PaulKing Posted September 13, 2018 Posted September 13, 2018 (edited) I just stuck a Fire & Stone / KNA piezo on my bass to A/B it with Underwood (which is sadly on its way out). Great price, and first indications are pretty impressive. Higher output. More top end - so finger noise. I think slap is going to be quite honky. HAvent tried through preamp at any volume yet ... will report back. Also just took delivery of Shadow 951 to make same comparison. Underwood has always been my fave over Bassmax, Rev Solo, couple of others I tried. Edited September 13, 2018 by PaulKing typo Quote
Beer of the Bass Posted September 13, 2018 Posted September 13, 2018 Yep, I find my KNA to have a fair bit of high end, though it's quite easy to EQ as it doesn't seem peaky. I'm getting better string to string balance and evenness across the bass range than I've had with other wing pickups so far (I've had a Rev Solo II and a J-Tone), though perhaps that has something to do with the G- side placement. Nice and easy to fit too. Quote
Bilbo Posted September 30, 2018 Author Posted September 30, 2018 Took delivery of the Kna today. Have a gig next Sunday so will report back. Quote
PaulKing Posted October 2, 2018 Posted October 2, 2018 Tried the KNA at rehearsal last night. Yeah, it's pretty good. Took some time dialling in EQ, as it had different character to Underwood. Mid is much more honky. I was losing the punch in the lower mid a bit ... but it fared pretty well. WIth bass boom dialled down and volume cranked, it cit through very well. Given I got it for £35 off Amazon I cant complain. I'll use Underwood as long as it lasts, bt KNA is good back up. Meanwhile Shadow - equally did me OK at a gig. I think a slightly harder sound than Undewood.. It cut through OK, but I was missing that pillowy boom that's so hard to dial in. As ever ... all of these comments are relevant only to the bass in use at the time (Shadow - 1937 King Mortone, KNA 1938 Kay) and the strings (Shadow Evah P Slap/Lenzner Gut, KNA Lamberts GT47/Lenzner Gut) .. and the venue (SHadow Ain't Nothing But the Blues, KNA Airplay STudios....) ;o) Quote
Bilbo Posted October 2, 2018 Author Posted October 2, 2018 There are always variables. At some point, you just have to commit. Quote
Bilbo Posted October 9, 2018 Author Posted October 9, 2018 Definite improvement with the new pick up. Early days but very promising. Quote
Bilbo Posted March 30, 2019 Author Posted March 30, 2019 I am not happy. First double bass gig after my heart attack yesterday and I couldn't sort the sound out at all. The KNA would not settle. I had an irritating honk every time I hit the low E and a scratchy rattle (not the bass, the electrics) at the higher end. I have no double bass gigs in the diary until September so I am going to shed but I will really need to sort out the sound once and for all. This endless pick up search is a bloody money pit. Quote
TPJ Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 Sorry to hear about the heart attack, hope you're ok and recovering well 😯. I got a Realist Lifeline and although it's darker sounding than some, it's been the next best thing to the Full Circle pickup. I like the fact that it's non-invasive too. Might be worth a shot. Quote
Rabbie Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 Indeed so sorry to hear you have been unwell but so glad you are back swinging! + 1 for the realist lifeline, like Tom says above (or if you are feeling flush I’m selling a Remic 5400db) Quote
Staggering on Posted March 30, 2019 Posted March 30, 2019 8 hours ago, Bilbo said: I am not happy. First double bass gig after my heart attack yesterday and I couldn't sort the sound out at all. The KNA would not settle. I had an irritating honk every time I hit the low E and a scratchy rattle (not the bass, the electrics) at the higher end. I have no double bass gigs in the diary until September so I am going to shed but I will really need to sort out the sound once and for all. This endless pick up search is a bloody money pit. I love my KNA and use it for daily practice at home as well as band rehearsals and gigs but I did have a problem similar to what you are describing at one gig. When I installed it my bridge needed a fair bit of sanding to get two nice flat surfaces in the wing and until I got it perfect I had a variety of noises and sounds I didn't like but when I finally got it sorted it was perfect for several months and then started to act up at a gig when I was setting up. I wiggled the pickup and moved it a bit and it started to work just fine and has been good since then, which was about 4 months ago. I think I may have moved the pickup a bit when the bridge bumped into something in my car or when loading in at that gig, it is VERY sensitive to location and pressure. Other than that time no problems.I use a Schatten Design Mini Pre that has volume control only and use the EQ on my amp or the PA(Bose) so I know the problem was the pickup and the way it was wedged in the wing not the electrics in my case. Hope you get yours sorted out, these things can be awfully frustrating and expensive too. Glad to hear you are back playing after your heart problem,I've been through something similar and it's not much fun. Quote
Beer of the Bass Posted March 31, 2019 Posted March 31, 2019 With any luck it'll just be a fit issue that you can figure out with a little fiddling, though if it does turn out to be faulty you should be able to get it replaced. It's a decent sounding pickup, so I'd try and work it out rather than looking for something else immediately. Quote
Bilbo Posted March 31, 2019 Author Posted March 31, 2019 Am hoping to spend some time with it today. I am assuming I just need to ensure that I have an even signal across all frequencies. Quote
pete.young Posted March 31, 2019 Posted March 31, 2019 I have a Shadow if you want to give that a try, also a Headway EDB1. Did you manage to get any more K&K tape? Quote
Bilbo Posted March 31, 2019 Author Posted March 31, 2019 (edited) Yes I did, Pete. It didn't work very well because of the mess I had already made of the pick up. I am sat in my shed with my Clarus+ amp plugged in and the manual open and I seem to have sorted the problem out be learning about how the various buttons work. I have lost the annoying aspects of the sound and found something more than usable. I think I have made the classic mistake of never 'practising' my sound and only looking at the issue on gigs where the time and space are limited. I am bowing the bass at the moment and am not getting any problems. I am tempted to add a mic like a DPA 4099 or something. This guy sounds great. Edited March 31, 2019 by Bilbo Quote
Bilbo Posted May 5, 2019 Author Posted May 5, 2019 I have invested in a Realist which sounds pretty good (gigged it with a Jazz Quartet on Friday and in a piano /bass duo last night) and I have just pressed the button on an Audio Technica ATM350 microphone (see comparison video above). I am optimistic. Quote
bassace Posted May 6, 2019 Posted May 6, 2019 I use an ATM350 from time to time and it comes very close in performance to the DPA. It sounds particularly good with a simple ART tube preamp, a single valve job that provides phantom power, phase reverse and output/input pots. With the valve it gives a nice warmth to the signal. And it’s cheap, at less than £50. Quote
Bilbo Posted May 6, 2019 Author Posted May 6, 2019 I have a Fishman Plat Pro but I can go direct into my Acoustic Image Clarus as it has phantom power for the mic and two channels that you can mix. I will see how it sounds. I have a few weeks until my next gig so have time to experiment but all advice is welcomed. Quote
Bilbo Posted June 7, 2019 Author Posted June 7, 2019 Tonight I am debuting my new set up. David Gage Realist with Audio Technica ATM350 microphone. Sounds great in the woodshed but will it work live? Gypsy Jazz Quartet in Felixstowe. No drums so in with a fighting chance. Quote
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