Double Bass Myers Pickup with flexible mic & preamp

R

rgr

Jan 26, 2002
36
4
4,596
San Francisco Bay Area
#1

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#3
Interesting. The mic placement in the photo is my least favorite of all spots. Very boomy in that placement. If you get one, don't hesitate to try it in the after lengths, or in the upper part of the f hole pointed at the center of the bass, ect. This pu prolly is better than the Radio Shack DIY jobber people were discussing here a while back..
 
#6
MR PC said:
Interesting. The mic placement in the photo is my least favorite of all spots. Very boomy in that placement.
Click to expand...

Yes, quite probably the most commonly pictured place to mic an upright, and one of the least likely to work well. I always tell people, "imagine putting your head INSIDE the bass. How would that sound to you?"

That's what pointing the mic into the soundhole sounds like: all boom, no detail. Now, ACROSS the soundhole, on a diagonal, aimed up at the bottom of the fingerboard (or thereabouts) can often work, and provide a girthy tone. It's a bit of a science (or perhaps black magic), to be sure...
 
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#8
The suction cup mounting looks problematic. First the weight of a cable would probably knock if off eventually. Also the preamp mounted that high would probably have the instrument cable smacking off the top which would also get amplified (unless you can stand completely still while playing live).
 
#9
I just bought the Myers pick up for my upright bass and fellows I am here to tell you I think it is a game changer. The sound of my bass coming through my amp is finally the sound I produce when not using an amp which is the way I practice. The suction cup is unbelievably stable I felt iffy about that too!! Right now I like the mic placement at the F-hole on the g string side. I am still experimenting with positioning of the pick up. I am getting really good volume with out feedback,of course strategically positioned. Ray Brown said "don't let the amp play you." Believe me with this mic it doesn't!! I have an Audio Technica 350cw which sounds good too but I can't get volume like the Myers!! i can even set the bass down with the pickup volume up and it doesn't feed back!! Lovin IT!!
 
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#10
Myers bass gooseneck pickup is the amazing pickup I have ever heard . Natural bass sound is what this little pickup delivers , not an electric sound as pickups mounted on the bridge do. It fills up the room with an incredible pure bass sounds that doesn't even feel like it's coming out of your amp . At first I was worried that the suction cup holding up or keep falling off .Well since I put it on my bass it hasn't moved even with my cord pulling it at times . Place on either side with gooseneck in the F hole and no feed back problems. Easy volume control that's at your fingertips if needed . I love this little pickup cause it so easy to setup . I told my good friend Bennie Sims , he couldn't believe how beautiful his bass sounded. He ordered one the next day . Bassist get this pickup you can't go wrong .
 
#11
I just did a gig with mine as well. Definitely an easy to use product. It has a little mic gooseneck you can aim. I used the suction cup, as my finish is glossy and it worked fine to hold it up. Just wrap your guitar cable around a string, so that it doesn't hit the top "sevenyearsdownaslave' fellow. Also that way the weight doesn't pull on the pickup. I bet you do this with any other cable/pickup already.
They also sent double sided tape/ and/ or screws if you wanna use em.(no thanks to the screws obviously)
For light-weight/ease of plug n play it gets mega bonus points. I did get feedback some. But it is a mic, not a contact pickup, so that isn't crazy cuz it was basically aimed back at my amp. This will add lots to a blended signal though, and I'm excited to have it in the arsenal.
 
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#12
It seems that the box is actually a contact pickup in itself with an integral lithium battery powered preamp that's activated by inserting a cord into the input jack. I assume this version also has an adjustable mic for added detail. I wonder what the version without the mic sounds like. Does the the one with the mic blend the two signals somehow? They also mention alternative mounting methods if the suction cup doesn't work. What are these options? Inquiring minds want to know.

- Steve
 
#14
Steve Boisen said:
It seems that the box is actually a contact pickup in itself with an integral lithium battery powered preamp that's activated by inserting a cord into the input jack. I assume this version also has an adjustable mic for added detail. I wonder what the version without the mic sounds like. Does the the one with the mic blend the two signals somehow? They also mention alternative mounting methods if the suction cup doesn't work. What are these options? Inquiring minds want to know.

- Steve
Click to expand...

Their write up says it's just one those tiny omni-condenser elements, and the housing is just a preamp. Looking at the website it looks like there are two options, one with a gooseneck and one with the element mounted into the preamp housing. There wasn't anything I could find about it being a contact pickup. The preamp is likely just a phantom power circuit for the condenser element with a filter adjustment on the output.

I was making something almost identical to these for a while as were a couple of other TBer's. In a nutshell it's a tiny condenser element that doesn't have a great range, so it's really good at rejecting feedback. The frequency response was very linear (if you bought decent elements). I would bet these guys are using one of the two elements I played around with. A friend and I experimented with a couple of different preamp options, as well is different size elements. It was a fun little project, but in the end I went back to a pickup.

Myers sound like they might have built a better pre/filter from the reviews though. The package is much nicer than anything we did. Maybe I'll wait to pick one up used to do a shootout!
 
#15
I received this message from my friend Watts Shimmura who tested this pick up and is quoted on the company's website:

"Hi Steve, I used them both (with and without the gooseneck). The one without the gooseneck sounded amazing when I played at my apartment. Both arco and pizz it produced 100% natural tone, but I couldn't use it at a gig because it had a huge feedback problem. I returned it and Gregg, the owner of the company, sent me the one with the gooseneck to try out. He was looking for someone who could check out the new model last year. The one with the gooseneck sounded even better and had less of a feedback problem.....but still I couldn't use it with a jazz trio. I used it at some very low volume jazz and church gigs and sounded awesome though. The suction cup didn't fall off :) If you decide to check out the Myers pickup, please say hello to Gregg. If you are thinking of using it for some low volume gigs, I think you will love it."

Watts is loaning it to me so I can give it a try.

- Steve
 
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#16
I'm sorry to say this, but I am suspicious. Bennie and Jim, who wrote the enthusiastic reviews about this new pickup have never written anything a talkbass before, nor follow any other thread. Are you guys real or are you somehow connected with the manufacturer? Or am I just wrong with interpreting your non existing profiles?
(No intend to offend anybody ... I'm just wondering ...)
 
#18
Jonas, I share your suspicion and a google search let me to a post about this pickup on a dobro forum where a new member called this pickup a "game changer" like Bennie did in his post here. I hope these are real talkbass members and not sock puppets spamming on behalf of the manufacturer. Either way, I know my friend Watts is a real person who tested this mic and liked it for low volume situations. I'll post my experiences here as well.

- Steve
 
#19
Jonas and Steve my name is Bennie Sims. Google me, Facebook me, and recognize that I am more than qualified to review this project. I don't want to have to blow my own horn but I can. I understand your suspicion when it comes to the internet but check me out and see if you can get any clarification. Thank You.
 
#20
I'm legit too. Though only known for my horrible stories & experiences with Barbera pickups.
But back to the the Myers: It is definitely a microphone, not a pickup, just as sevenyears posted a bit ago. I wish it was a pickup! I was hoping it was both. You can hold the mini -mic up to your face and talk clearly through it, as a vocal mic. Although it doesn't have the best mic appearance or technique for singing.
 
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