thisnameistaken Posted August 29, 2012 Share Posted August 29, 2012 I'd quite like to try the Ehrlund EAP because I am sick of the sound of piezos, but [url="http://www.kontrabass-atelier.de/pickups_e.html"]this[/url] is the only dealer I can see online in Europe. Wondered if anyone knows anywhere else that's selling them in the EU? I'd rather not order from the USA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarsTimm Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I have one myself that I bought used right here on basschat... I'm waiting for my new bass, and then I have to experiment to find the correct position. Make sure to take you time finding the right spot. I compared the sound on my old bass with the Ehrlund and a condenser mic between the bridge feet, and I was amazed how good it sounded. It did pickup some of the drums I was playing with, so feedback wise, I'm not sure how loud you can play. As to shops, can't you buy them directly from Mr. Ehrlund: [url="http://www.ehrlund.se/"]http://www.ehrlund.se/[/url] There is also a danish luthier that sells them: [url="http://www.violinbygger.dk"]http://www.violinbygger.dk[/url] (Web page in danish) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted August 31, 2012 Author Share Posted August 31, 2012 Thanks for your help. I can't find any published prices on those two websites though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarsTimm Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I think Erik Hoffmann (violinbygger.dk) takes 3000 DKK including the preamp, which is around 320£. I would try send Ehrlund a mail and see what he says... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 As an alternative suggestion, if you want to try a non-piezo contact pickup, the AKG C411 is well worth a look and is a lot cheaper than the Ehrlund. It's a condensor contact mic, which needs a mic preamp, but I've found mine very useful when I want a more natural sound than a bridge piezo, especially as my current project involves a lot of arco playing. [url="http://www.dv247.com/microphones/akg-c411pp--3323"]http://www.dv247.com/microphones/akg-c411pp--3323[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted August 31, 2012 Author Share Posted August 31, 2012 Looks like it's worth a try but I was looking at the Ehrlund because it's supposed to have decent feedback prevention qualities and reach volumes close to a piezo. I would imagine a regular contact mic might be a bit of a gamble live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 (edited) Hi chaps, Just to let you know, I deal with the UK for Ehrlund. The price is £450 for the pickup and preamp. (I've edited this post as, sadly I've had to put the prices up... Really sorry about that!) I'll still do a 10% discount for basschatters though! So £405 Cheers, Daf P.S. If you want it posting, there's also a £10 charge for special delivery (next day, insured and signed for), though I work in Victoria, so if you're in the London area and fancy a trip in to the centre I'd be happy to meet up for a coffee and hand it to you. Edited March 14, 2017 by daflewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted August 31, 2012 Author Share Posted August 31, 2012 And now I know Daf is our local dealer - and having spoken to him about the pros and cons - I think I'll have to give the Ehrlund a punt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 [quote name='daflewis' timestamp='1346422781' post='1789083'] Hi chaps, Just to let you know, I deal with the UK for Ehrlund. The prices are £240 for the pickup and £84 for the preamp (including vat and postage) Cheers, Daf [/quote] All hail Daf? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 [quote name='owen' timestamp='1346487460' post='1789726'] All hail Daf? [/quote] Well, if you must.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Here are some sound files comparing a number of mic's and pickups, including the Ehrlund http://doublebassguide.com/?p=654 To my mind the Ehrlund and DPA 4099 ace it, including versus the pickup on my DB (Full Circle). Got me thinking too ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daflewis Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 (edited) I (obviously) think they're great; but placement is everything (just like a mike). They have a very true response, but if you're used to a piezo then the sound will feel a bit "open and airy" to start with. The top end is unbeatable though - I do a lot of arco and the EAP has the best sound for that of any pickup I've come across - finally my bass doesn't sound like it's got a cold! One thing to note - the EAP is very resistant to feedback and spillage COMPARED TO A MIC - click your fingers next to it and you won't hear it. But if something is making your bass vibrate then that will act like a mic diaphragm and the EAP will pick that up, so on loud gigs where the monitors or stacks are kicking off the stage, you may still have problems. Cheers , Daf Edited October 9, 2013 by daflewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted September 1, 2012 Author Share Posted September 1, 2012 [quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1346491491' post='1789789']To my mind the Ehrlund and DPA 4099 ace it, including versus the pickup on my DB (Full Circle). Got me thinking too ...