Sell DPA 4099B and get a Wilson K4?

[henrywillard]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]As the title suggests, I am considering selling my DPA to part-fund a Wilson.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]I have scoured this forum, other forums, and various websites for reviews, and understand that different pickups and amplification systems produce different results depending on the bass itself, the other equipment, the venue etc, but talking in generics, I was hoping for some further advice, help, and recommendations before I go ahead and make the switch from the DPA to the Wilson. [/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Contrary to so many good reviews of the DPA 4099B that ultimately persuaded me to get one in the first place, I have really struggled with it in the six months I've been using it.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Despite experimenting with a multitude of positions and distances from the top of my bass, experimenting with all different input, gain, output, and master levels, in the end I struggle to get enough volume, even with my ART Tube MP V3 preamp. The mic just seems to pick up everything else around it, resulting in a muddy sound that feeds back at ease.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]I have used it on both small and medium-large stages (good size coffee shops, to 500 capacity theatres), and in situations where I've had the other band members less than a metre away from me, crammed on stage, as well as gigs where I've sometimes been 8 metres or so from the guitarist - Still however, I seem to get poor results.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]I currently use a Westbury bass with my DPA going into an ART Tube MP V3, then always to FOH. I have also experimented with both in-ear monitoring, and floor monitors.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]I mainly play country and folk, with hints of folk rock every now and again which is a bit louder in volume. Nothing too crazy loud though.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]The past couple of months I have been working with a very well renowned sound engineer in my area of England, and he is shocked by the DPA's performance. We have spent a lot of time together experimenting with the DPA, often before gigs on an empty stage (although we understand things do change slightly when all the other musicians are on stage). We've been desperately trying to get the best out of the DPA, but he has really struggled.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Has anyone else experienced anything like this with the DPA, and/or are there any recommendations, tips, or words of advice anyone can give?[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]My bridge doesn't have adjusters, so although I've read good things about the Full Circle, I'm not sure about switching to one of these.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]I have read mixed reviews about the Wilson, but it sounds like the way to go if decent volume without feedback is required, although I have read contradicting reviews re its sound. Some say it sounds real and acoustic, whilst others say it sounds very 'electric'?[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]I guess the only way to really find out is to bite the bullet, purchase one, get it installed, and see how it sounds. As with anything to do with our beautiful instruments though, as we all know, that becomes a mighty expensive experiment![/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Any help or experience would be greatly appreciated![/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Many thanks [/font][/color]

[Chrismanbass]

hi henry

first off let me say that i'm not a double bass player

however i am a sound engineer who deals with double basses nightly

ime the dpa is great for picking up string noise however not great at giving a lot of bottom end to the bass i've found that i've had the best results from the dpa when used in conjunction with a pickup as well that way your able to blend between the two to create the right tone for you for example i run the dpa about 5 db louder than the pickup that way i get a nice even double bass tone

this is obviously dependant on the room and the system but thats what i've found to give the best results for me

to be honest i'm not sure exactly what the pick up on the house bass is but i can find out for you if you'd like

if i can be of any help just give me a pm

chris

[symcbass]

I've only used the Wilson on a borrowed bass, and It was a few years ago, but....I struggled with it live. Pickups are always very different on different basses of course, but I found It to be nasal, and very heavy on mids, but not in a nice way, even with my Pro Plat I used at the time. It was an old carved bass with Spiro's on it, very nice acoustic sound, quite a dark sounding bass acoustically. I also play a lot of country/Jazz, Rockabilly and slap. My preference is either an Underwood (E side element only) on my dark sounding bass or a Planet Wing on my old German ply, which is heavier on the mids with less low end. I can get very loud, and still get a very true acoustic sound with no feedback. I do have a lot of EQ available though, pickup through a D-Tar Solstice into an Iamp800. Lots of good reviews on the Wilson though, but every bass I've owned likes different pickups.

[tickbite]

I also played a Westbury using the DPA 4099b into an ART MP V3 into FOH and/or a bass amp, with feedback issues as the norm. I could reduce feedback by reducing the preamp's input gain and increasing the output level: gain too high made the mic's input range too big. However, in the end I bought a better quality preamp (which has two inputs, the second one being used for a Shadow pickup), and haven't looked back.

[Mr Bassman]

Don't know if this helps but I've got a Wilson K4 on an EUB and it sounds great pizz., but not arco, as with many bridge transducers.

[thisnameistaken]

If you like the sound of a mic but want better feedback resistance, have you considered the Ehrlund EAP? I think it's an amazing product but I don't play in loud bands, although I have jammed with an electric guitarist and a drummer in a small room and managed to keep up just fine with my bass amp about a metre in front of me and the guitar amp about a metre to my right.

It's true that if you can feel strong vibrations through the body of the bass then a contact mic will hear them too - there's not much you can do about that, other than to make sure nobody's backline is pointing at you, and that other amps are as far away from you as is practical.

I kept a Realist on my bass just in case I needed more grunt but I took it off yesterday while I was changing strings because I haven't used it since I got the Ehrlund.

[Mr Bassman]

[quote name='Mr Bassman' timestamp='1368566138' post='2078755']
Don't know if this helps but I've got a Wilson K4 on an EUB and it sounds great pizz., but not arco, as with many bridge transducers.
[/quote]

Just been experimenting and found that a good arco sound can be achieved by rotating each individual sensor to it's sweet spot

It will take some time to balance them and it's too late in the day to go any further

So far I'm impressed with the K4