soupster Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 Hey, Im looking for a cheap pickup, but sounds like the real thing. It just has to be decent. Cost is the most important thing here, even though it shouldnt be. Im lookin at under 200 bucks, and the more under the better. Got any ideas? less is more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebrownbass Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 Bob Gollihur has 2 pickups listed for under $100...the Bass Max and the Double Big Twin. I've not used these, perhaps Bob will weigh in on them. The Max looks like it fits under the bridge wings and the Double looks like it has to be more or less permanently attached. I have used the Underwood, the David Gage Realist and the Fishman. (Well, years ago I used the FRAP...had to be attached by putty...lot of problems.) Underwood has to fit tight under the wings of the bridge...unless the bridge is cut to it, it may not fit. The Realist fits under one foot of the bridge. I've never wanted to leave one in place, for fear that it would effect my symphony sound. So I use the Fishman...quick on and off, good sound and no feedback. (note, there is a Fishman combo, that uses the pickup and an attached mic...that's probably out of your price range. Hopefully, Bob will weigh in. "Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread. Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted May 31, 2003 Share Posted May 31, 2003 I have the Barbera system in my electric upright. It sounds great, but it's a bit inconsistent in string-to-string balance. I've heard a lot of players say the sound of the Realist isn't that different from the Underwood. I haven't had any experience with either of them, though. Ron Carter has had nothing but bad things to say about the Fishman, claiming it acts like a mute on the bridge. I don't know about that, but it's a bit thick on the midrange for my taste... The upright pickup thing is definately a can of worms...everyone will claim that the pickup they use is "the best". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earljam Posted June 1, 2003 Share Posted June 1, 2003 I don't like the fishman either, makes my URB sound industrial. I do like the L.R. Baggs pre-amp. The only rig I've heard that makes a URB sound like a URB only louder was a high dollar set-up using four pick-ups on the bridge and four on the underside of of the fingerboard and a blender. It belonged to the bass player of Guy's All-Star Shoe Band- the house band on "A Praire Home Companion" and it was the fattest,toniest, sweetest sound. ------------------------------------------------- If a frog had wings, he wouldn't whomp his ass a' hoppin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebrownbass Posted June 1, 2003 Share Posted June 1, 2003 Oops, I forgot to say.... The Fishman is VERY uneven bass to bass. I have 2 basses, on one it sounds great, on the other is sounds pretty bad. And I've heard that guy on Prairie Home Companion and I'd attest that his sound is great. Here's another question...did you find out what strings he uses? I think they are Picato Innovation, but maybe not. "Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread. Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnb Posted June 1, 2003 Share Posted June 1, 2003 I use an Underwood on my bass and after a couple of YEARS I can finally get a decent sound pizz and arco sound. Unfortunately, I am not happy with the tone I get when soloing while piano (or guitar) and drums are comping behind me. This may be a reflection of my rather suspect technique, but I can't think of a single player that is 100% happy with the sound they get from their various pick ups. What kind of music are you playing? What kind of rig are you using? How does your bass sound without an amp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aspiration Posted June 1, 2003 Share Posted June 1, 2003 I also use Fishman's and in my opinion, tone quality isn't that bad. Then again, I've never really had another upright bass with pickups to which I could compare my bass. That being said I can't complain about my Fishman's. However, I got the heads up from my bass teacher that research is being done to reproduce a more accurate double bass sound. It's going to be availiable to us within the next five years for about the price we're paying now. So, if you have the patience to play the waiting game, you could probably pick up (no pun intended) some of the most accurate technology in string instrument sound reproduction. "It takes a big man to cry, it takes an even bigger man to laugh at him." -Jack Handey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonPackard Posted June 1, 2003 Share Posted June 1, 2003 I use the Bass Master Pro from Bob's site. And while it's more than you want to spend, it's the best pickup I've tried yet - and I've tried them all. I even did a test recording using just the pickup through a Fishman blender and was quite pleasantly surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earljam Posted June 1, 2003 Share Posted June 1, 2003 davebrownbass- I'm sorry, I don't remember what strings he was using. he told me but i have forgotten. Of course his bass was also the stuff- I was afraid to touch it. I just remember that it sounded exactly like an upright but louder. It made my body vibrate.I would think that the Fishman is probably the way to go unless you got a real bad ass instrument. Mine is a bottom of the line Englehardt so great electronics would probably be. On the other hand it has spent the night in the back pasture with no apparent ill effects from those late night bluegrass jams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Force Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Currently installed on my Kay double bass (URB) is the Fishman BP-100 upright bass pickup. I have never been happy with this "scratchy" and feedback-inducing