Kania Da Gamba Contra bass pup issue

[lowlandtrees]

I have a Kania contrabass. I love the instrument but I am disappointed in the output to the amp. Use a Gage Realist and Fishman pro pre but still seems very quiet. The instrument itself is very quiet so think that I need a peizo pup. Maybe the the pup is gubbed or it is the wrong pup to use. I contacted Kania and they recommended the Shadow pup but don't want to spend sheds and still have the same output. Was looking at a Full Circle. Anyone had the same problem?

[Clarky]

Don't know if its the case but Realist pickups (which incidentally are piezo) have a life span and eventually lose output and die. They generally have quite high output and the Fishman should help also. I am going to guess thats whats happened to you. I've owned the similar small-bodied Eminence EUB and the Realist worked well on that. Pretty much any piezo pickup should work as they pick up the vibrations from the bridge - Shadows are good as an alternative to the Realist as are BassMax and others. A Full Circle would work out very expensive as it requires a new bridge or re-vamping your bridge and hence luthier involvement (the element is in one of the bridge turning wheels)

[Mr Bassman]

Make sure the bridge feet are in full contact fully with the belly.

If the bridge is at a slight angle output will be low.

[lowlandtrees]

Hi

Bridge feet are OK. How long would a Realist be fully functioning? This is not an old instrument.

[Clarky]

I have heard tell of Realists konking out anywhere between 2-5 years. If you think about it, there's over 100lb of pressure on those bridge feet and the Realist is (almost) alone among piezo pickups in having all that pressure heaped upon it. Other piezos are generally slotted into the bridge wings

Edited June 9, 2013 by Clarky

[lowlandtrees]

Yep. That makes a lot of sense. Buying a second hand Realist out of the question then. Which pup are recommended for Eminence instruments?

[lowlandtrees]

Changing the Realist pick up..............is that a job for a luthier....? I have a tool to recover the pole if it drops but I haven't ever tried that.

[Clarky]

The stock pickup on an Eminence is a modified (slightly downsized) Realist. However, like I say you can slot any piezo pickup into a double bass bridge, and the Kania and Eminence are no exception. There's a ton of threads on BC about which piezo people prefer. I have an Underwood (similar to a Shadow) on my downsized Kolstein travel bass but my preference is an Ehrlund EAP contact microphone. That spricey though (£300 including special preamp).

[Clarky]

Changing a Realist is easy. Slacken strings, especially on E side but make sure there is still some downward pressure on bridge (so soundpost doesn't pop out). Gently lift E bridge foot and slide out Realist (making sure not to scratch surface of bass with copper element). Do the reverse to replace. If I were you, if you are certain that the Realist is faulty, I would just buy another one but get a new one or a nearly-new one. Most Realists last for at least several years, only occasionally do they die in a couple, according to what I have read.

[TheRev]

The Realist that came with my Eminence gave up the ghost about 3 or 4 months ago - low/variable output followed by crackling and then chronic flatulence. It probably lasted about 4 years which is a bit crap when you consider the cost but understandable when you think of the physical pressure they're under.

[quote name='lowlandtrees' timestamp='1370847673' post='2106134']
Which pup are recommended for Eminence instruments?
[/quote]

You could try a Fishman Full Circle. You'll have to trim the posts down a bit so that it fits in the Eminence bridge (it replaces the height adjusters) but it works well by all accounts.