Proud new owner of a B50

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I just got a B-50 acoustic bass and have a couple of questions ... the stock pickup (not sure what brand) in it doesn't sound good at all. I want to make sure I can offer the soundman the option of either using a mic and/or lining in so I want to make sure it sounds great.
Can you recommend any pickups or do I just need a bass pre amp? I have a small GK bass amp but would like to plug straight into the board once in awhile.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks,
Michele
http://www.thelaws.ca
 

Guildmark

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Welcome aboard, Michele! And congratulations on your new bass!

There are quite a few bass specialists here, and I'm sure one will come along to answer your question very soon. I'm wondering if the pickup(s) are faulty? The B-50 is usually considered a genuine tone machine, so I sure hope someone can help you.

I just had a listen to some of your music on your website. Cool stuff! Professionals making a living playing music - you are likely to get a few questions thrown your way, too. :) Nice to have you here.

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fronobulax

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Welcome.

There have been some discussions of the B-50 but most of them focused on acoustic only. Hopefully some of the other owners will be along shortly.

Not that it applies, but to my untrained ear the Fishman in my B-4E reproduces the acoustic sound pretty well, for me. Problem is, that is not a very pretty sound in my mind once it gets loud so I am usually dialing down on the treble one way or another.
 

Graham

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Welcome to LTG Michele.

Incredible music you two put out. :shock:

If I could add just one improvement it would be that hubby needs a Guild. :mrgreen:

Please let us know of upcoming show dates. There are Guilders all over the place. I for one would certainly catch a show.
 

krysh

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welcome from germany (no, infact calgary at the moment :wink: ) michele.
graham is right, great music you are doing. :)
sorry no info on the PU from my side but kurt (guilds of grot) should be able to answer the question.
 

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The bass player I work with has a custom handbuilt acoustic bass in his arsenal. We went to high school together so I've known him a long time and trust his bass judgment. I forwarded the following question and he responded:

I wonder what she has in there now? The B50 has a pin bridge, so she can't use a pickup like mine. (Tom's has an archtop type of bridge. - GM) She has to use either an undersaddle or undersoundboard pickup. Two immediately come to mind:


http://www.gollihurmusic.com/keyword/52-ACOUSTIC_BASS_GUITAR.html

http://www.pick-uptheworld.com/pickups.htm model 54 for steel string guitar

Another question I would have is: What kind of pre-amp is she using/going to use? That's the biggest hang up. I use this one:

http://www.gollihurmusic.com/product_details.cfm?ProdID=1304

If you can give me more info, I can better help.

T


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Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2007 11:16:14 -0800
From: Mark
Subject: Acoustic bass pickup
To: Tom

Howdy,

A new member of the Guild forum just bought a Guild B-50 acoustic bass. She's a touring pro in a duo with her husband.
The pickup in the guitar is unsatisfactory to her. What do you use in your acoustic bass? Any recommendations?

Thanks!
 
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Hi, Michele - enjoyed your web page and information. As a former resident of the Nashvegas and the music scene there (though back in the early 80's) - hope you enjoy it - it will be quite an experience. I never felt completely comfortable there - Harlan Howard told me, "It's different for you, you write because it's what you are - you're not writing for money." Ha!

I am Dudley-Brian Smith, the aforementioned member of Smithfield Fair, and our bassist has used the B-50 exclusively since 1978. He's currently using two fretless B-50's (1976, 1978) and on occasion uses my fretted 1979 B-50. All of them are amplified the same way - a single Shure SM-11 lavalier microphone suspended beneath the bridge, aimed up at the lower bout, and connected to a flush-mount XLR in the end block. This is a simple and effective procedure - the suspension device is made of velcro and attached under either the bridge plate or a strut by means of a large map tack. Drilling a 1" whole in the endblock for the XLR, though, may seem drastic. There are a lot of lavalier microphones available, but this one has proved durable, reliable and remained relatively inexpensive (they can be found for $150 or so). I have them in all of our road basses and guitars to great response. Sound men love them, but depending on the sound system, may have to boost the gain. (All sound men are not created equal and to many of them - all instruments should be electric, use 1/4" jacks, have a pre-amp, etc.). If you borrow an SM-ll, you can run the mic. cord out the sound hole to try this before making the big move to install.

In the studio, we've started using an AKG 414 laying on a handtowel in the lower bout and sometimes coupled with the SM11. This system produces a great acoustic response and preserves the fabulous tone of the instrument. I'm not keen on pick-ups, as most sound doinky and non-acoustic/metallic. Some are better than others, but I've never liked the Fishman that came with the Guild B-50 and later B-30. Other opinions differ, but I'm trying to preserve the wonderful sound and acoustic quality of the instruments we use.

A friend of our's Randy Palmer of Henri's Notions, has a custom-made acoustic bass guitar and he uses some sort of pick-up and pre-amp system. I've emailed him to get that information and will post it here when I receive it to give you some options.

Feel free to visit our web page (http://www.smithfieldfair.com) for more information - or listen to the band's sound on myspace (http://www.myspace.com/smithfieldfair) or on You Tube (live clips friends have posted - just search for Smithfield Fair) - and that may help give some qualifier if that is the sound you are looking for. Bob Bob and I started out on upright bass - our father was an upright bass player in swing bands - so that's our perspective. All the best and hope this helps. dbs
 
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Thanks for the welcome and the feedback. I'm going to look into the Shure system and will let you know how that goes.

I have to say that I've been looking for one of these guitars since I had the good fortune of playing one about 10 years ago, when I first started playing bass. I had a Taylor for a few years and have played/owned various less expensive ones.

I just got my bass last week and, the second day I had it, we did a radio show in Tampa. It was GREAT to walk into the studio, sit down and just have to pull up a mic and play ... AND it sounded killer! The neck is so smooth and as easy to play as my old P-bass ('68). My husband just grins from ear to ear ... I guess he likes it too!

Michele
 
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