[/quote] As I was saying to Daf, I'm just sick of the sound of piezos, but I didn't think there was a practical mic for live use. I think the Ehrlund is the most realistic option, so I have to at least give it a try. I've got a Realist on my bass at the moment and while it's less nasal and more balanced sounding than the other piezos I've tried, it's completely missing the top end - it's just not there. I've heard that the Ehrlund can take a lot of trial and error to find the best place to mount it, but I would rather spend that time knowing the sound is in there somewhere than mess about endlessly with more piezos not knowing whether I'm wasting my time. I was actually thinking about getting a Full Circle fitted but I don't have an adjustable bridge on my main bass so the cost of getting one fitted plus the pickup would actually be more expensive than the Ehrlund. And if the FC has that dominant midrange hump characteristic that all piezos I've tried so far have got, I wouldn't like it anyway. I'm about to put my order in anyway so I will be sure to report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 This blog on TalkBass about the Ehrlund (written by one of the better known DB contributors to the forum) might be of interest [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f4/ehrlund-blog-sort-909299/"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f4/ehrlund-blog-sort-909299/[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted September 3, 2012 Author Share Posted September 3, 2012 Yeah I've been following that one. There's also a [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f4/ehrlund-contact-pu-mike-621077/"]massive thread[/url] that started in 2010 that I read about 20 pages of before I decided it was worth a punt, which I would recommend people read if they're trying to decide. Plenty of experiences documented there, and not just a whitewash of opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I look forward to you 'taking one for the team' and trying out the Ehrlund! I might well end up buying one of these too, so keen to see your review once you've gigged it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted September 3, 2012 Author Share Posted September 3, 2012 Unfortunately I don't have any gigs on DB in the diary at the moment - the guy I've been regularly gigging with has just had his first baby so things have gone a bit quiet. I had resolved to stop saying no to gigs quite so often but I'd got so sick of my amplified sound I turned a couple of people down. Hope the pickup changes that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Well the Ehrlund and preamp arrived this morning (cheers Daf!) and after nipping out to Boyes' for supplies I've now mounted the preamp behind my tailpiece and have had my first crack at mounting the pickup. I fitted it, then recorded to Pro Tools and listened back to the results. Apparently trial and error pays off with this thing, and my first attempt at positioning it gave me a lot of treble detail but not enough bass, but I'm impressed already at its mic-like quality. Definitely sounds nothing like a piezo. Bit excited. Of course feedback prevention will be the most important factor, but I won't be able to comment on that until I get a chance to gig it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Sounds promising Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Yarr. Did some more fiddling. There's a bunch of good placements for it but I guess the trick is going to be choosing the one that will work best live. Nearer the bridge feet seems to bring out more treble (as does fitting it with more putty / a bigger gap to the table), towards the G side gives more 500hz - 1khz midrange, out past the E and below the F-hole gives a ton of bass. It all sounds like my bass, just a matter of finding the right balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Still fiddling! I've found that the adhesive putty makes a big difference too. With blobs placed all the way out at the corners you get a lot of bass, and with them further inside you get mids instead, and less volume. So I think the optimum thing to do is to make sure you use very little putty right in the corners each time you attach it, to make sure with each change of position you really are comparing apples with apples. Looks like it's going to be somewhere between the F hole and the E-side bridge foot on my bass, about an inch or so south of the bridge, but I've spent the last hour just experimenting with putty amounts and placement... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbassist Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 One thing that confuses me is the different lengths of cable and adaptors. Bob G in the US has different ordering options and there's a lot of different approaches on Talkbass. If the cable is as microphonic as they say it would make sense to have it short. It also seems like a lot of extra cable to have to tie up behind the tail piece. What do you guys do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Jonas Lohse at Kontrabass Atelier in Germany sells the Ehrlund with a shortened cable and a different jack, maybe for the reasons highlighted on TalkBass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 I brought the cable/jack stuff up with Daf and he told me that if you coil the wire it no longer picks up vibrations from the coil onward. I have coiled mine but I haven't actually tested it since (I had to break for dinner!). I'll give it a go today and report back. I decided I wanted a male jack on mine because I attached the preamp to the back of my tailpiece, so the mic can stay plugged in all the time. The preamp is only powered when something is plugged into its output. With the preamp mounted on the bass though the wire is way longer than it needs to be. I could get away with just a foot of wire, maybe less. I think it's about three or four feet long. It's very thin though so easy to coil up without getting bulky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 Just gave it a try and looping the wire definitely reduces the microphonic properties of it. From the mic to the loop it's still very sensitive, but the looped wire and the length after that leading to the preamp were much less so. The loops are resting against the tailpiece and not generating any noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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