jimmybass04 Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 hi there,i use a david gage pickup on my bass,sits under the bridge,and as a rule i hate having to plug my bass in at all, but needs must(noisey drummers) i just dont like the sound its very nasal. anyone got any tips on different pickups,mics,etc... i use an eden head,with different cabs,depends on gig. i need to get a sound im happy with live. cheers,any help much appreciated. jimmy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redd Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 [quote name='jimmybass04' post='31712' date='Jul 14 2007, 11:29 AM']hi there,i use a david gage pickup on my bass,sits under the bridge,and as a rule i hate having to plug my bass in at all, but needs must(noisey drummers) i just dont like the sound its very nasal. anyone got any tips on different pickups,mics,etc... i use an eden head,with different cabs,depends on gig. i need to get a sound im happy with live. cheers,any help much appreciated. jimmy.[/quote] Hi mate, ive owned a fshman Bp-100 for around a year and am really happy with the sound produced, you can pick em up for around 160/170 quid and are really easy to install. that nasal sound usually comes from the (lack of) eq range in my opinion. it seems that with every double pick up ive used you need to roll the high end and the mid back on your amp almost to nil to get that warmth to come through. Ive looked at the fishman full circle as an alternative with the preamp as ive heard this being used live and it sounded great but these are quite pricey and you need a professional to fit them. i solved my problem by using an art valve preamp that i picked up on ebay for 20 squid with a mackie srm 350, sounds great now, really warm and 'REAL' as it were. hope this is of some interest, ReDD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmybass04 Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 hey cheers for your reply,i,ll try your suggestion on the e.q. and experiment a bit more,and hopefully get something im kinda happy with. cheers again, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 I use the Realist on EUB and acoustic, gives a deep "plummy" sound - not nasal to me. I also use an old Fishman BP100 - has to go into a good preamp to be useable, otherwise its all scratch n scrape. Even then its toppy, but in a good way... The results you get depend on a lot of things - the instrument, set up and installation, strings, preamps, speakers - then there's the player. My suggestion is to first check over the installation of the Realist. Is the bridge foot a good fit to the top, and is the foot moving once the Realist is in place? Then take away any eq (as much as possible) and see what it sounds like (with gain adjustments if needed). Then start adding small eq changes to taste...might help? When you plug in, try to use as little volume as you can (I know, drummers..) but think reinforcement rather than amplify? Also try not to stand right in front of your amp - move it a couple of feet away and you'll hear it much better, with less boom. With an Eden I hardly used any eq at all (plus no enhancer) - you can also plug into the line inputs on the back to by pass the Eden pre completley, but you'll need some sort of active preamp to have enough signal. Have fun! BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmybass04 Posted July 19, 2007 Author Share Posted July 19, 2007 cheers for all the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyl Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I have used a B-Band Statement for about 6 or 7 years. It has piezos under the bridge wings (that get all the toppiness) and one under the bridge foot (for the bassiness). The outboard pre-amp allows you to find the perfect blend between the two - with a two-channel footswitch that is perfect if you swap between arco and pizz. It wasn't cheap, but if I ever lost it, I would buy another. Up until fairly recently, I would have told you it was amazing! It actually flattered my bass (and poor technique!) with a warm, accurate, plummy-but-clear, deep sound - even with the amp eq set flat. Earlier this year, I messed with the bass - moved the bridge and soundpost and the pickup was uninstalled and reinstalled a few times. Since then I have felt a bit of "nasel honk" creeping in and am now tending to use my parametric eq to iron it out. Reckon it needs some ongoing tweaking to rediscover that "sweet" set-up again! I agree with Bass Bod's suggestion - start with the set up. It all happens through the bridge - is it a really good fit against the bass body and pickup? How about that bass bar and soundpost on the inside? Have you knocked them recently? Also like Bass Bod, I have found speakers and amps make a huge difference. My SWR head with Ampeg cab sounds brilliant with electric bass, but absolutely shocking with upright. I have a Euphonic Audio iAmp head which sounds pretty good to me (with small EA cabs or Markbass cab). You're on a real difficult mission - if you find an upright player that's happy with his amplified sound, be sure to introduce him! Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmybass04 Posted July 22, 2007 Author Share Posted July 22, 2007 cheers again, im gonna start and go through everything again, including cutting all eq and build on that. I hear so many good things about the realist pickup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted July 22, 2007 Share Posted July 22, 2007 Just a thought, but are you using buffer preamp with that David Gage pickup? If not, that could explain your sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmybass04 Posted July 26, 2007 Author Share Posted July 26, 2007 just plugging straight into my eden amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 Normally you need a "buffer" to get the best out ot piezo's, but the Realist/Gage doesn't seem to. There is a resistor/something soldered into the jack socket and I guess this helps in some way? It does improve a bit with a preamp, but its not as important. BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.