pickup (other than the fact I can plug it in to my Korg rack-mounted tuner) and would like some updated info/experiences on URB pickups. Or, is mic'ing it the only real solution? If so, which works best? So far, I have tried Shure SM-58, 57, and BD dynamic mics, and a condenser mic as well. Best sound is the condenser but it is large and needs phantom power (read: mixer). Any tips? Regards, Steve Force, Durham, North Carolina -------- My Professional Websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 The Fishman is certainly not 'state of the art'. Check out pickups by Barbera, K&K, Underwood, and David Gage. Everyone has commented on them in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Force Posted March 8, 2004 Share Posted March 8, 2004 Thanks for your reply. Any other current experiences/tips? thanks. Steve Force, Durham, North Carolina -------- My Professional Websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krejza Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 I had the Bassmax (K+K), but I did not like his "fat" tone on all my basses (4) .I had tryied everything:using Fishman bass acoustic preamp,big and litlle combos, but the wrong was the Bassmax itself.By the way, The Realist was much worse!Too doomy and dwindling sound. After buying UNDERWOOD I am so happy now! I can hear the "real" sound of my bass (7/8 old German 1905-10? no signed, but great bass tone,no difference what sort of strings on it!),the tone is much more dynamic and workable even for bowing. Now I believe, that UNDERWOOD is The CLASSIC, of course with the preamp 10 MegaOHMS impedance. Maybe it depends on the instrument and my bass needs a pickup with "less bass" and "more treble"? I only know, the UNDERWOOD has it all balanced. And one IMPORTANT thing: it is not good to use the external preamp togather with the preamp on the combo! This "chain of preamps" may cause distorsion on the way of bass signal and it requires rather complicated setting on both devices.I am using the "return" input in the Loop Tape on my bass combo, so I send the signal from my Fishman preamp DIRECTLY TO THE END of the amp (Gallien-Krueger 150S bass combo).This brings much better sound and I can easy set the volume (by the "master volume" knob on the combo)while the preamp volume knob is on "maximum" and the "bass" and "treble" are flat. The same I do when playing my 1968 vintage Fender Jazz Bass (passive electronic, single coil pickups)and the tone is clean , with concrete bass,without scratchy sounds. I can recommend this setting for all basists, specially for jazzmen. Vaclav Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted March 30, 2004 Share Posted March 30, 2004 Welcome to the forum, Vaclav! Glad to have yet another european player on these forums. You a fan of the Russian bassist Vladimir Volkov? I mention his name on these forums all the time, but I get virtual "blank stares" from the other American bassists here. The duo album "Yankee Doodle Travels" he did with trumpeter Vyacheslav Gayvoronsky is a favorite of mine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba upright Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Originally posted by BenLoy: Ron Carter has had nothing but bad things to say about the Fishman, claiming it acts like a mute on the bridge. I don't know about that, but it's a bit thick on the midrangeThe clips that hold the fishman do, in fact, act like a mute to the bridge. I've used a BP 100 for years and never knew what I was missing until someone (a luthier) suggested that rather than replacing the pickup in favor of a Barcus Berry or the like, I remove the holding clips and apply a small drop of superglue to each contact to attach them to the bridge. This has improved the sound quality dramatically and does no damage to a worn-in bridge. Fishman makes a decent upright preamp as well, but personally, I think your amp choice really affects tone as much as your pickup. I love the way my Fender sounds through an Ampeg B-15, but my upright sounds like a$$ through it. IMHO GK, Ashdown and of course, Acoustic Image make great amps for Upright. My SWR does a fair job as well. "Study, study, study...or BONK BONK bad kids!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chromos Posted April 2, 2004 Share Posted April 2, 2004 I got the K&K Bass Max with my bass when I purchased from Lemur about a year ago. It was the one that Jerry suggested when I told her I was going to be playing mainly jazz, but some classical arco as well. I smiled at the suggestion because it was the cheapest one they offered...definitely in your price range. Regardless of its price, I'm very happy with it. I plug it directly into the Carvin R600 head I'm using and turn off the graphic eq (the knob portion of the eq is set flat). Running it through the head to a 4x10 cab; I've never had a problem with feedback, and I feel that the sound I get from it is a pretty honest representation of the way my bass sounds without amplification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnb Posted April 2, 2004 Share Posted April 2, 2004 Glad this topic is back. I just finished a month long upright gig. The sound designer was getting a GREAT pizz and arco upright sound running the Underwood into some solid state direct box. I was using a Comminity 12" wedge for a monitor. I am waiting for information on the direct box he was running me through, I was unfamiliar with the brand. Also, I had been having a lot of luck using a mic on the upright on shows, but the band was pretty low volume and isolated away from the mains. Earlier in this thread I wrote: ...I am not happy with the tone I get when soloing while piano (or guitar) and drums are comping behind me. This may be a reflection of my rather suspect technique... It was my technique, things are much better now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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