as your bridge vibrates with the strings any piezo will do the job. [/quote] So bearing in mind my bridge sits on a solid wooden beam, would a pickup that goes under the foot of the bridge be just as effective as one that attaches to the wings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 If the body does not vibrate (as it's solid) then the piezo will pick up movement from the bridge which in turn is driven by the strings. I am no physicist but I would have thought the pickup would capture more movement in the wings than in the part-damped position under the foot of the bridge. If it were me I would go for a Shadow, a BassMax (these seem to be the most popular these days of the piezos, at least on BC) or a Revolution Solo. The under foot Realist is neat but is not uniformly liked in any case, often described as dark and some have been known to 'die' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker Posted January 22, 2012 Author Share Posted January 22, 2012 Thanks Clarky. As I understand from reading some of the upright threads on BC, I'll probably end up trying them all over the next year or so! My band plays bluegrass / country style pop covers, so lots of thudding root/5th stuff as far as I'm concerned. So if I'm going to end up trying them all, could you suggest the first one to try? Shadow, Bass max or Revolution Solo? Thanks again for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 Like I say, most seem to like BassMax on this forum and if you don't get on with it, it's very easy to sell on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPJ Posted January 22, 2012 Share Posted January 22, 2012 A Full Circle would work well too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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