DB Amplification Advice Sought

[Subfeeder]

Hi all,
Looking for some advice. I have a lively Italian bass with a Realist pickup going to an fDeck and then to a Markbass Little Mark iii with a Barefaced Midget T. I don't really like the sound of this setup - it seems to lack attack and sounds a bit "flabby". The mids need a bit of tweaking and others have commented that the Barefaced Midget has a bit of a mid range peak. I suspect that the Barefaced is the problem. I sometimes play through a very old GK MB150s and although I can't get much bottom end out of it the sound is a lot more responsive and focused. However I should say that the Markbass and Barefaced work very well with Electric Bass.
I'm thinking I should try a smaller, tighter speaker - perhaps an EA Wizzy? However, I'm not sure how that would work with Electric Bass. I can't really justify 2 speakers at the moment.
Anyone have any thoughts?

[TheRev]

Have you looked into the BigE/Michael Arnapol Soundworks cabs?
The MAS45 is a 4x5" cab voiced for double bass but the MAS46 (4X6") is designed for players who double on upright and electric bass.

I had similar issues with my double bass sound, (but with my, otherwise amazing Bill Fitzmaurice Omni10.5 cab) and extensive research on the various bass forums led me to the MAS45 cab. I've had it about 2 years now and still very happy with it.

Edited May 12, 2015 by TheRev

[fatback]

[quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1431469529' post='2771791']
Have you looked into the BigE/Michael Arnapol Soundworks cabs?
The MAS45 is a 4x5" cab voiced for double bass but the MAS46 (4X6") is designed for players who double on upright and electric bass.

I had similar issues with my double bass sound, (but with my, otherwise amazing Bill Fitzmaurice Omni10.5 cab) and extensive research on the various bass forums led me to the MAS45 cab. I've had it about 2 years now and still very happy with it.
[/quote]

I wouldn't conclude too quickly that the Midget is the problem. Yes it's a little middy, but that's easily tamed with a small EQ adjustment. Do you raise the cab up much off the floor? The mids do get out of control then, I've found.

I don;t know what the effect of the teweeter would be, but presumably you can switch that off anyhow.

A bit baffling this.

[Subfeeder]

Thanks for your advice.
I do tend to raise the Midget up - I will try it on the floor.
Part of the problem is that I don't often get to play with this rig - in fact I don't get to play that much at all live. As most of what I hear is acoustic in the practice room I tend to have a preconceived notion of the sound I'm going to get out of the speaker which doesn't match the reality. I tried practicing with headphones last night and found that a very different experience to practicing acoustically. I tend to dig in hard acoustically and realized I should ease off when playing with the pickup. Also experimenting with the fdeck HPF frequency through headphones I found that I need to set it around 60Hz to get rid of the boom. Live I've tended to neglect the setup of this and that may have contributed to the flabby sound. It may also be that the Realist is not working so well with this bass so I could try a different style of pickup such at the J-Tone wing pickups which look good and cheap. Plus I could try different strings - I'm playing Spirocore Weich currently but although easy to play I do tend to dig in too much with them so maybe I should try Mediums.
So lots to try which in order of cost will be:
-Practice through headphones and dig in less
-Different pickup
-Different strings
-Different speaker

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='Subfeeder' timestamp='1431444247' post='2771439']
I'm thinking I should try a smaller, tighter speaker - perhaps an EA Wizzy? However, I'm not sure how that would work with Electric Bass. I can't really justify 2 speakers at the moment.
Anyone have any thoughts?
[/quote]

I haven't used the 12" model, but the Wizzy 10" has a fairly lively, peaky voicing in the mids, so might not be the obvious place to look if that's a concern. It's a good sounding cab and the strong mids can definitely help with audibility in noisy venues, but most people find themselves having to EQ some out.
I wonder if trying a different pickup might be a good idea, as whenever I've heard bassists using the Realist, it seems to capture more woody/thumpy body sound than a bridge wing pickup does. It can be a good sound, though perhaps not what you'd choose for every context.

[fatback]

All the above, plus if boom is an additional problem try some some sound insulating foam under the cab? I sometimes use a couple of wedges of the stuff. They help to point the cab up a bit too.

Edited May 20, 2015 by fatback

[Rabbie]

Like a lot of people here, I have tried lots and lots of stuff over the years. I think that wheather or not you play live a lot you have already hit the nail on the head on the fundamental issue: whenever you play amplified, you don't sound like when you play acoustically. This is what tormented me for years, because as a double bass player, it is the acoustic, natural, percussive sound of the bass you seek, not a pseudo-electric hybrid which is ok just as long we don't feedback. Personally I say pants to those who suggest that when playing amplified you should let the amp do the work: the sound is in the fingers, the hands, of course the bass. Not in the pickup, not in the amp.
After years of grief, I settled for the following:
- forget super-high volume gigs: just play slab or eub if you want this.
- forget pickups;
I now am a total convert to Schertler Dyn-b or Ehrlund (I know the latter is actually a pickup but you know what I mean). I find that used with their own preamps, I can play festivals outdoors and venues indoors with no feedback. I either use a AI Ten2 or just the house PA.
Most importantly, I can play like I play acoustically. The sound may not be exactly the same at higher volumes, but at least I don't change the dynamics, which in the DB world is everything.
Of course that's just my personal experience at this point in time, far from being the absolute truth. However it may be helpful to somebody somewhere.
PS - yes contact mics and their preamps are expensive, but think of the cash you save trying different pickups and amps....

Edited May 21, 2015 by Rabbie

[tanuki]

I use an acoustic image focus and a bergantino 1x12.. My pickup is also a realist.. I only just got my new bass after a period of not having an upright, i had decided to sell the amp but after my first session on it i have to keep it, it does sound natural and approximates the acoustic sound well..

I think the realist is a great choice for a natural sound, i have tried a few pickups with this in mind. I have tried the same pickup through a little mark tube and i felt it lacked presence.

Im now in the position where i really wanted to get a Tonehammer 500 and a different cab and i have to say i was completely blown away by the sound of the acoustic image.. I still dont like it as much as a doubling amp but im not sure what else would give such a naturalistic sound,,