Feedback on my acoustic bass

[kevvo66]

Hiya people, while rehearsing last night with my band, we decided to do an acoustic set, well feedback from my bass was terrible at volume and no matter what I tried it would not behave, this is oval backed bass with various sound hole so bunging it is really not a option any suggestions how to cure this problem? Cheers kev

[mr zed]

This will cure it but.......it ain't cheap  It will also allow you to have both your electric & acoustic bass connected to the same amp.

http://www.tonebone.com/pzpre.php

You could also try these. https://www.f-itsfeedbackblockers.co.uk/

I have the f hole blockers on my double bass and use the Pz Pre. Works a treat. Great tone at volume.

 

[kevvo66]

Thanks Mr Z, much appreciated 👍 

[Marc S]

I had an acoustic bass (Ibanez) and never suffered any feedback problems - except when I put the bass close to speaker (forgot the amp was on! lol)
I'd still have the bass now, if my son hadn't taken such a fancy to it
Let us know how you get on - but if it's a circular "sound hole" - I'm sure one of those rubbery pads / blockers acoustic guitarists use should fit

[kevvo66]

Thanks Marc, I will indeed matey

[MoonBassAlpha]

A preamp or acoustic pedal that has a notch filter worked an absolute treat for my mate's Verithin bass. Stopped the feedback dead.

[kevvo66]

Thanks MBA, I'm looking at my options as I write this 

Cheer kev

[Mottlefeeder]

The bottom line is that acoustic instruments will feed back at relatively low volumes. In my experience, if you control the PA, stay acoustic: if someone else is controlling the PA, user a solid bodied bass.

If you stay acoustic, you have a number of solutions, but

A) As mentioned above, a notch filter will take out one offending frequency, but there may be other resonant frequencies almost as bad.

B) A preamp with a phase switch in it will allow you to swap the phase to see which gives you more headroom - if your pickup is in phase with your speaker, it will feed back earlier.

C) As mentioned above, plugging the sound hole(s) will give you more headroom, so if you are talking about something like an Ovation, 20mm lengths of rolled up foam pipe lagging in each hole will get you most of the way there.

D) Using a variable high-pass filter can also reduce feedback problems, and can be used to take care of the lower of two resonances while a notch filter takes care of the upper one.

I have a 5-string ABG and I use its notch filter and phase switch, a planet waves feedback buster, and a variable HPF.

David

[EssentialTension]

For several years I played acoustic bass guitars (first a fretted Michael Kelly Dragonfly 4 and then a fretless Takamine B10) with backline amplification and normal eq and no feedback.

Of course if you stand right in front facing the speaker with high volume and without muting the strings then there's a good chance it might feedback but it never happened to me.

[josie]

I've seen peeps with really ugly duct tape covering the soundhole - cutting out the feedback but completely ruining the look of a good acoustic guitar or bass.

As above, the Fishman electronics in the Michael Kelly Dragonflies are superb, including an on-board notch, which worked well the one time I needed it, in a small space cramped close to the backline. (Fretless 5.) Don't want to start needing anything that isn't on the bass itself.

[kevvo66]

Once again, thanks peeps, thanks for the advice much appreciated 👍 

Edited April 27, 2018 by kevvo66